Data Udipi Hotel

Data Udipi Hotel.

An age old hotel started in the mid 1980,was the target of our Chennai Food Guide showcase for the month of July.To a Chennaite the name is not too unfamiliar,as mentioned earlier, this place has been around for a long time.Over shadowed by the Woodlands Hotels chain of hotel groups and now most recently by the Sangeethas and the Saravanas,this hotel has stood its ground for as many years as them.The one on Kodambakkam it seems was the first to appear,followed by West Mambalam,MGR Nagar,Saidapet and now Valasarawakkam.

Placed on the hustling and bustling Arcot/ Kodambakkam Road,this hotel can be totally missed if you were not searching for it.Though I must mention that those whom we asked directions to, were quick to point us on our way .

We were warmly welcomed by Mr Vasu Dev, second generation owner and a very friendly staff.
Two floors to the hotel,the ground is for the drifting,  no fuss, quick food kind of crowd.The first floor has a number of comfortable cubicled seaters and is air conditioned.
The second floor can host approximately 100 people.Ample space with a stage for hosting small functions,this was the place we were ushered into to have our brunch.

The food they served had a wide spread of typical South Indian specialities.I must mention that the varieties of dosas(which I think can be their signature dishes) were utterly delicious,be it the plain ghee roast ones to the corn(jowar) dosas or the various millet dosas,each one of them had a rustic flavour to it.

Another one of my favourites was the Mangalore Buns,its actually a poori with a slight hint of sweetness (was it mango ?)again fabulous in taste and visually appealing too.

The sambar was typically udipi with a sour/sweet taste to it,went well with the vadas and the idlis.The food was extensive and frankly speaking one would need a huge appetite to even try each individual dish.Every item seemed good,though in my opinion found the pongal a bit runny and some dishes had a generous(overdose) helping of ghee. 

This place is a must try for its breakfast specially their rustic dosas.Those hungry and need good food, do head out to Data Udipi Hotel,they are spread throughout the city.

Some of the photos are from my fellow foodie/photographer/bloggers page https://www.facebook.com/Eatwitheyes
Do check out his page.

LPG- Liquified Petroleum Gas the holocaust within our home ?

I had a life changing moment a couple of days ago, it has kind of opened my eyes to a lot of things we take for granted. I have since decided to pen down my experience in order to help others to learn from my mistakes, and be aware of certain issues when it comes to maintaining their gas stoves and pipes.

Around mid morning,as my sister in law and I were busy preparing lunch,me on the kitchen chair and she by the lit stove,we suddenly heard a hiss,and saw a flash of flames emanating from behind the gas stove.The pipe through which the gas is supplied to the stove had slid out of its place and the gas had caught fire from the stove. The pipe behind was like a blow torch,burning everything in its path,luckily for us there was hardly a few days to an empty cylinder.Amidst shrieks and screams and between us we managed to shut of the stove and finally shut the gas cylinder as well.

There are so many points that I would like to share with you,and I'm listing them in random order and not by importance since I feel all of them are  equally importance.

1. Please ensure that your gas cylinder is placed close at hand, and the regulator is facing you so that you can shut the valve easily and quickly when you hear the hiss or smell gas.

2.Do not keep anything or have an obstruction in front or around the cylinder,this is in case you are faced with a similar emergency like I did.It took me a while to reach the cylinder as there was a cutting table blocking my path.

3. Do not and I can't stress this point enough,leave it to your house help to clean or check the valves and pipe. My hiatus from the kitchen(for an important reason) cost me dearly.Two months of not cleaning the kitchen myself,was a disaster waiting to happen.
Clean the kitchen space/counter yourselves.I clean mine with Mr Muscle kitchen cleaner,often spraying on the pipe and valve and giving it a good wipe.

4.Do not place your gas cylinder out of your sight,simple reason being(I have seen some people having their gas cylinders outside their homes) that in the situation that I was in,it would have taken me a longer time to switch off the gas regulator.Till then the fire from the pipe could have played havoc with all flammable material(oils) that is often kept on counter tops.

5.Don't panic,very important...Stay calm and focus on shutting of the valve/regulator as soon as possible.That should be your primary concern,do not get distracted by your surroundings or the concern in peoples voices.

Most of the points I have stated are i'm sure are already imbibed within us,but it doesn't hurt to know them again.

Please be careful and do not take your cooking spaces for granted,clean them well and check often for faulty pipes and valves.

I have since changed to a hose clip on the pipe so as to secure it more firmly.The damage caused would have been much more had the cylinder been a full one.The pressure of the gas from the pipe would have been higher and the force would have been greater.

Someone up there was obviously looking out for me or I would not have been able to pen this.Do take care and remain alert at all times when your cooking.

Please do share this,as it may be of help to someone somewhere....

Pondicherry trip -day 1

This is what "Cause Momentum" means,a trip organised by Chennai Food Guide for its members had a group of around 25 of us, travelling from Chennai on to Pondicherry.
Pondicherry aka Puducherry which means New Town,is a Union Territory state of India.Located close to Tamil Nadu,its a quaint little town retaining most of its ancient French architecture and culture.Well, we being foodies,we headed off on a fairly warm saturday morning from Chennai,not to check out the architecture but what else, just food.After meeting and waiting ( yes people please learn the importance of time)taking digs at Juggy aka Jagadeesh, for dressing up in safari gear(you're such a sport) we headed off to Pondy.

For safety purpose,CFG group had chosen the NH 45 route,which though seemed longer was a better route to take(yes i got to pluck raw tamarind off a tree on the highway,my driver- hero Raja climbed on to a tree).

Continuing on our journey with Jagadeesh and Priya and a non stop chatter by Raja,we stopped on the way for breakfast,just beside a beautiful lake teeming  with lotus blooms and white egrets flapping their wings.You don't get to see a more beautiful sight in our hustling,bustling cities anymore,sad to see that this place was just a few kilometers away from Chennai.

Well,we got to stretch our legs a bit,and the amazing Ramki showed us that its not always about pizzas.Within a matter of 28 mts(someone had actually timed him)he had pongal,convenio chapati, poori,and chutney ready.Now how on earth is this guy a bachelor still, is beyond my understanding,he should have been on every girls wish list.  Thank you Ramki for the lovely breakfast,ate enough to what I thought would fill me up for the rest of the journey,but surprise,surprise I was hungry as hell by the time we reached Pondy.

Entering Pondy we were welcomed by Mani Prabhu and Veeren Koneru our hosts for the entire holiday,we reached Tantos,a shacky kind of restaurant and were seated at a mile long table.They had the days special on boards,strategically placed at the entrance itself.We each chose what we wanted and chit chatted till the food arrived.They served good iced teas in big glass bottles,delicious and so refreshing on a hot summers day.

Its the first time that I was meeting so many members from CFG,after being virtual friends,it felt good to connect with them in person.Sathya Narayana Lalitha and Vidhya were the only three whom I hadn't interacted or met earlier and I must say they were a delight to be with.Sathya was the funny guy of the trip( PG you better beware)and kept us laughing throughout the time we spent in Pondy.

On to food,it was,warm and absolutely fresh,but what with the French around,it was bland and saltless.My guess is that they consciously make it that way to cater to the French crowd.Post lunch we dropped into the Auroville Bakery,and were  greeted by near empty stall,such is the popularity of this place,that I believe everything gets sold out as soon as its placed on the shelves.I would agree (had them at home) its products were fine and tasty.

Reached Hotel Jothimani to relax and chill out for a few hours.We were asked to be ready by 6 pm to visit the beach and follow on to dinner at L'Orient.
Arrived at the beach,tried their sundal,nothing close to what we get at our Marina beach though.Moved on from there to L'Orient a beautiful french style restaurant,they had our seats ready but it was out in the open and none of us were in the mood to sit in the sweltering heat.Moved inside to a slightly cramped space and again to bland saltless food.A bit of quick thinking by Abhijeet and Chesta,we chose a spicy dish from the menu and voila,it was so good.
So far food wise,the whole group was a tad disappointed,but the company just made up for it...
We had Sathya with his guitar and Chinna on the piano entertaining us with music.Had so much fun singing off key and showing off our vocal chords.Oh God just didn't want the day to end,but end it had too,not before we stopped at Naturals to have their amazing 100% natural ice creams.Most importantly why haven't they come into Chennai as yet ?

You guys all take a bow,for making us ladies feel so secure and looked after...Mani Prabhu,Veeren,Nishanth,Karunakaran,Jagadeesh,Chinna,Ramki,Abhijeet,the oh so sweet Sreeram and our very own comic relief Sir Sathya Narayana....You guys broke all boundaries of hospitality and friendship.....

Picture abhi bakhi hai dost...this is just day one...to be continued.......

Kalakkal Cafe

Its time to celebrate...Its the first anniversary of the Kalakkal cafe,for those of you who don't know what it is,its a cafe for the differently able,started by Vidhya Sagar and opened to general public on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month,this a place to hang out and meet so many amazing young energetic people.
   Well,I have been associated with the cafe for the past six months,thanks to my friends on CFG (Chennai Food Guide),Mr S and Mr K,I have had the opportunity and the good fortune to have made friends with so many young wonderful people.
The anniversary started at 4 pm on the 23rd of March at the cafe,pleasantly surprised to see that most of them had arrived much earlier and were eagerly awaiting for the crowds to come in.The cafe is totally disabled friendly,you have ramps for wheelchairs,ample space to maneuver and ever friendly staff and friends to help you at the drop of a hat.

Many from Chennai Food Guide have been actively involved in spreading the word around on the concept of this cafe and were there to spread the cheer.A music band played softly in the background amidst laughter and constant chatter..Karthik was in his elements with his beautiful smile,JanakiRam had written a beautiful letter thanking one and all for being there,Anjana and Ummul were buzzing with activity and my cutie pie Santosh spelled out wow on seeing the cake that the group had brought along.The twin brothers had a whale of a time with all the attention they were receiving.

Time just flew by in the hours that we spent there,and I am sure each and every one who spent time there went back with a huge smile as I did. I was thankful that day for having such wonderful friends in my life...
The video is also courtesy Karthik G....Please read more on Kalakkal Cafe from his (Karthik Ganapathis) blog herehttp://www.eatwitheyes.com/2012/04/awesomeness-in-chennai-kalakkal-cafe.html?q=kalakkal+cafe

Share and Learn

Share and Learn is a concept started by the Chennai Food Guide wherein the food bloggers/photographers and in general the foodies of Chennai had an opportunity to meet and interact with speakers of different branches of food.The session was arranged at Azzuri Bay a Mediteranian/Thai restaurant in Gandhi Nagar chennai. 

The first speaker up was Smriti k a food nutritionist,and an avid raw food advocate.She spoke passionately about the advantages of eating raw food and the benefits derived from it, don't know how much an impact it left on the audience,but her sheer passion and convincing attitude needs to be admired.She stood up amidst  hard core food eaters and carnivoures and put across her points rather effectively.I wonder if she did convert a few.

The next up was the shy Sanjeeta k,she though needs no introduction.Many would have noticed her beautiful and vivid pictures of food on CFG ,yes she is a food photographer/stylist.She addressed the audience in her amiable style,giving pointers and outlining the details on how to be not a good, but a great photographer.A picture says a thousand words and hers literally want you to eat them up.A very valuable moment for me as I consider myself a "dyslexic photographer."

The last speaker was my good friend Avanthi Vissa,she too needs no introduction,the owner of a quaint little ice cream parlour named Bellaria,(a rather new concept of ice cream making,they make it right in front of you,and with the flavours you want) a sensory scientist,having worked at Kraft foods and handling the oreos line,she explained the importance of taste and smell in conjunction with food.She displayed her humourous side with anecdotes of her experiences in the food industry.

An evening well spent,got to learn so many new ideas from these young ladies.Post presentations and speeches we were served dinner at the restaurant.The management and staff put up a good display of food and I must say it has taken a turn for the better.The last time I had visited the place I was clearly disappointed at their food and had made my opinions clear.There is indeed a marked improvement in the quality of food that we were presented with.So thank you Azzuri Bay for taking the brickbats together with the bouquets.

Catch up with a Chef

 Teenie Tiny Chef Shazia Khan,
cooking up a menu with such ease and elan,
mothers and sisters and burqa clad listers
hep pop chicks, and one dear mister.
Watching and listening at an event of food christening,
the joy of sampling the food which was indeed glistening,
The ease of her cooking has no parallel,
 and her presentation was there for all to tell.
The morning season a veg spread ,
points were noted and her menu well read.
The menu book provided, had for all to see,
the delicious recipes, she made in a jiffy.
Time went by with the fusion food,
all things done it was super, super good 
semolina cake and zucchini cups,
 topped up the charts and made our hearts go whup.
Enter the non veg section post heavy lunch,
kind off felt sleepy after the munch,
but Aswin Rao, the stand up comedian,
 woke us in time to just say wow,
the menu was eclectic and fabulous too,
and Shazia started without further adieu
from sea food exotica to the grandeur of the Shahi Pulao
this young chef made all of us say wow.
Her prawn mousse and her tzatziki dip
had us all drooling, all over our lip.
The mother of all, the Shahi Tukra
done in the morning, and served piping hot, 
it was time now to be served the Gajari Zafrani Pannacotta with Pista cream shots.
A more sincere effort by a chef I have yet to see
your power over food will make us abide by thee.
What can i say about our cupcake queen,
who brought us to you,it seems like a dream,
time flew by and the event flew smooth,
it wouldn't have been possible without you too,
Koncepts Galore you aim for the sky,
for after this your sure gonna fly 

Mans love for food-3 BC

I have known man’s love for food, wars have been fought, and poets have waxed eloquence on it, but after a very long time I have seen man sharing his food on this  magnitude...hi and welcome to the 3 bc beach cookout, if you have missed it, you have something to regret for the rest of your lives...a cfg hosted event the brainchild of Rama Krishnan and friends saw the culmination of all food lovers to the beach (at thiruvanmayur,chennai) for an event which saw all food lovers under one giant umbrella...food has no colour, creed, religion or nationality, it didn't matter if your black or white ( yes Michael Jackson we understand you better),don’t know any culinary skills or for that matter don’t know your onions from your potato, the sheer splendor of being able  to share food to a community of food lovers was a joy to behold...there was no, I can do this better, or this should be this way or move over I can do better, nothing....every one took it on themselves to play important roles, be it the barbecuing, the skewering, the serving and even the post cleaning...oh mankind what a wonderful world we live in, more than a 100 people, each one brought along something or the other to be made on the spot and served ..People’s generosities for the event needs to be applauded, it was as if the floodgates to a heart were open, each one carried with them some food and went back, I’m sure with memories they aren't going to forget in a long time… loved the spirit of the crowd, the happiness to share ones food has a joy of its own and it was there in every ones face..A mention has to be made on the splendid music provided by a group of young men and women,entertaining and so upbeat...

It’s not every day that you get to see peoples generosity and kindness towards lesser fortunate people, have seen and witnessed such kindness from a brat (please don’t hit me with a bat) who under his harsh debatable exterior turned out to be a softy at heart…..i salute you my friend may you continue to share your food with all…

I am deliberately not mentioning names on my blog as in my opinion all the folks at the event put their hands together to make this event a truly huge success, however I need to thank the forum and the administration of Chennai Food Guide for showcasing the event and to Ramakrishna of Pizza Republic who were the force behind the initiation and success of this show…

I know this may sound more of a vote of thanks, but I've got to do it…the grill would not have been lit if not for so many who got their hands dirty (some their faces too) who tirelessly stood and grilled for a nonstop 4 hours…tired hands and aching feet made up by the happy faces and innumerable thank yous…What a splendid evening it was, and like all good things this one too had its shutter down and just in time for the heavens to bless the occasion…
chennaifoodguide.in
Photo courtesy Roshan Kuruvilla Thomas.