Chocolates and waffles generally flirt with each other. There is some caressing at best with chocolate happy to be a topping as a sauce on the waffle or in the form of a chocolate ice cream in varying stages of blah. But a full time commitment? Rare. But like anything done with commitment, when chocolate decides to commit itself to the waffle, the result is magical. Like any committed relationship, not everything is sweet. Not everything is bitter, but the magic is in the ability to appreciate both. Throw in friends like coffee and banana once in a while, we have a winner!

Marriages more often than not, need a pastor. In this case, there were two. Nitin Chordia from Cocotrait and Christoph from Wafobel together decided to marry these two things. Both are extremely fond of their respective kids, Nitin a chocolate stalwart and Christoph, the father of Wafobel, decided to the honours themselves!

Rich pure in house Chocolate mixed with the Belgian waffle batter should make any dessert fan go weak on the knees. But if that gives you thoughts of having a super sweet waffle, think again. The batter is folded with chocolate so there is chocolate everywhere. Inside, outside, on the crust, in your mouth; simply everywhere. Then there is more. Friends add spice to life and in the waffle world, friends like peanut butter and banana join in the Peanut Choco Waffle to create a nice variation. When they wanted to be by themselves, they were doing the Classic Fudge, a beautiful classic love story. Thick fudge gives you memories with bitter sweetness. And they get a little creative with the Chip n Nib waffle, where there is both the chocolate chips and the cocoa nibs in the waffle. I guess this happens when the chocolate decides to emphasise its role in the relationship a little more. No complaints.

Bring two wonderful things together is a challenge. You can bring wonderful ingredients, but bringing a DISH, that too a tried tested and loved one like waffle with an INGREDIENT, again a tried tested and loved (OK loved is an understatement for chocolate), is not easy, but these two have pulled it off. I believe there has been a lot of preparation to make sure this works. After all it is the bringing together of two feisty ones! Oh this is an inter-country marriage too. The Belgian Waffle with the Indian Chocolate!

The festival is on till the end May. The fact that besides bringing joy to the tongue, it is also a joy to the heart. Beyond the ‘heart’ in a relationship, I’m talking about the heart that pumps blood. With no butter, no cream and the fat coming purely from cocoa butter, this is healthy. Now that is a winning combination! 

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Chocolates and waffles generally flirt with each other. There is some caressing at best with chocolate happy to be a topping as a sauce on the waffle or in the form of a chocolate ice cream in varying stages of blah. But a full time commitment? Rare. But like anything done with commitment, when chocolate decides to commit itself to the waffle, the result is magical. Like any committed relationship, not everything is sweet. Not everything is bitter, but the magic is in the ability to appreciate both. Throw in friends like coffee and banana once in a while, we have a winner!

Marriages more often than not, need a pastor. In this case, there were two. Nitin Chordia from Cocotrait and Christoph from Wafobel together decided to marry these two things. Both are extremely fond of their respective kids, Nitin a chocolate stalwart and Christoph, the father of Wafobel, decided to the honours themselves!

Rich pure in house Chocolate mixed with the Belgian waffle batter should make any dessert fan go weak on the knees. But if that gives you thoughts of having a super sweet waffle, think again. The batter is folded with chocolate so there is chocolate everywhere. Inside, outside, on the crust, in your mouth; simply everywhere. Then there is more. Friends add spice to life and in the waffle world, friends like peanut butter and banana join in the Peanut Choco Waffle to create a nice variation. When they wanted to be by themselves, they were doing the Classic Fudge, a beautiful classic love story. Thick fudge gives you memories with bitter sweetness. And they get a little creative with the Chip n Nib waffle, where there is both the chocolate chips and the cocoa nibs in the waffle. I guess this happens when the chocolate decides to emphasise its role in the relationship a little more. No complaints.

Bring two wonderful things together is a challenge. You can bring wonderful ingredients, but bringing a DISH, that too a tried tested and loved one like waffle with an INGREDIENT, again a tried tested and loved (OK loved is an understatement for chocolate), is not easy, but these two have pulled it off. I believe there has been a lot of preparation to make sure this works. After all it is the bringing together of two feisty ones! Oh this is an inter-country marriage too. The Belgian Waffle with the Indian Chocolate!

The festival is on till the end May. The fact that besides bringing joy to the tongue, it is also a joy to the heart. Beyond the ‘heart’ in a relationship, I’m talking about the heart that pumps blood. With no butter, no cream and the fat coming purely from cocoa butter, this is healthy. Now that is a winning combination! 

via Blogger http://ift.tt/2p3HhaF

Chocolates and waffles generally flirt with each other. There is some caressing at best with chocolate happy to be a topping as a sauce on the waffle or in the form of a chocolate ice cream in varying stages of blah. But a full time commitment? Rare. But like anything done with commitment, when chocolate decides to commit itself to the waffle, the result is magical. Like any committed relationship, not everything is sweet. Not everything is bitter, but the magic is in the ability to appreciate both. Throw in friends like coffee and banana once in a while, we have a winner!

Marriages more often than not, need a pastor. In this case, there were two. Nitin Chordia from Cocotrait and Christoph from Wafobel together decided to marry these two things. Both are extremely fond of their respective kids, Nitin a chocolate stalwart and Christoph, the father of Wafobel, decided to the honours themselves!

Rich pure in house Chocolate mixed with the Belgian waffle batter should make any dessert fan go weak on the knees. But if that gives you thoughts of having a super sweet waffle, think again. The batter is folded with chocolate so there is chocolate everywhere. Inside, outside, on the crust, in your mouth; simply everywhere. Then there is more. Friends add spice to life and in the waffle world, friends like peanut butter and banana join in the Peanut Choco Waffle to create a nice variation. When they wanted to be by themselves, they were doing the Classic Fudge, a beautiful classic love story. Thick fudge gives you memories with bitter sweetness. And they get a little creative with the Chip n Nib waffle, where there is both the chocolate chips and the cocoa nibs in the waffle. I guess this happens when the chocolate decides to emphasise its role in the relationship a little more. No complaints.

Bring two wonderful things together is a challenge. You can bring wonderful ingredients, but bringing a DISH, that too a tried tested and loved one like waffle with an INGREDIENT, again a tried tested and loved (OK loved is an understatement for chocolate), is not easy, but these two have pulled it off. I believe there has been a lot of preparation to make sure this works. After all it is the bringing together of two feisty ones! Oh this is an inter-country marriage too. The Belgian Waffle with the Indian Chocolate!

The festival is on till the end May. The fact that besides bringing joy to the tongue, it is also a joy to the heart. Beyond the ‘heart’ in a relationship, I’m talking about the heart that pumps blood. With no butter, no cream and the fat coming purely from cocoa butter, this is healthy. Now that is a winning combination! 

via Blogger http://ift.tt/2p3HhaF

When someone tells me that there is a vegetarian version of a non veg dish that I must try, I look up. When it comes from a hard core foodie who is a pure non vegetarian, then my brain is deciding when, how and who to go with. When the guy says he is going back there two days in a row and is willing to drive me, I'm sold!

And that is how I was introduced to Nicky's Fine Baking and Cafe. The dish in question here was the Pao, which I think they call Bao. Or maybe there are two ways to pronounce and spell it, I don't know. When in Hong Kong, my friend told me that I must absolutely taste the Pao/Bao and I took a trek to try it out from what he said was a great place for Pao! I had the veg version there because they ran out of chicken and the other option was pork, which I don't eat, and OH MY GOD, it was awesome.

So after my friend placed order for the Pao, my eyes wandered to the counters which had delicious looking food. The one thing that wasn't delicious looking was the sandwich. The chef/owner who was besides the place then walked over and suggested we try the sandwich the next time. My friend and me looked at each other and thought, why come back, let's do it now! And so the sandwich landed on our table.

So, here is something that needs to be told. Nicky's, at least now, is a cafe that is very Swiss, but vegetarian. Dishes are not completely tweaked to suit our South Indian palate yet, but on the flip side gives a glimpse into how simple street side cafes in small town Swiss towns are. The perfect example was the size of the sandwich which immediately brought back memories from Switzerland. Quarter size breads, simple, but tasty fillings! The pao arrived and it was simply awesome. Baked to perfection, the flour was soft, just right with the sweet (yes, it is slightly sweet and that is how it is supposed to be) and the filling was fabulous.

For dessert, we were debating between two desserts and a very French (I think) dessert, called St. Llorine (I think), which had a nice shortbread crust, some mango, some choux pastry and caramel, won the debate. The chef was quick to say that this is not the original version and that the original version has something else instead of the short pastry and the caramel is dipped..........well, it doesn't matter. The dessert was nice. The bill for the above and a nice macron was Rs. 425.

I plan to go back and try the rest of the stuff and also learn a little more about the chef who has trained in Switzerland. Wonder if he can make a fondue! Wink Wink. The menu is very interesting as they do stuff on order and they make profiterole and macaroon towers like the ones we see in Masterchef Australia! Wooooo.....

Vegetarian cuisine is not been getting justice in Chennai and places like this show us the there is so much more to veg cuisine and I am very glad! OK, this is not pure veg as they have egg based stuff, but still........

I was mighty excited when I heard that Krispy Kreme was coming to Chennai. Having an outlet near my Bangalore office helps me get a dose of donuts when I am there, so wishing it came to Chennai was a monthly affair for me. I have never sat down to eat donuts, though. Always picked them up on the go and munched them through. I introduced my friend to KK when we went for a movie and he was hooked for life, or so he said. When KK was giving away free donuts before the launch, I wanted to get my hands on them. Not because they were free, but because I love them so much and didn't want to wait for a trip to Bangalore to get my hands on them.

When they finally opened up, I was ready. Ready to stuff my face with donuts. Ready to write a glowing post on this blog. My head already knew what I wanted to write. Words were flowing. Decided to take the family, but only two of us ended up going. I left my friends behind. Foody friends were ditching each other to get their hands on the donuts before the others. We ordered a dozen. We sat down. We opened it. We smiled. We rubbed our hands. We took the first bite.

We were praising it. But within me, I knew something was wrong. Her face showed the same. Neither of us admitted it. But action speaks louder than words, doesn't it? By the end of half hour, very single donut was left half bitten. One bite by each of us, so half of it was left. Except the original glaze that was eaten in full. We realised that we had to admit it. Something was wrong. Opening glitches, I told myself. After all, I've had KK abroad and in Bangalore, so it was not some fantasy, but one that I loved.

Next week. A box of Donut House donuts that normally disappear when I take home seemed like a memory. A box of KK donuts were still lying there after two days. Yesterday, I took more of the original glaze and the result was slightly better than the assorted donuts. But the boxes were not emptied.

This has been tougher for me to write than admitting that the Legendary burger at Hard Rock, Chennai was dry! More disappointing that having McDonalds serve a toned down and no beef version of their burgers in India. Much more difficult to digest than the fact that most international chocolates taste much better abroad than in India.

I know that at the price point, there are better burgers in Chennai than McD. I know that Haagen Daz is not great for single scoop ice creams, but for their sundaes. But I don't know why Krispy Kreme didn't go well with me in Chennai. Is it the weather that makes the burger dry and makes the KK donuts sweeter? The more I look for an explanation, the more I am confused. I think I've been able to deduce that its much sweeter here, but that's all I can point to. Don't know much more.

Why did I decide to write this today? Another crazy KK fan, told me yesterday that he felt something was wrong, but didn't know why. My friend who I introduced to KK, told me yesterday that he enjoyed KK more in Bangalore. Family felt this way. Maybe we are the only group who feels this way or maybe there are more who feel this way.

For now, the coffee in KK is very very nice. So a coffee and a original glaze if I need to spend some time reading a book or working out of office (though the KK in EA is not really suited for that, the one in Bangalore is). If I need to take a box, then its Donut House! A home grown brand built on the concept of an international brand, trumps it in its home city. A case where the student becomes better than the teacher, at least in the home turf!!!! I guess this augers well for the Chennai food scene.

Update:

My post gathered a lot of response and most of them have felt that KK is too sweet for them, not just in Chennai but elsewhere too. Is it the fact that I normally pick up a KK donut on the run in other places, but I sat down to eat them in Chennai, making Chennai KK donuts taste worse? Does eating them on the run reduce the effect of the sweetness? No idea!

Photo Credit: Krispykreme.in

I think I am going back here after a couple of years! Tucked away inside a lane on RK Salai, at that time and now, the look and feel of the place hasn't changed. Beautiful outdoor seating, well spaced out tables in one part, just about coffee shop feel in another and a wonderful place to catch up on a book or a friend. But, that time, it was good bistro, but now it is a slightly confused place, cuisine wise. They have a new brand called something that I forgot with full fledged Indian food for lunch and dinner and the Dewberry brand is only between 3 and 7 during which time they serve a small cafe menu. I wonder why!

So my colleague and me wanted some peace and quite for a discussion and that is why we landed there. We got the peace and quite as the restaurant was closed for a month and they had just opened, so we were the only one there. We got ourselves two finger foods - a chicken bruschetta topped with olives and cheese and a stir fry chicken from the very small menu. I believe the menu is not fully operational yet. Both dishes were reasonably good and I had no complaints, though they could work on the presentation. I used to like a chilly lime margarita and so I asked for it. Only this time, I could hardly taste the chilly. My friends cappuccino was just that.

But the layered chocolate dessert that the waiter was very pushy about actually turned out to be excellent. Layered chocolate goodness brownie with a nice sauce and ice cream presented beautifully was gulped down in no time.

I hope they get out of their confusion soon and set up the place. With a lovely setting and reasonably good food, I wonder why they want to create another brand and change to fully Indian cuisine for this setting. Though it would be lovely, I wonder if they can actually have a full fledged Indian cuisine also for the evening snacks. Maybe pakoras and bajjis and those type things with hot Indian chai! Not a bad idea especially since the one starter we had was of good Indian flavour.  But one name from 12-3 and 7-10 and another name between 3-7! I am no expert, so will wait to see how the market responds.  

Afternoon tea. A concept that I think originated in England and quite a few countries have taken into it, even if it means that it is marketed to tourists. Coming to think of it, the afternoon tea did have its place in India, at least in South India. As a kid, there was always tea time in the family, a concept that slowly waned away as we grew up. But the tea time did come back, albeit, in another form. Book reading. At times when I am done early, I sit and get some reading done at Amethyst or (very frequently) at Cha Bar, a place that I will miss forever. When I was invited by Marriott, I realised they are attempting to fill that gap and though I don't how well it will work, it was worth exploring.

A typical bill for me at Amethyst will cross Rs. 400 if you get a sandwich and a drink. Marriott is targeting that price point. At Rs 399 plus tax which comes to about Rs. 450 odd, you get an assortment of 5 eclairs and a coffee of choice. Though available between 11 am and 11 pm, this is perfect for evening tea or late evening tea if you are the book reading type or the kitty party type.

The five eclairs were classic, coffee, mixed berry, a fantastic dark chocolate orange and a white chocolate. The choice of coffee is reasonably exquisite with Indian Coorg, Ethiopian, Columbian and a couple more. Five eclairs are quite filling and you can while away a couple of hours over a book or chat away to glory or have a business discussion without burning a hole in your pocket.

Interesting concept and next month there might be a cheesecake replacing the eclair, but let's see how the Afternoon Tea concept works in Chennai. It will need time to catch up and I hope they don't give up before we find out if it will work.