Discovering a new short cut (after 4 years of it being there) has its own advantages. Anna Nagar 3rd Main Road is much closer!!! And that opens up a new range of restaurants for me when I am lazy to drive to the city!!! Suddenly that night we thought we had a battalion of options!!! After wasting the driving time we saved on deciding where to eat, we just decided it was Coco Jaunt!!!!

Small, neat and with a bakery attached, Coco Jaunt is a simple eatery with a nice menu!!! With my camera not in hand, I so wish I could go back to get a few shots at the food!! The best of which was the Bunny Chow! A South African favourite, its a nice big bowl of bread with gravy, Butter Chicken Masala in our case!!! The gravy tasted nothing like a butter chicken masala, but it tasted great with the bread, so we really did not care about the name!!!

We started off with fries! Why? Because reading it off the menu, I thought it was going to be a nice cheesy liquid on top of the fries. Not! It was just fries. And apparently the cheesy stuff is just the dip. Nothing to write home about. Then the super nice bunny chow. Done. Dusted. We had a pita stuffed with some stuff that was alright.

And then a fantastic dessert. A super moist chocolate cake with ginger syrup. I think it had a little cinnamon and something else to it, but it was fantastic.

We then took home some sour dough bread and cookies hoping it will be as good as the bunny chow and the chocolate cake, but it was as average as the pita and the fries!

Short dinner. Short write up!!!!

I hear they've opened up another branch on Chamiers Road, but I went to the one in Anna Nagar.

I don't have a luck for winning contests. In fact, I don't even remember the last time I won something. Friends win stays at Grand Chola and shopping at Phoenix, but I don't. And then I did. Complementary wine for two with any meal at Prego, the fantastic Italian restaurant at Taj Coromandel. What's the use of that for a teetotaller? So I wrote to Taj and asked them to give the prize to someone else. Very sweetly, their twitter handle changed the prize to appetisers and dessert for two. I was ecstatic. I was jumping. I was boastful. I was on cloud nine and ten........

I was also, yes, yes, yes, forgetful. I forgot. When did I realise this? When I won again. This time, same hotel, same restaurant, but cheesecake making session. This time I was aghast. Sad. Self Kicking. Not because I won, but because I missed the previous awesome offer at Prego. I was determined to make it up this time. I also had an agenda. La Patisserie, the awesome but discreet cake shop at Taj Coromandel, has some fantastic stuff. While cheesecakes in some decent coffee shops can cost around Rs. 250, at a 5 star patisserie, it costs between  Rs. 130 and 150. Between 8 and 9, they have a ridiculous flat 50% off, so it costs Rs. 65- 75. Service tax. Corruption tax. All tax included. I wanted to know how they do it!

And so, five contest winners were assembled at Prego and the seemingly simple art of cheesecake making was taught. Two varieties, a baked one and a frozen one with some fantastic flavours. Eggs, cheese, flour and spices magically turned into cheesecake! The saffron cheesecake that I had packed home a couple of days back was made right in front of us!!! The cake itself was amazing. Passion fruit cheesecake was the other!!!! The offer also had a high tea included and it was similar (but smaller spread) compared to the Taj Lounges around. The salmon with zucchini sandwich was fantastic there!

This armour had a chink though. Very craft fully, a savoury cheesecake was created. I liked the idea and it looked good. My mind kept saying that this may not really work. The heart had other plans, so after the workshop, I picked up two cheesecakes and one savoury cheesecake. While we all loved the cheesecakes, I hated the savoury one! Way too much that it is going to take a whole of effort to try a savoury cheesecake again!!!! Mind 1, Heart 0

Though this event was part of the World Cheesecake Day (and I knew such a day existed only after this), I normally pick up a lot of stuff from La Pat as we (and as I realised later, Taj also) fondly call this place on the basement of Taj Coromandel. While their cheesecakes are definitely the highlight, their croissants (if fresh) are crispy and buttery and some savoury pies are definitely worth a shot. If you go between 8 and 9, anything on the counter is worth it!!! At Rs. 1250 a kg, their chocolate cake (which normally needs about 8 hours of pre-order) which was a routine for my medicine chief during my days in Apollo) is to die for!!!!! I haven't ordered it in a while though!!

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........

Quirky cafes are slowly making their entry into Chennai and I love that! It is no more a 'when I was in Bangalore.......' phenomenon. Ah, yes! The latest entry into the bandwagon is Brew Room, cleverly adapted inside Savera Hotels, but can stand out on its own without having to rely on the hotel for clientele. And as of date, it is probably the only garden cafe in which you can actually sit on the lush green lawns. Small, quirky and eclectically set, the ambiance is a winner. The Chennai weather unfortunately, is not and so you might end up sitting in the glass interior section most of the time, but during the Chennai hot season (remember, Chennai has hot, hotter, hottest only), the outdoor will be a beautiful place to sip a hot coffee!

I was there twice in two days and I waited for a few days to write about it because of one reason; the lamb burger. Now, I am paranoid about having lamb medium. Beef, yes, I have acquired that taste and the courage, but lamb, not yet. Only and only if I am absolutely sure of the quality of lamb will I even consider it done medium, so I was not happy when after the first bite the lamb burger presented itself with varying degrees of pink. I asked the person (he wasn't a waiter, but I think he might co-own the place) and he assured me that it was very good quality lamb and they have tested it multiple time. Oh, I forgot, the first bite was heavenly. It was an excellent lamb burger and a very good price. Reluctantly I ate. Reluctant, because I was paranoid and I didn't send it back because it was perfect. Ten days late, I am still alive, so I guess it was very good quality lamb.

The first time, we had chicken sliders (essentially mini burgers) which was quite good for me and the little sweetish onion compote was a real winner below the patty, the chicken sandwich wasn't out of the world, but was good enough. The Thai ice coffee was nothing special. The second time of course was the outstanding lamb burger, a Jamaican chicken sandwich that was quite nice and a very good carrot cake to finish it off. Both times, the bill was around 1200 for two dishes, so I guess the hotel tax rates kick in, though the menu price didn't seem very high with dishes being priced around Rs. 275.

Great ambiance, good food and friendly service! 

I am big sucker for breakfast and I believe that it is a very important meal. A lot of my wellness gyaan talks about breakfast and its importance, but unfortunately, except for the Stay-includes-breakfast deals at hotels, somehow fancy-breakfast does not seem to be a very profitable business in Chennai or most parts of India, at least in cities where there is no Au Bon Pain. The Sundays have the brunch, which is a different ball game altogether, but there are lots of places which thrive on breakfast dishes throughout the day - purely on idly, vada, sambar, pongal types, namely Saravana Bhavan and now the newly opened Krishnavilasam, which I am yet to visit.

But back to non-Indian breakfast and your choices are quite limited, but when the craving for eating a good breakfast outside of home on a Sunday (and I know I am one of the few who craves for that), the only option that came to mind was Parfait 3. A few months back, I had a very good breakfast at BBQ Chicken, but they closed down. So, last Sunday, we were at Parfait, just to stretch out and eat some breakfast! We arrived at 1030!

We had just two orders - the largest breakfast combo priced at Rs 225 (starts from 85) and a banana pancake! The combo had 4 slices of toast, slightly burnt (I asked for it that way), eggs to order and we asked for cheese masala omelette, 2 chicken sausages, 3 slices of chicken salami, butter, jam, a chicken breast made to order and coffee with a cookie. The chicken breast had lots of oregano and was simple, but tasty and the rest were what you would normally expect - nothing more, nothing less. I have had banana pancake here before and they are usually very good, but that day, the pancakes were thicker and so slightly undercooked!

We then picked up some meringues, which I thought were excellent, packed a very soft and rather thin focaccia and chocolate bread sticks for home and their bakery is worth a visit. There were two other tables occupied, one with a young man who ordered the same breakfast combo and was reading, while the other was a couple, so I was not the only one crazy enough to get breakfast on a Sunday! Normally, on Sundays, I sleep through breakfast times and that is a different story, but on all workdays, I get a very similar breakfast done at home! So, it is very similar to making idly at home, but going to HSB or Sangeetha for idly once in a while.

The total bill, including the take away was Rs. 380.

There are many Parfait 3's in Chennai and I went to their Kilpauk outlet. They are open from 11 am to 11 pm on weekdays and from 8 am onwards on weekends. I don't think an IHOP type place will ever come to Chennai! 

My work takes me to Bangalore now and then and having quite a choice to eat around my office helps, but one day, I was taking a walk and spotted au bon pain close by! Decided to step in for a quick snack and a drink and got in to be welcomed by two women in all smiles! The place was almost empty, except for the two people working on their Macs!!!

It is a self service restaurant and I was suprised to see Bagels! I love bagels and had the chance to have some great ones abroad, so I was rather thrilled to try it out. However, by default, they did not have a bagel sandwich as they were out of stock with their regular fillings, but when I insisted that I would like a bagel sandwich, she offered to give me a sandwich filling inside the bagel for a small extra price and I was ok with it.

The bagel turned out to be fantastic. Yes, not the best bagel in the world, but it was really nice. The filling was good, the chicken was succulent, the sauces were perfect and everything about it was just nice. Surprised to see it rather empty, I have no idea if it is generally good or if I went in on a good day, but that bagel sandwich had me wanting more!!!

4/5 for this sandwich!

The one I stepped in was at Koramangla, near the Sony World signal, but apparently they have a few outlets across Bangalore. Are they in Chennai?

And hey, if you enjoyed reading this, please share!

After seeing a number of paper ads, on a lazy sunday morning, we headed out to Gatsby Village for some baked breakfast options! We were surprised to see only one table in the center, lots of expensive stuff to buy and a small table with food at the corner. The smell was heavenly, but our idea of having a nice breakfast was sloshed! Apparently the table we saw was for sale and that the food here is 'take away' only!

Not wanting to be disappointed, we ordered ourselves a croissant, a chocolate twister and a quiche. The food (may be it was a fresh batch since we were there in the morning), was awesome! The chocolate croissant was crisp on the outside and soft inside and with the right amount of butter - fantasitc. The chocolate twister had generous amounts of chocolate and the puff pastry was baked perfectly and was mouth watering, while the quiche was just ok!

Sad that you cannot eat inside, but the way the food is stored, I presume that only the mornings will have you happy, it might get stale as the day passes. It is advertised as a eat out, so maybe the ads are misleading or I misunderstood the ads! I would love to try out other things here as I know Baker's Street is pretty reputed in Pondy, but I am not sure if the outlets have a place to sit in and eat! But hey, the croissant was just awesome!
Prices are on the higher side for the cakes, but not bad for the croissants!

Food 7/10
Service NA
Ambiance NA
Price 7/10

We went to the one on RK Salai, where Barista used to be hosted, but I believe there are a few more outlets in Chennai!

la Boulangerie, touted to be the best 'French' bakery in town had a wonderful ambiance at their first outlet in Anna Nagar! Now, I have no clue as to what happened to that one, but though no other outlet has that wonderful ambiance, food is pretty good!

We went back to the outlet inside the Harrison's hotel lobby for a rendezvous of our dating days! The setting is pretty cute, though small and very elegant. We asked for a butter almond croissant, a cheese quiche, a white forest cake and chocolate mousse! The croissant is certainly not the best in the world, its not crisp on the outside and soft inside, but its not bad either. The quiche was pretty good and well baked, while the cake and the mousse were decent. We did not try out their garlic bread this time, it used to be brilliant earlier. The above cost us Rs 240, so most dishes are priced around Rs 50! LB is certainly not what it used to be sometime back, but its still decent for occasional indulgences!

LB has a dessert buffet on weekends, priced at Rs 200 plus taxes ( I think)  which I would like to try sometime soon. Nothing to speak of service in a bakery and the ambiance is neat!

Food 7/10
Service 7/10
Ambiance 8/10
Price 7/10

la Boulangerie is located at multiple places in Chennai, the one is Harrison's hotel is the closest for me. You can visit their site for more locations. http://www.laboulangerie.in/