Still to come..

To come: food adventures from a recent trip to Auroville.
- New Creation Pizzeria
- Auroville bakery
- La Ferme, Auroville's cheese farm. They make a *ton* of different & yummy cheeses.
- The Right Place (in Residency)
- Gangotree

Tuscana -- quality Italian!

We have been on the hunt for good pizzas in Chennai, a la the Flamboyante, Trattoria & On toes (do I hear you say "On toes??" -- it is really good, try it out) of Bombay: thin, crisp & super-flavorful. Tuscana comes closest, though it is closer to the Neapolitan style that I equally love.
Most people don't know where it is, but if you know/look for the Mocha here, you'll find this. It is increasing in popularity though, so if you're going on a busy night, I recommend making reservations. 6 of us went to check out the place.


About the food:
Started with a bruschetta, which had its highs. It is served as bread pieces & two sides: the traditional tomato+basil, and a gorgonzola+artichoke dip. They can do some work on getting better bread, but the sides (dips?) were spot on.

Pizzas [wood-fired]:
Siciliana: Sundried tomatoes, goat cheese, pesto. As expected with this combination of ingredients, it was excellent. Only wish it were more crispy. Also ask to get it with a pesto base. I personally like it more [tried both].



Margherita: Very good, though I found it a tad on the sweeter side. Can't go wrong with this though.

4 Stagioni: From the meat-eaters: they liked it, but weren't overly impressed.

Pastas:
Vegetarian Lasagne: Yummy! Marinara & creamy, without overpowering the different vegetables. The pasta itself was a bit thick -- maybe they use industry-made, not handmade pasta. [as a side: if you're in Bombay & want good, thin & super-soft handmade pasta, I highly recommend Aurus]

Gnocchi al Pesto: When ordering this, I was a bit apprehensive because gnocchi is really difficult to get right. Unfortunately, it did fall short. It was a bit too sticky & potato-like, instead of the pillowy goodness that it can be. The pesto sauce is very good though.

We also did get an over-priced blueberry smoothie, which is, well: blueberry + banana with the banana winning. Not a big fan of it.

Tiramisu: _Will go back just for this_. They've pretty much nailed it! :)
Sponge cake, something fig something. Forgettable.

Where:
* Details at Tuscana website
* Damage: Rs. 3000 for 6
* Service: Good, but room for improvement. Forgot a couple of smaller things that we asked for.
* Ambience: Good for groups & couples. I like their outdoor section with the open pizza kitchen + oven too [see picture].

ID

ID, which stands for Idly Dosa, is Sathyam's new "contemporary South Indian" restaurant. Went on the day before Pongal on a couple of recommendations, and we thought it was a great combination of the old & new, while still being priced very reasonably. Had a smart-but-not-pretentious feel to it. Above all, they'd not forgotten to focus on the most important thing -- the food!


Food
- Pongal special platter. I liked 3 out of the 5 pongals; in particular I didn't like the sweet ones (jaggery, especially!). They were really nice to replace (ahead of time) the sweet dish that accompanied the platter with Kesari, which I liked a lot more. The pongals tasted even better with their chutneys [tomato, coconut, mint-coconut], which are very good.


- Onion Rava dosa: Brilliant! We sat on their bar counter [contemporary!] & asked the chef to make it crispier for us, and he did just that. The sambar is just spicy enough to be yummy, and the above-mentioned chutneys helped too.



- Filter coffee: Incredibly good. Could taste it even 15 minutes after leaving the restaurant.



* Service: Prompt, friendly chef: make sure to sit at the bar.
* Ambience: Family & friendly.
* $ Damage: 200 for 2. [VFM!]

p.s. I loved their bookmark of a menu: we did take one back & actually use it!

Sandy's Chocolate Labs

This post will be a mix multiple visits, but my remaining ones should focus on a specific visit.

When I was introduced to Sandy's I loved it. They make absolutely great desserts, of which special mention should be made of:

- White Chocolate Cake: soft & sponge-like, creamy, and I love the sprinkle of cocoa powder. The latest time I had it, @ their Nungambakkam venue, they managed to mess it up, but were nice enough to admit that & take it back.

- Tiny Chocolate Cake (get it a la mode): It is *big*. And *yummy*. Love the icing!





- Bicerin: Wow-zer. Floored. Melted chocolate, coffee & cream. Coffee never tasted so good, and I lived in Seattle for 5 years. Here's a short explanation, from the NY Times

- De-constructed cheesecake: One doesn't get to often eat deconstructed food, and this cheesecake is quite brilliant. Again, go to the R.A. Puram venue for this; the newer venue doesn't seem to have quite nailed it.

- Happy Jack (& I don't normally like the combination of peanut butter & chocolate!)

Their breakfasts are also very good, judging from comments of meat-eaters. I love their pancakes & the little beakers they serve chocolate sauce & honey in.

Not-so-much:
Tres-leche
Xocolat [a lot of chocolate, even for me]
Vegetarian main courses: soups & pastas were both a miss for me. The menu changes often though, so maybe you'll find something. I once went with a friend who loved their fish dish (was it salmon? I don't remember very well now).
Pizza toast: Its good, but well.. average: tomato sauce & cheese. I expect Sandys to do something more with it.


Where: details can be found at http://sandys.co.in/

How much: Expect to pay Rs. 200 per person.
Ambience: Relaxed
Service: Friendly & fairly knowledgeable.

A few more..

I have promised a bunch, and will get to it. But, I wanted to add a few more to the list lest I forget:
- ID (@ Sathyam)
- Tuscana
- Mocha
- Bike & Barrell