Lumiere is Bangalore’s newest (and the only as far as I know) organic restaurant. It is located at Doddanakkundi on the Outer Ring Road connecting KR Puram and Marathahalli. Look out for the decorative ‘Jalsa’ restaurant as you drive by, and Lumiere is right next to ‘Jalsa’. The restaurant is on the fourth floor of a narrow building. The basement parking lot was very narrow and could hold around 5 cars, thats all. However, the restaurant itself is quite spacious and well decorated.

Ambience

The ambience in the restaurant is quite refreshing. The decor has been tastefully done with an elegant stairs leading up to the next level being the center of attraction in the restaurant. There was enough lighting, and to fight the noon-time scorching heat of Bangalore, they had pedestal fans all over. This was definitely an eyesore, as you don’t want to see tens of plastic-looking fans all over the place spoiling the feel of the decor. But they have chosen fans in lieu of AC to be environment friendly it seems. There was also an air cooler next to our table, which was causing more discomfort than anything else. The seating was reasonably comfortable, and the there were large table mats that could hold all of your cutlery, plus some juice glasses. There were some paintings on the wall, and carnatic music was being played in the speakers. Overall, an interesting ambience.

Food

We had booked the lunch buffet. There is a difference in price for the vegetarian and the non-vegetarian buffets, and this is really appreciable. We were served beetroot-ginger juice as a welcome drink, which was surprisingly tasty. The chicken clear soup was ok, and there were wheat breads and bread sticks and accompaniments. The main non-vegetarian dishes were Fish manchurian, fish masala, Chicken schezwan, and a chicken gravy. The fish dishes were refreshingly good and tasty, especially the fish masala.

Chicken pulav was good, but tasted more like chicken fried rice. There was something called ‘herb rice’ on the vegetarian side, which was nice. The veg noodles left a lot to be desired. I tried only the lady’s finger with salt and pepper from the vegetarian side, which was okayish. The desserts were nothing extraordinary. There was some kind of khoa sweet, rice kheer and fruits salad. We washed it off with a cool saunf sharbat, which I had for the first time, and found it surprisingly nice.

I don’t know if the ‘organic’ tag of the restaurant made any difference to the taste of the food. Nevertheless, the food was fresh and tasty. Even items which I do not normally enjoy were good enough in this restaurant. The best part is, they update their lunch menu everyday in their website. Full marks to this. In summary, the food was above average.

Service

This was the best part of the experience. The service was really good. The waiters were all prompt and at their heels to cater to the customers. The used plates were being cleared in no time, and the water glasses were being refilled even before you know it. Also, they answered all our questions on the food items patiently. I would rate the service excellent.

Verdict

Organic food is a new upmarket concept that is catching up in the big cities. Still organic food is rare and quite expensive too. However, this restaurant is priced reasonably (Rs.375 for non-veg, and Rs.300 for veg buffet), and the quality of the food, ambience, service are all good. Parking at peak hours could be the only setback. Overall the restaurant is worth trying – you might actually find the ‘organic’ part interesting after all.

Rating: 3.5/5

குமுதம், விகடன், எக்ஸ்பிரஸ் என்று எல்லோரும் சேர்ந்து வரவேற்றார்கள். நுழைவுச்சீட்டு வாங்க நேராகச் சென்ற எங்களுக்கு ஒரு சின்ன இன்ப அதிர்ச்சி. நடிகர் சூர்யா எழுதிய “இப்படிக்கு சூர்யா” என்ற நூல் வெளியீடு விழா நடந்து கொண்டிருந்தது. அலையன்ஸ் பதிப்பகத்தின் வெளியீடு. பேராசிரியர் சாலமன் பாப்பையா அவர்கள் புத்தகத்தை வெளியிட்டு வாழ்த்துரை வழங்கிக் கொண்டிருந்தார். எதேச்சையாக வந்த கூட்டத்தைத் தவிர பெரிய கூட்டம் இல்லை. அதனால், சூர்யாவை அருகில் சென்று கண்குளிர (ஹிஹி… என்ன பண்றது…?) பார்த்து டிஜிக்கேமில் படங்கள் எடுத்துக் கொண்டோம். சூர்யா எப்படியெல்லாம் பெற்றோருக்கு அடங்கிய சமர்த்துப் பிள்ளையாக இருக்கிறார் என்பது பற்றி பாப்பையா பேசிக்கொண்டிருந்தார். அங்கேயே புத்தகம் வாங்குகிறவர்களுக்கு சூர்யா கையெழுத்திட்டுத் தருவார் என்றதும் பல இளைஞர் இளைஞிகள் மேடையை மொய்த்தனர். நாங்கள் ticket counter-ஐ நோக்கி நடந்தோம்.

ஐந்து ரூபாய் நுழைவுச்சீட்டு வாங்கிக் கொண்டு உள்ளே நுழைந்ததும் முதலில் கவனித்த விஷயம், பிளைவுட் தரை அமைத்திருந்தார்கள். தூசு, மேடு-பள்ளம் என்ற கவலையெல்லாம் இல்லை. இன்னும் அந்த மைதானம் முழுவதற்குமாகப் பெரிய பந்தல் அமைத்திருந்தார்கள். ஆங்காங்கே மின்விசிறிகள் அமைத்திருந்தார்கள். குறுக்கும் நெடுக்குமாகப் போவது போல் இல்லாமல், வரிசையாக ஸ்டால்களை அமைத்திருந்தார்கள். ஒரு வரிசையை முடித்துவிட்டு, நேராக, அடுத்த வரிசைக்குச் செல்லலாம். அதுமட்டுமின்றி, நல்ல அகலமான பாதை. சென்ற ஆண்டு நடந்தது போல தள்ளுமுள்ளு அனுபவமெல்லாம் இம்முறை கிடையாது. நிறைய கூட்டம் இருந்தபோதும், free-யாக நடக்க முடிந்தது.

புத்தகக் காட்சியில் பெருவாரியாகக் கண்ணுக்குத் தெரிந்த புத்தகங்கள், குழந்தைகளுக்கானவை தான். இளமையிலேயே படிக்கும் ஆர்வத்தைத் தூண்டும் முயற்சி என்றால், பாராட்டலாம். இரண்டாமிடம் ஆன்மீகப் புத்தகங்களுக்கு. புதிது புதிதாகப் பல ஆன்மீகவாதிகள் தோன்றிக் கொண்டே இருக்கிறார்கள். சென்ற ஆண்டுக்கு இந்த ஆண்டு ஆன்மீகம் அதிகமாகி இருக்கிறது என்று நினைக்கிறேன். (என் கற்பனையாகவும் இருக்கலாம்). அதன் பின்னால், எப்போதும் போல், பணம் பண்ணுவது எப்படி, வேலை தேடுவது எப்படி போன்றவைகள். எனக்கு மிகவும் பிடித்தமானவை, புத்தக விநியோகஸ்தர்களின் (distributors) ஸ்டால்கள் தான். அவர்களிடம் பல ஊர்களிலிருந்தும், பல நாடுகளிலிருந்தும் பலரும் எழுதும் quality writing கிடைக்கிறது. அது தவிர, பல நம் ஊர் பதிப்பகங்கள் வாயிலாக, புதிய படப்பாளாகளை அடையாளம் காண முடிந்தது. பொதுவாக புத்தகக் கடைகளில் கிடைப்பதை விட இங்கு 10% விலை குறைவு என்பது ஒரு பிள஦lt;br /> ?் பாயிண்ட். புஸ்தக் மஹால், திருமகள் நிலையம், கிழக்கு பதிப்பகம், உயிர்மை பதிப்பகம் என்று பல ஸ்டாலகளில் பலப்பல புத்தகங்கள் வாங்கித் திணித்துக் கொண்டேன். ஒரு வருடம் முழுவதற்கும் வேண்டுமல்லவா? உயிர்மை பதிப்பகத்தில் மனுஷ்யபுத்ரன் அவர்களைப் பார்த்தது இரட்டிப்பு மகிழ்ச்சி.

பல இடங்களில் மின்விசிறிகள் வைத்திருந்தாலும், காற்றோட்டமாக இல்லாமல் கொஞ்சம் அடைப்பாக இருந்தது ஒரு குறை. அதுவுமில்லாமல், வரிசைகள் நீளமாக இருந்ததும், ஒரு வரிசை முழுவதும் கடந்து தான் அடுத்த வரிசைக்குப் போகவேண்டியிருந்ததும் கொஞ்சம் கஷ்டமாக இருந்தது. ஸ்டால்களுக்கு இடையில் இருந்த இடைவெளிகளில் தடுப்புகள் போட்டிருந்தார்கள். பல தடுப்புகள் தள்ளப்பட்டு, மக்கள் அடுத்த வரிசைக்குச் செல்ல குறுக்கு வழிகள் ஏற்படுத்தியிருந்தார்கள். ஆங்காங்கே தண்ணீர் வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்தது. ஆனால், காட்சிக்கு உள்ளே எதுவும் உண்பதற்குக் கிடைக்கவிலை. இது ஒரு விதத்தில் நன்றாக இருந்தாலும், கிட்டத்தட்ட 400 ஸ்டால்கள் இருப்பதால், பாதி முடிப்பதற்குள் சோர்வாகிவிடுகிறது. எதுவும் உள்ளே போகாமல் முழுவதும் முடிப்பது சிரமம். ஆனால், கண்காட்சிக்கு விளியில், பெரிய அரங்கம் அமைத்து “The Rice Bowl” என்ற பெயரில் food court அமைத்திருக்கிறார்கள். மிகவும் வரவேற்கத்தக்கது. (ஹிஹி…).

Prodigy ஸ்டாலில் புதிய முயற்சியாக குழந்தைகளுக்காக, ஓவியம் தீட்டும் போட்டிகள் நடத்துகிறார்கள். பல குழந்தைகளை வரைய விட்டு அம்மாக்கள் அவர்களை மேய்த்துக் கொண்டிருந்தார்கள். வெளியே மற்றுமொரு சிற்றரங்கத்தில் அறிவியல் காட்சி அமைக்கப்பட்டிருந்தது குழந்தைகளுக்கும் சிறுவர்-சிறுமிகளுக்கும் பயனளிக்கும். இன்னும் ஆவணப் படங்கள் போன்றவற்றுக்காக சிற்றரங்கம் அமைத்திருந்தார்கள். நேரமின்மையால் இவற்றைக் கவர் பண்ண முடியவில்லை. இம்முறை காட்சியில் ஸ்டால்கல் எல்லாம் Chennai Trade Centre-இல் இருப்பது போல் நேர்த்தியாகவும் கச்சிதமாகவும் அமைத்திருந்தது குறிப்பிடவேண்டிய விஷயம். எல்லாம் முடித்துக் கொண்டு வெளியில் வந்த போது, கங்கை அமரன் அவர்களின் இசை நிகழ்ச்சி நடந்து கொண்டிருந்தது. சில நல்ல பழைய பாடல்களைப் பாடிக் கொண்டிருந்தார்கள்.

புத்தகக் காட்சியில் எல்லா தரப்பினருக்கும் ஏதேனும் கிடைக்கிறது. என் போன்றவர்களுக்கு எல்லாமே கிடைக்கிறது. BAPASI நடத்தும் இந்தப் புத்தகத் திருவிழாவிற்குத் தமிழக முதல்வர் permanent-ஆக நிலம் ஒதுக்க இசைந்திருப்பது வரவேற்கத்தக்கது. இன்னும் தன் சொந்தப் பணத்திலிருந்து ஒரு கோடி ரூபாய் எழுத்தாளர்களுக்காக வழங்கியிருக்கிறபடியால் கலைஞரைப் பாராட்டலாம். சென்னையில் புத்தகக் காட்சி பற்றி இன்னும் அதிகமாக விளம்பரமும் விழிப்புணர்வும் ஏற்படுத்துவது அவசியம். தமிழக-தென்னக-இந்திய எழுத்தாளர்களின் படைப்புகளோடு, அதிகமான அளவில் உலக எழுத்தாளர்களின் படைப்புகளையும் அவற்றின் தமிழாக்கப் பதிப்புகளையும் கொண்டு வரலாம். இன்னும், தமிழ் புத்தகங்களின் அச்சுத் தரத்தை மேம்படுத்தலாம். Travelogues, Armchair Reading, Satires போன்ற விஷயங்களைத் தமிழில் அதிகமாகவும் அழகாகவும் வெளியிட முயலலாம். இது போன்ற படைப்புகளுக்கு பதிப்பகத்தாரும், அவ்வண்ணமே அரசாங்கமும் ஊக்கமளித்தால், தமிழின்-தமிழரின் ப்டைப்புகளில் ஒரு variety-யைக் கொண்டுவர முடியும். தமிழ் கற்றவர்களின் அறிவுத் தேடல்களுக்கு நல்ல தீனி போட முடியும்.

கற்றது கைம்மண்ணளவு – கல்லாதது உலகளவு! அனைவருக்கும் இனிய பொবt;br /> ??்கல் நல்வாழ்த்துகள்!

And that too, when you are on the eleventh floor, looking down at the beautifully lit landscape of Chennai, basking in the aroma of the Mughalai biryani, anything terrestrial will have to take a back seat. Minar, the Mughalai roof-top restaurant at Hotel Savera in Chennai offers this exotic experience. We were six sumptuous eaters, and it was a friend’s birthday treat. I chose Minar for its excellent ambience, and some magnificent aerial view of Chennai.

The first thing that hit us in this restaurant, was the cool evening breeze. And from that point, everything abot the evening was breezy. The ambience has an old charm about it, with splendid lighting and decorations. The major distractions were the age-old waiters clad in their sherwanis, and not-at-all comfortable seats. (I wonder if the Mughal Badshahs really sat in such uncomfortable seats!) Otherwise, the ambience is worth all the money you pay there, especially in the terrace.

For the starters, we ordered Machli Koliwada, Murgh Malai Kebab and Sabji Kebab, which just melted in our mouth in no time. The Koliwada, a speciality of the Koliwada in Mumbai is a sort of signature dish for the restaurant, and the taste lingered in the mouth for long. The Malai kebab tasted standard. No comments on the sabji kebab, which was reserved for my veggie friends.

It was time for the main course, and we ordered Murgh Saleem (A whole chicken marinated in curd, and stuffed with everything that can go as stuff), Machli Noorjahani (A fish gravy with a mix of egg slices and a subtle dash of spices), and a mutton gravy that was made with corn and sauce. There was this Chicken Mughal Paratha, Taftans, Roomali Rotis and Stuffed Parathas. Rice lovers of the group ordered the Noorjahani Biryani and Murgh Mughalai Biryani.

The Machli Noorjahani was a saga. The taste was unique and not at all fiery, and that is what is so special about the Mughalai cuisine. The Murgh Saleem came stuffed with eggs and a lot of masala. It is a dish for the avid eaters. The mutton gravy tasted remarkable, especially, the mutton was cooked soft. The Murgh biryani overtook the Noorjahani in the race and finished first. Shahi Tukda (Fried bread slices soaked in badam sauce) and chocolate ice-creams with a liberal dash of pista and badam finished the evening. At the end of the meal, every one was sure he had one of the best meals ever.

The price is on the highest side. We paid around 600 bucks per person. The service is achingly poor. The ambience and food being just great.

Minar, Hotel Savera, 146, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, Chennai 600 004.

I have heard a lot from my friends, of ‘The Cascade‘ in Khader Nawaz Khan Road, and it was always on my yet-to-be-explored list. The Cascade has a branch in Besant Nagar, and I thought it would be a good idea to give it a try. My friend was ready too, and soon both of us were walking down the street towards Cascade, the chinese restaurant.

The Cascade is housed in the fourth floor of a tall building (much similar to ‘Mainland China‘ in Sterling Road). I don’t know if this is some sort of a custom in China for restaurants to be located in tall places. Anyway, there was an elevator that took us straight to the restaurant on the fourth floor.

The ambience inside the restaurant was good, if not excellent. There was quiet music playing, and the walls had some subtle decorations. Unlike other Chinese restaurants, there was no Chinese flavor in either the music or the artifacts on display. Everything seemed to be neutral and agreeable. The restaurant was quite spacious, and there were also steps that led upstairs to an adjoining dinig hall. The walls were fitted with mirrors, which added to the perception of space inside the restaurant. I and my friend occupied a small table for two in a corner.

One thing disagreeable with the Cascade is the utterly slow service. It took at least 10 minutes after we were seated, for the waiter to come to our table and offer us the menu card. Not to mention, the dishes themselves arrived much much later. The person who took our orders was polite and friendly, and I have no complaints in this regard. But it is the time they take to do things that left me longing. I have to mention that though all tables were occupied, the crowd there wasn’t too much or pressing. Still, I don’t understand why the delay. (I shall compliment the Wang’s Kitchen in T.Nagar for its excellent service in contrast to this restaurant).

The menu was what can be found in any Chinese restaurant in the city. There were non-vegetarian as well as vegetarian varieties of fried rice and noodles. Though I have a weak memory as far as the exact names of the dishes are concerned, I remember their descriptions. There was this interesting noodles which was thrice cooked, and marinated in a sauce of vegetables, or a meat of our choice. Then there were the usual plain and schezwan varieties. There was an extensive collection of poultry and lamb dishes too. I remember chopped chicken in garlic sauce, and if I am not wrong, there were lamb and vegetable versions of the same too. Then as a rule there were dragon prawns and tiger prawns.

I ordered one hot and sour chicken soup, divided between the two of us. Then, I asked for Schezwan chicken noodles and mushroom fried rice with grated chicken. (My friend has an aversion towards lamb). Then I ordered stir fried chicken which was long pieces of chicken fried in special sauce, and chicken spring roll. It was chicken, chicken, and completely chicken. The waiter was kind enough to suggest that one portion of rice and noodles would be too much for two. So, he asked if he could serve small portions of them. Both I and my friend are greedy eaters, but still I decided to go with the waiter’s suggestion, which later proved useful.

We waited and waited for ages together, when finally the soup arrived. One look at the soup, and I knew what the guy meant by large portions. I have dined at quite a lot of Chinese restaurants, but this was really too much. The soup came in a large bowl, whose size was the same as the vessel in which my mom makes sambar for the family everyday. The waiter divided it into our bowls, and we took our time relishing it. It was quite good, nothing exceptional.

And then came another era of waiting. The waiter brought the noodles, fried rice and the other dishes in one go. The Schezwan noodles tasted fine, though the fried rice was average. (I describe everything in the scale of Indianized Chinese dishes. I have little clue if it is authentic or not). My friend had some difficulty gulping in the hot and fiery schezwan noodles, nevertheless, I showed no mercy to them.

The dish I thoroughly enjoyed was the stir fried chicken, which was a class apart. The chicken just melted in my mouth. We finished the dish squeaky clean, and wondered if we could order another one of that. But, my zeal for variety made us order the spring rolls. Unlike what rolls I have normally taken at other chinese restaurants, these were tiny ones independently fried, instead of one large one. The spring rolls came with a cup of sweet sauce, and tasted only average.

Again for the bill, I had to endure a period of dormancy. (These people are not eager even to collect money from the customer). The bill came to a little more than Five hundred rupees, for the two of us. Even in the bill there was some error, and was hand-corrected.

Overall, in my opinion, the food was good – no disappointments. I shall revisit the restaurant for giving the other dishes a try; probably I might visit the Khader Nawaz Khan road branch this time. It is needless to say the dishes are overpriced. I could get the same dishes with the same taste elsewhere in the city, and of course for a cheaper price. The final verdict is, ‘The Cascade’ gets a neutral ranking.

If you are not much concerned about ambience when thinking of the taste of food, you are of my kind. The place is ideal for a cool and breezy evening treat, since they have an open dining hall and of course, no aircon. But there is something cozy and attractive about the place that I have never felt the need for aircon in Mughal’s Zaika. There is ample space for car parking available all around, and the bhai who waits on the customers wears a friendly smile on him.

Their menu is pretty comprehensive with a generous splash of varieties in all sections. There are Chicken Tikka, Sheek kebab, Reshmi kebab, and a hoard of other kebabs to choose from, and most importantly none of them disappointing. Then the parade of Indian breads! I have mercilessly savored most of the naan, roti, kulcha and stuffed paratha varieties. Of the side dishes, you must not miss their especially impressive Chicken Tikka masala. The dish has taken me completely into command ever since I first tasted it here. The mutton varieties are a charm, my favorite being the mutton kofta masala. The Afghani chicken on the list of kebabs is one I never miss ordering.

The biriyani may not be the best available in the city, though the mutton biriyani is commendable. Nevertheless, I would recommend the breads rather than biriyanis. There is a unique taste to the whole pile of dishes they make, and that is what pulls me time and again to this place. The place is popular among the locals who always carry out parcels from here. There is a constant crowd at the parcel counter in the evenings.

Now, the location. While coming down the Chetput bridge towards the Poonamallee High Road, take the road just adjacent to the Ega Theatre. Then take the first right, and bingo! Right there is the Mughal’s Zaika Restaurant. The menu is pretty light on the wallet, but strong in taste

Mughal’s Zaika Restaurant, Rajarathinam Street (behind Ega Theatre), Kilpauk, Chennai. Ph: 42170901

The moment you enter the Dhaba, you get a strange feeling. I do not know if this is the feeling you get on entering a real Punjabi dhaba, but I should say the interiors are feebly inspiring, if not immaculate. The walls are styled like those of a dhaba built with stone bricks, and given a yellowish hue. The area is lit with bulbs fixed inside lanterns. A huge picture of Juhi Chawla smiles at you as you savor your dishes, and in a distant murmur you can hear the golden Hindi melodies of yesteryear blockbusters.

One thing I like about these kind of restaurants is the ‘jaljeera pani’ and pappads they make available to you as soon as you are seated. We were seated in a makeshift arrangement of a long table, and as a rule I always spring to grab the centre seat for obvious gastronomic motives! The jaljeera pani was already making its way in.

As is common with our group, we always place a magnanimous order for the starters. And this day was no exception. We never let alone any of the chicken, mutton, prawn, fish or subji items. If it is on the menu, it will be on our plate. The Ghosth (mutton) kabab was enchanting, the murgh kabab soft as butter. My favorite was the fish tikka, which I had never tasted before, and the Pisces immediately took me in into their fan following. The baby corn kabab was exceptional, and should I say we had a blast?

I have dined at a lot of restaurants, and this one was one degree better than most of them. Of course, I have my own favorites, but in a group you tend to forget individuality, and I liked the menu as a whole. The dishes might not be the best available in Chennai, but it was worth every penny we gave. We took generous helpings of parathas, naans, rotis, kulchas, fulkas, biriyanis and what not. The Indian breads were soft and yummy. About the side dishes, it is always a matter of personal opinion, though I would rate high their Chicken Mughalai. The taste still lingers in my mouth.

Their service was average, but they gave us no disappointments. The portions were huge, and it will be difficult savoring the meat without a good company. And we had no problems. They had a limited list of desserts. The kulfi was below average, and the sweet lassi no exception.

The Dhaba on Dr.Radhakrishnan Salai is an up-market restaurant says the ‘Chennai Metroplus Food Guide’ and no wonder their menu is slightly overpriced. But, it left a feel of satisfaction as we finished our meal, struggling with the buckles of our trousers.