A Restaurant With A Difference

We just got back from a lovely trip to India and I am still getting over the vacation hangover! We had a pretty good time with family and friends, inspite of the sweltering heat and power cuts! But still it is “namma Chennai” and it was indeed a lil bugging to come back. Nevertheless what needs to be done, needs to be done and so it was done ;-)

Coming to the topic of this post, one fine evening my husband and I were planning to head out for dinner and I wanted to try out some new place which we hadn’t checked out earlier. Since I am the one in the travel planning business, the onus of picking a good restaurant was on me. After some enquiries, we decided to go to a restaurant called ‘Kipling’s Café’.
And boy! Are we glad we did!

Kipling’s Café is located off ECR. If you are heading from Chennai then it should be on a small lane on your left, just after Hot Kitchen, Malgudi, Delhi Dhaba – before the Toll Gate. It is a large bungalow, renovated charmingly into a pleasant and welcoming restaurant. There is a terrace but we chose to be seated at one of the dreamy, Goan style cabanas/huts in the garden. Surrounded by lush greenery, listening to frog’s croaking in the distance and with a cool sea breeze gently ruffling my hair-the ambiance was just perfect! The food is a mix of Mediterranean and Asian and was scrumptious. The service was pretty polite and friendly too.

I’m not sure how many of you are aware of this place as it is tucked away in an unassuming corner literally in the outskirts of the city. But it is a wonderful place to have a cozy, romantic dinner or a fun lunch with family or a small group of close friends. I wouldn’t recommend it for larger groups – for one thing the place leans more towards 'Elegance' rather than 'Boisterous' and for the other, food is slightly on the expensive side. Also be aware that if you only like spicy Indianised versions of international cuisine, you might not particularly enjoy the food here-because the chefs at Kipling’s Café try to maintain the authenticity of the food, with regards to both taste and ingredients.

A word of caution: The restaurant is located in a posh area and is surrounded by huge bungalows with high walls. Apart from that, it is pretty deserted and lonely. We went there a little after dark and it was kind of isolated. So I would advise you to go a little early

But on the whole, we had a memorable time and will definitely go back. If you are looking for a peaceful experience away from the hustle and bustle of the vibrant city, then do check out Kipling's cafe!

Some reviews from Tripadvisor if you are interested.

Image Courtesy: Dreamstime

Balcony Ballads

We recently moved to a new apartment and are just settling down, unpacking boxes, arranging stuff and in the process of making it into a home. One thing that really makes me happy about this is new place is that, I have not one but TWO balconies! Yeah!
I have always wanted to be in a house with a balcony but unfortunately due to some reason or the other, none of the houses that I have lived in the recent past were equipped with one. Also I do not like balconies that have those metallic grilles built into them. I mean I do know that they are much safer, but me being silly ol’me, I would rather prefer an open and free balcony, where I can lean on the railing with the sun warming my face and wind ruffling my hair-which is exactly how these two balconies are!

We are on the 19th floor and so obviously the view is phenomenal. I can see the backwaters near the harbor on one side and a brightly lit football stadium on the other. After dark, the city’s skyline really comes to life and stands out, with cars moving like tiny glow-bugs, wayyyy down there!


Can You See The Sea?


View From The Top


Zoomed In View


Night View


The Football Stadium

Back in India, clothes would mostly be hung out to dry on the terrace. But living abroad in houses without balconies meant drying clothes inside the house itself. Though washing machines do a good job of drying laundry-the feel of a freshly washed, sun-dried, crisp and warm garment is oh so lovely! So this is what I use the back balcony for.

The front balcony is currently being used to satiate my green thumb!
I always believe that a touch of greenery brightens up any space – and what better place for a spot of verdant foliage, fragrant herbs and colourful blooms than the desert?! The fiery weather is cooling down slowly which is good for my plants. I only have a small collection for now as I wanted to experiment and get familiar without murdering too many of them! Happily they seem to be thriving well enough as you can see from the picture so it can be expected that a trip to the nursery is in the offing :-)




BTW check out this interesting post on Gardening at Work- A novel idea! http://www.livemint.com/2010/05/16194549/Reaping-benefits-in-an-office.html

The plants that I have currently were all bought as saplings but next time around I am planning to coax a few to grow from seeds, especially the easy to grow ones such as coriander, methi, mint etc. Freshly plucked organic herbs from my own garden, healthy as well as economical-it can’t get better than that! Agreed a garden on a balcony in a dusty country such as this will definitely contribute to some amount of dirt and sand. But with a little extra effort , you can have your own little oasis right there!