Monday 28 July 2014

An ordeal awaits

Today was the most important day as I had to SHOP and I hate to shop. We at home always try to pick a silk saree on our visits to different places. I still hate shopping and don’t wear sarees so imagine my plight while trying to buy one.

We had booked a cab for the day so we didn’t have to try and park at different places. We decided to head to T nagar, the shopping heaven for sarees. We entered one of the first stores for just sight -seeing and I was lost.

To be honest, I didn’t understand what to see. My friend wanted to picks some stuff for a wedding and I promptly helped her in selecting stuff. I was good in rummaging through bundles of clothes and found the perfect set for my friend.

All that searching made me hungry and I wanted to try rabbit biryani (don’t cringe, Chennai supposedly sells fabulous rabbit biryani) but I was in no luck. We thought one place sold it but didn’t look good enough to sit and eat. So some rabbit was saved that day.

My friend knew of another nice place to eat called Thalapakatti, not sure why I could not pronounce it right. I kept calling it Thalakapatti. The only way I remember the right name till today is basis the logic and that I always get the name wrong the first time. Not sure what will happen when I get it right the first time.
Anyways we ordered the thalapakatti special & pepper chicken. The pepper chicken surely burnt a hole in my stomach with the fire it was bellowing as it went down. I had to ordered a badam milkshake to try extinguish the burn. The chicken was awaesome, the biryani was no less. After sumptuous meal along with a health hazard – burn at your own risk. We decided we have to pick sarees.
We hadn’t even started buying sarees, so we went to the biggest store and that’s where the never ending ordeal started. We started by selecting sarees for my friend’s mom. After searching to a whole bundle of selection, we found a pretty crepe saree. While selecting a saree for her mom, my friend managed to pick a pink saree.

Now the search was for a saree for my collection. I didn’t really have a budget just basic requirement. A bright, big board silk saree and the search started. In the big store, they didn’t pay any attention to me and I was royally ignored so we started searching at other stores. With no luck we started travelling the city to find a good choice. I must have spent atleast 2/3 hours trying to buy a saree. Finally out of tiredness, boredom or frustration not sure, I picked one saree and said thank for ending the ordeal. We were literally at the other end of town. Next I had to pick the next most famous item in Chennai… you guessed it wrong. Its towels, I picked a couple not sure why and was exhausted by the end of it.

I forgot to mention, i picked a red saree with some design at the bottom.

To help our cause, it started raining and there was traffic everywhere. Next stop was to pick some stuff for my journey back and as luck would have it, the lights go off and it is approaching closing time. I quickly picked some stuff up and hopped in the car.

By the time, I reached home, I was dead. We had no energy to go anywhere and decided to order in. Lol and behold we could not decide what to order and finally called up little Italy and ordered some pasta.
I was tried and had packing to do, tomorrow was the day I was travelling back.

Mumbai here I come




Sunday 27 July 2014

Mahabs

Today was an action planned day but the sleep gods were kind to me and I slept in. Not that late, was up at around 800ishhhhhh.

My friend had planned for breakfast on the way at a place called Tish or something. They make amazing crossaint sandwiches. Chennai food scene is to fall in love with. The break fast filled and fueled me up for our journey to Mahabalipuram or the cool Chennai lingo calling it Mahabs.

The drive from Chennai to Mahabs was around 2 odd hours. We say some ancient rocks and craving and settled in the gardens overlooking the city. After some time, we decided it was lunch time (it was a food trip), We went to this place called Moonrakers for lunch and it was filling up on a Friday. The place is known for its fish.

We ordered crab masala, fish fry and some cold beverages with roti. The meal was so filling that I had to drink lemon juice with salt to be able to move. I felt like we would need a crane to lift me from my spot. The day was not done yet and we had to see the beach in a beach city.

We walked down to the beach and I didnt carry of my hair any longer. It was amazing to see the strong waves and the way they were crashing onto the sides of an hotel.

I was surprised to see people surfing and since I do not much of surfing maybe the waves were safe.

After having a fill of the waves, we drove back to the city to avoid the evening rush on the highway.

We made it back to the city in good time and had time in our hands, so we decided to explore the other beach stretches in chennai.

We landed up at Elliot's beach and sat admiring the setting sun. Not sure how long we sat there but the gentle waves in comparison to the waves at Mahabs was a pleasant change.

The Fruit Shop at Greams road was next on the agenda on the must eat places, I decided to try the apricot milkshake while my friend had pomegranate. The milkshake was one of the best I had had in a while considering I managed to convince my friend to let go of her pomegranate shake in the future.

Content we drove around the city wondering the next hot spot to visit, when we decided to head towards the beach near my friend's place.

We ended snacking at Subway, but all the food I had eaten had me loaded up and I just couldn't eat more. I ended up eating a toast and the chocolate cookie at Subway.

The crabs & the milkshake had made a permanent place in my stomach didn't want to share it with other foods.

Did I fall asleep, not really, we spent hours catching up on stuff and feasting on ice creams well into the night.

I could not believe I had just one more day left in Chennai.

Chennaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

As trip goes, this was my first gastronomic trip. Was it planned, not really but I guess you can enjoy a place better via its food. Chennai was a place where I went with an open view .

Chennai by itself was an expected destination in June. But when the time is right, trips just happen.
The train journey was long and believe me Chennai express train is not like the movie train. I kept looking for the waterfall but could not find one.

With no plan in mind I landed up at Chennai station where my friend was waiting for me. After some mis-communication and she waiting for me for half an hour, I reached hot and humid Chennai and I come from Bombay, this was hot.

Too exhausted to do anything, my friend has ordered some food and I just crashed.

I know most of the people love mornings and I am not one of them.
Strangely Chennai woke me up early not so much bright though. After some break fast, I was too tired to do anything and just caught up on shows and office work while on leave.

We hadn't planned much for the day as we both had some work to finish. The most important thing for me was to cut my hair and that was nicely done at one of the salons.

Not sure how but the CCD sandwiches in Chennai tasted better than Bombay (Cant blame it on hunger). After a nice fill of sandwich and nanchos ( i like to call mexican masala papads) we went dessert tasting to an amazing place called Sandy chocolate Laboratory. I idolize desserts and this was heaven on earth and the desserts took me to another place. Spirits never get me high but a good dessert and I am in the sky flying.

We shared an amazing molten lava cake with icecream and I have been going ga-ga over it ever since. Followed by jar desserts, I was stuffed else would have tried everything. With filled belly and soul we drove down to the beach near my friend's place. And that was the doomed hour for me as my newly set fabulous hair became of mass of dry leaves sticking in all direction.
I have the most frizzy hair in the world.

One question I kept asking myself and haven't found an answer yet how did Chennai get some much sand. I kept walking to reach the water and the frizz in my hair was not helping.

After a satisfied day we headed home.