Shopaholism and some Chocoholism

Today's Stop - Cream Centre, Nungambakkam. Erm.. not today's honestly, it's been a few months. But, oh well, lovely gourmet memories always do linger.So, rewinding to the gastronomical trip from a few months back, the Nungambakkam railway station looked welcoming as ever (I just can't stop gaping at the magazines at my fav' Higginbothams and shelling out a coupla bucks and once, making a purchase only to realise I didnt have any! Perhaps, it *was* the Cream Centre Day). The scene outside the station never changes - the huge Europa Discounts sign, fleeting traffic, hot sun (something I can never stop whining about!) and fellow Earthlings draped in stoles and what-not running for cover from the heat.

Cautionary Note : Waterbottle, Stole/whatever protective clothing, Sunglasses, Umbrella are staples when leaving home at Chennai, if you're a pitiable wanderlust-patient like I am.

Mode of transport from Nungambakkam's always the reliable share-auto, but an autorickshaw for Rs.50 through the share-auto-impenetrable area, it was. As the security guard swinged open the glass door with Indiska Magic posters (a subsidiary of Cream Centre), the cool air carried us in and we were offered a cosy seat by a pillar, by the friendly waiter. It was pretty crowded for the early lunch time that we had chosen and I guess the place's a hot favourite for many. I especially liked the reception and the service and the pretty menu card was quite detailed with varied cuisines. I was recommended the Panner Sizzler, a specialty with 4 huge pieces of panneer. It had the regulars - rice, veggies, along with two different sauces for the rice and each panneer slice marinaded in a different sauce, arranged attractively colourful in the center. The panneer was just so soft, it could melt right away (and yeah, they do sell them through Indiskka Magic, in case you wanna whip up some treats yourself at home. Indiska Magic's available at Nuts n' Spices stores.). This alone was so filling and fun (yes, you read that right!) to eat through, that I forgot the whole pot of Pasta steaming close by.

Dragging close the Pasta Pot with some difficulty, the cheesy layer was so irresistibly tempting, that I had to forego my bloated feeling for a moment, savouring all the cheese, only to realise that this was a dish even heavier, just like the pot it came filled in. The meagre cornballs at radial locations in the dish were absolute *yum*. But sadly we were unable to eat it all and got it all packed up neat and nice. Spic-and-span everything was, just the way liked. The service was really friendly and classy. With full tummies, dessert was sadly waved bye to.

Oh, wait! It was Annual Sale at Shopper's Stop (here's one at Harrington Road), and with a friend having actually landed a Rs.400 deal for a great Blazer before, I was so convinced I was gonna finally discover that elusive-made-for-me handbag. Um.. sadly, browsing through the clothes section yielded no great luck or inspiration to draw out some cash, but the handbags section finally did it! A brand new Eliza Donatein that was a pretty Electric Blue in a great Formal shape. Ooh luck! And Chambor's trio eyeshadow drew me in and left me short of some 500 bucks. Oh well! Both were great buys that I still love, so Shopper's Stop is adore.

Having lost the full-tummy-syndrome from some shopaholism, it was time for a far-set dessert and entered we, into CakeWalk. Beautiful interiors, in brown, reminding of chocolate. A piece of Chocolate Cake with Walnuts that was given a great background by the table on which it was set down. It really was one of the best chocolate cakes I've had!

And a stroll around Nungambakkam's never complete without dropping into Just Casuals, a surplus store, that normally has some cool stuff, when you take the time to dive in to explore. A 'W' Top, one of my best finds from there yet.

Nearing Sunset Time meant return home. Adios!

Traditional Food to Start

And here I am, soon enough walking into Nala's Appakadai on the noisy, polluted GST road in Chromepet, into an ambience quite in contrast to the one that I just left. 'Panneer tikka free with Veg meals' and another similar offer for the non-vegetarian, which I don't seem to remember for how long is on display. A very nice, neat and clean place, the way we like restaurants to be (though I couldn't figure out why the same song was looping over and over all through, though I like Chinmayi, though I don't mind listening to her over and over).

We just had to try the dish that lends the name to the restaurant so the round of order for Appams went and Brinjal curry with it (something that am not fond of). Food arrived in pretty white wares, that lend such a pretty background for pictures. Watching it through the Digicam's LCD got the tummy to growl.

Umm.. We should really conduct a study on the eye-stomach co-ordination. The temptation was too much to resist and the Appam was gone in no time, with the hated-vegetable adding great taste to the meal. Now I think of it, the Appams were so enticing that I actually forgot the Baby Corn Fry, the Butter Naan and all else that went along. Loved the place and wouldn't think twice about having Appam here again.

The heat wave really made the craving for some frozen dessert worth it. Next stop was Ibaco, a subsidiary of Hatsun/ a sibling of Arun Icecreams, with its nice new business model. There were a good many choices for the icecream, with good many toppings. Brownie's always seducing, so the choice was made. Scotch and Brownie with Chocolate Shavings and Chocolate Sauce. Maybe I should've just asked for more brownie topping :/ A small and neat place, with not too many chairs, which seemed to have been built with only people in pairs in mind. 60 bucks for a cup seemed worth it.

On the stretch, has sprung a few showrooms as well, but what I could gather from the woes of 2 fellow shoppers was that there was nowhere to cater to women's formals, neither Reliance Trends, nor Mega Mart, only 2 probable places.

So, Chromepet seems quite self-contained with a good measure of entertainment, when taking into account the only decent theatre around. Vettri/Rakesh, for people who weren't lucky enough to get seats for that hot movie in one of the hot theatres and who're not ready to plunge into the Chennai heat wave, just to visit one of those hot theatres.

A Lil' Prologue Maybe

*ahem* I've always wanted to do this and so here goes... My new blog, something that I actually write not just to preserve my sanity. Being the not-so-compulsive-but-still-retaining-the-title Foodie that I am and the gourmet-photography-enthusiast that I am, one fine day, I just look into the horizon with glazed eyes, "Why don't you just put it to use?". Maybe it could finally take off now.

To gain some Composure...

Am on Blogger since 2011?! Umm.. Alrighty! Must be one of the Identities of Infinity that I possess in the virtual world. So, why have I suddenly prowled back to forgotten territory? Am looking for a good blog host, that'll let me get my custom web design on and get rolling. The dormant Web Developer/Designer in me's outta the Slumber phase, so I gotta give in to the 'Feed me! Feed me!' cry. *eyeroll* When you find it hard to keep up with yourselves, you just give in.

Blah-blah-ing aside, how much's Blogger gonna cost me? Or will they lemme do it for free? *puppyeyes* Off to find.