Intercontinental Chennai, Mahabalipuram - utterly beautiful stop for an amazing holiday

I have had the opportunity to spend a night at the prepossessing property of the Intercontinental Hotels - The Intercontinental Chennai, Mahabalipuram. As I have stayed half of my life on the coastal region, its always a yes for a beach resort holiday!

ICChennai situated on the East Coast road along the Bay of Bengal has now became the most desirable resting place to the travelers across South India and especially those from Chennai and Bangalore as its only a few hours drive.

The adoption of the local history can be seen in the construction and design of the hotel. The rooms were built according to the Vaasthu Shastra and it has 106 luxury rooms and suites with unique state-of-the-art gadgets and services.

The conventional welcome to the guests imparts the history and heritage of the place. The Grand Courtyard is surrounded by the pool side, dance floor and the pond.

There are Ocean Suite Rooms, Honeymoon Suites and the Presidential Suites to choose from. I stayed in the Ocean Suite facing the bay directly.

 

The unique mud pot bath tub is one of its kind and not usually seen in any hotels or resorts.

The speciality restaurants are The Melting Pot Pavillion and Market Cafe which is at the General Coutyard level is and all day dining restaurant with round the clock service.

Amrtam Spa is a rejuvenating experience. Not to miss as its therapies are natural and organic.

Tao of Peng is a Chinese speciality restaurant and the food served to us was gourmet; everything one could ask for.

 Dimsum Art by Chef Anup Mingwal was a spectacular affair. The humble dim sums were served in an artistic style which in turn inflated our palate. This was followed by an Ice-cream Art. I admit that this was an extraordinary lunch.

Dim Sum Art

Icecream Art

Dinner by the bay was an enduring event. Intercontinental Chennai offers an exclusive dinner by the bay for its patrons on prior reservation, to give them a calm and cozy experience with five star food.

My overall experience with Intercontinental Chennai has hit the right note and I would love to come back for more. I definitely recommend it as the best resort for Women in India too. 

For Reservations Contact :

No. 212 East Coast Rd , Nemelli Village, Perur Post Office, 

Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu : Chennai ,603104, India : 

Ph no  044-71720101

Aamlicious festival at Khandani Rajdhani - treat of the season!

Rajdhani Thali Restaurant that serves authentic Rajasthani and Gujarati food is having the Aamlicious festival - 'the king of fruits' mango festival across the outlets in the city and the country, and I was lucky enough to get to taste the same.

Let's look at the Menu. Kairi Panna and Aam Thandai were the drinks on the menu. The Aam Thandai  that was served had pepper in it and it was new to me; of different taste altogether!

The other items on the menu were Kairi Stuffed Bread Roll, Shahi Aam Dhokla, Mango Dry Fruit Ghugra, Chatpata Kacha Kairi Muthiya.

The Kairi Bread Rolls served had raw mango in it; had a refreshing and remarkable taste.

And in the main-course there was Arbi Mango Raswala, Aam Pyaaz ki Sabzi, Kaddu Kairi ka Bharta, Malabari Mango Kadi, Fajeto, Mango Pulao, Mango Jalebi and Amarkhand to name a few.

An annual ritual at Rajdhani Thali that I wouldn't have missed! I would recommend everyone  to come and take a trip down the memory lane like a child enjoying and rejoicing the mango season! 

Price Per Thali:

Lunch on weekdays - Rs.450 (inclusive of taxes)

Dinner & Weekends - Rs.499 (inclusive of taxes)

Samaroh's Aamostav - a celebration of Mangoes!

Samaroh means feast, ceremony; celebration - What better way to celebrate than with food! Samaroh Restaurant at Lavelle Road is having Aamotsav till 30th June 2017 and I was invited to be a part of it!

Dry Fruit Boondi

The best way to start a meal is with a Mitha as it signifies and hopes for a good and pleasant beginning of something. Dry Fruit Boondi and Keri Tomato Shorba with Heera Namkeen were served in the first course of the meal.

I personally relished the Nastha or the starters served after the shorba that included Keri Panna, Paneer Tikka, Keri Vegetable seekh, Wonton, Corn keri Tikka. Here I would like to mention specially about the Paneer Tikka which just melted in the mouth. The Paneer for the same was brought down from Delhi and was a real scene stealer.

Wonton, Keri Vegetable Seekh, Paneer Tikka, Corn Keri Tikki

Chole Chaat and Mango Samaroh Pani Puri were also among the other savories served.

Chole Chaat

Mango Samaroh Pani Puri

And in the Mukhya Bhoj; Main Course included a diversified variety of food from all over regions of the country like Masala Jeera Chhas, Dal Makhni, Paneer Lababdaar, Mirchiwale Kofte, Keri ki Sabzi, Dum Aloo Mutter, Aam Ras, Roti and Veg Pulao curd rice, steamed rice etc.

Aam Ras

Aamras is also a traditional Gujarati dish called as Keri no ras. It consists of sugared Mango pulp, which is passed through muslin to remove fibrous strands of the fruit. It is commonly eaten with roti or pooris. 

The aamras that i tasted here was unique and mouthwatering!

Save the best for the last; In the Mitha Kulfi, Rabdi Malpua, Mango Chum Chum and Pantua were served. One of the best I had ever tasted as they were made with tender love and care. It was not less than a mom's made meal as recipes for many of the dishes were curated by the owner Mr. Jagmohan Bhutada's mom.

My son was totally pampered by the staff and they also served him his favorite cut mango pieces. 

An Epicurious meal to remember till next year.

Opening hours 

Everyday 12 Noon to 3:30 PM, 7 PM to 10:30 PM

Address :

Samaroh,7, 1st Floor, Vittal Mallya Road, Lavelle Road, Bangalore

Phone number: 080 49652435

Recipe for South Indian Rasam - Kalyana Rasam

South Indian weddings are know for the colorfulness, festivity and food. And one of the popular and must item in the menu is Kalyana Rasam. It is tangy and spicy, so it's a balance. So here is the recipe that I got to know from a friend of mine.

Ingredients : For Powder

• Tur dal ----- 1 tablespoon
• Coriander Seeds -- 1 tablespoon
• Peppercorns --- 3/4 to 1 tablespoon ( according to one's spice levels)
• Cumin Seeds --- 1.5 teaspoons   
• Dry Redchillies---2 nos     

      For Rasam

• Tur dal ---- (cooked) 3 tablespoons
• Tomato --1 no
• Tamarind ---small Lemon size
• Garlic Pods --- 4 nos
• Peppercorns --- 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds --- 3/4 th teaspoon
• Turmeric --- 1 teaspoon
• salt to taste       
• water

      For Tempering

• Oil ---1.5 teaspoon
• Mustard ---1 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds ---1/2 teaspoon
• Garlic Pods ---4 nos
• Asefotida (Hing) --- a pinch
• Fresh Coriander ---1 small bunch

    Method

1. Soak the tamarind in warm water and squeeze the pulp.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to a pan and roast all the ingredients for powder.
3. Cut the tomatoes and squeeze out the juice by adding little water.
4. Add the cooked tur dal to tomato juice along with the tamarind pulp and salt.
5. Grind the garlic pods, cumin seeds and peppercorns to a paste.
6. Take a pan and add 1 teaspoon of oil in it. Now add the above paste and fry it for a couple of minutes.
7. Now to this add the dal, tamarind and tomato mixture and bring it to a boil.
8. Add the Rasam powder and mix it thoroughly and boil this for a while.
9. Take another pan, add oil to it and add the ingredients for the tempering.

      

    Relish this with hot steamed rice and pappads/vadiyams

Note : You can also add a bit of jaggery to this to enhance the flavour.

Legoland Malaysia Tour

Our next destination in our Malaysia trip with AirAsia was to Johor Bahru. It is the southernmost city in Malaysia. 

Singapore is only 23 KM from it. One can plan a trip from either Kuala Lumpur or from Singapore. This is a kids' friendly city as there are many things to do here - Legoland Malaysia, Hello Kitty Town, Thomas Town, Angry Birds Activity Park, Little Play Loft etc to name a few. We chose Legoland Malaysia & Thomas Town as we had a short stay. 

Legoland is a chain of Lego-themed children's/family theme parks. There is also a Legoland water park adjacent to Legoland - an added attraction for the kids and adults as well. 

There is a mini city inside the Legoland. It is called Miniland. It has miniatures of famous Monuments and Buildings like Petronas Towers. And they look quite similar to the original ones I must say!

Ninja-go The Ride was the first ever ride in Asia where we use our hand as swords to battle. This is a 4D ride and both the kids and adults would definitely love it. My son had an awesome time here.

There is also a driving school for kids of different age groups and they would be taught how to drive and also about signals. After the learning session they are given their own driving license.

There is a toy train which takes you around the Legoland where you can see the entire place and it is worth waiting in the queue.

It was the Chinese New year when we visited Legoland Malaysia. There were celebrations and dance acts which happened throughout the day. There is a belief that its good luck if one touches the Lion after the Chinese Lion Dance. 

Our family had an amazing time in the Legoland and this is "the place" for kids' entertainment for the whole day. The passes for the same are available online and also at the counter there. The wait time to get the tickets was less for us as we booked them online at below link:

https://www.legoland.com.my/book-visit/kids-go-free/

Sunset Cruise in Langkawi by Naam Adventure

On our exclusive trip to Malaysia with AirAsia, we wouldn't have missed the short stay at Langkawi, situated on the northwestern coast. 

The Langkawi islands are a part of the state Kedah, adjacent to Thai border. It's a duty free island. Langkawi Islands were given a World Geopark status by UNESCO.

As Langwaki is surrounded by sea, there are many water based activities to indulge in. One such activity is cruises for people who love morning sun or sunset which includes dinner. We opted for a sunset cruise by Naam Adventure, The Premier Marine Leisure Water Sport Company. Tickets for the same are available online at https://www.naam.bz/

Naam Representative came to our hotel to pick us up in her cab and the ride was very smooth. She dropped us at the Royal Langkawi Yatch Club where we had to board the Cruise. The Cruise started on time as the whole ride was to show the sunset and it's going to take a while to get to the spot in the sea.

Naam Adventure the number one sports company is known for its Punctiliousness. All the guests were boarded with utmost care.

The cruise ship was spotlessly clean and promptly we were served the welcome drinks and snacks. We were allowed to go to any part of the ship following the  safety instructions.

Free Flow of drinks and unlimited buffet food was also a reason considered by many tourists to opt for this one of a kind experience.

One can get an experience of swimming in the middle of the sea. Naam puts a net buoy for safety against jelly fishes.So its absolutely safe as safety jackets were also provided. 

 It was bit cloudy but we could see the sunset which happens in Langkawi at around 7.30pm daily. Nobody is too busy - it's just a matter of priorities. I feel travelling also has to be one such priority.

Here is a video of our Sunset cruise with Naam adventure in Langkawi, Malaysia :