India - Day 10

Breakfast:

Breakfast was served at our hotel, Quality Inn, Sabari. Read about the buffet, HERE.

Lunch:

Our lunch was a vegetarian one, held at the very famous Saravana Bhavan. Read about our interesting lunch HERE.

BrianandRepublic

Lunch @ Saravana Bhavan, Chennai

For lunch, we visited the main branch of the world renowned Saravana Bhavan restaurant chain. After having waited a good 20 minutes, we were finally allowed into the noisy, bustling restaurant filled with the clanging of metal plates and chit-chatter of patrons. An experience in itself.

As you can see, we were fortunate to get a table to ourselves - which usually isn't the case due to the fact that the restaurant is packed. It was interesting to see how the waiters took our orders on their fancy little palm-tops. 

My grandparents had themselves a Rice Medley (not actual name). An interesting carbo-filled lunch consisting of a variety of different rices such as sambhar rice, tamarind rice, lemon rice, yogurt rice, banana chips and a bowl of ghee. Tasting spoonfuls of rice from each compartment took me on a journey of flavours, from the sour to the salty, to the sweet. Behold, an experience in itself.

My Set Meal was huge enough to be eaten by two people. This set consisting of two types of yogurt, banana chips, various curries, sauteed okra, a cup of lemon rice, various chutneys, a helping of ghee, and some Indian sweets to end it off was just too much for my senses. Eating the meal seemed like a daunting task, both for my appetite and mentally. Delicious, though eat at your own risk.

Saravana Bhavan is definitely worth a visit, as the experience was phenomenal, and the food was rather good - though I did feel my set meal was far too elaborate for my tastes. Though do bear in mind that you will have to wait quite sometime to get a place, which most likely - will probably be with some random person you have never met before.

Presentation: 5/10

Ambiance: 4/10

Service: 5/10

Overall Taste: 7/10

General Impression: 6.6/10

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Cheers,

BrianandRepublic

Breakfast Buffet @ Quality Inn, Madras

When visiting Madras, Chennai, it is important to bear in mind that hotel rooms here are pricey (probably even more pricey than a few in our own Kuala Lumpur). Though we managed to come across Quality Inn Sabari, a hotel located on Thirumalai Pillai Road in T. Nagar, Chennai.

Quality Inn Sabari is not a 5-Star luxury hotel, though it does offer you spacious rooms which are of considerable luxury, comfort and great service - all for a reasonable price, and central location. The above picture was my room -  a deluxe room, slightly more spacious than their normal ones. 

Two of those rooms came up to a total of Rs10000 (around RM640), including luxury tax. Each night at a room entitles you to a complimentary Buffet Breakfast. As you can see from the picture above, it was rather decent.

Being in India, local delicacies such as Idli, Thosai, Appam and various Chutneys and Curries were served. Everything was fresh and hot, and I absolutely loved it. It's not much in terms of splendour, but it was good and authentic food.

There was an Omelet Bar. The toppings were decent, though there were no meaty toppings, such as ham, available. I had about 3 of these because the omelet servings were unbelievably small. Though being a buffet, I had no complaints about going back again to get more.

Along with the omelet, there was some decent western fare available. These items such as Chicken Sausages, Baked Beans and Mashed Potatoes weren't that good, but were relatively decent (apart from the mashed potatoes, whose presence on the spread took me by surprise).

The one things I absolutely love about this buffet is their free flow of coffee, made to order. I indulged in two Cappuccinos that day, which went down very well with some of the Pastries on offer.

Other things on the spread include Fresh Fruit, an Assortment of Cheeses, and a variety of Juices. On the whole, my experience at Quality Inn Sabari was wonderful, with a spacious room, great service, a satisfying breakfast - all at a reasonable price. Definitely worth having a look at - if you plan on staying in Madras.

My buffet:

Presentation: 5/10

Ambiance: 5/10

Service: 7/10

Overall Taste: 6/10

General Impression: 6.5/10

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BrianandRepublic