Risque@The Promenade, Pondicherry

My local relative and I headed over to Risque, at The Promenade  for some pre-dinner drinks and snacks. The Promenade is a relatively famous hotel, having been in Pondicherry for a few years now. It is located strategically on Goubert Avenue, opposite the Ghandi Statue on the beach.

I had myself a Mango Juice infused with Black Tea. The mango juice was certainly refreshing, and the black tea added an edge to it. But was it was slightly pricy, for the amount we paid for.

My relative had himself some Pineapple Juice worth around the same price. Seeing as any other fruit apart from mango is a rarity in India, the price was…justifiable - though still, quite steep for a measly glass of juice.

To munch on, we were served complimentary Peanuts roasted with Black Pepper, and puffy, crispy biscuit-things. Both of them were incredibly addictive, though there was too much pepper and salt on the peanuts - for me, at least.

We also ordered Calamari with an Aioli Dip. This was an absolute rip off, as the calamari was tough and tiny, and the dip was absolutely tasteless. This dish was an absolute rip off, and it was unbelievable how much we paid for shit on a plate.

In conclusion, maybe avoid Risque as there are plenty of more charming and cheaper alternatives which offer much higher quality food. Plus, I didn't get to absorb any of the atmosphere of the beach, due to their unbelievably high walls surrounding the hotel. Maybe try Le Cafe or something nearby, instead.

Presentation: 7/10

Ambiance: 8/10

Service: 6/10

Overall Taste: 5/10

General Impression: 6/10

____________________________________________________________________________

BrianandRepublic

Hotel Le Dupleix - Pondicherry

Hotel Le Dupleix was once the former home of Governor Dupleix during the French occupation. The hotel still maintains much of its old-style architecture and it's restaurant serves both Indian and Western cuisine. It is located on Rue de la Caserne, off Suffren Street in the Pondicherry French Quarter.

We were served complementary Bread while waiting. The bread was unfortunately tough and unusually cold - absolutely ridiculous for a restaurant of its kind. It was served with a Tomato Salsa, Butter and Hummus, which were pretty good (when eaten alone without the shitty bread).

The Classic French Onion soup priced at Rs140 (RM9) was a let-down. The consomme was flavorless, and the cheese croutons it was served with were barely hard at all. To me, it tasted like old, reheated, flavourless soup.

The Poulet Sauté Chasseur worth Rs350 (RM23) on the other hand, was divinely cooked. The lovely boneless cut of chicken was mildly flavored with herbs, and placed on a bed of smooth mashed potatoes and crisp sauteed vegetables.

The Grilled Lamb Rack worth Rs350 (RM23) was pretty good too. The tender meat easily came off the bone, but came with a measly two slices of grilled zucchini. The couscous that came with it was cooked wonderfully, but barely had any flavor. Slightly disappointing.

My grandfather had himself Chicken Biryani priced at Rs265 (RM17). The biryani here had an incredibly strong aroma from the spices, so strong that I could barely take more than two spoonfuls of it. Furthermore, the pieces of chicken were slightly tough and were hard to eat.

The biryani was served with a side of curry which helped merge all the flavors of the rice together, and sweet raita which extinguished the spiciness and cooled our mouths. Additional bowls of raita are priced at Rs100 (RM6.50)

In conclusion, our experience at Le Dupleix was somewhat good, but disappointing. Supposedly one of the best restaurants in Pondicherry, it fails to live up to its name. If ever you do come to Pondicherry for some fine dining, I recommend you try Carte Blanche instead.

Presentation: 7/10

Ambiance: 8/10

Service: 6/10

Overall Taste: 5/10

General Impression: 6/10

____________________________________________________________________________

BrianandRepublic

Carte Blanche, Pondicherry

Pondicherry is well known for it's French influence. Hence, it would only be customary for one to visit one of the many French restaurants in the area. We paid a visit to Carte Blanche, a French restaurant located in Hotel de L'Orient along Rue Romain Rolland in the French quarter.

This quaint little upscale restaurant offers French and Indian dishes in a very French setting. The candle-lit courtyard provides the setting for the ultimate romantic dinner. The only thing missing was the music of the accordion, but even without - the ambiance was simply one of a kind.

For appetizers, I ordered a Chilled Cream of Apple and Almond Soup. Similar to gazpacho (in terms of the temperature), the cream in the soup brought the sweetness of the apples and flavors of the almonds together, and the chill brought the dish some novelty.

I ordered myself the forbidden meat here in India, a Beef Steak with Garlic Butter and Roasted Baby Potatoes, priced at Rs300 (RM20). I also made the mistake of ordering the steak well-done. Stupid, I know, but nevertheless the garlic butter brought about the natural flavors of the meat, which was also quite tender.

My grand-aunt ordered the Chicken Roulade with Mushroom Sauce and Sauteed Vegetables worth Rs250 (RM16). The chicken was slightly overcooked, though it was wonderfully flavored with thyme, and accompanied the chunky mushroom sauce very well. The vegetables were crisp, and naturally sweet.

My grandparents, not as willing to try a different cuisine, ordered the Kadai Chicken worth Rs250 (RM16). This north Indian curry was not as spicy as the kind in the south, though you could taste the flavors of saffron and coriander throughout, and there was an abundance of tender chicken pieces.

We also ordered a dish of Pondicherry's renowned Creole cuisine - a fusion of Indian and French food. The White Chicken Curry worth Rs250 (RM16)was truly unique. The curry sauce, made with almond paste and cream, was truly comfort food. The creaminess of the curry and the spiciness, showed the cuisine's marriage of Tamil dynamism and French restraint perfectly.

My grandparents ate their Kadai Chicken with some Chappatis which were priced at Rs20 (RM1.50) for 2 pieces. We were also served complementary Bread with Home-made Butter. The butter was amazingly delicious, and I could not get enough. It compensated the stale bread pieces, which I'm assuming are old baguette pieces.

Finally, for dessert we all shared an Earl-Grey flavored Creme Brulee worth Rs120 (RM8). The texture of the dish was amazingly creamy, and the flavor of the tea permeated the custard. The only down-side was that there was not much caramelized sugar on top, which I sort of like, nonetheless - no complaints here.

In conclusion, Carte Blanche was truly an amazing experience. The setting itself, was to die for. The food was pretty good too, and the staff were amazingly friendly and interacted a lot with my grandpa, whom I could tell was loving the experience. Definitely a 'must-visit' on your itinerary here.

Presentation: 7/10

Ambiance: 9/10

Service: 8/10

Overall Taste: 7/10

General Impression: 8/10

____________________________________________________________________________

BrianandRepublic

Caravela @ Velankanni, India

After a day of attending masses, visiting shrines and prayer in the blisteringly hot Indian sun, I treated my grandparents and grand-aunts to lunch at Caravela, a restaurant located in a rather upscale hotel, the Clinton Park Inn along Church Main Road, Velankani - India.

Indeed, I was feeling very picky, and in no mood to eat at a road-side stall. So we sat down at the air-conditioned restaurant to order our food. The waiters were kind, though they were reluctant to turn on lights, and the food took quite a long time to arrive.

The food was well worth the wait however, as the Chicken Biryani worth Rs180 (RM12), was unbelievably delicious. The chickens was tender, and in abundance. The dish also came with boiled egg and frankly, I could not get enough of it. Truly one of the best biryani's I've ever had to date.

Then, we ordered some Butter Paneer worth Rs120 (RM8). The panner was nice and firm, though not rock hard, and was submerged in a tangy butter sauce that worked amazingly with white rice. The only complaint about the dish was that the paneer was scarce.

Our next dish was a Green Vegetable Curry of which I do not know the name (my apologies). The curry was worth Rs90 (RM6). I loved this curry, for the fact that it had an interesting flavor. The curry tasted a lot like…parmesan cheese. Once again, the perfect accompaniment to white rice, and the vegetables were nice and crisp.

The Raita that we had was flavored with saffron powder that permeated the yogurt, yet did not overpower it. These Indians seem to get the perfect balance when it comes to spices. My grand-aunt particularly loved this dish a lot.

For dessert, everyone had some Indian Ice-Cream, two scoops costing Rs60 (RM4). The ice cream, by the brand of Amul, was one of the most creamiest ice-creams I've ever had. I kid you not. India would be one of the last places I'd find ice-cream as creamy as this.

My grandfather had Gulab Jamoon (deep fried ghee balls) with Ice Cream worth Rs80 (RM5). The gulag jamoons were large and contained little sugar syrup (a balance which I simply love). Though the combination of ice-cream and this…just didn't work for me.

I ordered myself a South Indian Coffee worth Rs60 (RM4). This coffee, with the exception of the coffee my grand-aunt makes, was my best coffee to date. It was strong enough to fit my expectations, and for once - I was able to add sugar to it and sweeten it to the level I wanted.

Though slightly overpriced, by local Indian standards, I had no problems paying because it unbelievably cheap by standards in Malaysia. The food was unbelievably yummy and most importantly - authentic. The restaurant setting is the best setting you could possibly get in the dusty town of Velankanni, and the hotel's rooftop garden poses the best possible view you can get of the pilgrimage town. Definitely a 'must visit' if ever you go there.

Presentation: 6/10

Ambiance: 7/10

Service: 4/10

Overall Taste: 9/10

General Impression: 8/10

____________________________________________________________________________

Cheers,

BrianandRepublic

Revisiting il Lido

I paid my second visit to Il Lido last week, to try their set lunch which I love. The lunch, priced at RM50, includes full-sized appetisers, main and dessert courses - as well as Coffee and Petit Fours. They also offer a considerable amount of variety to choose from. You can check out my first review of il Lido here.

All diners are served complementary Amuse Bouche before beginning their culinary experience. We were served Seared Tuna with Caviar. The juicy tuna was medium-rare, and the sharp saltiness of the caviar gave the dish a nice twist.

A huge mistake I made was filling up on the free Focaccia Bread they were offering. The bread, good enough to eat on its own, would be easy for anyone to fill up on. Hidden in the bread are sweet onions, and when eaten with balsamic and olive oil - they provide for a perfect combination.

One of the appetisers we had was the Beef Carpaccio. The beef was drizzled with sweet balsamic and topped with pecorino cheese and rocket leaves, providing the ideal balance between sweet, salty and fresh.

Another appetiser we chose was the Minestrone Soup. The soup contained an abundance of vegetables such as onions, carrot and celery. The broth, which was infused with pesto, softened the vegetables and the dish served as perfect comfort food for us.

One of our main dishes included Pan-Seared Seabass on Eggplant Caviar. The portion of fish was huge, and the crisp skin of the fish as well as the flaky-but-firm flesh was mouthwatering. The smooth eggplant caviar was comfort food at its finest.

The other main course we had was Fettucine with Smoked Salmon. The pasta was perfectly al-dente, and the simple, mallow-flavoured sauce did not overpower the chunky pieces of smoked salmon - which they were really generous with. Both main courses were full-sized portions.

For dessert, we were served Panna Cota with a Berry Coulis. The smooth, silky, vanilla-flavoured panna cotta and the berry coulis were a simple, but satisfying marriage. The portions were very big, and we struggled to finish it in the end.

The set also includes a coffee of your choice. We had both a Cappuccino and Latte. The coffee was full of flavour and had a strong body. Incredibly aromatic. To indulge, we were also given petit fours, which were the same as what I was served when I previously visited - Almond Biscuits, Milk and Dark Chocolates.

In conclusion, il Lido has definitely impressed me yet again with their mouthwatering pieces of art, their wonderful service, their amazing value-for-money set lunch which was filled with so much variety to chose from. For good food at a great price, il Lido is certainly a place you have to check out.

Presentation: 9/10

Ambiance: 9/10

Service: 8/10

Overall Taste: 9/10

General Impression: 10/10 - In love with this freaking place

____________________________________________________________________________

Cheers,

BrianandRepublic