Home Delivered - SarvSri

A few days ago I was scouting for home cooks / home delivery for my friend's parents. It was then that I stumbled upon SarvSri. I was impressed by what they were doing as also by the fact that they were close by. And this morning, I was too exhausted to cook. I'd just gotten back from Tirupathi at midnight and had no energy whatsoever. And, I made a call to SarvSri at 10 am.

Savita Gupta picked my call and I explained what I needed and if it would be possible for them to delivery a single meal for lunch. She said she'd have to check and shortly, a gentleman named Yogesh Gupta called me. I told him I needed just 1 lunch and inquired the delivery charges. He said I do not come under the delivery area and I had to explain I live right about 3 km from where they are and only my area name is different. (This conversation, incidentally, reminded me of what I was told yesterday - there's this 100 m stretch near Kanakkama Chathram, enroute Tirupathi. The left hand side of this stretch is Andhra and the right hand side is TN. You can see all wine shops on the left hand side of the road and are open past 11 pm. Weird but true). Yogesh promised he'd do his best. 

At 1230 I received a text saying the food has been dispatched. At 1245, I received the neatly packed food with a bill for 112.50. (The cost of the meal is INR 100, plus 12.5% VAT and there were no delivery charges)

The menu today was sambar, rasam, potato fry, kurma, rice, pickle, fryums, payasam, and curd rice. There was even a pack of pass pass mouth freshener. 

The sambar was good, and the extra pack of sambar is unused, sitting in the fridge. The rasam was super spicy (with lots of pepper and a bit of garlic) - totally loved it. The potato was well cooked, seasoned and spiced well. I just wondered what a kurma was doing in place of kootu (perhaps a mix up or perhaps that's how it was meant to be?) - was tasty nonetheless. I was totally bowled over by the well-seasoned smooth thachi mummu (curd rice). The payasam was a little too sweet for my liking but was good. Overall a very good Saturday meal and I am happy.

I'd just finished the hearty meal & burped when Yogesh called to check if the food was delivered on time and inquired on the taste.

Price point: Reasonable

Service: Prompt

Taste: Very good

Packing: Neat (the carton can be re-used for something else later on)

Will I order again: Most Definitely.

Sarvsri is on OMR, opp Lifeline hospital. You can call them on +919840014449 or also order via gograb.in. Their menu card is available on their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sarvsri/

Read More

Darios - Cook with Love!

A vegetarian's delight - and when I say that, I mean a vegetarian who wouldn't even touch egg! To start with, none of their dishes have egg - not the pasta, not the desserts. And, they can customize your dishes to not include garlic.

This 130-seater restaurant located in one of the poshest localities of Chennai, boasts of a Sicilian cuisine and already has 2 outlets in Pune.

We were seated outside and surprisingly there were no mosquitoes.

The menu that Suresh, CEO, Darios, had put up for this showcase was quite extensive. I was the first one from the group to reach the place, and got a quick view of the rooms and the open kitchen. Suresh promised a kitchen tour but I guess we were too busy eating :-)

While at this, I must say that the Moroccan Mint tea was absolutely stunning. This simple clear hot liquid not only cleansed the palate but also soothed the stomach. Please make this your must order when you visit this place! Highly recommended.

I go on to mention the dishes, in no particular order (as at this point, I don't quite remember in which order they came)

Starters:

Funghi Darios: Whole Roasted Mushrooms with lemon, garlic, parsley and extra virgin olive oil. This one was brilliant, but I really couldn't quite catch the citrus flavor as the garlic overpowered everything.

Polpette Di Spinaci E Formaggio: Spinach and fresh cheese balls served with a spinach cheese dip. If you love spinach and if you love cheese, go for this one! However the oil smelt a little funny today. (May be just a one off?)

Antipasto Siciliano: Sicilian platter with cheese, olives, sundried tomatoes, roasted peppers, pickled onions, roasted aubergines and home made bread. The chilli stuffed olives are a spice lovers delight. The gorgonzola cheese (an acquired taste perhaps) was a tad salty but hey, it was just too good to be eaten on its own! The bread was soft and fresh, and made for a perfect accompaniment.

Assorted bruschetta: My pick was the goat cheese and roasted zucchini. The sun dried tomato pate was a tad strong and spicy for my liking.

Salad:

Aranciazola: Mixed salad leaves, fresh orange, gorgonzola, olives and herbs - A fresh salad with a hint of citrus from the orange but what makes this a killer salad is the gorgonzola.

Verdure Grigalate: Warm mixed vegetables (potatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, onions and carrots) - This was yum on its own but again, a hint of gorgonzola and it just elevated the flavor of the vegetables.


Pizza:

Carduni: Mozarella, artichokes, mushrooms, garlic, olives, broccoli and sun dried tomatoes.I absolutely loved it, more for the fact that it had a good amount of those bright green broccoli pieces :D

Stromboli: Mozarella, red chilli, spinach and tomatoes: What I really loved about these thin crust pizzas were that they didn't stoop or sag or become soggy. They held their head high and were crunchy till the last bite.

Risotto and Pasta: 

Risottoragli Asparagi: Asparagus, cream and cheese - By far the best risotto I've eaten. It was slightly high on garlic but if you love a good risotto, then this is the one!

Risotto Siciliana: Tomato sauce based risotto with aubergines, red chilli, oregano, capers and cheese - Not my favorite!

Risotto Al Funghi Porcini: Mushrooms & garlic cream cheese - If you love a good mushroom, this is one to pick!

Ravioli Kamarina: Home made ravioli stuffed with spinach & cheese, served with tomatoes, chickpeas, rosemary, smashed peas and cream. By this time, we were stuffed and could only take spoonfuls to taste.

The other dishes in this category included Fussili Vitale (Fresh tomato, garlic, sun dried tomato and mushrooms), Tortellini formaggi and funghi (pasta parcels stuffed with mushrooms and cheese), crespelle al funghi (baked pancakes with mushrooms, garlic, tomatoes, cheese and peas). The baked pancakes were good but attempting to taste the sauce alone didn't do too much good. It has to be eaten along with the pancake.

And finally, it was time for dessert. How much ever you eat, there's always space for dessert and I mean always!

Desserts

Eggless tiramisu - very low on alcohol and coffee - not exactly a tiramisu but let's say a decent variation of the actual!

Pannacotta - Typical :) The crunchy slices of apple on the side added a nice texture to the dish!

Lemon cheese cake: My pick of the lot - The mild tang of the lemon and the soft cheese cake, when eaten along with the lemon rind - is a different experience altogether.

Erupting chocolate and chocolate brownie served with chocolate ice cream - Now I thought that would be a chocolate overdose but surprisingly it was quite pleasing on the palate!

As we stood up, completing a wonderful meal, I sure gained a few pounds! The love in their cooking certainly shows :)

** This meal is part of CFG Showcase. 

** A meal for two would cost you around INR 1200.

** Darios is off Kasturi Ranga Road, Near Aswini Soundra Nursing Home, Poes Garden.  - http://www.darios.in

Please follow Food and all - https://www.facebook.com/Foodandall to keep yourself updated

Read More