My 2 day trip to Chennai was dotted with some saree shopping, jewelry shopping (the fashion and the junk jewelry kind – not the 24k gold Thangamaligai kind:), of course, some food – the restaurant and home-cooked kinds!
We visited Cream Center in Raja Annamalai Puram on Chamiers Road. This is the same Cream Center that has had its origins in Bombay (I know – I can call Madras, Chennai but I just can’t get myself to call Bombay Mumbai) and this time I had planned to visit newer places in Bombay so I figured I would get my Cream Center fix in Chennai . The menu was exactly the same as I remembered it, but I also knew what I was going there for…..the carrot pickle with the famous Chole Bhatura. This was my favorite restaurant in growing up, during my annual visits to Bombay, and though Cream Center got its name from its famous ice-cream varieties, I loved it only for the carrot pickle!
Only they had now morphed from a Punjabi menu to a Mexican, Italian and rather Continental menu but with a desi flair. I say desi flair as even though the menu had items like Tostadas, Nachos, Sizzlers etc, the “refried beans” were more like mashed rajma unlike the pinto beans that you get here in the US. Nonetheless, I ordered the Chole Bhatura and couldn’t wait to indulge in my favorite pickle. I was quite disappointed, I have to admit. The chole was fine but they had messed up the pickle! Soggy carrots were all I got. They had obviously been sitting in the oil for a while. And the Bhatura looked like it had been sitting in the same oil too..well, you know what I mean. It was as oily as the pickle.
The Dum Biriyani however was a pleasant surprise as I had, by now, dismissed the food as being mediocre. The Sizzler was a hodge podge of pulao meets veggies meets samosa meets fries! Yes, it had a samosa perched on top of the rice concoction and though the description on the menu intrigued me, it didnt taste as good as it sounded.
I think the best part of the dinner was the dessert..or maybe it’s just my sweet tooth that makes me love anything that has sugar and chocolate. The sizzling brownie was a hit with the kids too. Brownie with vanilla ice cream in a sea of bubbling hot chocolate! Yum! That’s all I could say before I burnt my tongue!!
The Verdict – Cream Center Chennai wasn’t half as good as the parent in Chowpatty, Bombay. There are better restaurants in Chennai to spend your money on.