Observations Post Covid in Chennai

We decided to visit people and places and see if things are really back to normal post this 1.5 year Covid situation. On a positive note, festive shopping fervour seems to be much on the high – the absence of festivities have created a larger than life situation. Shops are much more crowded than what we had seen in 2019. Much to our surprise, stocks in shops did not match the oncoming festival. Normally it is the other way around. We could see shop’s sales people trying to convincing people to buy with limited stock. In few other shops, lethargy has set in – sales people hardly made an effort to sell and in other places, availability of sizes were a bigger issue leading to disappointed customers. Should we contribute it to the booming online sales that found larger acceptance during the pandemic? Is this situation hear to stay? or has the market not geared for the revival is a big question?

New Normal- Dining at Broken Bridge Cafe, Chennai

With the COVID 19 situation, eating outside has been almost become nil due to the fear of exposure. It is very surprising to see how the last eight months have passed by and it is an eye opening experience to see how our lives have changed. Nevertheless, we have to return back to the new version of normal. We were curious to see how the restaurants have adapted to the new normal and how different will our experiences be. Our first attempt was with the Broken Bridge Cafe at MRC Nagar.

Enjoyable Tamil Podcast for Kids and Adults

We are the radio listening generation and with all confidence will say that it was much more enjoyable, non-intrusive and delivered much more than the visual mediums we have today. Interestingly, we came across Deepika Arun, the Founder and Voice Artist of Kadhai Osai – Tamil Stories Podcast and Chittu Kuruvi, a Tamil Podcast exclusively for Tamil speaking children across the globe. A Bioengineer by qualification, it was Deepika’s innate natural resonance with children and experience as an after school activity center owner and school teacher  that sowed the seeds for an exclusive Tamil Podcast for children “Chittu Kuruvi”.

Biking Enthusiasts, Check out Chennai Wheels Club

Chennai Wheels Club is a small non-profit community of biking enthusiasts who enjoy the very essence of biking across endless roads. The club enjoys a variety of bikers with machines from various makes and models. Any good rider within the age of 25 – 50 years and with a well maintained motorbike with the cubic capacity falling between 200 – 500cc is welcome to be a part of the club. The club is dedicated to furthering the love of motorcycling in and around the great southern states of India.

Get the Taste of Rose Tres Leches , a Mediterranean Delight in Chennai

The pandemic has changed our life and has given us an opportunity to stop look and proceed. Life has considerably slowed down and things which were indispensable became an absence we could live with despite longing for it. Though there are many cons than pros to this life, slowing down pace and having time to kill under compulsion has made people look towards passion, hobbies and learning something new and test out waters. The six months has brought in understanding at home, to most families, home is an ignored area in fast paced life of profession and income. Many found time to be with kids, grown ups with their parents, new couples with each other, this time when we look back after 10 years may turn out to be a memorable time of togetherness. Yet, we are not denying the fact that pandemic has brought in difficult times, we also want to highlight the positives.

MorocconOil Hair Spa at Cuts and Colors, Royapettah

Moroccon oil, rich in argan oil, has been a pioneer in premier hair care products for a good time now. Moroccon Oil products are sulfate, phosphate and paraben free, which is a plus.

We were invited by Cuts and Colors, Royapettah for a Moroccon Oil spa day, here is our experience

Broken Bridge Cafe, MRC Nagar- Food review

Broken Bridge Cafe, one of the many restaurants in Somerset Greenway- MRC Nagar than you can grab a quick bite at, have revamped their menu recently. Their menu was unique and had a good range of cuisines like North Indian and South Indian. A heterogeneous group of people with varies tastes can find idlies or pizzas or rotis with a twist, in their menu.

We were recently invited to taste their new menu and here is our review.

Chocolate Heaven – Hangout to Celebrate Chocolates and More

Chocolate Heaven, a new entrant into the amazing world of hangouts with awesome food that caters to youngsters, has its outlets in Egmore and Alwarpet. We were invited to a tasting and the surprise was the food goes beyond chocolates though they specialize in chocolates. We had a starter, mojitos, 3 varieties of thin crust pizzas, pasta and a good range of chocolate desserts. Honestly, it was just sampling when we came to the desserts and the blogger friends who came with us will happily agree so. Nevertheless, each item stood for perfection and the pizzas were absolutely a delight.

British Council Division Holiday Camp from 27 – 30th December 2019

As a regular to BCD during my school days, it was nostalgic to be there to understand how it was working with different age groups with value added programs for children, youth and adults. BCD with its 70 years of existence has evolved from a library to a cultural hub of fun, learning and knowledge and entertainment. BCD in its effort to empower children with life skills conducts various courses including the upcoming Holiday Camp. Their IELTS course is very popular with people aspiring to go abroad for their studies and so are the “Study in UK” programs where students can interact with representatives of about 40 plus Universities in UK.

Amazing hair makeover experience at Cuts and Colours, Royapettah

Cuts and Colours is one of the largest in Royapettah, to have a salon and spa under one roof.

We recently had an opportunity to get a haircut and hair colour with them.

Going for a hair makeover can be daunting giving to the amount of inspiration we can find off magazines and the internet. Sometimes it is hard to figure out which style would suit our face structure, and Cuts and Colours made sure our experience was super smooth.

Mayflower Restaurant TNagar, a MUST TRY Restaurant

My Brother Sarath Babu in the picturesque Foyer

The Mayflower Restaurant is located in T nagar closer to Kotak Mahindra bank off Venkat Narayana road, in Burkit Road. A nostalgic feel engulfs once we get to the restaurant, the beautiful bungalow with its rustic charm known as Dr. Bhanumathy Ramakrishna’s residence welcomes us with a decent parking space, a lovely foyer – a homecoming feel for those who know what it is to see an old  building of the 60s, the large windows and the space that seems to be well organized not to spoil its demeanor.

Though the restaurant serves vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, we are reviewing the vegetarian dishes here. There is a touch of uniqueness in the dishes, the vegetable dumpling mushroom soup started our journey. A clear soup, it had a spinach dumpling in it and it tasted yummy. We did feel there was an eating good and healthy vibe when we sampled the food – liberal amount of vegetables in each dish – you can see the broccoli corn bursting to its seams in the momo, a big plus for us.

A weekend getaway to Yelagiri

What do you do on a rainy weekend in a city, when flooded streets and chaotic traffic wouldn’t let you enjoy the rains? Well, if you are like me, you would find yourself a ride and get out of the city. Driving my bike didn’t seem like a good idea in that weather so I booked a Chennai taxi with a reliable driver and headed towards Yelagiri.

The mini hill station, sitting quietly in the Vellore district is one of the most beautiful places to spend some time near Chennai, and also my favorite. Being at a little higher altitude also makes it pleasant and lets you enjoy the cooler weather. I have mostly been there for short treks and camping trips, but never solo or to experience a quiet time and enjoy the solitude. So, this trip turned out to be quite special. I paid attention to every little thing around, which one often misses when traveling in groups.