ITP Indian Travel Places: Food, Travel, Tourism Business Events and Trade Shows
Address: 55, 2nd Main Road, Between Kaliappa Hospital and Park Sheraton, RA Puram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Time: 11 AM to 3 PM, 7 PM to 11 PM
Meals for two: Rs. 1,600
Cuisines: North Indian, Italian, Mexican
Facilities: Home Delivery, Wheelchair Accessible, Vegetarian Only, Table booking not available, No Alcohol Available, Serves Jain Food
Cream Centre, RA Puram, Chennai: DECOR
FYI, this is Chennai’s first Cream Centre and exists in a beautiful refurbished house with a nice garden and a nicer courtyard with a huge tree in its midst. I love the buzz in this place, the fact that it’s always packed, and the surrounding greenery, complete with comfortable seating.
Cream Centre, RA Puram, Chennai: FOOD
Legendary in Bombay, Cream Centre has a reputation to uphold. And the restaurant does it with panache. Recently, the restaurant has introduced a new section in its menu, parts of which are rooted in tradition. Like the khau galli vada that has its roots in Bombay’s Opera House area. When diamond merchants, working at the market in Navratna Building got hungry, they would walk down to khau galli and indulge in a few batata vadas. Elements like red chilli-garlic peanut and mint chutneys are authentic and the taste is as close as it can get to that street food. One difference: Cream Centre has added sophistication to the presentation.
Then there are those innovations. Like the vegetable mille-feuille. The taken-for-granted layers of khari biscuit that Bombay wallas dip into their morning (or evening) chai and slurp up, well, it’s the same, but different, and is topped by corn nachos, minced jalapenos and some other secret ingredients. You need to try them to know.
Ragada patties must be had thus: crush the crisp-fried, thick, stuffed with masala patty, pour the ragda all over it, top the mix with sweet brown and fresh tangy green chutney. The result is quite much like what you’d get… on Chowpatty beach in Bombay. Sprinkle some chopped onion, if you like.
There really is nothing quite like the pav bhaji here. It has the flavor down pat, complete with asli yellow and melting Amul butter, finely chopped onions and a piece of fresh lemon, in case you need an extra tang. That pav is soft, porous and arrives in a beautiful beaten copper with a candle lit.
True comfort is Punjabi masala khichadi in a copper vessel. The vegetable loaded khichadi is topped with glistening liquid ghee. Papad churi and the curds complete the meal.
Dessert could be malai kulfi, if you really want to top up your meal with traditional tastes. Or, try the gulab jamun, flecked with flecks of finely crushed nuts generously sprinkled all over. Inside the inviting soft, sweet, porous orb, hides khoya, mixed with more nuts and one whole pistachio.
Cream Centre, RA Puram, Chennai: PLUS AND MINUS
The new menu brings new life to the food, which was otherwise predictable. Just hope the chef remains consistent.
