Ithu Sweet Vada Thaana?
That was quote on the a full front page ad on the newspaper when finally Dunkin Donuts opens in Chennai!!! Vada is a south Indian savory snack made of gram flour, which has a similar shape like donut!!!! So a day before they opened, a few of us were there to check out their menu and enjoy their food.
At Chennai its opened at one of the very new awesome mall callead the Phoenix Mall, at the ground floor, easily accessible from the parking lot! The interiors and installations are very quirky and I totally love it!
One wall had heads in profile made of various materials and colors and prints. Another wall had a very retro newsprint ad look. And my most favourite, a wall that looks like a black board with writing that look like chalk writings that talk about a typically mind reads the cosmopolitan youngsters, which was designed by a Chennai based artist Karthik!!!
And there beside it is the food counter!! Yummy yummy donuts, in so many colors and flavours!!! The best thing about this place is that its not just Donuts, its much more!!!
To start with the CEO India of Dunkin Donuts Dev Amritesh introduced the chefs here. Chef Peter is an expert in Pastry and Cakes, Chef Felix is an expert in Coffee, its blends etc and he's an expert mixologist as well. chef Suparna, has worked in Taj Chennai for 10 years and what's more proof for a sweet tooth than being a Bengali!!!
According to Dev Amritesh, though Chennai is different when compared to Mumbai to Delhi, the cosmopolitan youngsters are pretty much the same in all places. So how does Dunkin Donuts differ from other food places. Well, there are the gourmet food places and then there are the quick service restaurants. Dunkin Donuts strives to fill the gap between the 2. The USP of Dunkin Donuts is a new kind of food that's layered, textured, flawed / twisted / wicked, combinatory play, spiked, complexified comfort, and life inspired!!!
The first thing I tried was a Naughty Lucy Burger. It has both the veg & non veg variants and I obviously went for the veg. It oozes with molten cheese filled veg patty, veggies, raw mango relish and jalapenos between soft buns. The raw mango flavour was way too yummy that reminded me of my granny's cooking!!! Crunchy Joe burger was similar but with crunchy buns which I personally didn't like much.
Then came Wicked Wrap and Not So Wicket Wrap which were the typical wraps. Here the dough was multi grain and this too had the raw mango relish. This has a crisy quotient with nachos into it. Wicked wrap has chicken, Not So Wicked has veggies into it.
This was followed by Iced Tea. The version I tried was called the Spiked Ice Tea. I totally loved this one and it has Pepper, Star Anise, Cinnamon, Cloves, Mace, Ginger and Lemon Grass. In simple words, its the biriyani of iced tea!!! Lolz!!!!!
Next to this came the Tough Guy Burger in its original form & brute form. Guess what makes it tough - mustard sauce. The patty in the Brute veg version, had Rajma in it which I found a bit weird! The patty in the original veg version, had Elephant Yam in it which again I found a bit weird!!!
Again somehow it reminded me of my childhood when my Punjabi neighbours always fed me with food made of mustard oil. They source their mustard sauce from Bangladesh! The aroma and intense flavour is something that I always loved. There at an American Donut shop, I was reminded of my chilhood - with granny's flavour & neighbour's flavours!!!
Next came the cold coffee which was topped with almonds and it was divine! And by this time, I had completely forgotten that the place is specializing in donuts. And that very point, came the donuts!!!! There are 3 types of donuts here - the very typical Ring Donuts which are rings with toppings, then the Shell Donuts which are rings with toppings and centre filling as well, and the Munchkins which are more like stuffed spherical buns!
My favourites were all Shell Donuts. Very Very Blueberry which is topped with Blueberry flavoured Chocolate Ganache with a Blue Berry jelly centre and Its a Mistake which is topped with White Chocolate with a Chilly Guava Centre!!! Hug me was almost like a mini cupcake with chocolate cinnamon topping!!! All three are too yummy!!!
I loved their packaging too. One was a 6 donuts pack made of cardboard with a handle! The typical carry out package was very American! A brown paper cover with their branding, with no handle also.. Howzzat!!!
And the wrap up was with a super strong dose of expresso. So your donuts are priced at Rs.57 each. Get there and fill up your tummy!!!
P.S: I was invited by the restaurant for review purpose, however the opinions are my own and this post does not to advertise the product/service.
P.S: I was invited by the restaurant for review purpose, however the opinions are my own and this post does not to advertise the product/service.
Good review. Tempted to go there.
ReplyDeleteJust go!
DeleteI wish I had not eaten breakfast on that day. Would have 'tasted' a bit more :P But since I eat healthy nowadays, it's still OK :)
ReplyDeleteDestination Infinity
Ha ha!!!
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