Chennai Cimema - Studio 5

The Sathyam Theatre Complex has always delighted cinemagoers with the latest technology in sound and picture. Small wonder then that they recently unveiled the digital theatre – Studio 5, on the third floor of the complex. And discerning Chennaiites seem to be lapping it up, what with the studio running to packed shows from day one.

The classy passageway to Studio 5 gjves you a fair idea of what to expect inside this new studio. The 148-seater exclusive hi-tech swank cinema hall is equipped with an advanced projector that uses Xenon bulb to project sharp pictures. The three-way speaker system powered by Dolby 650 and DTS-6D with new centre surround sound is perfect for Hollywood movies. Airconditioning is done from the top for perfect cooling and even the lobbies are cooled. The wooden flooring, aesthetic lighting and the giant chandelier add to the experience.

Promising a unique cinema experience, the theatre offers plush two-seater I class seats (ideal for couples) fitted with snacks trays, at Rs.80/-. The II and III class cost Rs.70/- and Rs.30/- respectively. Comfort being the buzz word, snacks are provided at your seats on request.

The new surround channel and user speakers create a true fly over and fly around effect that are smoother and accurately placed either directly behind or beside the audience.For those who hate cat calls, sweaty-cinemagoers, big crowds and intermittent interruptions, Studio 5 is the answer. Truly, money’s worth.

Chennai Restaurant, Marrybrown @ Ispahani Centre

Jus’the right kinda place for chicken-lovers.

Loud music rents the air inside Marrybrown at Ispahani Center on Nungambakkam High Road, the current hangout for the new generation in town. The place is brightly lit and dotted by wood-topped metal tables and chairs. Kids rattle video games and a young lady takes her plate and heads up the stairway in the middle, to a vantage point upstairs. The famed American fried chicken is quite unlike the hot and spicy ones Indian palates are used to. The chicken burger is very tasty, to say the least. Marrybrown Chicken Nuggets are more like Indian cutlets, smaller in size but crispier and tastier. The French fries could have been crispier. The Coleslaw tastes nice. Fried chicken is the mainstay here. The non-vegetarians specials are Fried Chicken and Chicken Burger, while the veggies can pick a Veg Burger or Marrybrown Rice with veg patty (for die-hard rice eaters).

All major cards accepted. Minimum billing Rs.250/-. Serves no liquor, nor does it offer valet parking. Home delivery between 11 a.m and 10p.m to limited areas only. Average price of meal for two - Rs.200/-.

Tips: If you’re new to American fried chicken, try single portions only.

Limited choice, but every bite worth the money.

Pizza Restaurant, Chennai India

The small door to the basement opens to a wide 94-seater restaurant. The place is well lit with colourful caps, sporty car models and pictures of racing champions dotting the walls. Wall-mounted TV sets play MTV as busy executives bite into their pizzas unmindful of the music, with just the young ones eyeing it between bites.

For starters go for garlic bread along with your choice soup. You can also opt for potato zig zags, the fish ‘n’ chips, which is actually golden fish fingers with potatoes and Thousand Island dip or the special chicken fingers with potatoes and cream cheese dip. Part of the super combo non-veg fare, the regular pizza is large enough for two, especially for those hell bent on going the full course. Every hour a bunch of guys perform a little jig a in the middle of the hall. By jove, nice spectacle to see. The staff all dressed up in bright red and green are watchful, but unobtrusively, moving into help the movement you lift your head up.

Veggies can smile too as you have even spicy varieties like Dice ‘n’ Spice laced with dices of cottage cheese, red paprika and capsicum or Bar-B-Q Fiesta, which is mushroom, spiced with jalapeno pepper and black olives.

The adventurous can create their own special pizza using Margherita as the base and 21 choice toppings including chicken salami, lamb pepperoni and jalapeno pepper. The Lunch Munch, a dine-in offer of one regular pizza with any two toppings, single portion of potato wedges plus a bottomless glass of coke, all for Rs.79/- is worth every pie. Wind off with a brownie sundae and thank the Italians for tickling your palates. Pizza Corner does not serve beef or pork and the sauces served do not contain garlic, says a note in the menu and , thankfully, there’s been no Indianization of the Pizza here.

All cards accepted. No minimum billing. No valet parking. Reservations needed. Liquor not served. Home delivery (26287111). Price for a meal for two costs about Rs.300/-.

Small but Impressive

There’s something special about The Bookshop at Spencer Plaza, which makes a serious book lover like me come back again and again. The very selective range of books, the personal attention and the guidance you get from the gentle Seetharam, the person behind the store.

Quite often you see him engage in a conversation with customers, suggesting similar titles or recommending another author of the same genre. “A bookseller must help the customer select books which he or she will enjoy. You must educate them. This needs a lot of commitment on the part of the bookseller”, he explains.

He keeps in touch with the latest reviews, catalogues and books. And this helps him choose the right kind of books here. Indian religion, art, culture, indology and philosophy takes precedence over fiction. “You can’t be totally business-oriented. It’s unlike other businesses. Here, you’re catering to the mind, so your approach must be sacred”, he points out, adding “books are not a commodity like other products in the market. You’re offering something for the mind – knowledge.

Most of the titles are personally chosen by this literature graduate and Bookshop includes a neat collection of Tamil books – Kalki, Chandiliyan, Akilan, Na Parthasarathy, T. Janakiraman and the like. “I’m proud of the Tamil culture”, he says with a glint in the eyes. This small but focussed Bookshop boasts of a good collection of dictionaries in different tongues, besides stocking an impressive collection on ayurveda, yoga and alternative medicine.

Open seven days a week from 10.30 a.m. – 8.00 p.m. Sundays from 12.00 p.m. – 8.00 p.m. Spencer Plaza, Phase I, Anna Salai. Ph : 8524419.

Apoorva’s Sangeetha, Chennai Restaurant

A restaurant, the veggie can’t do without.

Parking is one problem at the much-talked-about restaurant for veggies, on the busy Nungambakkam High Road – Village Road intersection. The ambience is a disappointment compared to the new age restaurants cropping up in transient Chennai. The seating is comfortable and the glass dividers lend a semblance of privacy. The menu shows up a delightful range for the veggies. Onion Rava Masala, Kuzhi Paniyaram, Venthaya Dosa with Vada Curry and the like. Pepper soup is a must, so too the Butter Nan and Gobi Manchurian. Kashmiri Pulav looks so colourful that one would sit and admire. But, the Rasamalai is nothing to write about, so too the Lassi. Try Nan with Gobi Manchurian or Appam, delicious vegetarian fare at its best.

All major cards accepted. Minimum billing Rs.150/-. Serves no liquor, nor does it offer valet parking. Home delivery : 28274905/3246. Upto 3 kms radius. Ave price of meal for two: Rs. 150/-.

Think Trousers, Try Trouser Town Spencer Plaza, Chennai

Believed to be the first of its kind in the world, Trouser Town, the swank store at Spencer Plaza stocks over 4500 readymade trousers in the prestigous Louis Phillipe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly range.

If you want to stage a great escape from the tough corporate jungle, check out Allen Solly Outdoors- flat front Khakis, frog mouth cut pants or the 5 pocket walking pants. Are you the calm, unruffled achiever, than the finely crafted 100% cotton. Dura Press wrinkle-free trousers from Van Heusen is the perfect fit Or try the Spiritus collection of Louis Phillipe, Contemporary informals that make heads turn.

Offered in 30 fine colours, 17 different fabrics, unique finishes - wrinkle free, peaching and feathering and a variety of fits, Trouser Town encourages you feel the texture, check the seams, double check the stitching, try it out and then decide.
A small but exclusive range of shirts, a unique collection of suits and blazers (Rs.4000 onwards) and accessories complement the array of trousers. Alterations are done in a jiffy. Another outlet is at Thyagaraya Road, T.Nagar.

Chennai Shopping

Fountainhead Bookstore, Chennai

An offshoot of India Book Distributors, one of the largest book distributors in the country, Fountainhead stocks over 40,000 titles at the spacious 7,000 sq. ft store at 27, Laxmi Towers, Radhakrishnan Road, Mylapore.

Though its focus is on books, it also sports small sections for children’s toys and cards, cassettes and CDs. The store also offers personalized greeting cards for as little as Rs.30-60, though in a limited variety. Despite the penetration of cable television, and now Internet, into Indian homes,

Set up in 1993, FountainHead, Chennai, today has a terrific base of loyal clientele, who use the FountainHead gold card which offers discounts and redemption of points accrued. While books on computers, management, health and children’s titles show good sales, a significant percentage of revenues comes from non-book items - gifts, toys, cards, CDs, multimedia etc.

FountainHead’s Book Passage, a monthly newsletter, offers news, reviews and details new schemes for customers.

Open 6 days a week from 10 am - 8.30 pm. Mondays holidays. All cards accepted.

The Piano, Chennai Restaurant

Modeled on an English country house, this 24-hour multicuisine restaurant is simple, spacious and well lit. Two walls run through splitting the eatery into three sections. Natural light seeps in through styled windows on one side. The granite walls sport large paintings, with little shelves showcasing porcelain crockery and dolls. Evenings come alive with a live band.

Serves a varied spread of Indian, Chinese and Continental. Begin with the Continental Chicken Salad Marie Louise (Juliennes of chicken, capsicum, tomatoes & fresh fruits tossed in creamy mayonnaise), Seafood Salad, Vegetable Spring Rolls, Dil Kush (Diced fruits with orange, soda & chopped mint). Soup lovers can sip Minestrone, Mulligatwany or Aash-E-Nadira (A rich chicken broth garnished with almonds & raisins). European delights include Fish Florentine and Chicken Shaslik (marinated pieces of tender chicken served on a bed of rice with tomatoes and capsicum). Tender boneless chicken cooked in rich cream sauce (Chicken Shahi Kurma), Machi Maseldar and Chicken in Peking sauce are to be relished. Vegetarians must settle down for Cauliflower Manchurian, Veg Hakka Noodles, Kastoori Paneer Tikka (Paneer flavoured with fenu greek), Paneer Pasanda, Hariyali Paneer (Cottage cheese cooked in a blend of a savoury spinach, together with delicious naans and pulavs.

Recommended deserts are the sponge cake topped with jelly, dry fruits and nuts (Praline Upside Down), and English Ecstasy, a combo of three choice ice creams with sweet sauce, dry fruits and nuts.

The Theosophical Society, Adyar, Chennai

Nature in all its glory

Cut off from the noise of the city and lying on 250 acres of woods, marshes and greenery, is the world headquarters of The Theosophical Society. Located on the banks of the Adyar estuary, it’s a place of universal brotherhood. Classic century-old buildings, the numerous gardens, the temple, mosque, Zoorastrian place of worship, the Buddhist vihara, church and the gurudwara amidst the woods are a triumph of universal love. The Adyar Library and Research Center houses a glorious collection of nearly, 19,000 rare palm and paper manuscripts of the East. Researchers from across the globe descend on this place, which also stocks over 2,00,000 books. The place is synonymous with the Adyar Banyan tree spreading over 40,000 sq ft with its prop roots hanging all around. Though it lost a little lit of its sheen when gusty winds damaged a major portion of this renowned tree, it still retains much of its old charm. A journey, into this sylvan setting has a strange invigorating influence on even ordinary mortals. Certainly, a must-see, must-experience idyllic spot for those who have lost touch with Mother Nature.