Tigers Experience at L'Amandier - Chennai

The Almond Tree or L'Amandier 

A perfect Bistro in the shadow of an Almond Tree ........ as per Wiki a Bistro is a place which serves moderately priced simple slow cooked food in a modest setting . L'amandier fits this definition superbly . Owned run managed by Nidhi who is a IIHM graduate with great experience in the hospitality sector - what else would you expect besides par excellence . They have used all the natural elements of Air, Light , sound ,water?? didn see much of it tho lol ...  to create the ambiance of the restaurant . Spacious double height bistro with huge bay windows for light , colorful drapery ,European style open brick walls ,beautiful lamps on the walls and also on the ceiling . Being a food appreciator i start making standard of the restaurant in the mind based on how comfortable the setting is , how they have used colors , how happy are the people dinning , how happy are the staff serving , how easy is to maneuver in the premises, how clean is the floor of the restaurant and the kitchen , how easy is the menu to understand and order .. all this counts in my experience of any restaurant .

We had a superb experience at L'Amandier - we were well looked after by the General Manager Katherine , didn get to meet the chef Prabhu Dhananjay he was busy plating 22 plates at a time for our group LOL - next time chef shall trouble you int he kitchen and to get to know the man behind the gorgeous dishes you made us eat .

Speaking to Nidhi about the restaurant was delightful - she is simply passionate about her Bistro - when i asked to meet the owner the staff was like Why ?? they saw this huge punjabi and were wondering why is he asking for the owner , what wrong have we done etc etc - hahahahaha , i saw this lady in command and figured out that she is boss around - i asked to see her - man u shud have seen nidhis expressions - eh , who is he , what does he want, is he another blogger  and before she could say - tell him im busy ; the tiger in me jumped at her and introduced my self hahahahaha now she had no choice but to face the tiger right der .. poor thing and the next 15 mins she didn know what was hittng her - the foodie , the experience auditor , the punjabi studd or what hahahahahaha ...  I love it when the owner gives personal attention to the Bistro and is present there, the feeling of the place is only different ... im sure all of us agree with this one .

Breezy Bright Interiors

I was travelling from Delhi and had had an overdose of  Fabulous South Indian cuisines was looking for something which was easy on the stomach in terms of the spices etc  and yes L'Amandier was a perfect break rather a pleasant well deserved break . We were hosted by chennai's own socialites and dear friends - one day before we were asked our preference on the meats - chicken or lamb - wow - this got my anxiety level even higher ... who does this nowdays.

Coming from Delhi where Bistros are mushrooming in abundance we did have high standards - L'Amandier is at par with the best of the best and where it beats them al is the pricing - i was shocked to hear a 299 for a breakfast buffet and 499 for a 4 course brunch fixed meal .. mind blowing . More than comfort food it was a real fine dining experience where plating , ingredients recipe and textures of the dishes  were concerned. In Delhi there is a Bistro or a cafe war going on between all the elements that make a restaurant whether it is the decor or the menu or the chef behind the scene or the experience of the owner . delhi is seeing a number of Chef turned entrepreneurs coming up which is very interesting , normally the creative chefs shy away from being business men - "ah let me cook ,you do the selling " is the standard dialog u get to hear .

Set Menu for the Day 

Simple yet elaborate menu - i asked Nidhi why don't they have a standard ala carte menu - she answered it in two folds One "I cook what my heart tells me too" second " I serve people the fresh available vegetables and meats " hence no fixed ala carte menu - I buy that - catch of the day . Infact the whole concept gave me a chefs Table feeling where the chef decides what the dish of the day is going to be - it is an experience . But my guess is that sooner or later L'Amandier will have a fixed menu and also specials of the day ... you need guts to play around with a menu and test the Chefs capabilities of making new dishes everyday LOL .

Roasted Pumpkin and Coriander Soup

Pumpkin sweet coriander flavorful a good homey style broth - was not a killer for me tho wanted it to be more peppery and on the salty side i really dont fancy sweet soups but thats me - as a dish it was perfect . Oh yes the bacon was my own two bits of innovation ... think about it , shud taste good with bacon flavor .... for me anything with bacon is a killer dish .

Fresh Watermelon and Feta Salad 

Refreshing with perfect acidity of the cheese and the crunch of fresh rocket leaves - my Killer dish / salad / starter . The watermelon chilled sweet crisp , hate it when its limp , just the right amount of Feta to do the taste flip and with the best leaves to add to the freshness ... really well plated dish and with good flavors playing with your palate.

Irish Lamb Stew

Beautifully presented dish. The Lamb is marinated overnight ,seared and served on a stew of potatoes and cabbage - simple enuf . Some pieces of lamb were a bit hard to cut thru which s not anyone's fault it happens wit h this red meat unless you go the desi way of pressure cooker seetee wala style lol , meat being hard is a very irish way of cooking red meat they love it hard . The overall flavor was well balanced a perfect homey of a dish for me .. Originally an Irish stew was given to ailing people - leek, potato ,carrots and meat all stewed together to cure the ailment - medicinal for sure .

A combo of Both

Both the meats together ,I had asked for this , being a plated meal - the greedy foodie me wanted to sample both the dishes - i had pre ordered chicken as a choice and could not go home without trying out the lamb.

Chicken  Kiev

Very interesting ,unlike the traditional chicken a la kiev with butter inserted into chicken breast and when you cut it open it quirts out swooosh - Nidhi's version is stuffed with Spinach and cheese served on a base of mash potatoes and with grilled vegetables on the side (which were just delicious) .... the chicken was cooked well , no difficulty in cutting through at all ... i could have done without the mash tho - just the chicken and the veggies were a perfect healthy option. Kiev is supposed to have originated from Ukraine where they pounded the chicken meat and stuffed it with different fillings , personally my favorite is cheese and ham/bacon filling . 

Chocolate Molten Cake

This one  is straight from the heart - I love molten Cake ... warm ,gooeey and delicious .. gawd im drooling all over again lol .

Tiramisu

The Tiramisu L'Amandier way - creamy like a cream coffee  dig deeper to reach the cake , a bit of liquor flavor which is important . Nicely done ,smooth and lovely , a must have. The literal meaning of Tiramisu is Pick me Up or Lift me up .. wonder why lol.

Overall Tigers Experience :

Ambiance : Super , you can talk unlike some cafes where everyone's vocal chords are at their best and u have to shout to be heard. Bright colors , airy , full of light , ease to move around , child friendly .

Service : Really good , servers smiling throughout and had good knowledge of the food .. guess katherine is doing a good job

Food : for Bistro food its amazing , the brunch and eggs looked super duper - didn mention the garlic bread it was well done .

Value for money : Awesome 

Was a great sunday afternoon at L'Amnadier - good company , good food and an interesting conversation with the person behind the establishment . What else could you want from a bistro. Would loved to have some nice Rose Wine for lunch but but - the government doesn't allow us foodies to enjoy sunday lunches with wine . Hope things change soon.

L'Amandier coming back for more soon !!!!!