We have a diversified culture in the city. From conservative mariamman koozhu culture to pub culture :)

City caters to a diversified population with varying cultural/religious/language background. I think a seperate thread is required to show the cosmopolitain nature of the city. I am throwing in hospitality industry on this topic too since they reflect the cosmopolitainess to some degree.

So keep it coming

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article2738397.ece

Calling shopaholics

The seventh edition of The Hindu MetroPlus Lifestyle Show offers a wholesome shopping experience

Looking to furnish your home with attractive décor? Or, do you harbour a shopping addiction? If yes, head straight to the CODISSIA Trade Fair Complex, Avanashi Road, for the seventh edition of The Hindu MetroPlus Lifestyle Show. The fair, which has been a phenomenal success over the years, accommodates everything one might need to set up a home — furniture, kitchenware, wall décor, carpets, floor mats, bedspreads and curtains, figurines of gods, shoe racks and what not!

There's a happy familiarity at the show. Salesmen dish out chappati after chappati from their roti makers, tandoor-sellers grill yummy treats and the saunf-wala urges you to try out an array of churans, golis and saunf. There is also a genial maami who can coax you into buying her curtains, pillow covers, bedspreads, quilts and purses with her saccharine ‘vaango' and ‘kanna'. A no-nonsense salesman does not believe in small talk. He swiftly unpacks a murukku maker from the box and explains, “One machine, 15 types of plate. One plate, three design. So, 15 plate, 45 design, madam.”

The best part about The Hindu MetroPlus Lifestyle Show is that there's something for everyone in the family. For the kids, there are colourful smiley flowers, game and rhyme CDs, and blow pens. For teenagers, there are stalls brimming with baubles, footwear, kurtas and bags. (PS: If you are looking to refrain from indulging in goodies made of jute, stay away from the ‘Jute Rocks' section put up by the National Jute Board. PPS: It is a losing battle) What is a fair without sari stalls? From simple cotton saris to designer wear, there's an exciting range on sale. The Maruti Suzukis, Tata Nanos, Fords, Hyundais and Yamahas are bound to make men go weak in the knees. Grandmothers will be in for a treat this year as there are stalls housing vilakkus and figurines of gods. Don't forget to take a glimpse at the Buddha figurine in the stall selling brass artefacts. The idol has the entire story of Buddha's life engraved in it.

Regulars such as the Rajasthani pickle seller and the Karachi onyx artefacts seller are present this year too. The Style Saintz calls out to all the women in love with shiny crockery — made of aluminium alloy and brass with silver plating, the colourful serving bowls and plates are a treat to look at. Of course, there are vegetable peelers, floor mops, dusters, mixers, massage chairs, photo frames, mobile pouches and fitness equipment on sale too. The aroma of bajjis and chaat is bound to haunt you as you make your way to the end of the exhibition. But do not let it take over your senses till you've seen a very special pavilion — whose walls are dotted with photos from The Hindu's archives.

http://shreecoimbatoregujaratisamaj.com/About-us.php

Gujarati Samaj

Shree Coimbatore Gujarati Samaj was established in 1942 by a small group of Gujaratis who had settled here and made Coimbatore their home. In its initial years, the Samaj celebrated festivals like the Gujarati New Year, Navaratri, Sharad Purnima etc. with get-togethers and cultural programmes. It also started a school, which blossomed into the Shree Baldevdas Kikani Vidya Mandir Higher Secondary School and Matriculation School. The Samaj had its own building at Syrian Church Road with a library.

In the year 1970-71 the Samaj celebrated its Silver Jubilee. A Silver Jubilee Fund was created, out of which 78 cents land on Mettupalayam Road was purchased. In the year 1981 the Genderal Body took a decision to construct a building over the new land. By the year 1984, a building of 35,000 sq. ft came up and it was appropriately named 'GUJARATI SAMAJ BHAVAN'. Now the Samaj, as well as its members, could conduct a number of programmes and even hold marriages, receptions, meetings, cultural programmes etc. in the Bhavan building. These facilities are also open for use by the general public.

http://shreecoimbatoregujaratisamaj.com/images/ElevationCross.jpg

1991-92 was the Golden Jubilee year of the Samaj. A year long celebration was organized with programs every month. Participation in the celebration was from all over India. The Gujarati Sahitya Parishad was also hosted then. All in all, it was a sterling presentation of Gujarati Culture, Competition and Co-operation. In its Golden Jubilee year the Samaj also started the Gujarati Mutual Welfare Society to inculcate the habit of saving amongst its members. The society has over thousand recurring deposit accounts and lends funds worth lakhs of rupees to hundreds of its members for their regular needs.

The Samaj also has a Ladies Wing (Mahila Mandal) and a Youth Wing (Yuvak Mandal). There are 30 other Gujarati Associations affiliated to our Samaj.

The Samaj regularly carries out various Cultural and Social activities throughout the year. It also helps poor and needy families by way of educational aid, medical aid, rent relief and essential commodities relief etc.. During natural calamities like floods, famine, earthquake etc., the Samaj is ever helpful to the affected people. ‘KOVAI NAGAR’, a cluster of 43 independent houses built for the earthquake affected families of Bhuj, Kachchh in Gujarat is a shining example of the services rendered by our Samaj. All these expenses are met from the donations and advertisement releases by philanthropists and business houses like your good selves.

The year 2003 was the Diamond Jubilee year of the Samaj. On this occasion, the Samaj expanded its Gujarati Samaj Bhavan by another 25,000 sq. ft. The Samaj now has several Halls, a beautiful Guest House and facilities for organizing Marriages, Receptions, Conferences, Meetings, Seminars, Workshops, Exhibitions etc., under one roof in the heart of the city. It is a boon for Coimbatore to have such multi-utility facilities available under one roof.

Rajastani Sangh

http://rajasthanisangh.org/about_us.html

Rajasthani Sangh, Coimbatore is a non-profit service organization involved in social welfare activities and services to the needy people of any caste, creed & community. It was formed in the year 1972 with six members as a Charitable Trust with an universal motto “SARVE JANA SUKHINO BHAWANTHU” by a handful of people of Rajasthan origin with the main objective of service to the needy. Today, the number of Members have grown nearing 2700 (as on 31-12-08) and more than two lakhs members belonging to our Sangh residing in and around Coimbatore all with the same motive and goal.

http://rajasthanisangh.org/images/about%20us.JPG http://rajasthanisangh.org/images/about%20u.JPG

Rajasthani Sangh is very unique in itself and one of the first organization in India formed by the people of Coimbatore from the Rajasthan origin and from all walks of life.

Rajasthanis are always in the lead to serve the needy and for charities and through this channel we are proving that we are in the lead to serve the Society.

The Sangh adhere to the principles of secular humanism, social justice & sustainable development for our bright future.

Merry Christmas folks!!

Here is a news on planned x-mas celebrations at cbe. Holy cowu, I never knew so much variety existed for folks there now :). Enjoy!! Hope this new year is the beginning for cosmo lifestyle with so much options to choose from

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/Have-yourself-a-merry-little-Christmas/articleshow/11201627.cms

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

COIMBATORE: The All Souls Church in Race Course will have two prayer sessions on the eve of Christmas, one in the afternoon and the other in the evening, apart from the midnight service session.

"Two days prior to Christmas, gifts and food packets are distributed to destitute kids from across the city. A puppet show and a cultural program are arranged for them," said Rev Father Joshua Karamchander of All Souls church. Furthermore, he added that Christmas cakes and book marks will be given to Race Course pedestrians in front of their church.

All top hotels in Coimbatore are geared up for Christmas, providing customers with special buffets and romantic dinners alongside the pool. The Residency has organized several special events in celebration of the festive spirit.

At the Pavillion, the ambience is American, and the events organized include tattooing and face painting. At Bike & Barrel, where they will serve Mexican and Italian food, the atmosphere is French. The disco jockey for this session is DJ Bett.

While Chin Chin has traditional Chinese drinks, the restaurant by the pool will serve Caribbean food with kababs, biryani and complementary wine. The House of Lords bar will play popular Hindi and Tamil songs.

The Park Plaza's coffee shop is decorated with red and white colours. A candle light dinner is set up for the Christmas Eve here and arrangements are made for gifts to be given to kids by Santa Claus.

"As a brand, we are always try to bring something new to the city. This being the first Christmas in the city, we have attempted to target customers of all ages. The celebrations in Le Meridian started in mid December and will continue until the new year," said Sanjay Gupta, General Manager of Le Meridian.

Imported spirits will be available at discounted prices and traditional Christmas dishes like Roast Turkey, Suckling Pig, Plum Pudding, Yule Log and a 4 course Christmas dinner will be available. A poolside romantic dinner for couples is also on the list. The hotel has to its credit, the display of the tallest Christmas tree in the city, which measures 30.4 feet high and 12 feet wide circumference at the bottom.

The resorts located at the Tamil Nadu border have no plans owing to the Mullaperiyar dam row. Card companies are doing good business this season. "We have witnessed a 25% growth this year compared to last year," said B Gopinath, show room manager of Archies gift shop.

^^

Thanks for this thread. I had this idea of Life style thread long back. Not only for CBE, for other cities and in TN forum too.

Along with Hotels, restaurants, even local life style (culture), street scenes, residential areas can also be covered.

There was very nice traditional, 60-80's model house, 80-95's model house residential areas in urban/rural areas. Even that can be covered.

^^ Thanks Arul. Yep we can include street photos too

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/leisure/article2708799.ece

Le Meridien Coimbatore review

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I spent the fifteen minute ride from Coimbatore airport to the new Le Méridien fidgeting in anticipation of what I would find. Having spent almost two months at their Bangalore property many years ago, I was curious to see what had changed since Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. acquired the brand in 2005. Le Méridien in Bangalore was my home for a while, but would this newcomer foster the same feeling of belonging?

As it turned out, the staff at the hotel too is preoccupied with the same thing. They greet you in a friendly way while you notice all the artwork that surrounds you and offer you one of their signature Eye-Openers, a shot glass filled with a concoction of mango juice and chilli or raspberry and pineapple juice with a hint of clove. After the instant buzz, you are given your room key, a card specially designed by the brand's art associates, which you can keep as a souvenir. With so much to absorb within the first five minutes, I was given no time to feel lost or alone.

Arty issues

Le Méridien was founded by Air France in 1972. After having changed hands a few times, it was bought up by Starwood Hotels & Resorts with the aim of reworking the brand and creating a whole new concept of hotel luxury. The Coimbatore property is the 100th Le Méridien worldwide and the first luxury hotel in the South Indian city, all set to change the city's landscape. While the outer façade of the hotel is not particularly impressive, it is an altogether different story inside. The lobby walls are decorated in bright murals depicting scenes from the Tamil Nadu countryside, as each Le Méridien tries to incorporate the local flavour in its design. The Hub, which is the interactive area in the lobby is inviting with its interesting bookcase, playful silver elephant figures, brightly coloured S-shaped couch and coffee bar. The Hub had been designed to appeal to the curious and artistic client, who makes the most of the coffeehouse style atmosphere. But the cynosure of the lobby and indeed the hotel is the beautiful chandelier that drops down from the eighth floor, made in Italy and touted to be the longest chandelier in Asia. The light sparkles and bounces off this piece of art and is itself a conversation starter. The capiz shell chandeliers, bright carpets and the Soundscape music system in the elevators appeal to all your senses. They even have a particular woody scent designed for the hotel which is sprayed in the lobby!

The focus here is on art and its influence on people. Each design element has been chosen keeping in mind the need to inspire the guest. This explains the art gallery present on the ground floor, part of Le Méridien's Unlock Art initiative.

The rooms

The hotel is situated in a largely agricultural area, so the rooms overlook cultivated land and coconut groves and in the early morning, the greenery reveals its beautiful inhabitants. Peacocks saunter out into the sunshine and ruffle their feathers, but sadly not one put on a display while I gaped from my window. I was informed by a housekeeping associate that these majestic birds are found in plenty in Coimbatore and frequent the hotel premises. Once you tear your city-bred eyes away from these creatures, you will notice the funky design of the room. Dark wood everywhere, a large white bed and a comfy leather chair and ottoman are contrasted with bright red stripes on the carpet and a pop red leather writing chair. Le Méridien offers guests a choice of 254 rooms and suites, including Royal Club Rooms, Deluxe suites and the beautifully designed Tamil Nadu Suite. Some of the rooms have quotes from the Thirukural on the walls to continue the connection with the local culture. The Tamil Nadu Suite is opulent and inspired by Chettinadu houses of old. Intricately carved wood covers the cabinets and door frames while a wooden swing with gold-tinted handles drops gently from the ceiling in the living area.

Foodie's paradise

There is food everywhere you look in this hotel. You can start with the complimentary mango chilli kalakand placed in your room (enclosed in a paper cover on which the recipe is printed) and move on to snacks and coffee at the Illy Café in the lobby. For heartier meals, try Peacock which serves authentic Indian cuisine. The restaurant is decked out in gold-hued fabrics and cutlery with a private room furnished in the colours of the peacock. The Dal Bhukara was delicious as was the Paneer Pukhtan kebab. But the dish that outshined them all was the Murgh Awadhi Biryani, which was full of flavour and delicately fragrant rice.

Drinks at the Latitude Bar are the usual, with Cosmos and Mojitos flowing freely. For Italian cuisine, guests can stroll into Favola by the poolside. Rustic décor gives the feel of an Italian home and the menu features classic Italian fare, with the now-popular wood fire oven for authentic pizzas. Ponzu, the Asian restaurant offers cuisines from Mongolia, Japan, China and many more Far Eastern countries. Try their signature sizzling Phuket baked fish or seafood Taro Pot. Asian chandeliers, German wood flooring and bamboo glasses complete the trip to the East. For a truly private experience, book the table on the connecting bridge between the two restaurants. If your stomach is still not satisfied, you can always grab a snack at Latest Recipe, the all-day dining restaurant. The live counters and resplendent gazebo with onyx pillars grab your attention as you walk in. A trip to the plush and private cigar bar will be the perfect end to your busy evening.

With so much to see, eat and experience, Le Méridien Coimbatore seems insistent on getting the guest to open up their senses. Add to it great weather and soft-spoken people and it could be a winning formula.

What: The new Le Méridien hotel

Where: Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

How much: Rs 10,000 onwards per room per night

Expedia and Trip Advisor rates it at 4 stars

Few more images of Le Meridian.

Picture Courtesy: Trip Advisor (http://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotel_Review-g297675-d2136469-Reviews-Le_Meridien_Coimbatore-Coimbatore_Tamil_Nadu.html) and Travelocity (http://travel.travelocity.com/hotel/HotelDetail.do?propertyId=140593&tab=photos&WA1=03010&WA2=tripadvisor.com&WA5=trave_images_|u&WA6=hot&WA8=140593|Coimbatore,TN,IN)

http://m.travelpn.com/images/coimbatore/hotel/1/140593/Exterior_F_1.jpg

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Now they have a branch at R.S.Puram too

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2010/05/01/stories/2010050151500900.htm

That's why Food

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2010/05/01/images/2010050151500901.jpg

Cheer up folks. There is a new address in town. It goes by the name, That's Y On the Go, but, rest assured it is not a mere take away. On Race Course, a cobbled drive way leads you to the restaurant, that is well hidden from the main road. A big plate glass façade reveals clean lines, bright lights and a cheerful and welcoming ambience. It's different. There are informal wooden tables with bench-like seating, as well as pockets of blue where you could sink into sofas and eat. A pleasant sound of clinking glasses and chatter fills the room. We are shown our table next to the ‘family wall' as the owner of the restaurant Ranjana explains. It is covered with family snaps; kids, uncles, aunts, grandparents, parents, friends and so on.

Family ties

Even the menu reflects the family and friends touch. There is a Shivani's Roll, a Preeti's Nachos and an Anoushka Cake. “I couldn't have done it without their support,” explains Ranjana, in between taking orders and greeting the diners.

Those of us who have lived long enough in Coimbatore and know Ranjana's other place, That's Y Food should have no qualms about eating here. “But, please note that this one offers a completely different menu,” she says as we search in vain for our usual fix of Veg platter and mud pie. Indeed, the food is very different. Mostly continental, there is a satisfying choice of pastas, and bruschettas, starters and desserts. Ranjana looks pleased as she tells us how some regulars at That's Y Food landed up on the opening day and expected to be served the same food. They were persuaded to try out the new menu which they did and at the end of it told a very nervous Ranjana, “Though we can't pronounce half the dishes on the menu, we loved the food!”

The menu card matches the tone of the restaurant. It is informal and cheeky and fun to go through. It carries helpful tips on how to pronounce some of the dishes. For example when you read “Lavache” you know it is to be pronounced as Laavaash! Or, how ‘Ratatouille' is supposed to sound when you order it out loud.

There are little asides that urge you to try a particular dish over the other. Some of the dishes have ‘It's gooood' next to them. At one place there is a highly diverting note that says “I find it very strange when people don't ask for specials…you don't know what you are missing out. Please ask for the specials”.

The Smooshies are smoothies spelt differently! We try out the banana walnut and honey one. We also down the exotic Hibiscus drink (very Pondicherry) and ginger nectar. Misshapen whole potatoes called ‘Bashed up potatoes' arrive as starters. Bashed up or not, they are quite delicious with cheese and herbs. A colourful salad, with feta cheese served alongside, is as pleasing to the eye as it is to taste. “The pastas are doing well,” says Ranjana. And indeed, with cheese, and fresh herbs and crisp vegetables, why shouldn't they be?

Taste the world

There are Falafals, Moroccan specialties, Cajun dishes, Sri Lankan Pol Sambol, grilled fish served with Wasabi, and a fragrant saffron chicken (these come served with butter parsley rice), along with a whole bunch of other stuff that one sees and hears of on the Travel and Living Channel! Oh yes, there are waffles too, God Bless them. It is a hundred-cover restaurant and for the moment is open only for dinner. Located at 167 Race Course (near Photo Centre), it is shut on Wednesdays. For reservations and details call 0422 4520116-7.

More Photos (Courtesy: Flickr)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ravis_31/4771733418/

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2009/02/19/stories/2009021950950400.htm

Idly hut

The perky yellow kiosk has suddenly mushroomed at various places around Coimbatore. Idly Hut, it says, and for such a small outlet, it seems to be doing brisk business and is often sold out by the time it is 8 p.m or so — a certain indication o f success.
Like mom’s kitchen

A brainchild of C.A Murali Krishna and his wife Srilatha, who started this fast food venture about a year ago, Idly Hut now boasts of a restaurant too. Located on Rajaji Street, next to Kannan Stores and Sri Krishna Sweets, just off Cross-cut road, the recently opened eatery has already won itself a regular clientele.

“We have some families who frequent us almost three to four times a week,” says the soft-spoken director, Murali Krishna.

Not surprising, as Idly Hut serves the no-nonsense kind of wholesome food quite reasonably priced too. Of course, a purist looking for a true-blue traditional idly experience may look askance at the Noodles Dosa on the menu card, but Srilatha says that is there for a reason. “When families come with their kids and we serve nothing but the idly-dosai menu, they may not want to come back. So, we have dishes, like the aforementioned dosa, paneer , mushroom sevai, French fries and so on,” she explains.

Coming back to idlys, there is a variety — like the ragi idly, kambu idly and of course the Kanchi and Rava idly (a great hit).

“There is much demand for vadaa curry, too, “ says Srilatha. Vadaa curry is medu vadaa interestingly re cycled into a gravy dish. The dosas are nicely crisp and golden. There are more ideas in the pipeline. Murali Krishna says that in time they plan to have a curry counter.
Curry flavours

“We will have old favourites like ennai kathirikkai, moru kolumbu, and avial , and so on. Even bachelors who are living by themselves can just cook themselves rice and come and get a curry of their choice and make a meal of it.” Idly Hut also delivers. While that is a service they have just started, they plan to expand. “There is no minimum amount you have to order for it to be delivered. Whether it is one plate of idlys or 25 plates, we just charge Rs 10 as delivery charges,” he says.

Idly Hut serves a mini meal, constituting a chappathi with a curry, curd rice, two other varieties of rice, a sweet and papad. At Rs 30 it is quite a bargain. It undertakes bulk orders too. For a festive occasion, recently, it dished out 250 kilos of shakkara pongal! “Recently a lady came and picked up 40 idlys”, says Srilatha sounding genuinely surprised. One can imagine what a godsend Idly Hut can be to counter unexpected guests.

While there is a steady trickle of customers right from the mornings when they open at 6.30 a.m (a lot of school kids and walkers who drop in for a cup of coffee after their morning constitution), the place comes really alive in the evenings with the youngsters and the shoppers and children trooping in.

Idly Hut is all vegetarian and is open till 10 p.m.

For further details contact: 6453333/9842277553

P.S Do ask for their Andhra allam chutney. It is delicious.

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/01/12/stories/2008011251330200.htm

Little Italy

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/01/12/images/2008011251330202.jpg
PENNE FOR YOUR THOUGHTS Warm ambience and delicious fare

For all those who were complaining that the closest one got to Italian cuisine in town was the softies on the roadside, here’s good news. After setting foot across the country, Little Italy is here. And, how!

Enchanting place

The quiet restaurant is a welcome contrast to the chaotic milieu of Trichy Road, near which it is situated. Undertones of blue and amber for the walls, straight-line furniture, framed pictures and low-volume music lend an enchanting charm to the place. The picture of a bow-shaped pasta on the coasters and Thomas Carlyle’s quote on the napkins are a cute touch. After taking in the ambience, we order the menu. Browse through, and you know why the menu bagged the Best Menu Card Award in 1999. It feels like a diary, running to several pages. Open it, and you find a sliver of Italy on each page: black-and-white pictures of Venice, Michelangelo’s sculptures, the leaning tower of Pisa, to name a few.

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/01/12/images/2008011251330201.jpg

And, now, the food. First Antipasti, the starters. Choose from 14 of them, from the basic garlic bread to Pale Di Potato, which is marinated crispy potato skins served with garlic mayonnaise sauce. Prices start at Rs. 55. Move on to Zuppe, the soups. Select from six of them, including vegetable, mushroom, tomato, broccoli and asparagus.

The salads

Then come Insalate, the salads. The menu says the salads are served with warm farmer’s bread. Plenty to decide from, including Pomodoro (fresh tomatoes, onion, basil, oregano and virgin olive oil) and Insalata Dello Chef (with mayonnaise, artichokes, olives, capers and olive oil).

Now to the interesting part. Pizzas! As Italian food is quintessentially pizzas and pastas, you can take your pick from 22 wood burn pizzas. Look out for some of the delightful names: Nirvana, Bombay, Margherita, Sicilia and Pavarotti. And, don’t forget, there are over ten toppings. Then to follow are the Primi Piatti (first course) and Secondi Piatti (second course). Go insane trying to select from a mind boggling range of pastas. Finish the Italian fare with a whole range of desserts, coffee, coolers, juices and mocktails. They also serve Mexican specialities. Wheat pasta and Jain food too are provided on request.

Of course, we will not step out before tasting the food ourselves. We start with munchies – Nachos with cheese sauce; then bite into Crostini Vesuvio - farmer’s bread grilled and topped with a coat of tomato sauce and melted cheese; followed by two pizzas – Indian – spicy tomato sauce with a sprinkling of Italian herbs, mozzarella, onion and capsicum; Tre pepperoni – with a generous mix of tomato sauce, mozzarella, red, yellow and green capsicum and Tobasco; All Arrabbiata – tomato sauce, garlic, chilli and parsley; Pasta Del Barone (noble sauce with bechemelle, tomato sauce, red chilli and parmesan cheese). And finish it off with delicious cream pudding with caramel.

Little Italy is behind the NEPC Building, next to Krishna Sweets House. Peppers, an Indian and Chinese restaurant (vegetarian and non-vegetarian) will be opened on the premises shortly. Little Italy is open from noon to 3.30 p.m. and from 6.30 p.m. to 11 p.m. For details, call 0422 – 4529229 / 4516159.

My favorite, Geeta cafe. Cross posting from TN food thread

If you are a vegetarian and if you happen to be in Coimbatore never forget to try this out. Small, humble restaurant but excellent food and service.

It is near CBE junction and has a bit of history too. Kamarajar's favourite restaurant

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g297675-d2059016-Reviews-Geetha_Cafe-Coimbatore_Tamil_Nadu.html

Kannan sir, please change the thread title to "Coimbatore - Hotels, Restaurants, Hospitality, and Lifestyle"

Kannan sir, please change the thread title to "Coimbatore - Hotels, Restaurants, Hospitality, and Lifestyle"

Done Bossu

Sir - appadiyae copy&paste panniteenga including the "" :lol:

[QUOTE=kongutamizhan;86905628]Expedia and Trip Advisor rates it at 4 stars


It is 5 star deluxe, but I think the interior ambience is far more than that....

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VIVANTA BY TAJ SURYA - RACECOURSE

Brooke Fields Entrance

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Max Promotion

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Christmas Idols

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Mirchi Kolaveri Competion

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KFC overflowing


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Marudhamalai

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People are joining some broken stones into groups as 7stones. is this any rituals

No its not a ritual there. Dont know how its started. Since people use to practise some habit na..

Good pics.. The 7 bricks may help the workers to carry it at a time..

I hope that Marudhumalai devt work will complete in our life time.. I am seeing this for more than 10 years.

No its not a ritual there. Dont know how its started. Since people use to practise some habit na..

Yeah, one could see a similar thing in Tirumala (A.P) near the Srivari paadham, people use to pile 7 stones one over the other, their belief is the one who does this will own big buildings in the future and one more is they will tie their visiting cards in a tree nearby :lol: have anybody else see this?

Coimbatore Vizha from January 2:cheers1::cheers1::rock:

As the New Year dawns, Coimbatore is all set to celebrate the fourth edition of Coimbatore Vizha.:righton:

Facilitated by Young Indians, the city will have 78 events organised by 45 organisations in different locations from January 2 to 8 “to celebrate the spirit of Coimbatore.”

According to Rajeev Kamineni, Co-Chair of Young Indians, Coimbatore, Coimbatore Vizha started in 2009 with 30 events presented by 20 organisations. This year, the number of events has more than doubled. The Brookefields Mall will be a main venue though programmes will be held across the city.^^^^

An event will be held at the mall every day in the evening for seven days so that all the visitors to the mall can participate. Close to a lakh people are expected to take part at the events at the mall during the week.:banana::banana:

Nearly 6,000 school and college students will take part in a junior marathon on January 8. A “Run for Coimbatore – Seniors” will be also be held on the same day. Indian racing star Narain Karthikeyan will take part in “Challenge the Fastest Indian” to be held on January 2 at the mall. Dheepender Singh, convenor of Coimbatore Vizha this year, said the event will have music and dance programmes, exhibitions and lectures. Inter-college competitions, talks on Coimbatore's industry growth, and art exhibitions will be held.

An audio CD with a song on Coimbatore (lyrics in English and Tamil) was released here on Monday. :cheer::cheer:For details of the week-long programme, log on to: www.coimbatorevizha.com or dial: 7708313123. The Hindu is the media partner for Coimbatore Vizha.:cheers::banana::banana:

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/article2756831.ece

Taste of Malaysian restaurant in the city

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/11/29/stories/2008112952521000.htm

Just the other day on the Travel and Living Channel, Anthony Bourdain ate his way across Malaysia. Now you can do the same and taste Malaysian cuisine, right here in Coimbatore. Before you get all excited, let me tell you it is pure vegetarian Malays ian food. Alright, stop complaining and give the poor vegetables a chance. You won’t be disappointed. Clean, well lit and with splashes of colour from rows of multicoloured bowls and plates, the Shivanjali café is Spartan but warm and welcoming.

Eat your vegetables

Dr. Uma Devi (yes, she is a doc so you are in good hands) tells how the idea of Malaysian food came about. She is from Malaysia, she knows something about the cuisine and since there was no other place in the city that serves it, she thought it would be a good idea. Malaysian has so much familiar going on with it. It is a fusion of Indian, Chinese and the Malaysian and the Indian palate would enjoy it. We did.


What is lovely is the clean, unfussy taste of the vegetables that have not been cooked beyond recognition.

Take the starter. Called Rojak, it is a platter of fruits and vegetables served with a divine peanut sauce (watch out for the recipe, we will be telling you how to make it one of these days).
A healthy start

Every one who has read Fit for Life should know that eating fruits and vegetables at the start of one’s meal is the thing to do.

And, with the spicy peanut sauce (we ordered two refills) the vegetables were polished off before we could say, Kuala Lumpur!

The next course is called Nasi Lemak. It is rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves (screwpine leaves), and served with vegetables. The ingredients that go into Malaysian cuisine are similar to Thai fare with galangal, lemon grass, etc. And, Uma is now growing them right here. So, everything is garden fresh. We then try Curry Laksa that is vegetables, noodles and coconut curry that is eaten with steamed rice. Hot, tasty and filling, it is a complete meal. The rates are more than reasonable.

An added dimension is that the restaurant contributes towards empowering women. Most of those employed here have had difficult lives and the work here has been a source of great strength to them. It is always nice to be a part of any humanitarian movement, and when you eat here, you are helping a good cause.

Talking of things good - the desserts. The one we tried was called Bubur Chacha, a concoction of sago, palm sugar, coconut milk and, here is the interesting bit, cubes of sweet potato. We have it cold and refreshing, though you could also have it piping hot.

The café also parcels your food and caters for private parties. Closed on Mondays, it is located at No 3 New Thillai Nagar, PN Pudur. For details call 0422-2438255/9894750777.

PANKAJA SRINIVASAN
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Talking about Malaysian here is another related article on a Malaysian dish at Residency. Someone try it out and let the public know how it is :)

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/11/29/stories/2008112952551100.htm

Cottage Cheese Malaysian

Chin Chin, Hotel The Residency

Phone: 0422-2241414

It is the most popular dish with the younger guests at The Residency’s Chinese restaurant. A starter, (though kids love to make a complete meal of it), it is made with the always popular paneer with a crunch of peanuts and a irresistible sweet and spicy taste, brought about the use of tomato ketchup in its recipe (another favourite with kids).

Price: Rs 140 (plus taxes)

http://www.goethe.de/ins/in/coi/uun/enindex.htm

Indo-German cultural association

The Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a global reach.

We promote knowledge of the German language abroad and foster international cultural cooperation. We convey a comprehensive picture of Germany by providing information on Germany's cultural, social and political life.

Through our network of Goethe-Institutes, Goethe Centres, cultural societies and reading rooms, alongside our examination and language learning centres, we perform the principal tasks of cultural and educational policy abroad. We work in partnership with public and private cultural bodies, the German federal states and municipalities, and the corporate sector.

We draw on the rich variety of our many-faceted open society and Germany's lively culture. We combine the experiences and conceptions of our partners in Germany and abroad with our professional skills and engage in a dialogue rooted in partnership. In doing so, we function as service providers and partners for everyone taking an active interest in Germany and the German language and culture, and act independently with no political affiliations.

We face the cultural policy challenges of globalisation and develop innovative concepts for a world made more human through mutual understanding, where cultural diversity is seen as an asset.

The Goethe–Zentrum Coimbatore (started in September 2007) offers language courses, organizes cultural events and has a German Resource Centre. The Goethe-Zentrum functions as a unit of Coimbatore Indo-German Cultural Association founded by the G D Naidu Charities, Coimbatore. The mission of the association is to bring about a cultural understanding between the people of the two countries through a host of programmes in the fields of music, literature, theatre and other art forms, in addition to the language. Our activities range from screenings, theatre performances, concerts, workshops on many innovative topics that would bring about a cultural awareness. Since we keep abreast of cultural and artistic trends in Germany, we are able to provide the latest information about Germany.

Goethe-Zentrum Coimbatore
Coimbatore Indo-German Cultural Association
President Hall, 734, Avinashi Road
Coimbatore 641018
Phone: +91 422 2213440
german@cigca.org
www.goethe.de/coimbatore

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/City-celebrates-arrival-of-New-Year/articleshow/11330846.cms

City celebrates arrival of New Year

COIMBATORE: The city welcomed the arrival of another new year with much enthusiasm and fervour. Despite threats from fringe elements of disrupting the celebrations, people thronged Avinashi Road, VOC Park, Race Course and various hotels in large numbers to celebrate the birth of another year.

People started leaving their homes at around 10.30 pm on Saturday. Revelers sung songs and burst crackers in anticipation of a new beginning. As youth were getting ready to party, elders preferred to visit places of worship. Special masses were conducted in all the major churches while early morning prayers were offered at temples in different parts of the city. People were seen visiting temples throughout the day. Special events were held at Brookfields Mall and hotels like Residency, Le Meridien, Metro and CRG Pride.

From temples and churches to clubs and get-togethers in public places and residences, the eve of the New Year was celebrated in full gusto. Bishop Thomas Acquinas led the prayer service at the St Michael Church near Town Hall. The service started at 8pm on Saturday and continued to 1am in the morning. The St Antony's church of Puliyakulam held special prayers at night, welcoming the New Year. Services were also held at various other churches of the city.

Special prayers were arranged at temples too. The Eeshwamari Vinayakarkoyil temple started morning prayers on Sunday morning. Ganesha was decorated in gold and an Abhishekham was done. Various temples at Perur, Race Course, Peelamedu, Vadavali and others conducted special prayers.

Youngsters were seen racing on bikes, bursting crackers and wishing each other for the New Year. From Brookefields to RS Puram, youth thronged public places. There was much celebration even in the bus stands. By 2 am the crowds started to disperse.

Apart from celebrations, other programmes were also conducted in the city. The NSS unit of Coimbatore Institute of Technology, as part of their camp conducted various programmes on Sunday. Trees were planted at some of the city temples at Pachapaalayam, Poorandapalayam and others. Later, a free medical check and an AIDS awareness programme was also conducted.

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article2768918.ece

Timeless treasures

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Coimbatore Vizha's ‘Incredible Coimbatoreans' and ‘Timeless Facades' throw the spotlight on the special people and places of the city. Subha J Rao reports

Want to know more about the pioneers who made Coimbatore a name to reckon with? Or, take a look at artistic impressions of old-world homes and buildings on Vysial Street and Ram Nagar?

Head to the atrium at Brookefields, the venue of ‘Timeless Facades' and ‘Incredible Coimbatoreans', an exhibition organised by The Vanavarayar Foundation as part of Coimbatore Vizha (till January 8). The exhibition is on till January 4.
Making a difference

Check out ‘Incredible Coimbatoreans' — the portraits of the men who changed Coimbatore's destiny.

The information sheets accompanying the black-and-white portraits contain details about them— date of birth, parents, educational qualification, profession, date of death and the legacy they left behind.

P.S. Govindasamy Naidu, a small-time farmer sold tobacco and was a dealer of bulls from Mysore, but he dared to dream big. He went on to start the Sarvajana School. He's famous for his lasting legacy — the PSG and Sons' Charities Trust that renders yeomen service in the field of education and health.

Then there's G.D. Naidu, who never went to school, but was intrigued by science. He learnt English and Tamil on his own and went on to set up UMS. His innovations continue to live in the museum that bears his name.

The list of people featured in this section also includes Sir Robert Stanes, India's first finance minister R.K. Shanmugham Chettiar, film pioneer Saamikannu Vincent, educationist T.S. Avinashilingam Chettiar, eye doctor C. Nanjappa and industrialist G.K. Sundaram.

Heroes of Kovai

You also learn of freedom fighter and khadi lover Kovai Angamuthu, the multi-faceted S.P. Narasimalu Naidu, V.C. Vellingiri Gounder, who planted tamarind trees (now felled) on Mettupalayam Road, educationist G.R. Damodaran, MMA Chinappa Devar who made 49 films (20 in Hindi) in 22 years, R. Venkadasamy Naidu, who took Kongu culture to the world, and jeweller P.A. Raju Chettiar who put the city on the jewellery map.

‘Timeless Facades' takes you on a walk down memory lane. There are paintings of the traditional houses on Vysial Street (Viswa Bhavanam) and Sukrawarpet, the magnificent Gass Forest Museum, Coimbatore's iconic Victoria Town Hall and the Clock Tower, the bustling Athar Jamath Mosque, Variety Hall Road and Chintamani in North Coimbatore, where time seems to stand still.

Seeing the Chintamani name board, memories rush in — of monthly trips with the grandparents, of good ol' non-buttered salty popcorn, and of eating cone ice sitting on chipped benches.

The heritage building housing the Tamilnad Mercantile Bank on Big Bazaar Street, the peaceful All Souls Church in Race Course, all find a place. These are buildings that continue to stand tall, as a reminder of what the city once was like.

PS: Many people walked into the exhibition space, eager to learn more about the city they live in. They left disappointed, for the description sheets were all in Tamil, and not all of them could read the language.

PPS: The organisers promise to set this right today.

The Hindu is the media partner for the event

ARTIST-SPEAK

Chennai-based R. Solomon has rendered most of the 66 paintings on display (35 personalities; 31 buildings). Coimbatore-based J. Panneerselvam did some portraits. It was a project three years in the making.

For the personalities, drawn using pencil on imported board, Solomon relied on photographs. For the buildings, he photographed them first from three angles (straight, 1/3rd and low angle), some in morning and evening light, others in the afternoon. That attention to detail shows. Some of the paintings are bathed in mellow light, while others shine under the brilliant sun. Solomon says he used line sketching, but made some allowances that allowed the aesthetics to shine through. Some of the buildings are painted in water colour, giving them a lovely old-world feel.

CSI All souls Church

Picture Courtesy - The Hindu

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Ram Nagar, olden days painting

Picture Courtesy - The Hindu

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http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/article2769204.ece

Narain Karthikeyan lives up to the ‘Challenge'

India's Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan was on an unfamiliar terrain. But, he handled the situation in his own masterly style to earn the applause of the crowd at the Brookefields Mall here on Monday.

The Young Indians (YI) had invited people of Coimbatore to ‘Challenge the Fastest Indian in the World' as part of the Coimbatore Vizha celebration for which The Hindu is the media partner. And, the crowd poured in large numbers not just for the Challenge but to get a rare glimpse of the man who put India on the racing map.

As the sun slowly started to settle down, the Coimbatore-born racer walked in to the mall amid huge cheer. And, he responded with his usual cherubic smile.

After taking a quick look at the sketches of Coimbatore (Timeless Facades) on display, Narain took some time to settle down for the Challenge.

The reason? He had not played the F-1 game on a Sony Play Station 3.

“To be frank, I have never played this game before,” said Narain.

But the man of many races, having handled highly technical machines for over a decade or more, did not waste time in learning the game's ‘racing lines.' After a couple of runs, he set the fastest lap timing of 2:11.17s. And, from there the Challenge was thrown open to the public.

In walked young Aravind. The way he handled the machine it looked like he would beat the clock. But he failed in his attempt.

“I may have lost out on time but I am happy to have challenged the fastest Indian in the world,” said Aravind.

Shyam Prasad, another competitor, tried his luck but fell miles behind. He was happy as well having stood next to Narain.

Even as the others kept pushing hard, Narain obliged autograph hunters and also patiently posed for photos. He wished them all a Happy New Year.

“Coimbatore is my hometown. I am happy and proud to be from this place,” said Narain. And, the crowd roared in delight.

He thanked YI for the good job and urged people to follow the safety rules.

“The Coimbatore roads are pretty challenging than the race track. It is getting crowded. So kindly wear your helmets and seat belts.”

Before leaving, Narain said the city needs to have such events to celebrate the spirit of Coimbatore.

^^
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Nice write up about movers and shakers of the city during last year with their profiles

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article2768781.ece

Movers and Shakers of Coimbatore in 2011

They made news this year. Won awards, wrought changes, made a difference. They kept faith, did not give up and followed their heart. Coimbatore is home to some pretty amazing people. They go about their missions quietly, but with zeal, determination and commitment. They care about the infirm, they worry about the planet, they are writers and artists, they inspire their students, they work with the underprivileged, and they care deeply about children. They bring quality and integrity to whatever they do. Following are a few good people MetroPlus met

Eco warrior: M. Yoganathan

Bus conductor, environmentalist, and social activist M. Yoganathan won CNN-IBN’s ‘Real Heroes Award’ this year. The award came in recognition of his work towards increasing the green cover in Tamil Nadu. He has planted over 1,20,000 trees in the State and 80,000 of them are in good condition. Yoganathan has inspired school children to plant trees through his “Uyir vaazha oru maram” scheme. With a collection of hundreds of slides of flora and fauna, he regularly conducts slide-shows in schools and colleges.

Winning notes: D. Sathyaprakash

D. Sathyaprakash might have lost out on Vijay TV’s “Super Singer 3” title, but the lad’s on a musical high. He’s already recorded four film songs — the remix of Po Nee Po (“3”), composed by Anirudh ‘Kolaveri’ Ravichander; two songs under the baton of G.V. Prakash Kumar, including one for veteran director Bharathirajaa’s “Annakodiyum Kodiveeranum”; and a number for “Mayanginen Thayanginen”, composed by Kannan. The talented Sathya lost out in the contest due to fewer public votes. But the judges gave him top billing for his performances. “That is what keeps me going. I’m happy for that recognition,” says the engineer-singer.

Art therapy: Aarthi Shankar

Aarthi Shankar, a young Bharatnatyam dancer from Coimbatore, teaches the art form to special children at Vidya Vikasini Opportunity School.

Aarthi, who had worked with people at Down’s Syndrome Association of Tamil Nadu, teaches Bharatanatyam to children suffering from Down’s syndrome and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and other disabilities.

Behind the lens: Gaurav Ramnarayanan

On October 19, thirteen year old Gaurav Ramnarayanan had the honour of seeing his photograph, ‘The Warning’ displayed at the Natural History Museum, London. The photograph that was captured at the Keoladeo Ghana National Park (Rajasthan) was chosen amongst a whopping 41,000 entries for the Veolia Envirronnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award. Gaurav was placed in the highly commended category in the age group of 11-13 years.

Empowering villagers: Meera Krishna

Meera Krishna played a significant role in the lives of the people of Thennamanallur. She set up a Chinmaya Organisation for Rural Development (CORD) office in the village. Through CORD, Dr. Meera formed magalir mandrams, self-help groups and farmers’ clubs. Apart from medical care, they were provided new ways to earn their livelihood — women made pain balms, sanitary napkins, paper bags, paper packets and wire baskets and sold them in a shop in the village. A team of dentists from Melbourne, London and Coimbatore conducted a free seven-day dental camp. Advocates, farmers and environmentalists addressed members of self-help groups and farmers’ clubs. Thennamanallur was abuzz with activity all through the year.

Green champion : P. Vincent

P. Vincent bats for the humble vetiver, the aromatic herb used by more than a 100 countries to prevent soil erosion. It’s not as popular in India, but he wants to change that. Vincent, who raises the plants in netpots that are easy to transport, has sent over a thousand vetiver ‘mother plants’ to Assam where they help prevent erosion on the banks of Brahmaputra’s tributaries. He trains people to raise kitchen gardens on rooftops. He also seeks to augment the income of tribals using sustainable agricultural practices on his 20-acre farm. He blogs at http://maravalam.blogspot.com

Making a Difference

Make a Difference, a national level youth volunteer network that works with under privileged children opened their Coimbatore chapter in September. With 49 volunteers teaching 94 children in three different shelters here, this group of youngsters from various colleges in the city take out two hours every week to educate these kids. To raise funds, M.A.D organised a baking workshop right before Christmas called ‘Santa’s Kitchen’ at the Vivanta by Taj Surya that was very well received.

In tune with Nature: Chelladurai

Chelladurai aka Osai Chella, web media strategist, is on a mission to reduce his carbon footprint. In his two-acre farm in Varakampadi, Kerala, he has returned to the roots. He does not use anything chemical. He keeps track of his energy consumption. He harvests solar power. He raises vegetables and herbs, and allows weeds to flourish. Chella also organises low-impact photo treks and hosts those interested in an alternative lifestyle. He blogs his chronicles at http://lifefarmstay.blogspot.com

Food for thought: Ranjana Singhal

She introduced Coimbatore to a melting pot of cuisines, with That’s Y Food and On The Go. This year, Ranjana Singhal was part of the Women Entrepreneur Development Program initiated by Goldman Sachs and the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad.

This programme seeks to empower 10,000 women entrepreneurs the world over. It compresses a full MBA programme into a three-month module, a combination of classroom sessions and mentoring to develop a business plan. Ranjana’s plan was about making a foray into newer markets. Her project was adjudged the best business plan.

All about children: Archana Dange

No compromise on quality, when it comes to children – says Archana Dange. Through her resource centre Anand Deep enterprises, she and her team work hard at bringing cheer to kids. They take story tellers to schools, set up libraries and conduct drama and other creative workshops for them. They also hold regular workshops for teachers. Let education become happy, exciting, creative and meaningful, is Archana’s motto. Archana is on another all-consuming mission – to put an end to child sexual abuse (CSA). She is going all out to make a noise about CSA and spread awareness about it amongst parents, teachers, children and the common public. She works with Tulir an organisation that works with CSA at a national level.

Prize-winning shot: R. Prakash

R. Prakash, a wildlife photographer from the city, captured a male leopard and a melanistic (black) female leopard on his Canon D 40. This rare photograph created a buzz amongst wildlife enthusiasts and won him the third prize from 16,000 entries for the RBS Wildlife Award (instituted by Sanctuary Magazine). Prakash finds Indian wildlife thrilling and leopards are his favourite animals because “they are elusive, nocturnal and harmless”. He adds that while tigers dominate the forests, leopards generally live on the fringes.

A class apart: R. Selvi

Biology teacher R. Selvi does not stop with teaching in the classroom. She introduces her students to the world of Nature through a number of outdoor activities. Her students have the names of Coimbatore’s winged visitors at their finger-tips, thanks to her.

As part of a project with SACON, her students have come up with 50 Tamil names for butterflies. She regularly takes them on bird-watching expeditions, organises plastic awareness campaigns, encourages children to plant saplings and assists them in several real time science projects.

Online library: N. Hariraj

I. T. professional N. Hariraj established ‘Long Long Ago’, Coimbatore’s first ever online library for kids this year. Hariraj designed a website, http://www.longlongago.in/ through which children can order books which will be delivered and picked-up from home. The library has an extensive collection of children’s books in languages such as Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Punjabi, Bengali, Gujarathi, Marathi, Urdu, Spanish, Dutch and German, apart from English. With over 4,000 titles, Long Long Ago also does library consultation for schools in the city.

Chronicling cinema: V. Jeevananthan

Artist V. Jeevananthan’s book ‘Thiraiseelai’ won special mention in the Best Book Category of the 58th National Film Awards in May 2011. His work is a compilation of articles on cinema written by him in the Tamil monthly Rasanai. Some of the greats of the film industry and their works grace the pages of Thiraiseelai. Written in a conversational style, the book is an attempt by Jeevananthan to introduce good cinema to the common man.

Another nice round-ups of events from last year

The year that was

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article2768681.ece

It all happened in Coimbatore. The city was abuzz and suddenly there were so many things to do. We often found ourselves spoilt for choice – “Should we attend this concert, or should we take in that art show? A movie at the multiplex? Or a street food festival? Stand alone restaurants, crafts exhibitions, boutiques, a shopping mall, music, dance, movies, puppet shows, contests, seminars…the calendar was full. There were award-winning plays and movies, fusion concerts and classical fare by national and international performers and haute couture and designer jewellery.

In the midst of all the fun and excitement, there were also quiet but determined movements by the people that made life more meaningful for the young and old. Schools went off the beaten track and exposed children to things other than the three ‘R's, such as film screenings, plays, theatre workshops, story-telling sessions and heritage walks. Some of the city's students won accolades in photography, sports, quiz contests and music competitions.

College students, especially, showed tremendous social responsibility and creativity as they organised awareness campaigns about serious issues, made hard hitting films, worked at uplifting lives of those less privileged than them, and, of course, had fun too in the process. Farmers, environmentalists, doctors, social workers and just simple folk like you and me took it upon themselves to make a difference. Better road safety, a friendlier environment, more birds, cleaner public spaces and, most importantly, a safer life for the children became the focus of a lot of activity and work.

The MetroPlus Coimbatore team was fortunate as it had front row seats in many of these endeavours. MetroPlus had the honour of meeting these entertainers, educationists, social workers, environmentalists and just committed folk and writing about them.

Here are just a few of the highlights of the year gone by. A year Coimbatore and its people can be really proud of.

Child Sexual Abuse

An association of NGOs and individuals calling itself the Coimbatore Collective put up huge hoardings at prominent locations warning people about Child Sexual Abuse (CSA). Coimbatore Collective aims to spread awareness amongst people about CSA and urge them to be more pro-active in preventing it. A team of clinical psychologists, paediatricians, social workers and counsellors are available to advise, support and guide teachers, children and parents who need information or help against abuse.

ART

Contemplate Art Gallery organised art awareness programmes for school children. Works of famous artists art were displayed for students to see. Contemplate also regularly screened films/documentaries about art and artists and told children all about taking up art as a profession.

Transgenders

April 15 was declared Transgender's Day by the State government. Transgenders, young and old, gathered together to celebrate the occasion. Some of them shared their success stories with the others and motivated them to better things. In another initiative, transgenders Shilpa and Karthik Priya who are trained in videography and editing under Tamil Nadu AIDS Initiative's empowerment programmes, filmed a short movie made by students of Sri Krishna College of Arts and Science. It was about the stigma HIV-positive people faced in society.

Childrens' Science Circle

A group of students of Kadri Mills Higher Secondary School, led by 12-year-old S.A. Soumya formed a Children's Science Circle that conducted a survey at Irugur, about how much of plastic households and shops there used day to day. They organised plastic reduction campaigns and processions and raised slogans against the cutting of trees. The Circle also organised a Science exhibition for the children of Irugur where they planted saplings in the area. Some members of the Circle won accolades for their school projects at the National Children's Science Congress.

Farmers's Club

Pasumai Farmer's Club, formed by 25 farmers of Perumpathy village under the Farmers' Club Programme of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development won the State-level Farmers' Club Award for 2009-2010. Pasumai combined technology with traditional farming methods and enjoyed rich yields. The members interacted with farmers from other states, held meetings and group discussions, shared their experiences and showed what team work could do.

Tree Authority

Environmentalists from groups such as Oli Awareness Movement, Save Coimbatore Wetlands and RAAC among others came together to form the ‘Tree Authority'. Aimed at putting an end to the indiscriminate felling of trees in the city, the Tree Authority had the following as its main objectives:

To preserve, increase and improve the green cover of Coimbatore.

To safeguard and protect the existing tree cover

To prevent indiscriminate and illegal felling of trees

Book donation campaign

Bookseller A. Mohammed Musthafa decided to collect books for Corporation School libraries. The book donation campaign generated over 1500 books. Of these books, 150 were donated to two NGOs – the Centre for Social Education and Development, Avanashi and the Make a Wish Foundation. The rest of the 1200 books will find a place in the library of the Corporation Higher Secondary School, Peelamedu.

Theatre

The drama bug bit Coimbatoreans, and the city buzzed with theatre related activities. Young groups such as evam and Stray Factory held workshops and staged plays with a predominantly local cast and crew. Productions such as Stray Factory's “Hitchcock” and “Kovai Shots”, evam's “The British-Indian Mash Up” and Coimbatore Book Club Theatre Group's “A medley of short English plays”, and Coimbatore Art and Theatrical Society's evening dedicated to R.K. Narayan were well received by the city folk. Students of Sri Krishna College of Arts and Science performed street plays on socially relevant issues such as HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, child labour, blood donation, road safety and transgender rights. The second edition of The Hindu MetroPlus Theatre Fest, held in August this year, saw seasoned actors such as Lilette Dubey, Vinay Pathak, PC Ramakrishna and Indrani Krishnaiyer perform for theatre fans. The plays staged this year included the award-winning “The Interview”, The Madras Players' “Doubt”, “The Blue Mug” and Girish Karnad's “Wedding Album”.

Short filmmaking

There was an upsurge of young people making short films in the city. Arun Karthick, a student of Karunya University whose first independent film “The Backwaters” made the international film circuit, shot his second film “Transcendence” that was screened at the famed L.V. Prasad Film and TV Academy in Chennai. Ganesh Kumar Mohan, Venkat Sundar and KB Prabu of Greenhorns Films, a production house based out of Coimbatore, screened their short film “Oorukku Naalu Peru” at Corporation Kalaiarangam and in a few other cities to a houseful audience.

Breast Cancer awareness

To help women in the early detection of breast cancer, Dr. P. Guhan, Director of Sri Ramakrishna Institute of Oncology and Research in association with Reddy Laboratories came out with a C.D. called “Awareness for life”. This nine minute C.D. available in four different languages— Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and English— was distributed at the Ramakrishna Kalyana Mandapam on October 15 and 16 in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The C.D. with step by step instructions on Breast Self Examination is now available free of cost at The Sri Ramakrishna Hospital.

Green drive

Friends V. Deepan and R. Muthukumar , on a two-year all-India expedition to document organic farming, set out from Coimbatore on a bike. They gave up cushy jobs to visit organic farmers in 28 States, covering nearly 40,000 km and documenting their odyssey. The two friends plan to bring out a reference manual to link all organic farmers.

Movies

Coimbatore got its first multiplex, SPI Cinemas' thecinema@Brookefields, with six screens in all. Convenient ticket counters, plush seating, and tasty snacks made it quite a hit. Added attractions were red carpet events with a sprinkling of stars, and paid premieres a day before the official release.

Tinseltown also came calling. Promoting a film in tier-2 cities became the mantra. So, actors, directors, producers, and technicians visited film halls and interacted with the public. It helped them get a pulse of the audience. It also allowed the adoring audience a chance to get up close and personal with their matinee idols.

The city also played host to the audio launch of the much-hyped “Nanban”, directed by Shankar. The lead actors — Vijay, Jiiva and Srikanth — were present, as were actors Prabhu, Sathyraj and director S. A. Chandrasekhar. This was followed by Harris On The Edge, music director Harris Jayaraj's live show that boasted top singers and hi-tech production values

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/00881/CM30_LE_MERIDIEN_881755a.jpg

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/00781/_CM15_LE_MERIDIEN_781698a.jpg

Park Plaza - Chinniampalayam

http://www.tnetnoc.com/hotelimages/381/778381/2631759-Park-Plaza-Coimbatore-Hotel-Exterior-4.jpg

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/00781/_CM15PARK_PLAZA_781697a.jpg

Aloft

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/00781/15CMCOIMBATORE_ALOF_781695f.jpg

http://spectrahospitality.com/Spectra-key-Projects-List.pdf

Hallmarc Hotel, Coimbatore
Spectra has helped in the feasibility for a 120 room mid market hotel located in Coimbatore. Spectra has assisted the project from concept, operator search, with expression of interest from an international hotel brand to technical assistance.

Spectra is currently undertaking procurement of FF&E from identification of suppliers to negotiating for best prices and delivery timelines for Hallmarc and also assisting the development with its interiors.

http://spectrahospitality.com/pic/keyprojects_clip_image002.jpg

Velan Food Park, Ram Nagar

http://www.velanhotels.com/foodpark1.htm#2

If you are ever on trichy road around shanthi gears(after singanallur stop), then hop in into this mess meant for workers for shanthi gears employees, but open for public. The prices are highly subsidized and is a social service by the good samaritan owner.
For its size and intention, its far far cleaner and organized than many of its counterparts and food is quite good, esp its coffee!

LE MERIDIAN BECAME ONE OF THE PRIDE OF COIMBATORE^^^^
http://epaper.dinamalar.com/PUBLICATIONS/DM/COIMBATORE/2012/01/05/Article//101/05_01_2012_101_003.jpg

http://epaper.dinamalar.com/Publications/DM/Coimbatore/2012/01/05/article/103/05_01_2012_103_007.jpg

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article2783162.ece

Native dishes took centrestage at ‘Tastebuds of Kovai'

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/00886/09CMTASTE_BUDS_OF_K_886930f.jpg
Going Native: AT Taste Buds of Kovai. Photo: K. Ananthan

“Vaanga virundhu saapadlaam,” invited two shy college students. And, what a feast the kids laid out — raagi kali, arisi-paruppu saadham, kollu rasam, uzhundhu kali, kambankoozh, milagaai vathal, thinai urundai, vethalavalli kizhangu biryani, puttu made of thinai, kambu and ravai… All this at ‘Tastebuds of Kovai', a cooking contest for college students organised at Info Institute of Engineering, as part of Coimbatore Vizha.

How often have you seen students of engineering cook their hearts out, that too in an attempt to showcase regional cuisine? And, how proud they sounded when they explained why they had used a particular ingredient.

There were some ‘boy' teams too — they had made biryani, kali and more. They started cooking at 6.30 a.m. to get their food ready on time!

There was uzhundhu kali, made of urad dal and rice; ragi vadai; kambankoozh; raagi kozhakattai (sweetened with jaggery and dusted with cardamom powder — “Maam, it aids digestion” said the boys); kadanja kaatukeerai; groundnut chutney; kadavaai paniyaram (the paniyaaram with a hole in it); raagi sevai; chola dosai and thevayal upma (made using rice flour).

“It's pink in colour, Maam, and used to be a staple in Kongu cuisine,” said Vikram and Sathish, who made a biryani using vethalavalli kizhangu.

Some of the contestants had laid out a royal spread — featuring both traditional ilai saapadu and tiffin items. There was even a vibrant green rava palak idli; a soft paneer coconut paniyaaram; javvarisi upma; chicken biryani; and delicate, milky white paal paniyaaram. Among the other interesting, non-native items were Boost chocolates, apple halwa and chicu bread (a combination of bread and chicken.

At the end of the day, the winners were Roja Roshini and Mani Megalai (Kovai full meals). The second prize was bagged by B. Gowtham and L. Pradeep Beshi (Kongunadu chicken biryani), while the third went to P.N. Karthiga and Kalaipriya (Kongunadu veg biryani). They were judged by chefs Dharma and Praveen Kumar of Alapenos restaurant.

Just one thing. Can anyone tell me what vethalavalli kizhangu is?

Covai on canvas

‘Art Talk' held at the same venue, had interesting interpretations of the city. Some of the students had allowed their imagination to run riot, while the others chose to focus on Coimbatore's heritage — its temples, industries, educational institutions, etc.

The first place was bagged by S. Sathya Narayanan, who had made a wonderful pencil sketch of Coimbatore —mention must be made of the lovely cotton pods he drew. The second place went to V. Karthick. His represented Coimbatore as a rose in the galaxy.

J.Antani Jabaraj came third for his abstract creation. Special mention must be made of P. Sathya's work — it was contemporary and, in a way, reflected current-day Coimbatore's angst. The image of a hand with clawed fingers represented the public as it spoke out against power cuts, politics, pollution, accidents and water scarcity! The entries were judged by Varsha Salome of the Contemplate Art Gallery.

An elocution contest, ‘Kovai Kural' was also held as part of the Fest.

The occasion also saw the release of ‘Muthal Kadhal', an album about unrequited love. A melodious number, it was rendered by Vignesh Venkat and set to tune by Akshay Sharma. (Check it out on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0vNXtEn64Y)

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/Food/article2796045.ece

Dal, Chawal and everything rice

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/00891/13CMDILLIWALA_891325f.jpg

Twenty-five years on, Ramnagar's Delhiwala Sweet Home continues to wow Coimbatoreans with authentic North Indian food

A new hole-in-the-wall eatery serving North Indian food opened in town. On day one, young businessman Shashikant Arya tried the kadhi-roti there, and was hooked! Twenty-five years later, the dish remains his favourite. Pradeep Kumar Agarwal's experience was something similar. His first meal? Missi Roti and dal fry.

Both Shashikant and Pradeep swear by the restaurant's taste (“just like home food”) and friendly service. Then, there are the South Indians who had their first taste of naan, dal and khichdi here.

Coimbatore was not Delhiwala's original destination. Father S.N. Pasari and sons Ajay and Virendar, from Kanpur, set out to start a restaurant in Bangalore. A brief stopover in Coimbatore and a relative's suggestion had them change their plan.

Delhiwala Sweet Home opened its doors on January 14, 1987, with a promise to serve authentic North Indian food.

The kitchen was set in a 6ftx6 ft space, and food was cooked on a double-burner stove. A wooden divan held the chaat counter. Six tables were laid out for diners.

Cooks from Lucknow, Delhi and Kanpur introduced Coimbatoreans to the flavours of the North.

Today, there are 12 tables, but some things never change at the restaurant. The taste of their dal fry, paneer butter masala and stuffed green chillies, for instance. There are other perennial favourites — bhindi fry, masala papad, kachori, samosa, khichdi, parathas, lassi, jaljeera, basundi, rasmalai, rasgulla….

On January 14, as a gesture of thanksgiving, all diners will be served a matar kachodi and chene ka kheer or gajar halwa on the house, says Ajay Pasari, who runs the eatery with his wife, Archana.

He also plans to hold a pan-Indian food festival, serving a combination thali featuring dishes from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai, Kolkata and Lucknow.

Ajay, usually found sitting outside the kitchen monitoring the cooking, says it is gratifying when people who've eaten at Delhiwala as kids return years later, asking for their favourite dish.

(Delhiwala is open for breakfast from 8.30 a.m. Lunch is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and dinner from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. For details, call 0422-2234668.)

How I forgot Delhiwala.

Cross Cut Road Gujarat Ambuja Bhojanalaya & Ramnagar Delhiwala saved me during my Coimbatore stint.

The only problem I faced was their strict timing. Sila Naal Late a vandha kaduppadippanga.

My favourite is Gowri Shanker and Annapurna.

My favourite is Gowri Shanker and Annapurna.

With so much options nowadays they are fast becoming one of my least-favorites. With exception of their cross-cut road Gowri-shankar and RS Puram Annapurna I think their quality has gone down a lot at other locations (including people's park)

கொங்குத்தமிழன் என் போன்ற அசைவ பிரியர்களை குஷிப்படுத்தாததால், மிகவும் அதிருப்தியுடன் உள்ளேன். :(

If you are ever on trichy road around shanthi gears(after singanallur stop), then hop in into this mess meant for workers for shanthi gears employees, but open for public. The prices are highly subsidized and is a social service by the good samaritan owner.
For its size and intention, its far far cleaner and organized than many of its counterparts and food is quite good, esp its coffee!

+1..

And also their discounted pharmacy... to be appreciated for paying back something to the society...

கொங்குத்தமிழன் என் போன்ற அசைவ பிரியர்களை குஷிப்படுத்தாததால், மிகவும் அதிருப்தியுடன் உள்ளேன். :(

Kokarako in RS Puram... they now a bigger renovated restaurant... enjoyed Kokarako Spl Grilled Chicken!!!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Coimbatore-Food-Guide/147403131957020

With so much options nowadays they are fast becoming one of my least-favorites. With exception of their cross-cut road Gowri-shankar and RS Puram Annapurna I think their quality has gone down a lot at other locations (including people's park)
Last trip I went to People's park Annapurna for a long time I didnt go to RS Puram Annapurana.

கொங்குத்தமிழன் என் போன்ற அசைவ பிரியர்களை குஷிப்படுத்தாததால், மிகவும் அதிருப்தியுடன் உள்ளேன். :(

Angannan, Anjali, Sampoorna & Rayappas - you can try this in Cbe..

Angannan, Anjali, Sampoorna & Rayappas - you can try this in Cbe..

These are local flavours. Anjappar can be added as branded.

Hari Bhavan in Tax office road is also gud.

There are lot gud (small & famous) Non-Veg hotels in Townhall-Ukkadam side but no one is interested in that side.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/379068_2739594763721_1072957727_2803628_1382942621_n.jpg

Famous Chef Jacob's new JV hotel in CBE. I feel that Bharathiar Road is the Non-Veg hotel hub of CBE.

www.alapenos.com

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/Food/article1489712.ece

The meat is on!

Alapenos, the new place in town serves some pretty impressive fare, and the mutton sukha is the hero of the day
The mutton sukha is reverentially placed on the table. The waiter steps back and waits. Only the clink of the cutlery as a little morsel is forked into the mouth. Silence, then a deep sigh. The waiter retreats into the kitchen with a big smile.

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/00487/CM26ALAPENOS4_487756e.jpg

Mutton magic

“Absolutely delicious,” is the verdict. Succulent pieces of mutton coated with god knows what spices makes the dish a delight, two hard core non-vegetarian Bengali diners are moved to declare. Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni appears at the table and explains that it is an old, old recipe that used to be prevalent in the times of the Pandyas. He should know. Chef Jacob not only loves food but is a keen food researcher too of ancient kitchens and the stuff they turned out.

There are many classic as well as innovative dishes at the latest restaurant in town, Alapenos. And, Chef Jacob has invited guests for a trial run before its formal launch.

The restaurant is elegantly appointed and nicely lit with understated wall decorations. Though it doesn't look so large from the outside, Alapenos is a 78-cover restaurant. Chef Jacob is the chef consultant and Shiva Tamilavel and Devi are the partners of the restaurant. It is a long way they have come, literally and otherwise as Shiva is a software man from the US. He and his mother welcome the guests personally.

Mix and match

There is a large menu to choose from and we leave the decision to Jacob. There is Mexican, Italian, Indian and Chinese food. The chef picks a mix and match for us. So, tom yom soup it is for the vegetarians while chowder sea food soup is served up for the non-vegetarians. The Thai soup is hot and flavourful with the tart lemongrass giving it a clean, uncomplicated taste.

The chowder is pleasing to the palate too. A quick succession of starters follows.

We try out stuffed cheesy rice balls and sesame fried vegetables.

The kung pow kai chicken with its spicy peanut sauce meets with approving looks from the non vegetarians as does the Madurai mutton curry. Of course, the Original Mutton Sukha continues to reign supreme.

The vegetarians definitely don't want to have paneer, but Chef Jacob cajoles them into trying the paneer butter masala.

And, surprisingly, it is distinctive and different from those one has eaten at least a hundred times before, elsewhere. “That is because I got the recipe from the Moti Mahal People in Delhi,” discloses the Chef.

The vegetarians are treated to the most delicious vegetable biriyani.

Smokin' hot

The fragrance of saffron suffuses the senses, and after the first mouthful everyone is going mmmmmm… Chef Jacob shares another tip. He says a live charcoal is placed inside the cooking biriyani and that lends it its fantastic smoky flavor.

There is plenty on Alapenos's menu that one could experiment with.

A combination of the traditional, with the quirky, comfortingly familiar Indian food with the international. So, paniyarams and aapams share space with tex-mex preparations and Mongolian fare.

But, most impressive is the Indian preparations, especially the South Indian regional fare.

One would think we have eaten enough. Of course, we have.

But then, what about the dessert? Well, hot kambu halwa puts in its appearance followed by Harry Potter hot pie that is chef's own creation with palm jiggery. There is more, but we decide to come back later for the tender coconut souffle and the cotton seed souffle.

Alapenos is on Bharathiyar Road and is open for both lunch ( 12 noon and 4 p.m.) and dinner (7 p.m. and 11 p.m.). There is also a set menu available for lunch only with 25 items on it. Oh yes, there is valet parking. For reservations, call: 7708877771.

கொங்குத்தமிழன் என் போன்ற அசைவ பிரியர்களை குஷிப்படுத்தாததால், மிகவும் அதிருப்தியுடன் உள்ளேன். :(

உங்களுக்காக ஒரு நான்-veg ஜோக். சுஜாதா கடைசி வரை சொல்லாமலே விட்டு சென்ற மெக்ஸிகோ சலவைகாரி ஜோக்.

A mexican washerwomen was washing clothes by a riverside in a bending posture. Men passing by used to have physical fun at the expense of her rearside one-after the another by standing in a queue. It started becoming a daily routine for her to such an extent that she stopped turning back to see who is doing it and kept continuing with her dutiful work (washing clothes).

Her donkey was watching all these for a while. One fine day the donkey thought let me also have bit of fun and stood in queue as seventh person and did it. The washer women who hardly shows any emotions about what is happening behind her back shouted, the seventh person, come again.

------------------------------------------------------
இது உங்களை குஷிபடுத்தி இருக்கும் என்று நம்புகிறேன் :)

^^Kongukarare Avar ketta asaivam yithu alla.:):)

இது உங்களை குஷிபடுத்தி இருக்கும் என்று நம்புகிறேன் :)

என்னை குஷிப்படுத்தவில்லை. அந்த சலவைக்காரியைத்தான்.

(மேற்கண்ட செய்தியை நான் வருத்தத்துடன் சொல்லவில்லை என்பதை அடிகோடிட்டு சொல்கிறேன், இத ஏன் சொல்றேன்னா, சிக்குனா செதச்சுருவாங்க அதான்) :D

I really wish i was following this forum before my visit to Coimbatore. I eat to live and live to eat. I am gathering suggested restaurants here so has to make my this year's visit more memorable.

Even then i really enjoyed the following.

Venu Biriyani. Thalappakkattu Biriyani (near cross-cut road)
Alapenos
Venpongal at Anantha’s
Adhirasam from a sweet stall - forgot the name (some nearby town name) . It is on Avinashi Road in Peelamedu near PSG Tech. It has metal steps to go up to the stall.

kovish

Try Ajmeer Biryani @ Townhall. Even though this a Small Muslim hotel the taste is very good. This small hotel is located in a street adjacent to Tamilnadu Mercantile Bank in Big bazaar St.

Guys,

am coming back to cbe in three weeks and need a new internet connection. I want an unlimited internet plan with atleast 1 MBPS speed.

Can anyone sugggest a good plan/provider?
All the plans i get by searching in net, seems to have a data cap limit of 10 or 15 GB.... one blue ray movie nowadays is around 6 GB.. So looking for better plans.

Any help?

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/marketing/article2811034.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economy

Premier Australian fast-food chain Country Chicken launched its first outlet in India in Coimbatore on Wednesday and it is expected to become fully operational in the middle of next month.

With 300 such outlets planned across India by 2015 - 80 per cent in tier II and III cities - including franchisees, the company would invest nearly Rs 200 crore for expansion over three years, Country Chicken (India) CEO Mr Ramakrishna told reporters here.

Stating that Star Quick Service Restaurant (SQSR) (P) Ltd, the partner for Country Chicken in India, will provide the processed products to outlets in India, he said the processing plant in Chennai will supply products to the Coimbatore outlet and future outlets in the South, which would ensure standardised product quality across all outlets.

Once more outlets come up, another processing factory will be opened in North, he said.

With the market for fast-food growing in India every year, the company expects to capture a good market share in the coming three years, Mr S Suresh of Thiruvikram Enterprises, who was appointed the first franchisee, said.

Country Chicken Australia Spokerperson Mr Craig Baker said apart from country fried chicken and pizzas and roast dishes, there would also be an eclectic mix of vegetarian items to cater to the varied palates of food lovers in the cities.

Asked whether the company plans to open its own poultry farms for getting quality chicken, Mr Ramakrishna said it already has a tie-up with leading brands like Suguna in the South and Venky in the North.

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/leisure/article2810925.ece

Namaskar Surya

Vivanta by Taj-Surya is formally launched in Coimbatore today. Pankaja Srinivasan reports

Vivanta by Taj-Surya has upped the style quotient of the city. When the original hotel Surya came down and there was talk of Taj taking its place, it was widely dismissed as rumour. But as the building went up, interest peaked and the arrival of Taj became the talk of the town.

Great expectations

The hotel is described as “upper-up scale”, by its General Manager V.K. Prasad who says the Vivanta Experience will wow the people of Coimbatore who are well travelled, know about good food and service and have high expectations.

So, what does the Taj have in store for the people of the city? A contemporary and stylish experience. A sunny lobby greets guests with onyx walls, a chandelier that looks like a cluster of floating soap bubbles, and modern paintings. Leading off it are its two restaurants, Latitude, the all-day multi-cuisine diner, and the Chinese restaurant, Red Pearl. In between is the bar called Tease.

Latitude is headed by executive chef H.N. Vijayan. It is a happy co-incidence that chef Vijayan is from the neighbouring Nilgiris. He comes with impressive credentials, having trained and standardised South Indian cuisine in Taj hotels across the country. He is a trainer in the Intensive Kitchen Training Programme, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Prince Charles are some of his celebrity guests.

Chef Wei Dong is flying in all the way from China to ensure authentic Chinese fare for diners at the Red Pearl. He too has worked as a chef in prestigious hotels back home.

Among the 180 rooms are eight suites and the presidential suite, Nirvana. Nirvana comes with its own walk-in-closet, a monstrous television screen and a workout area. The bathroom is luxurious with a marble bath tub and a TV. The poolside is on the second floor and so is the fitness centre. On the same floor, guests can also enjoy the spa, Jiva, as well as the services of a beauty salon. On the other side is a sprawling lawn with a gorgeous view of Avanashi road. Guests occupying rooms on the seventh, eighth and ninth floors can enjoy an exclusive lounge on the seventh floor, called Rhythm. The rooms are elegant, with work stations, generous-sized bathrooms, LCD television screens, wi-fi, and a view from the plate glass windows. Coimbatore never looked so good.

Everything is larger than life, including conference halls with state-of-the-art gadgets and a comfortable ambience. The banquet hall provides a large, luxurious space for private concerts and receptions. The hotel has already hosted several medical conferences and soirees. And the Vivanta team is geared up to provide the same excellence and service it is renowned for elsewhere in India and in the world.

The hotel will be formally launched today by Veer Vijay Singh, Chief Operating Officer, Vivanta by Taj – Hotels and Resorts.

Taj Surya

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/00896/CM19VIVANTA_BY_TAJ-_896297f.jpg

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/00896/CM19_VIVANTA_BY_TAJ_896299a.jpg

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/00896/CM19_VIVANTA_BY_TAJ_896298a.jpg

http://epaper.dinakaran.com/pdf/2012/01/19/20120119a_001105002.jpg

Dedicated to MK and other non-veg fans

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/marketing/article2811034.ece

Australian co Country Chicken launches first India store

Coimbatore, Jan 18:

Premier Australian fast-food chain Country Chicken launched its first outlet in India in Coimbatore on Wednesday and it is expected to become fully operational in the middle of next month.

With 300 such outlets planned across India by 2015 - 80 per cent in tier II and III cities - including franchisees, the company would invest nearly Rs 200 crore for expansion over three years, Country Chicken (India) CEO Mr Ramakrishna told reporters here.

Stating that Star Quick Service Restaurant (SQSR) (P) Ltd, the partner for Country Chicken in India, will provide the processed products to outlets in India, he said the processing plant in Chennai will supply products to the Coimbatore outlet and future outlets in the South, which would ensure standardised product quality across all outlets.

Once more outlets come up, another processing factory will be opened in North, he said.

With the market for fast-food growing in India every year, the company expects to capture a good market share in the coming three years, Mr S Suresh of Thiruvikram Enterprises, who was appointed the first franchisee, said.

Country Chicken Australia Spokerperson Mr Craig Baker said apart from country fried chicken and pizzas and roast dishes, there would also be an eclectic mix of vegetarian items to cater to the varied palates of food lovers in the cities.

Asked whether the company plans to open its own poultry farms for getting quality chicken, Mr Ramakrishna said it already has a tie-up with leading brands like Suguna in the South and Venky in the North.

Is this country chicken in brookefields or somewhere else? Any Idea sir...

Edit: I got it, it is in lakshmi mills junction from cbe proj thread. Thx

^^ News says Puliyakulam Rd - Lakshmi mills jn; Courtesy: CBE Singakutty (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=87687968&postcount=13798)

http://epaper.dinamalar.com/PUBLICATIONS/DM/COIMBATORE/2012/01/19/Article//153/19_01_2012_153_007.jpg

http://epaper.dinamalar.com/PUBLICATIONS/DM/COIMBATORE/2012/01/20/Article//013/20_01_2012_013_006.jpg
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Thx KT Sir & CBE Singakutty.....

It is really exciting, when i visit my home (cbe) next time there is a long list of hotels & restaurants to be visited

1. Le Meridien
2. Taj Vivanta
3. Country Chicken
4. Alpenos
5. Some italy restaurant... ooohh

Solid expenditure awaiting.......

'5 lakh hotel rooms needed within five years to meet demand'^^

COIMBATORE: Hotels in India should have at least five lakh rooms within the next five years to meet growing demand, a top official of the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces said today.

With the market for rooms doubling from 65,000 to 1.3 lakh in all segments from middle to luxury types in India in the past 10 years, "the tempo has to be maintained and at least reach five lakh rooms in another five years", MD & CEO of the Group Raymond N Bickson said.

Bickson, who was here to launch the Group's new Hotel -- 'Vivanta by Taj-Surya Coimbatore -- said the Group would launch its hotels in Hyderabad, Bekal in Kerala, Madikeri in Karnataka and Dwarka and Gurgoan near Delhi within the next six months.

With regard to opening hotels in China, Raymond said a property would become operational within one year in Beijing, as China was the largest growing economy and there was a huge demand for rooms there from business people. The Group has also identified two or three more locations in China, he said.

Besides its five categories of hotels such as Ginger, Gateway, Upscale, Upper Upscale and Luxury, under three different companies, the Taj group was exploring entering the market in the Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 room segment in two or three years, India Hotels Ltd Executive Director (Finance) Anil Goel said.

That particular segment was still untapped by large players, Goel said.

The 'Vivanta by Taj-Surya Coimbatore' is a Rs 118 crore property in the city, a 5-star hospitality brand positioned in the upperscale segment, having 180 elegant rooms and suites, signature restaurant. It is the group's third Vivanta hotel in Tamil Nadu and 22nd in India.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/services/hotels-/-restaurants/5-lakh-hotel-rooms-needed-within-five-years-to-meet-demand/articleshow/11556283.cms

Parkside Hotels to invest $400 mn in India

CHENNAI: In order to cash in on the growing Indian hospitality market, Parkside Hotels and Resorts today said it would expand operations in the country with plans to invest USD 400 million over the next two years.

At present, the US-based hotelier operates Parkside Zebra Inn and suites at various locations in India.

"The hospitality industry is booming in India and China. We are aggressively looking for setting up offices. We plan to have around 4,000 rooms (in India) by 2013. We will invest around USD 400 million," Parkside Zebra Hotels President and CEO Himanshu Mehta told reporters here.

He said the company currently has about 20,800 rooms worldwide, which would increase to about 52,000 in 2014 with expansion in India.

Besides, the group is holding talks for acquisition of three existing hotels in Chennai, Coimbatore and Mumbai. "We are hoping it would be completed by this year end", he said, adding that with the addition of three hotels, the chain would add 600 rooms.

Mehta said by 2013 end, the company would have invested Rs 100 crore in India.

On the group's financials, he said the company reported revenues of USD 140 million in 2010-11 and has set a target of reaching USD 300 million in 2011-12. The company also plans to increase its headcount to 2,000 by next year, he said.

Mehta said the company may raise funds to meet its expansion plans.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/services/hotels-/-restaurants/parkside-hotels-to-invest-400-mn-in-india/articleshow/11555604.cms

LeMeridian : A view while having lunch buffet
Costs Rs 700 for adults and Rs 500 for kids.
If you are not keen on exotic appetizer and dessert it is waste of money. But still worth a visit to enjoy the luxury available at Kovai.

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/6990/lemeridianr.jpg

Park Plaza Thattukadai Street where you get Kaeppai Koolu, Nannari sarbath, pani puri and my favorite filter coffee, etc


Lunch buffet costs Rs 500
Good place to host a party, I guess. But still I my choice would be more authentic food available at Jalapeño, Alankar, Venu, Thalappa, etc.

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/6087/pplazathattukadai.jpg

http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/5007/pplazastreet.jpg

Park Plaza and LeMeridian so close by
http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/3531/parklemerd.jpg
.kovish

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/homes-and-gardens/article2831914.ece

Veggies from a bag!

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/00903/asiann_903243f.jpg

Asiann Organic Easy Grow’s planters help raise vegetables that call for little or no maintenance. Subha J Rao reports

A chance trip to the Netherlands changed D. Chitra's world view. The managing partner of Asiann Coir Products was invited by a client to see how they were using the coir pith she exported. She saw tulips blooming from a coir pith base and was hooked.

At around the same time, she attended a workshop that spoke about the ills of consuming pesticide-laden vegetables and greens. That got her thinking.

She started Asiann Organic Easy Grow in 2010. The company sells ready-to-harvest plants in UV-treated polyethylene bags (planters) and helps set up green houses — a covered space to raise plants. The first 18 months were spent on research and development. Then, she started marketing the planters in front of stores such as Nilgiri's (shortly at Spar too) and at Asian Steel Traders on Trichy Road.

Soon, word got around. Her company has now set up more than 40 green houses and sold more than 5,000 plants (using certified seeds) in places such as Coimbatore, Chennai, Kancheepuram and Dharmapuri.

Chitra focussed on vegetables, greens and flowers. Soon, flowers took the backstage. “Few cared about vegetables. But, should that not be our focus, considering we eat them every day?” she asks. “Sadly, we don't really look into what goes into our daily diet. It's best to eat what we raise ourselves.”

Chitra's planters hold a mixture of coir pith, sea algae, vermicompost, panchagavya and eco-shield, the leaf extract of plants such as neem, pungai, nochi and aloevera. Since the coir pith retains water, you need to water them only once in five days. The bags, which weigh around nine kg, can be reused for up to three years. She also stocks vertical and horizontal planters, ideal for cramped spaces. The green houses, says Chitra, also serve as an oxygen-rich space where one can relax and feel rejuvenated.

Besides more than 15 greens, including palak, pasalai, methi, sirukeerai, thandukeerai and chakravarthi keerai, she also stocks bitter gourd, lettuce (five-odd varieties), beans, carrot, ladies finger, ginger, onion, garlic and brinjal.

The company is now working on getting watermelon, strawberry and cucumber to thrive in the planters. Also, following a request from a Maldivian client, they are looking at the feasibility of raising onion, potato and tomato.

It's been a learning curve for Chitra too. “Learning from the professors at TNAU and those at the JSS College of Pharmacy, Ooty, has been a wonderful experience. How much these plants give us,” she says.

Renewed interest

What gladdens her is that people are now showing interest in raising plants. “I recently went to National Model Matriculation School and the Government School, Vellalore, to speak to children on organic farming. When I left, I gave them all a container, the coir pith mix and a seed. Today, they are so possessive about the plants they have raised.”

The company also stocks native herbs that can help with anything from cold and an upset stomach to toothache. There's karpooravalli, lavender, thyme, sage, parsley, sweet marjoram, stevia, wintergreen and more. Before we leave the farm in Peedampalli, Chitra hands out a bright yellow bud of the palvali poondu, said to cure toothache. Bite into it and the mouth tingles furiously.

FARMING AND LOVING IT

A. Kulandhaivelan, who works in the steel industry, opted for a 200-sq ft greenhouse for his Kuniamuthur home in April. “Since then, we’ve been able to harvest whatever our family needs. I shop only for potato and onion,” he says. He’s planted tomato, avaraikai, chilli, beans, greens, brinjal and drumstick. “The taste is better. The kids love pottering about in the green house and there’s the thrill of consuming something you’ve produced.”

S. Elangovan, a professor of management at Bharathiar University, has a similar set-up in his Ganapathy home. He raises varieties of greens and tomatoes. “I love plants. They need little maintenance — just an hour twice a week is enough — but I speak to them every day and monitor their progress. It’s a relaxing exercise. The oxygen in the green house is an added attraction.” He tends to the garden with his fashion-designer daughter-in-law Poonkuzhali.

Factfile

The green house costs Rs. 80 a sq ft. A 200-sq ft one can hold 85 planters and costs around Rs. 35,000. The easy grow kit (with seeds, enriched pith, etc) costs Rs. 200 while a ready-to-harvest planter costs Rs. 220. Each plant yields about seven to nine kg of vegetables. For details, call 0422-4349914/24/25, e-mail md@asianncoir.com or visit http://www.organicgardeningindia.com

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food/food-reviews/The-cuisine-of-Kovai-and-everything-food/articleshow/11649760.cms

The cuisine of Kovai and everything food

At the age of seven, young Damodharan stood in his kitchen, beaming over his prized semiya upma, ladle in his hand and wearing pride on his chest. Years later, this little boy would be a genius in the kitchen! There is a certain warmth that radiates from Chef Damu, as is his nickname among fans and followers.

Your imagination goes for a wild ride as he narrates his tryst with food, foodies and his love for Coimbatore. Ask him what is that one dish that belongs to the city and pat comes the reply. "Kheema upma and kheema dosa! They have prawn kurma with Idli as well. And that too for breakfast." says an exulted Chef Damu. Baffled by the fact that Coimbatoreans have meat for breakfast, he goes onto explain how different they are. "It's a regular Sunday meal for most non-vegetarian Coimbatoreans and I am happy that foodies are willing to experiment like this," says Damu.

In the city currently for a food festival, Damu is all set to demonstrate cooking a few of his favourite dishes the good old way. "I will be cooking dishes like Sudhumpu which is fish prepared along with brinjal. I am also cooking a Kannada dish called Asimisin Kaikuri which is basically chicken in green chilli masala," says Damu.

He prides in the fact that Coimbatoreans know their food. "People here already know their food. So there's nothing more that I can explain to them," says Damu. He adds that most of the dishes that are prepared here are based on secret recipes passed on down through generations. "They love variety and here's a proof. There are people residing in Goripalayam, Metupalayam and Gandhipuram but they will make the same dish in their own special way." says Damu.

Quiz him about the food culture in Coimbatore and he says that it is street food that is prevalent. "Compared to Chennai and Bangalore, fast food is not really common here. The college-goers would much rather have traditional food than gorging on junk food."

The gastronomic world is full of surprises so Chef Damu is only happy that he is wowed by food that he hasn't tasted." They have this speciality called Venu Biryani. It has less masala, more pepper and coriander and spices that are ground, giving it that earthy feeling. They also use only jeeravasamba - a kind of rice which is different from Basmati rice," the Chef adds.

Damu's always a hit among the ladies and Coimbatore too follows suit. "Women here love cooking. And like I said, they know their food. It can't get better than that," concludes Damu.

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/travel/article2837194.ece

Just Nature and you

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/00905/298CMSERENITY_HOME_905276f.jpg
RUSTIC CHARM 'Serenity Resort Photo:K.Ananthan.

Subha J Rao takes in the sights and sounds of rural India at Serenity Resort

Scenic villages, road-side temples, coconut groves, tamarind trees and guava sellers whiz past on the long drive to Sethumadai. The destination? Serenity Resort, set inside a 15-acre farm and surrounded by looming hills. There's a waterfall nearby, and the soothing sound of the water hitting the rocks and gurgling down into the forest is a constant.

We reach the resort, started as a homestay in 2006 by Chitra Devi, around lunch time, after a 70-odd km drive from Coimbatore. A rustic treat awaits us — a tangy sambar made of shallots and tender brinjal from the kitchen garden, ghee rice, appalam, poriyal and creamy curd. All this served under a thatched dining hall set away from the main house. We have company too — Shadow and Silver, the resident dogs, who tail us everywhere.

The main home, designed by Chitra's son Rajeshwaran, is a work of art. Timber from the eucalyptus trees on their farm has been converted into pale cream seaters and cots with silk-cotton cushions and throws. Dark brown teak pillars break the monotony. Kerala tiles embellish the floor and the ceiling.

The reception is a great place to lounge in. Just sit back and watch innumerable birds take off against an orange-tinted sky. Entire peacock families preen in the fields. A brilliant blue kingfisher, a drongo and a wagtail vie for attention. A family of colourful bee eaters hops from one fence to the other.

The resort has three well-appointed, spacious rooms with air-conditioners and an attached bath. The matching bedcovers, pillows and towels lend an aesthetic touch. Mercifully, there are no television sets and cellular phone connectivity is poor — the guests end up appreciating Nature. Curl up in the afternoon for a snooze and wake up to the aroma of hot bajjis or bondas and a cup of tea redolent of wood smoke.

This is also said to be the best time to spot the local elephant, deer and gaur herds. Later at night, the wild boars have a field time, digging the fields to find plump groundnuts.

Once the sun sets, the sounds from the forest take over. The birds have roosted and stars begin to glow in the vast expanse above. Fireflies dance in the air and come to rest near you — lighting up your world, patch by little patch.

A little before dinner, the helpers have a camp fire blazing. There's a slight nip in the air, and the fire feels just right.

Dinner is at the reception, served buffet style — soft rotis and a delicious vegetable gravy cooked over a wood-fired oven. We opt for vegetarian food and Chitra's upset she can't showcase her cooks' specialities — Pollachi chicken varuval and Kozhi milagu kuzhambu.

The rustic touch is evident at breakfast too — crisp, brown wafer-thin dosais served with tomato bajji and coconut chutney. There's bread too, but its no contender to the dosai.

Things to do
Ask the staff to take you around the local farms
Go birding. There's a wealth of birdlife around the resort
Visit Top Slip, a popular tourist spot, 18 km from the resort
Head to the watchtower on a tree and take in the sights of the forest

How to go
From Pollachi (42 km from Coimbatore), take the road leading to Anaimalai and Vettaikaranpudhur. Take the diversion at Sethumadai, and reach the Deivakulam Kaliamman temple. Cross a bridge overflowing with water, drive past a farm and follow the direction boards to reach the resort. The resort is 29 km from Pollachi.

Tariff

A room is priced at Rs. 4,000 (all inclusive) for 24 hours (inclusive of three meals). An extra bed costs Rs. 1,500 a head. Children between three and 13 are charged Rs. 750. There are group rates for 20-plus members. For details, call 98422-36069 and 94861-36069 or visit www.serenitytopslip.com

I am very curious to know which place is this. Looks very cool.There is no mention of this place.

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/00881/CM30_LE_MERIDIEN_881755a.jpg

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/00781/_CM15_LE_MERIDIEN_781698a.jpg

Looks like Le Meridian.

Looks like Le Meridian.

Yes, it is Le Meridian.

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/leisure/article2847723.ece

Vivanta by Taj - Surya review

Turning on to the prestigious Race Course Road in Coimbatore, I catch a glimpse of blue glass windows against a pure white background, the kind of classic look that symbolises Taj properties everywhere. But this is the newly launched Vivanta by Taj – Surya, the group's latest addition to its sub-brand, Vivanta. Since the inception of the Vivanta by Taj signature, guests and regulars have wondered what distinguishes a Vivanta property from its mother brand, and I was looking forward to finding out. When the façade was so typically Taj, would the rest of the experience be any different?

The Vivanta by Taj – Surya is the 22{+n}{+d} hotel to be built under this label and stands where the Surya International hotel once stood. The Taj group completely changed the look and feel of the old hotel from the inside out to create their ‘upper-upscale' property, making it a new hotel in every sense of the word.

Sunny style

The hotel seems to celebrate light in all its forms. From funky chandeliers to tonnes of natural light in all the spaces, the Vivanta by Taj – Surya lives up to its name. The lobby has a central chandelier composed of numerous glass baubles resembling rain drops that hang at different levels from the ceiling, above a gurgling artificial water feature. This is supposed to represent the centre of the sun, while burnt sienna and white marble floor slabs representing rays of light radiate from this spot. Guests check in at the counters separated from the rest of the space by brightly lit golden screens, which also tactfully hide the elevators. All the rooms and suites in the hotel have large windows to let in as much sunlight as possible, giving the hotel a sunny, cheerful feel.

The rooms and suites

There are 180 rooms and suites available to guests at the hotel, spread out over many floors, from the basic Superior Charm room to the luxurious Presidential suite. The Superior Charm rooms which are on the 7{+t}{+h} to 9{+t}{+h} floors are titled Premium Indulgence rooms as the guests staying here have access to the Rhythm Lounge, a private seating and dining area on the 9{+t}{+h} floor, as an added feature.

The highlight of any room is the view afforded by the large glass windows. As my Premium Indulgence room was on the 7{+t}{+h} floor, I spent quite some time curled up on the comfortable, light green and cream couch gazing at the bluish-purple hills in the distance while vehicular traffic went by below. My room was appointed in cheerful green, teal and cream upholstery. Silk cushions on the bed, a glass-topped writing table, stylish cylindrical lamps and imported tiles with a mother-of-pearl finish above the bed gave the room a contemporary feel. Stone fleur de lis wall hangings and beautiful long-stemmed lilies in a glass vase were all the decoration necessary in this room, keeping the style uncluttered. The same theme was followed in the bathroom, where the shower and lavatory had their separate spaces. The Premium Indulgence room was fairly compact, but the designers had made good use of the space.

The Deluxe Delight rooms have an additional sit-out near the pool while the Deluxe Allure suites have two rooms, namely the bedroom and a living space. But the most impressive of them all is the Presidential Suite, aptly named Nirvana. Perched on the topmost floor of the hotel, this spacious suite is decked out in red, cream and gold upholstery with a large living area and bathroom, walk-in closet and kitchenette. There is even a high-end exercise bike tucked away in a corner for the health-conscious traveller. The Vivanta by Taj brand targets the young luxury traveller and their décor reflects the same.

Dine in style

The hotel is home to two restaurants, a bar and an exclusive lounge and while this may not seem like enough in terms of numbers, it is quite satisfying in terms of tastes and quality. Latitude is the all-day dining restaurant with buffet spreads, a juice bar and an imported wine list. The décor is fun with orange and yellow seating, bright lights and upbeat music. For breakfast, the buffet included creamy baked beans, crisp hash browns, eggs and omelettes made to order and South Indian specialities like upma, idlis and dosas. The lunch buffet was quite interesting with delicious Chinese dishes, Indian sides and breads and the unique Ramasseri idli, a softer, flatter version of the usual idli.

Lovers of all things Oriental can try Red Pearl, the Chinese restaurant at the hotel. The space is filled with seating in red and black with pretty, pink glass kerosene lamps at each table, which sometimes flare up in a dramatic fashion. Peking duck, a large seafood section and the typical dishes of Schezuan cuisine are what one will find here. The management also plans to include a dimsum trolley to go around, bringing steaming dimsums to diners at their table.

Tease, the bar and lounge, is looking to become the new place to be seen at in Coimbatore. The relaxed atmosphere is complemented by the Moroccan lanterns and comfortable seating. Classic cocktails can be sampled with the Mezze platter, different kinds of hummus or fried calamari among other delectable delights. The staff are also willing to tweak drinks and even create new ones to suit individual tastes.

Added features

Each Vivanta by Taj has a set of motifs, unique to the location of the hotel. Here in Coimbatore, guests can take a trip to the Isha yoga centre, visit the neighbouring temples or like I did, have a meal at an ancestral home in Palakkad. The experiences are meant to give the guests a sense of place, which the trip to Palakkad certainly did. If you would rather relax within the hotel, hit The Spa, work out at the fitness centre or lounge by the clear blue pool.

The Vivanta brand has managed to maintain the Taj standard of luxury while keeping the feel young and contemporary. That is how it differentiates itself and guests can see it in the manners, style and age of the staff. At this hotel, the young staff are lively, helpful and easy conversationalists, as I found out by chatting with a few of them. The level of comfort and intimacy they assume with guests is refreshing without being intrusive, telling us about their families and lives. They make the stay here a different and enjoyable experience.

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/00909/SBTB01_HOTEL3_jpg_909009f.jpg

Red Pearl, the Chinese restaurant.

I ate at the Cascade last week. It is a chinese restaurant. Food was excellent and service was good. The portions are large. One soup was shared by three. The price is about 200-400 for main dishes and in the 100s for starters and desserts.

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2011/02/18/stories/2011021850871000.htm

Yes, it is Le Meridian.

The dining area belongs to Le Meridian. (You can see it matching the photo I added a few messages above)
I am not sure about the building and clearly it says something else at the top.
.kovish

The dining area belongs to Le Meridian. (You can see it matching the photo I added a few messages above)
I am not sure about the building and clearly it says something else at the top.
.kovish

the building too is le meridien's... several pictures of it has been shared here before ..

The dining area belongs to Le Meridian. (You can see it matching the photo I added a few messages above)
I am not sure about the building and clearly it says something else at the top.
.kovish

I am very sure it is Le Meridian as I have seen it from outside some months ago. Pls see the below pic posted by you and hindu link also confirms this. Already lot of pics shared in SSC. This shot is in night with some good lightings.

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article2768681.ece?viewImage=11

Park Plaza and LeMeridian so close by
http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/3531/parklemerd.jpg

[QUOTE=senthilnatha;88260169]I am very sure it is Le Meridian as I have seen it from outside some months ago. Pls see the below pic posted by you and hindu link also confirms this. Already lot of pics shared in SSC. This shot is in night with some good lightings.

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article2768681.ece?viewImage=11

Gentlemen,
I should taken a deeper look while comparing the photos. Thanks for confirming.
Regards,
kovish

Pride Hotels to invest in new properties^^

http://www.pridegroup.net/wp-content/themes/pride/images/pride-hotels.jpg

ANOTHER 5 STAR HOTEL TO COIMBATORE^^^^

Pride Group of Hotels, which owns a chain of upscale mid-market and business hotels is in advanced stages of negotiations for setting up a series of new properties, which will see an investment of Rs 1,000 crore over the next few years.

The company, which is promoted by the Rs 3,000-crore S P group of companies — engaged in the business of hospitality, construction and financial services, plans to have a mix of owned and managed properties for opening 3,500 rooms by 2015-16.

The new properties will be opened in Mumbai, Goa, Alibaug, Delhi, Mysore, Coimbatore and Chandigarh, to name a few. The company intends to focus on the tier-II and tier-III markets for the Biznotel brand, a budget and limited business-specific brand.

Pride Hotels Managing Director S P Jain said, “We recently opened our twelfth hotel in Kolkata which we had purchased in 2010 in a half constructed form. The property will be a four-star plus. In addition, construction of a Pride Hotel in Mumbai is expected to begin soon.”

The company opened its first property in Eastern India with the launch of 153-rooms upscale mid-market hotel in Kolkata this month. It has invested Rs 100 crore to set up the Kolkata property that will be fully operational from March 2012.

Pride Hotels had the regulatory approvals in place for an initial public offering (IPO), which got lapsed a few months ago. The company, along side three other companies, decided not to go ahead with the fund raising plan due to frail market sentiments. It is now looking at its own internal resources to fund the expansion in addition to debt. About 50-55 per cent of the funding will be done via internal accruals.

"We have a small debt on our books, of about Rs 80-90 crore. This leaves us more room to raise further funds through debt,” added Jain.

The Biznotel brand will see an addition of around 11-12 properties over the next three or four years. The company aims to tap into the growing need for standardised rooms in tier-II and tier-III markets where average consumer spend is around Rs 3,000-4,000 per night.

"We have six properties operational under the Biznotel brand presently. There is a strong demand for such hotels where we focus only on basic facilities like quality rooms, banquets, a restaurant and a small gym. It will not have spa, swimming pools or fine dining restaurants,” added Jain.

According to Jain, the guest sentiment hasn't been impacted too much despite the uncertainty in the economy. The company recorded a growth of 10-12 per cent last financial year and has posted an average occupancy of around 70 per cent this year so far, according to the company.

"We are adding 550 more rooms to the tally. The upscale mid-market segment has not been impacted due to the slowdown. Its mainly the luxury properties which take a hit,” said Jain.

http://business-standard.com/india/news/pride-hotels-to-invest-in-new-properties/465325/

http://www.pridehotel.com/

^^^^

Pride group of hotels is in talks to acquire two 150-room hotels in Hyderabad
and Coimbatore for Rs 75-100 crore each within a year.

http://www.mydigitalfc.com/news/pride-acquire-2-hotels-hyderabad-coimbatore-409

kovish

^^^^



http://www.mydigitalfc.com/news/pride-acquire-2-hotels-hyderabad-coimbatore-409

kovish
Acquire means - are they looking to buy an existing hotel and rebrand? Then what would be that existing 150 room hotel? Any guess anybody???

Acquire means - are they looking to buy an existing hotel and rebrand? Then what would be that existing 150 room hotel? Any guess anybody???

Yes, it implies that. They are negotiating ("in talks") with one or more established hotels. This also implies to me that, they see business value in getting started ASAP rather than spending time on building a hotel. Good indication of CBE's growth rate!

My guess would be, it is not with big players like Le Meridian. Park Plaza or Taj. Should be someone else.
kovish

http://i.imgur.com/VBmqx.jpg

^^

This is the disputed land opposite to CIT. I remember CBE Corp claimed that this land belongs to them. Now it is in court, let us see who is going to win.

^^

This is the disputed land opposite to CIT. I remember CBE Corp claimed that this land belongs to them. Now it is in court, let us see who is going to win.

Conflict with a private party is understandable. But, how could a conflict with the city corporation arise?
kovish

Guys, I guess you guys won't mind me posting about this hotel here because it was a very small hotel. In the avanashi road on the side of PSGIM not the PSG Tech, we walked for a short distance and reached Greenlands hotel but it was locked since it was morning 7.30 only. so, we walked a little further and reached a small hotel looked like a house. Me and my dad had breakfast there. They served tiffin items there. The idly, dosa and sambar, chutneys won our hearts because of the taste :) The small hotel had some name like hari something. Could somebody post the pic of it and correct me if i made any wrong in the name? Also please add the details in TN Cuisine thread.

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/Food/article3307600.ece

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01051/13CMTUSCANY_1051455f.jpg
Tuck into hearty pizzas and soft garlic bread at Tuscany Pizza

Sometimes, all you need is fluffy garlic bread dripping with cheese to make you feel all well's with the world. Add some black olives and a fragrant spice mix to it, and you're ready to go.

But, there's so much more on offer at Tuscany Pizza in Ganapathy. In the starters, check out the potato wedges, the mint pasta salad, Lebanese wrap with cottage cheese and vegetable, strips of fried chicken and a colourful warm sausage salad.

But it is the fresh-dough pizzas that get top billing. Take, for instance, their kids' special — Fruitizza. Slices of apple, pineapple and litchi rest on a bed of spicy sauce and cheese and come studded with juicy raisins. It has the right notes of sweet and spice and kids love it.

Still on pizzas, mention must be made of their well pan pizza, a hearty, deep pizza with a crunchy, crumbly crust. It's not wood-fired, but comfortingly wholesome all the same. The toppings are many, but the specialities include the recently-introduced Veggie Tandoori and Tandoori Chicken. They also have Aqua, with a topping of mozzarella, jalapeno, golden corn and tuna flakes.

Other options include Deli Special, Indian Village, Caribbean Hot Wave and Meat Lover, which brings together the flavours of mozzarella, onion, capsicum, mushroom, chicken sausage, barbequed chicken and spicy chicken. However, none of the toppings overwhelms you. They are flavourful, but understated.

Tuscany Pizza also serves a crispy thin crust pizza, with multi-grain (with eight grains) and wheat flour options. It also offers Calzone and Stromboli.

In mocktails, the one featuring green apple impresses. There's a delicious raspberry smoothie too, sweet and creamy, just the way it should be.

Round off your meal with the predictable brownie with ice cream. Or, be different, and opt for the green and red chilli ice creams, both of which look most harmless. But, the heat of the chilli hits soon and I seek refuge in a spoon of vanilla ice cream. Apparently, these flavours are popular among the IT crowd.

The restaurant was started six months ago by Jaikishen and three of his friends. The menu has been designed by their Italian friend Giulia Lina Gheza. That explains the fresh dough pizza and the unfussy flavours. Jaikishen says he trained in Giulia's family pizzeria in Milan to learn to make pizza the Italian way.

A meal for two at Tuscany Pizza costs approximately Rs. 350. The restaurant, which can seat about 40 people, offers free home delivery up to three km. For bulk and corporate orders, they deliver up to 7 km. For details, call 0422-6533333 or visit tuscanypizzas.com

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01051/14CMTUSCANY_1051456a.jpg

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/Vishu-kits-are-a-big-hit-in-Coimbatore/articleshow/12657525.cms

Vishu kits are a big hit in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: The busy man that he is, Nandakumar, a city-based gas agency owner, didn't find time to scour the markets to buy the ingredients to arrange 'kani', an essential feature of Vishu, an auspicious day for Malayalis. His spirits were lifted when he discovered that Vishu too is available in packets.

Vishukkani kits that contain all the material necessary to arrange kani, the tableau people wake up to see in the morning, have made life simpler for people like Nandakumar.

Hundreds of city residents are opting for instant vishukkani kits sold through various Nair Service Society (NSS) branches in the city. From the portrait of Lord Guruvayurappa to kanikkonna (laburnum) flowers, fruits and sandalwood paste, everything required to ensure the perfect vishukkani sighting is included in this kit. "It's an attempt on our part to ensure that people do not have to go through a lot of trouble for purchasing each item individually for arranging vishukkani. We have also ensured that it is reasonably priced," says KGK Nair, president, NSS, Coimbatore.

"It is a very convenient and neat arrangement to save time. It helps you prepare vishukkani as per the tradition," says Nandakumar. Each kit is priced at Rs 300 and is being distributed through the 10 branches of NSS, a community organisation, in the city. The NSS organisers claim that they have prepared around 2,000 kits. The necessary items were bought and arranged in separate shopping hampers. There are 18 items in each kit. The society started distributing the kits three years ago, but the response has been phenomenal this year. "We only have a handful of kits left as the rest have been sold off," E Kunhappa, general secretary, NSS, Coimbatore, told this reporter late in the evening.



Since the auspicious sighting of God is part of the Chithirai Kani ritual that marks the first day of Tamil New Year, the vishukkani kits were bought by many Tamils as well. "Lot of Tamils also purchased our kits this year to be used for arranging the Chithirai Kani at their homes," claims KP Ravi, chairman, Ramnagar NSS branch.

KFC (http://www.kfc.co.in),@Diwan Bahadur Roadhttp://i1051.photobucket.com/albums/s421/faheem9333/290320111251.jpg

source:http://www.vivantabytaj.com/Surya-Coimbatore/Overview.html


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..

Hii guys ...wat is the status of hilton garden inn at Pollachi Road...?:bash::bash:

http://chi.in/HiltonGardenInnCoimbatore.html

:bananahttp://i1051.photobucket.com/albums/s421/faheem9333/378951_295031477209668_156481364398014_791708_210941126_n.jpg

Domino's pizza 4th outlet is going to open in trichy road at ramanathapuram. Now it s the time for trichy road to catch up. The other 3 outlets being at stadium, peelamedu n saibaba colony .

Domino's pizza 4th outlet is going to open in trichy road at ramanathapuram. Now it s the time for trichy road to catch up. The other 3 outlets being at stadium, peelamedu n saibaba colony .

They can also open in Fun mall and Brookefield!

Hotel pictures are really nice....LeMeridian especially!

.Top hotels in Coimbatore:

1.CAG Pride(3 star)-Siddapudur
2.Heritage Inn(3 star)-Ramnagar
3.City tower(Deluxe hotel)-Ramnagar
4.Alankar Grande(3star)-Ramnagar
5.Black Thunder resort-Muttupalayam
6.Vivanta by Taj-Surya(5star)-Race Cource
7.The Residency(3star)-Avinashi road
8.Jenny's Residency(3 star)-Civil Aerodrome,Avinashi rd
9.Satyam Grand(Deluxe hotel)-Avinashi road
10.Grand Plaza(Deluxe hotel)-State bank road
11.Metro Park Inn(Deluxe hotel)-Near Clock Tower,Town Hall
12.Grand Regent(4star)-Avinashi road
13.Le Meridian(5star)-Nillambur,Avinashi road
14.Aloft(3star)-Singanallur,Kamaraj road
15.Park Plaza(4star)-Chinayampalayam,Avinashi road
16.Hotel Mangala International(Deluxe hotel)-Ramnagar
17.Sree Annapoorna Hotels(Deluxe hotel)-RS Puram
18.Marian International (Deluxe hotel)-Arts Collage rd
19.Legend's Inn(Deluxe hotel)-State Bank road
20.Mesabel Hotel(Deluxe hotel)-Grey Town
21.Hotel VAIDURYA(Deluxe hotel)-State Bank road

Star hotels (Under construction/Planned)

1.Radisson blu(5star)-@Nava India-Avinashi road http://www.radisson.com/tamilnadu-hotel-in-00000/indrdcb

2.Hilton Garden Inn(5 star)-Pollachi road http://chi.in/HiltonGardenInnCoimbatore.html

3.GRT Grand days(3 star)-@Pellamedu,Avinashi road http://wikimapia.org/14073163/Hotel-GRT-Grand

4.Kenilworth(Kolkatta based hotel)Avinashi road http://www.financialexpress.com/news/the-kenilworth-group-to-expand-to-coimbatore/56263/3


Update it if u know more

COIMBATORE BEST CITY TO LIVE IN INDIA. BEST ROADS, NICE WEATHER, GOOD PEOPLE. OVERALL AMAZING CITY.:banana: :)

.Top hotels in Coimbatore:

1.CAG Pride(3 star)-Siddapudur
2.Heritage Inn(3 star)-Ramnagar
3.City tower(Deluxe hotel)-Ramnagar
4.Alankar Grande(3star)-Ramnagar
5.Black Thunder resort-Muttupalayam
6.Vivanta by Taj-Surya(5star)-Race Cource
7.The Residency(3star)-Avinashi road
8.Jenny's Residency-Civil Aerodrome,Avinashi rd
9.Satyam Grand-Avinashi road
10.Grand Plaza(Deluxe hotel)-State bank road
11.Metro Park Inn(Deluxe hotel)-Near Clock Tower,Town Hall
12.Grand Regent(4star)-Avinashi road
13.Le Meridian(5star)-Nillambur,Avinashi road
14.Aloft(3star)-Singanallur,Kamaraj road
15.Park Plaza(4star)-Chinayampalayam,Avinashi road
16.Hotel Mangala International(Deluxe hotel)-Ramnagar
17.Sree Annapoorna Hotels(Deluxe hotel)-RS Puram
18.Marian International (Deluxe hotel)-Arts Collage rd
19.Legend's Inn(Deluxe hotel)-State Bank road
20.Mesabel Hotel(Deluxe hotel)-Grey Town
21.Hotel VAIDURYA(Deluxe hotel)-State Bank road


Update it if u know more

Domino's pizza 4th outlet is going to open in trichy road at ramanathapuram. Now it s the time for trichy road to catch up. The other 3 outlets being at stadium, peelamedu n saibaba colony .

It needs at RS puram too!

Domino's is selecting the locations carefully, they are the first to try saibaba colony, peelamedu etc, avoiding the famous RS puram n gandhipuram area.
RS puram has pizza hut already. I'm waiting for the Pizza hut's 2nd outlet. (may be in fun republic)

Domino's is selecting the locations carefully, they are the first to try saibaba colony, peelamedu etc, avoiding the famous RS puram n gandhipuram area.
RS puram has pizza hut already. I'm waiting for the Pizza hut's 2nd outlet. (may be in fun republic)

expected food courts @fun republic:
1.mcdonalds
2.Pizza hut
3.marrybrown(3rd outlet)http://www.marrybrownindia.com/outlets.html
4.Fresco
5.Annapurnna(17th outlet)
6.Baskin robins
7.CCD(9th outlet)
8.Dominos
9.subway
10.Krishna sweats(18th outlet)
11.Gangotree
12.namma dindukal
13.wanges chicken
14.MYX
15.kabab corner
16.cokke man:)

Domino's is selecting the locations carefully, they are the first to try saibaba colony, peelamedu etc, avoiding the famous RS puram n gandhipuram area.
RS puram has pizza hut already. I'm waiting for the Pizza hut's 2nd outlet. (may be in fun republic)

KFC can open outlets@ saibaba colony n race course:)

:)Tazza restaurant, RS Puram
http://i1051.photobucket.com/albums/s421/faheem9333/DSC08399-1.jpg

:)http://i1051.photobucket.com/albums/s421/faheem9333/DSC08515.jpg

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Branches: West Powerhouse Rd, MTP road@Chinthamani Signal,Race Course Rd, TV Swamy Rd, Avinashi Rd, Trichy Rd, Airport

:banana:Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annapoorna_Gowrishankar

Branches:

R.S.Puram - (Asokyasamy road)
Gandhipuram - Cross Cut Road
Gandhipuram - Mofussil bus station
Arts Collage road
Cross Cut road - Sri Lakshmi Complex
Mettupalayam road (Near TVS)
Saibaba Colony (Off NSR Road)
Raja Street
Avarampalayam - MG road
Poornas
Hope Collage Junction (Anna Salai)
People's Park
Big Bazzar Street
Anna Salai (Avinashi road)
Nanjundapuram Road
Thudiyalur - MTP Road
Ganapathy - Sathy road
Pellamedu - Fun republic Mall

RS Puram outlet:
http://i1051.photobucket.com/albums/s421/faheem9333/DSC08474.jpg

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:)Source:http://www.dosaplaza.com/

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:)Source:http://www.pizzahut.co.in/dinein/Stores.php?city_id=34
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Source:http://www.srikrishnasweets.net/contact-us.html

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Is there any fine dining restaurants in brookefields? Is anything planned in fun republic ??

I remember reading that Rajdhani is coming up in fun republic. Is it?

Is there any fine dining restaurants in brookefields? Is anything planned in fun republic ??

I remember reading that Rajdhani is coming up in fun republic. Is it?

Sry..i dint get you! :nuts:

Is there any fine dining restaurants in brookefields? Is anything planned in fun republic ??

I remember reading that Rajdhani is coming up in fun republic. Is it?

None in Brookfields, their food court is a noisy, messed up place with smoke coming into the seating area. Heck its not even a mall, its reduced to a A/C RmKV style shopping complex.

Rajdhani is coming to fun republic as per the boards outside, hope it comes in form of restaurants and not as part of food court.

http://i.imgur.com/V0BGDl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/V0BGDl.jpg

wow!!!:)

http://i1051.photobucket.com/albums/s421/faheem9333/DSC08688.jpg

http://epaper.dinamalar.com/PUBLICATIONS/DM/COIMBATORE/2012/05/13/Article//106/13_05_2012_106_004.jpg

New Restaurant opened
Whats the name, location etc?

^^ It is about Ponzu at Le Meridian

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/lemeridien/property/dining/index.html?propertyID=3625

^^ It is about Ponzu at Le Meridian

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/lemeridien/property/dining/index.html?propertyID=3625

Thanks!

http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/3401/15spotlight2jpgcropdisp.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/545/15spotlight2jpgcropdisp.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Australian food chain, Country Chicken today has over 400 outlets across the world, in places like Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Dubai.

The success of the chain can be attributed to Peter Austin, founder and chairman of the Australian Food Brand.

Peter, who was in Coimbatore recently to launch the very first branch of Country Chicken in India, opens up about his path to success and what his true love really is.

Peter was considered to be the world’s best salesman for Codex before he retired. Retirement he claims, didn’t go down well with him and in 1994, he set up Country Chicken. “Food is never a liability, and being a salesman I realized that this was the need of the hour.

So after I retired I spent two whole years, concocting a recipe that could entice any palate, and I did just that.

I set up my first outlet in Australia, and before I knew it, it had spread out to New Zealand, Russia and to other parts of the world,” he said.

And if your wondering why he chose Russia it's simply because his wife is Russian.
So, what brings the man and Country Chicken to Coimbatore?

“It was always my plan to move into India, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon. Suresh, who runs the franchise here was the first to enquire about it and so we decided to schedule our plans a little earlier than we expected.

However, we haven't compromised on anything. Coimbatore will be able to avail the entire range that country chicken has to offer.”

When asked about the secret of his success and the growth of his enterprise, he said, " “When I opted to get into the fast food business, I did my own bit of research and found that there weren’t really many eateries that focused on healthy food.

From the chicken to bread, everything is cooked in healthy oil and we have a secret cooking technique.

That is what sets us apart.” However it was through word of mouth and the Internet, social networking sites like Facebook, and Twitter, that Country Chicken grew so fast.”

On his ‘Indian’ experience, Peter shared “I have been to India many times. In fact, back in the 80s, when I made my first trip here, I visited Kerala and a few other states.

What really caught my eye was the variety of food the country has to offer, like paneer tikka masala and daal makhini.

I have seen the industry and the country grow and I have big plans for India. Time will be the proof of that.”

Expansion plans aside; Peter Austin loves boating during his spare time. “I love to go boating. In fact I live in Gold Coast in Australia, where I have a home by the sea. So, when the Aussie in me kicks in, I take out my boat and have some fun,” he said.


http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/lifestyle/dine-o-mite/country-chicken-comes-calling-589

Cashing in on the gaming craze during vacation

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/article3420862.ece

An emerging opportunity for entrepreneurs

The summer vacation is on and Coimbatore's children have several options to spend their leisure time - visit friends and relatives, go on a holiday to other cities, attend summer camps, have parties with friends, get new gaming solutions at home, or spend hours in water at theme parks.

In a city that needs a lot more to be done on the entertainment front, ventures related to games for children are an emerging area of opportunity for entrepreneurs.

Toys “r” Urs Kidzone rents out toys for children aged between three months and eight years.

Apart from the toys and games available in the country, it also gets new board games from the U.S. and the U.K. for circulation among the children.

It has a “pretend and play” zone where children can play shopping, cooking, etc in a doll house, shopping area or music stage. Parties are also organised at the shop for children.

Great Digital Shoppe, which sells play stations, has seen nearly 20 per cent increase in demand for games during this vacation compared to last year.

The demand is more for PS 2 and PS 3 and also for hand video games.

With availability of gaming solutions on the rise and the increasing trend towards visiting other cities for summer, outdoor activities are more of camps and coaching classes.

According to Vincent Adaikalaraj, Executive Director of Black Thunder, a couple of new games are added at the theme park every year. It plans to bring in more risk-free rides.

Apart from local residents, those who go on vacation to the Nilgiris also visit the park, he says.

Unlike larger cities, Coimbatore does not have many video game zones. Huge investments are needed to set up indoor game stations.

Many of the rides and games need to be imported and are expensive. But use of these stations goes up only on vacation days.

Hence, it is not viable to have game stations, according to industry sources here.

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article3429194.ece

Truly Asia

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A lofted six and Chennai Super Kings wins! A sigh of relief and we turn back to the food. Hot food, elegant ambience, pleasant company, a big TV screen and a victory for our team is a pretty good way to review food in a restaurant. We are at Ponzu, Le Meridien's pan-Asian gourmet restaurant.

The only catch is that the reviewer is vegetarian and Ponzu cries out for a diner who is not! There is Japanese, Mongolian, Thai and, of course, Chinese food (I suspect that is the safety net). Behind long counters, gleaming grills stand by to serve fresh off the grill sea-food and meats prepared with vegetables of your choice. The Sushi counter is on the ready to create bite sized pieces of art.

Our hostess for the evening, Sarah, asks, “Will you try some vegetarian sushi Ma'am?” I will, and a combination of seaweed, sticky rice and vegetables appears, elegantly arranged on a slender plate. Another serving appears. This time the sushi is wrapped up in translucent slices of yellow mango. Delicious. It is served with Wasabi that shoots upyour nose into your brain before coming out in the form of tears from your eyes.

The name Ponzu is derived from a soya-based cooking sauce, explains Sarah, once we have recovered from the wasabi attack. We are served with crisp-golden yellow veg-tempura. It disappears, like Dwayne Bravo's six. Kanpo chicken is popular, they tell us. We enjoy a vegetarian version of it with water chestnuts.

“People are interested in the less known Mongolian cuisine and Sushi,” says Amit Mitra, director, business development. The chef comes to say hello. My dinner companion finds it incredibly funny that chef Suresh from Srirangam is discussing Sushi! But that is exactly how much the world has shrunk. And how far Coimbatore has travelled. Suresh is highly trained in Asian cuisine with years of experience.

“We are the first to introduce this cuisine in the city because we feel Coimbatore is ready for it,” says Mitra. We are apparently being served the best. The spices and sauces are imported from Singapore, and the rarer varieties of vegetables are also sourced from places as far as Delhi. All very authentic. Mitra says that the Japanese guests they have had at the hotel have gone away happy and full from Ponzu!

The dinner, despite the variety (burnt garlic rice, a dish of assorted mushrooms, and flavoursome green vegetables, noodles) does not leave us with the unpleasant shouldn't-have-eaten-so-much feeling. Subtle flavours, virtually no grease, and best of all, the good looking food make the dining experience a fine one.

And it gets finer with the dessert. While others stick to fried ice cream, I decide to go with a scoop each of wasabi, lemon grass and basil ice-cream. The wasabi flavoured one gets my vote. We plan to go back for more. It may help Chennai Super Kings win the next match too.

Wah! Wasabi

Makoto Imai, Naoki Urushihata, Hideki Tanemura, Yukinobu Tajima, Hideaki Goto, Koichiro Mizoguchi and Junichi Murakami were awarded the IgNobel Prize in Chemistry for determining the ideal density of airborne wasabi to wake people in event of an emergency. They discovered that wasabi had an effect like smelling salts. One deaf subject participating in a test of the prototype awoke within 10 seconds of wasabi vapor being sprayed into his sleeping chamber! The Ig list of Nobel Prizes, started in 1991, is a parody of the Nobel Prize and is awarded for achievements "that first make people laugh, and then make them think". All prizes are awarded for real achievements.

Signature dishes

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/Food/article3473016.ece

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Aloo Tikki at Agarwal Sweet Palace Photo: K. Ananthan

On hot summer afternoons there is nothing like a spicy, sweet, yummy chaat. It could be a bhelpuri, a papdi chaat, a pav bhaji or a dahi puri. Old and new, big and small, far and near, chaat joints are plentiful in the city. The Metroplus team heads out to some of its favourite hangouts and shares its findings.

VIKASH MITHAI MANDIR

Bharathi Park Road

SIGNATURE DISH Kutchi Dabeli

Coimbatore hadn’t heard of the Kutchi Dabeli till Subhash set up Vikash Mithai Mandir on Bharathi Park 7th Cross Road. “Dabelis are like idlis and dosas in my hometown,” says Subhash, who came down to Coimbatore from Gujarat in 1988 to work with Sri Dhirajlal D Mithaiwala. In 2002, he started Mithai Mandir in Saibaba Colony because a lot of people felt there were not too many chaat shops there. Since then, people have been treated to a variety of chaat items, savouries and sweets native to Gujarat.

Mithai Mandir serves ghaatis, papdi-fafdas, dhoklas, kachoris and samosas, and even ‘home made pickles’ that come all the way from Gujarat. Basundi, badam milk and shrikhand are also immensely popular here.

But it’s the dabeli that earns Subhash his fame. A non-chaat-lover might think the vada pav and dabeli are the same. Oh no. Dabelis are more piquant, and the peanuts (and sometimes, pomegranate seeds) make the dish more special. A mixture of boiled and mashed potatoes, raw onions, roasted peanuts and dabeli masala is placed between a pav (smeared with pudina, garlic and khajur-imli chutney) to result in the sweet and tangy goody.

CALCUTTA CHAAT

R.S. Puram

SIGNATURE DISH Vada Pav

“It’s the lasoon chutney that makes the difference,” declares Ramji Gupta. The vada pav he whips up at his shop – Calcutta Chaat – is as authentic as the ones you get in Maharashtra. Calcutta Chaat doesn’t have fancy interiors. If you don’t mind inhaling cigarette smoke while biting into heavenly vada pav, head to East Lokmanya Street. Around the corner, right next to a small tea shop, you will find Ramji Gupta’s chaat shop. Speaking of his signature dish, Gupta says, “Apart from our special lasoon chutney, the panch phoran we add also gives the dish its special taste.”

“I lived in Bombay for eight years and had a thela in Chunabatti,” says Gupta, who originally hails from Uttar Pradesh. “That’s where I learnt to make vada pav. After that, I took my thela to a footpath in Bangalore.”

In 2005, Gupta and his thela arrived in Coimbatore. “We were selling chaat on the road. In 2006, we set up this shop.”

Gupta’s team makes samosas and sandwiches from 8 a.m. onwards. But it’s only after 2 p.m. that people start gathering around the street corner, for pani puri and papdi chaat are served only then. Vada pav is made through the day. When asked how many vada pavs Gupta makes every day, he says, “At least 300. In the evenings alone.”

ADYAR ANANDA BHAVAN

Bharathiar Road

SIGNATURE DISH Bhelpuri

It is noisy. The ugly bus stand heaves next door. The stream of traffic is never ending. Still, we keep going back there because it has arguably the best bhelpuri in town. As soon as you enter the no-nonsense downstairs section of Adyar Ananda Bhavan, to your right are two men, expertly mixing, tossing, sprinkling and serving up chaats in brightly coloured plates.

The crispness of the bhelpuri is its crowning glory. There is nothing like soggy puri, sev or papdi to take the joy out of a chaat. There is a crunch in your mouth that lasts till the last spoonful. Even after it has been smothered with the green and the tamarind chutney and the onions and the little pieces of raw mango. The secret of such authentic bhelpuri in South India? The chaat counters in all A2B branches are in the capable hands of North Indians, mostly from Bihar and Rajasthan. Of course, other specialities await chaat seekers. But check out the bhelpuri.

AGARWAL SWEET PALACE

DB Road, R.S. Puram

SIGNATURE DISHES Aloo tikki and badam milk

If aloo tikki has a local address, this has to be it. Take a bite and you travel to the gallis of Delhi where they serve similar stuff. Two crispy potato tikkis fried in ghee form the base. A paste of safed mattar follows. A dollop of mint chutney and sweet chutney and a sprinkling of chaat masalas later, it is garnished with deep fried lachcha potato. Also check out their other chaat offerings such as pav bhaji and raj kachori, made by the smiling Dev Anand, Suraj, Gangaram and Bansi. End your chaat session with their soothing badam milk that comes loaded with slivers of sweet almond.

FOOD GARDEN

T.V. Samy Road, R.S. Puram

SIGNATURE DISH Dahi puri

It’s a corner shop, but has been a favourite with chaat lovers in the city. For 17 years, Food Garden has wowed palates with its crispy vegetable bhel puri, buttery pav bhaji and dahi puri that tastes just as sweet even at 9 at night. The curd for the dahi puri is made from buffalo milk especially procured from a farmer in Annur. Balasubramani, the bhel expert, furiously stirs together puffed rice, onion, carrot, coriander, cucumber, tomato, groundnut, diced mango, gulkand sweet chutney and pudina chutney for a filling treat. The masala puri’s lovely too, finished off with grated carrot and coriander. They cook just enough to ladle out about 200 plates of chaat during the week and about 250 during the weekend, says owner V.S. Senthil. There’s always a steady stream of loyal customers, and so, sometimes, you return disappointed.

del

4D THEATER WORKS & discotheque NIGHT CLUB WORKS ARE IN PROGRESS... INSIDE LE MERIDIAN^^^^:banana::banana:

del

4D THEATER WORKS & discotheque NIGHT CLUB WORKS ARE IN PROGRESS... INSIDE LE MERIDIAN^^^^:banana::banana:

???:ohno::ohno:

SOME OF MY CLICKS IN LE MERIDIAN COIMBATORE ON 11-6-12

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^^ wow :shocked: CBE :rock:

SOME OF MY CLICKS IN LE MERIDIAN COIMBATORE ON 11-6-12



Great pics !!

^^ wow :shocked: CBE :rock:

Great pics !!

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New 3-star hotel in Ram Nagar - Prince Gardens

http://epaper.dinamalar.com/PUBLICATIONS/DM/COIMBATORE/2012/06/24/Article//106/24_06_2012_106_037.jpg

New 3-star hotel in Ram Nagar - Prince Gardens



Where is this exactly located.

Taken in Jos allukas jewellary showroom

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Where is this exactly located.

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fine dine restaurant
http://i1051.photobucket.com/albums/s421/faheem9333/DSC_0131.jpg^^

Pics of allankar hotel
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http://i1051.photobucket.com/albums/s421/faheem9333/DSC_0137.jpg^^

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Kuppanna chetinadu restaurant(branches chennai,erode)
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Velan food park
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Herritage
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http://i1051.photobucket.com/albums/s421/faheem9333/DSC_0145.jpg^^

City tower
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City fried chicken restaurant(unit of city tower hotel)
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http://i1051.photobucket.com/albums/s421/faheem9333/DSC_0147.jpg^^

^^ One more hotel with the same (a kind of vintage) feel is in Avanashi road, what is that? Any pics?

^^ One more hotel with the same (a kind of vintage) feel is in Avanashi road, what is that? Any pics?

vintage???:ohno:

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^^ One more hotel with the same (a kind of vintage) feel is in Avanashi road, what is that? Any pics?

DO YOU NO THE NAME?? COZ AVINASHI RD HAS MANY HOTELS !

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wonderful pics, well done Faheem.

Please post this under Indian Cityscapes & Townscapes as well it will get wider view.

wonderful pics, well done Faheem.

Please post this under Indian Cityscapes & Townscapes as well it will get wider view.

Thank you!!:-):-):-):-):-)

url:http://creamcentre.com/locations/coimbatore/orbit-avenue/
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^^ Looks really nice :)

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http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/article3639604.ece

All you need is The Beatles
Esther Elias

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Members of Avayukta perform at 'Down Memory Lane' at The Residency in Coimbatore. Photo: M. Periasamy



The Coimbatore Art and Theatrical Society brought the Beatles home with an evening of their most popular songs

There’s only one place you’d be begged to “Love, love me do” and then told to “Let it be” immediately after. It’s got to be while re-living the 60s through The Beatles at the Coimbatore Art and Theatrical Society's (CATS) ‘Down Memory Lane’ in The Residency. You’re welcomed by Paul McCartney’s sketched celebrity crowd on the album cover of Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Then you’re served by waiters in polka-dotted shirts and rainbow-coloured afros. And then, you’re treated to octogenarians and teenagers alike advising Jude to “take a sad song and make it better”.

Avyaktha, the seven-member fusion band which opened the evening, did just that. With acoustic guitars, a violin, shakers, keyboards, a lead and bass guitar, the boy band performed instrumental covers of some of The Beatles’ biggest hits. While the lead guitar replaced McCartney and John Lennon’s vocals, most of the audience filled in by singing the lyrics. Dressed in white shirts and black ties, the band was in sharp contrast to The Beatles’ wild, intoxicated live performances. Even so, their recognizable acoustic arrangements of Yesterday, Across the Universe and Here comes the Sun, among others, had Beatlemaniacs humming along.

Soon enough, however, the audience demanded vocals and Eric from the duo, Twin Reverb stepped up and delivered. With open-throated vocals backed by softer harmonies, the pair sang many covers including A Hard Day’s Night, With Love from Me to You and All You Need is Love. By now half the hall had coupled up and were jiving on the dance floor. They paused, however, to wave hands in unison as Twin Reverb eased into Lennon’s legendary ballad, Imagine. The band closed with Hey Jude while the crowd carried forward the chorous’ Naa-naa-naa-na-na-na-naa chant.

As the evening progressed, Cedees Pujak and Co organized a karaoke round, interspersed with performances by dance troupe, Stepping Stones. Kids and teenagers from the group twisted, turned and spun to The Beatles’ upbeat numbers like Oh Darlin’, Saw Her Standing There, and Roll Over Beethoven. Meanwhile, CATS screened the rockumentary Beatlemania, which narrated historic events accompanied by The Beatles’ songs they influenced.

Trivia time

CATS also organized a trivia quiz which had grown men scrambling for sweets thrown out as rewards. For the hungry, the live pasta and khow suey bars satisfied. For the thirsty, drinks flowed in abundance. As the night grew old, the loud singing and inebriated dancing were mildly remindful of The Beatles’ original acid-tripping fan following. As older Coimbatore let down its hair, the next generation joined in reminiscing their parents’ rebellious years.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/article3645126.ece?homepage=true

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Oppanakkara Street in upmarket Coimbatore, with a number of leading jewellery shops, textile showrooms and electronic goods outlets is considered the core business area of the city.

The history of this street dates back to the 1760’s when tiled houses dotted the area. Most of the shops on Oppanakkara Street then sold material for make-up, probably because there were two major cine studios in the city and another major one in Salem.

The tiled houses provided a feast for the eyes in terms of artistic carpentry, stone and lime mortar sculptures, Velayutham of Vijaya Pathipagam said. Other streets linked to Oppanakkara Street were the busy Vysial Street, Raja Street, Range Gowder Street, Thomas Street and Big Bazaar Street.

The street housed a number of banks, besides shops dealing with paper. It was the hub of all commercial activity and was in fact the heart of the city. Imagine even Coimbatore Railway Junction was considered a place out of city limits!

Old timer and former MLA of Perur Constituency A. Natarajan said there were a handful of printing presses, the more famous among them being Velalar Press run by the Kongu Velalar Community.

The street was chock-a-block with horse-drawn jutkas, cycles, the occasional motorcycles and big fancy cars and was considered the most congested part of the city even a couple of decades ago said K.M. Subramanian, Trustee of Koopidu Vinayakar Street of Idayar Street, who has watched Oppanakkara Street bursting at its seams throughout his life.

The first ever landmark on the street was the Coimbatore Athar Jama-ath that came into existence with the contribution from 52 families who migrated from Tirunelveli in the 1760’s because of famine.

In 1860, the 52 families pooled in money and constructed the first mosque of Coimbatore, recalled H. Mohammed Musthafa, Muthavalli of the Jama-ath.

The minar of the mosque was built in 1905 and it became one of the famous structures not only in Coimbatore and was the most photographed and replicated in other towns as well, Musthafa, added.

The mosque was the first cement concrete structure with two floors. It had the distinction of hosting dignitaries of the likes of Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev, Chairman of the Council of Ministers from Russia, Mahatma Gandhi, former President Zakir Hussain, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.

Oppanakkara Street continues to retain its relevance as a commercial hub despite the growing traffic congestion. Modernity has set in without spoiling its traditional identity, with those tiled houses still dotting the street. Some of the shopkeepers still retain their old name boards, making senior citizens take a trip down the memory lane whenever they go to the place. The latest back lit and front lit name boards and neon lights co-exist.

V. Jeevanandham, President of Chitra Kala Academy, recollecting his childhood association with Oppanakkara Street, pointed out that later entrants to the place in the form of big commercial establishments resulted in smaller merchants dealing with vests, briefs, bed-sheets and sundries being forced to move out to other shopping localities in the city.

The now upscale Oppanakkara Street, apart from becoming a hub for electrical and electronic accessories, also has an array of hotels like Central Biriyani Hotel, Kala Bhavan, Ranjitha Vilas, Irani, Sampoorna and Arul Jyothi. Though a late entrant in 1956, Murali Restaurant is a much sought after joint even today. It still has only three items on the menu _ chapathi, chicken and mutton kheema. The street also played host to Ramanik Lal sweet stall and Dheeraj Lal. Well known journalist Kalki used to order sweets and coffee from Ranjitha Vilas often.

Uppukinaru Street, a small lane off Oppanakkara Street had four or five oil crushers catering to the cooking oil needs of the entire town then. It also had shops selling colour dyes for fabrics. But, the street today is also known for purchase of textile materials at affordable rates.

Oppanakkara Street was in the news during the communal riots. The shooting down of a former police inspector Arjunan by another inspector Muthusamy during a procession on the street still is talked about by old timers.

Most people who fondly recollected their memories of Oppanakkara Street had one thing in common to say: though the street was keeping pace with the changes, it had embraced a lot of modernity as well. It still retains its importance and identity in the social fabric of the city.

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/leisure/article3649401.ece

The Mall upstairs

Two new outlets draw in the crowds on the fourth floor of Brookfields. One is a lifestyle store and the other, a restaurant

Just when you thought you had seen everything at Brookfields, there is more. On the top floor. Two new places to spend money in. One is the colourful Home Centre, and the other is iD, a pure vegetarian restaurant.

If you want to work up an appetite to do justice to iD, then head to Home Centre first. There is over 25,000 square feet of retail therapy awaiting you. Past the candles shaped like shells and flowers to those scented with mangoes, vanilla, strawberries and raspberries, is my favourite part of the store, where rows upon rows of mugs hang on hooks, stand on tables and lie in fancy packing boxes. There are sturdy country-styled ones in solid creams, reds and blacks to more delicate pinks, yellows and greens. Some have floral designs and others abstract patterns. Look out for the ‘Beautiful Home’ crockery. It is indeed beautiful, with its cookie jars, spoon holders, creamers, spice jars, cereal bowls and plates.

A word of caution: when you are in this section of the store, don’t make sweeping gestures as you may knock off something. And keep an eye on your kids if they enjoy yanking stuff off tables. Everything is within reach and so tempting!

It is difficult not to want to redo your kitchen then and there as you wander down the aisles of Home Centre. Storage containers, big, small and medium, round and square, tall and short, cry out to be picked up. Already, in that inward eye, you can see them smartening up your kitchen shelves. Shiny steel saucepans with and without lids, casseroles, sets of vessels, bowls glasses, plates….

Do it up

Particularly nice are flat microwave safe plates, the kind you could arrange your food on at the end of a long and tiring day, and bung it into the microwave. And you won’t be able to resist picking up at least one of the choppers or graters, pepper mills or peelers that would not be out of place in Nigella’s kitchen.

Newly weds should come here. Not just to do up their kitchen, but also their bedrooms, dining rooms and living areas. There is a range of cots, bedside tables, chest of draws, cupboards, dressing tables, and tables, chairs and crockery cupboards to choose from. There is also a bewildering variety of bed linen, bath mats, towels, cushions, clothes stands, dustbins and shower curtains.

Says business manager C. Balakumar, “The Coimbatore edition of the store is the latest in the chain that is spread across 13 centres in the country. Home Centre keeps pace with the global trends. As an introductory offer, we have free home delivery of furniture anywhere in and around Coimbatore.” The furniture, says Balakumar, can also be customised.

Home Store is open seven days a week, and has a host of attractive introductory offers, including a privilege card.

So, by now if your feet are killing you and your tummy is growling back at you, head across to iD. The restaurant envelopes you with the aromas of sambar and filter coffee. A neat and elegant eating space, iD’s décor makes you smile. Especially the idli eclipse on the wall! The ravaa idli smiles at you from the minimalist menu card as well. A small and compact menu is on offer.

Chef D. Srinivasan moves around ready to help out an indecisive guest! He is persuasive about the keerai vadai, and it is indeed very, very good. Crisp on the outside, not greasy, and, best of all, steaming hot.

The MLA pesarattu is special, we are told. It appears on the table greenish-gold with a satisfying crunch and stuffed with upma. The accompaniment is an aromatic ginger chutney. After an adai avial, a pongal that makes you groan in delight and an aapam and a too-sweet stew, it is time for filter coffee.

It arrives in handsome white mugs, only the mug is half full and not brimming over as a coffee lover would look forward to. But the brew is delicious and a wonderful way of rounding up the meal.

If you want, you can sit on barstools and watch your food being cooked across the counter. Very cool.

iD is part of the SPI Cinemas group which runs thecinema@ Brookfields. It is open all week round, between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. And, on Saturdays and Sundays it is open from 8 a.m.

For details call 0422-6473801.

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/Food/article3665942.ece

Ticket to Turkey

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TURNING TURKISH: A full plater at Istanbul Feast. Photos: K. Ananthan

A range of soups, salads, kebabs and desserts at Estia, Aloft brings the traditional cuisine of the Ottoman empire to Coimbatore

The Ottoman empire ruled Turkey for over six centuries and for them, food went beyond mere sustenance. It dictated their political lives. Their military’s emblem was a soup cauldron and they wore spoons on their headgear. Revolt against the sultan was symbolised by the military chief ‘overturning the soup cauldron’, from where we get the modern-day expression.

At Aloft’s Istanbul Feast — Turkish Kebab Festival — executive chef T. Balaji ensures you overturn no soup cauldrons in displeasure. Anyhow, he gives you the option right at the outset, serving hot creamy chicken soup with chickpeas and spinach.

In between spoonfuls, he explains he trained for nine years under Turkish and Lebanese chefs in Dubai and wanted to serve Coimbatore the delicacies he picked up there. The result is an elaborate spread of soups, salads, kebabs and desserts, their stumble-upon Turkish names decoded in plain English.

Our soup is followed by tangy pickled vegetables and fattoush, cucumber, tomato, spring onion, capsicum and mint garnished with sumac, a wood spice, and tossed with toasted pita bread. For starters, there’s also manakish — a pizza-like snack with a crunchy thin crust topped with cheese and spice mixture called za’atar, made from thyme, sesame seeds and sumac. “We source our unusual ingredients from a local dealer who brings them from Bombay,” says Balaji.

Up next is the main course of fish, lamb and chicken kebabs, served on white pita bread with seasoned onions. The Turkish are die-hard meat eaters with a strong kebab tradition. Since India has its own kebab history, not much on Aloft’s kebab offerings is alien. “The difference lies, however, in the marinade — lemon juice, olive oil and garlic with muhammara, a red pepper and walnut paste,” explains Balaji.

Also familiar is lamb donar which is prepared like shawarma from the slivered meat of roasted lamb legs. Especially memorable is the samak kebab — basa fish chunks done to perfection. It’s a little like chewing on clouds.

For vegetarian readers who’ve given up hope by now, Balaji’s imagination shall redeem you. He’s turned dolmaisi (stuffed peppers) vegetarian, by replacing the traditional minced meat stuffing with rice, parsley and tomato sauce. “The Turkish are also big on tomato-based meat stews. But here, we’ve used okra instead of the usual lamb,” says Balaji. There are also ‘assorted vegetables and cottage cheese sheek-kebab’ made the Turkish way. To appease the South Indian rice-craving, there’s vermicelli rice on offer.

Desserts are where the courses turn full-blown Turkish. First up is the legendary baklava. No amount of kebabs should leave you too full for this puff pastry, stuffed with nuts and sweetened with syrup. It only gets better with the basbousa — baked semolina cake. And to top it all, there’s to-die-for mouhalabieh. Originally a Lebanese rice and milk pudding, flavoured with rose and orange, its sublime texture has now garnered global fans. For a Turkish festival that largely covers somewhat recognisable ground thanks to our Indian roots, the desserts truly take you back to the time of a food-obsessed Ottoman empire.

The fest is on at Estia, Aloft, Singanallur till July 29 for lunch and dinner. The non-vegetarian menu costs Rs. 700 and the vegetarian menu costs Rs. 550 (taxes extra).

For details, call : 0422 6656000

LGB Formula 4 cars off to a roaring start

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/article3699448.ece

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The LGB Formula 4 roars down the Kari Motor Speedway during the 15th JK Tyre-FMSCI National Racing Championship in Coimbatore on Saturday. Photo: M.Periasamy

The cars are built with a much stronger material produced for aerospace applications

The LGB Formula 4 cars, built in Coimbatore, made a grand debut in the 15th JK Tyre-FMSCI National Racing Championship at the Kari Motor Speedway in Chettipalayam here on Saturday. The man who squeezed the best out of the new car turned out to be Delhi’s Sarosh Hataria. The 32-year-old, representing Team WSRF with Tiger Sport, was obviously thrilled. “It was a real good experience. I felt nice driving it.”

Speaking about the cars, B. Vijayakumar, the man behind the machine, said the older Formula LGB Swift cars built in 2003 had to retire because the technology became old. “The competition is also growing. Where do the drivers go? Racing abroad will cost them a huge packet. These cars will certainly help.”

S. Sivakumar, Director of LG Sports, said it is certainly going to help the team and the drivers. “A go-kart costs about Rs. 4 lakh but these cars come at a subsidised cost. It is beneficial for the team as the capital investment is reduced to a large extent. So, it is going to help the drivers as well. The machine will also be equal for everybody.”

Mr. Vijayakumar said he has provided the car in a kit form to all the teams. “They will be forced to assemble and learn its set up.” He said the Formula 4 cars are built with a much stronger material (chrome molybdenum tubing) originally designed and produced for aerospace applications. It is this material that has been used to construct the frame. We imported it from Korea and it took us a record seven months to complete them.”

Mr. Vijayakumar admitted there was a slight delay. “We wanted it to be ready for the season’s opener but there were delays due to power cuts. We also found it difficult to get the workers, especially for welding.”

He said the advantage with the new car is it is easily adjustable. “Any adjustment on the car can be easily felt by the driver. It is also easy to work on for the mechanics. We have also developed new seats. It offers a more comfortable seating position with greater level of safety. It has the potential to lift the driver out with the seat,” he added.

The cars, powered by 1298cc Swift engines, have been made with a provision to be fitted with wings later.

How about the grey areas? “There have been minor glitches but we have addressed them well this time round,” he said.

Mr. Vijayakumar said the initial plan was to build 30 cars. “But we have managed over 20 cars. We rejected about six frames as it was not uniform in its specifications. But we are happy about our progress.” “We had tested the car for the last one month. It has done over 200 laps. Functionally they are very good. The rest will be taken care of. It will be in full flow from the next race in Chennai,” he promised.

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Hai.
Could someone update on GBJ Raddison Hotel - 5 Star Hotel coming up at Avinashi Road.

McD arrives to the manchester of south
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Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Mc Donalad now open in Fun Mall.

Nalas Appakadai opening shortly, near GP signal in sathy road.

McDonald’s comes to Coimbatore (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/article3769270.ece)

The two floor restaurant is located at Fun Republic in E-City on Avinashi Road

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Yet another global name has entered Coimbatore’s list of eat outs. McDonald’s is now open at Fun Republic in E-City on Avinashi Road.

The 3,470 sq.ft., two floor restaurant with 160 seats was opened on Monday. Next to Chennai, McDonald’s has expanded to Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. Apart from its burgers and French fries, McDonald’s has McValue Lunch menu and added McEgg burger as part of the Happy Price menu, according to a release from the company.

Smita Jatia, Director of Hardcastle Restaurants that establishes McDonald’s outlets in western and southern States, told The Hindu that the company has about 10 stalls in Tamil Nadu and planned to open 35 to 50 more in the next three to five years. The informal eating out sector was growing at 15 per cent to 19 per cent year-on-year and McDonald’s was registering 35 per cent to 40 per cent growth in sales. It was opening nearly 50 outlets every year. The western and southern States had 140 McDonald’s stalls.

Amit Jatia, vice-chairman of Hardcastle Restaurants, said that the company planned to invest Rs. 500 crore during the next three years to establish more outlets. “McDonald’s is present in several tier-town cities in the country. Its suppliers had invested Rs. 500 crore to Rs. 1000 crore in the last 10 years. Supply chain expansion is a continuous exercise,” he said.

McDonald’s now employed nearly 12,000 people across the country and would hire nearly 2,000 more in Tamil Nadu during the next three to four years.

“The company is poised to grow further in the South as a market for its strategic development and expansion,” he said.

Flash mob at Coimbatore Brookfields

For those who haven't seen this before...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0lFj1Mh8xA
.kovish

Had a feast on R. S. Puram "Cock-Ra-Co" last wednesday :cheers:

Grill chicken (pepper flavor) was a way too awesome!

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I am not sure if it is shared before here or not..Got it from Facebook.
B/w the Interiors of theaters & Seating look marvellous..:cheers:

^^ Gilli, I shared the same in Covai Entertainment thread

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article3785423.ece

Kebabs, khubani and curry

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The Residency recreates the Nizam’s kitchen at a Hyderabadi food festival

The paaya was a favourite in the Nizam’s kitchen. The story goes that the Nizam of Hyderabad on one of his rounds in the streets of Hyderabad smelt something nice. He followed the smell and saw that it emanated from something simmering on a low fire. It was paaya, a soup made of lamb trotters that the villagers were cooking. The Nizam did not think twice. He immediately appointed them as the official cooks of the royal kitchen.

S. Ravi Sundar, the Senior Restaurant Manager at The Residency tells us the story as we savour the famous Paaya at the Nizam’s Kitchen, the Hyderabadi food festival organised by the hotel. The thick broth smells heavenly with the aroma of the Hyderbadi Potli masala and sandalwood powder wafting around.

The festival also has Haleem, a semi-gravy dish made of thin shreds of meat, wheat, lentils and spices.

Chef Mohammed Zashimuddin explains how the Haleem is stirred and mixed all day long to get just the right texture. The spicy paaya and haleem are served with Sheermal, a type of bread sprinkled with sesame seeds. The raisin tucked into the dough gives you a pleasant surprise as you munch on a piece dipped in paaya.

THE GOSHT DUM PUKHT BIRYANI IS A WINNER WITH ITS SOFT AND JUICY MUTTON PIECES. FOR VEGETARIANS, THERE ARE TWO VARIETIES OF VEGETABLE BIRIYANIS — SUBZI SHAH BIRIYANI AND AALISHAAN BIRIYANI. A PINCH OF SAFFRON ADDS FLAVOUR TO THE BIRIYANI AND MAKES IT IRRESISTIBLE. HAVE IT WITH THE MIRCHI KA SALAN WITH ITS GREEN CHILLI GRAVY. OCCASIONAL SIPS OF PUDHINA KA PANI WILL ENSURE YOU HAVE AN APPETITE FOR AT LEAST TWO MORE ROUNDS.

THEN, THERE ARE THE KEBABS. THE SHAHZADI MURG, WHICH IS SMOKING HOT MEAT, GRILLED TO PERFECTION, TASTES BEST WITH THE GARLIC CHUTNEY. JUST AS YOU STIFLE THAT BURP AND ARE PREPARING TO CALL IT A DAY, THE RICE POWDER AND CREAMY MILK PHIRNI IS SERVED. ALSO ON THE DESSERT PLATTER ARE THE FAMOUS HYDERABAD’S DOUBLE KA MEETHA, MALAI CHUM CHUM, A VERSION OF RASMALAI WITH EXTRA DOSE OF RABRI AND THE DELICIOUS KHUBANI KA MEETHA, APRICOTS COOKED IN SUGAR…

THE FOOD FESTIVAL IS ON FOR DINNER AT THE PAVILION IN THE RESIDENCY TILL AUGUST 26.THE BUFFET IS PRICED AT RS. 720 PER HEAD FOR ADULTS AND RS. 400 PER HEAD FOR CHILDREN.

FOR DETAILS, CALL 0422-2241414.

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http://profit.ndtv.com/news/corporates/article-itc-group-to-invest-rs-25-000-crore-in-hotel-business-in-5-years-310870

ITC group to invest Rs. 25,000 crore in hotel business in 5 years

ITC Group, as part of expanding its hotel business, has lined up investments of Rs. 25,000 crore over the next five years, a top company official said.

...
...


Besides, these two properties each in Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Group was also eyeing entering Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries

On the company's upcoming projects in domestic market, ITC Group Director-In Charge, Nakul Anand, said currently the group has about 8,000 rooms and plans to add another 5,000 rooms in the next three to four years.

He said the group is setting up properties in Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bhubaneshwar and Coimbatore.

"With this, we will have a total capacity of 13,000 rooms," he said, adding for their Sri Lankan operations they have recently bought a five acre land in Colombo.

"We should be making investments of about Rs. 500 crore..," he said, adding many more expansion plans were still in the "drawing board".

He said these expansion plans will attract investments of USD 2 billion (over Rs. 10,000 crore) of which 35-40 per cent have been already utilised. To a query, he said the group's upcoming hotels would be based on renewable energy with LEED standards.

On ITC's FMCG (rpt) FMCG business, Deveshwar said the group expects to garner revenues of Rs. 15,000 crore over the next five year period. "Last year the revenue from tobacco industry was Rs. 5,500 crore. Obviously, we are looking to generate Rs. 15,000 crore in next five years...," he said.

In reply to a query, he said, "We need Indian companies to create Indian brands competing with global market".

ABC Avenue
Avinashi Road, Coimbatore

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Mount Royale
Gandhipuram, Coimbatore

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Airport Residency
Kalapatti, Coimbatore

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Sankari
Mettupalayam, Coimbatore

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Walgreens Residency
Ondiputhur, Coimbatore

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Harihar Royal
Ondiputhur, Coimbatore

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Harihar Paradise
Pappanaickenpalayam, Coimbatore

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Orchid Eleganz
Ramanathapuram, Coimbatore

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Purple Square
Ramanathapuram, Coimbatore

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Royal Enclave
Ramanathapuram, Coimbatore


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Coral Crest Builders, Saibaba Colony
Saibaba Colony, Coimbatore

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Kalyan Homes Flats
Saravanampatti, Coimbatore


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SMS Lake View
Selvapuram, Coimbatore

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Vasanthaa Apartment
Siddhapudur, Coimbatore

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Sai Muruga
Thudiyalur, Coimbatore

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Sai Radha
Thudiyalur, Coimbatore

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Sai Raja
Thudiyalur, Coimbatore

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Sai Sabari
Thudiyalur, Coimbatore

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Sai Surya
Thudiyalur, Coimbatore

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Purva Bluemont
Trichy Road, Coimbatore

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Surabi Waterfront
Trichy Road, Coimbatore

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Nallas in CBE

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KGISL Metropolis - In KGISL IT SEZ

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Shanti Gears - Social Service Canteen

A very long queue waiting for lunch - Cleared in 5-10 Mins max.
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Parking
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High-Quality unlimited meals with Vadai, Payasam, Chappathi and Banana for Rs.25/-

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Play-zone and resting chairs for kids and parents.
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X-Posting

:banana:Fun Republic Mall - Coimbatore

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Outer View

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3-Floors of Shopper's Stop - Anchor Showroom

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Another Interior view

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Second Apple Show-room in coimbatore

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Reliance's Monster Banner welcoming to mall

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Second Reliance Digital - Spacious and neat than Brook-fields branch.

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45,000 Sq.Feet - Reliance Hyper-mart. Right from pin to bicycle, LED TV to IT accessories - all available under one roof.

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The Busiest shop in the mall with 2 floors and approximately 200 seating capacity.
City's 4th KFC to open shortly in the same mall.

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2 Floors of Home Stop to compete 2 Floors of Lifestyle's Home shop in Brook-fields mall.

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x-posting

Brook fields mall - updates

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Juice Lounge, Ibaco Ice-cream and ID restaurants opened near Satyam Escape cinemas in Brook-fields.


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Pix - 5D cinema opened next to chennai. Rs. 150/show (Duration : 12 Mins)


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Chennai Mobile's Biggest show-room in the city

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Spice Show-room

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Merc Hatch-back Launch in Coimbatore

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Cafe Coffee Day - Getting ready near satyam's escape theater

This is in GV residency, not Gandhipuram.

Mount Royale
Gandhipuram, Coimbatore

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Honble Chief Minister inaugurated the new Housing complex in Coimbatore District through Video Conferencing

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Pastas, Pesto and a cheesy spread

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/Food/pastas-pesto-and-a-cheesy-spread/article3996786.ece

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A taste of Italy at the Delizioso food festival on at Estia, the Mediterranean Restaurant

The Formato di zucchini arrives in style. Layers and layers of grilled green and yellow zucchini swimming in a pool of creams and sauces, topped with grated cheese. A sprig of rosemary lends an artistic finish. I sprinkle chilli flakes on the baked zucchini soufflé, and enjoy the crisp result, enhanced by the accompanying focaccia bread. A delicious mix of sweet and sour flavours transport me to Italy.

“We layer zucchini with tomato sauce, cheese sauce, and then pour cheese generously on top before baking it,” explains Thirupathi Balaji, executive chef at Aloft. I choose the rich country salad with Caesar dressing from the salad counter. The lettuce leaves are coated in cheese and mayonnaise, there are sliced baby tomatoes, and black olives thrown in and the salad is topped with cream, crushed pepper, garlic, and olive oil. For the non-vegetarians, the salad comes with chicken slices. Raw beef slices marinated in lemon juice and olive oil, and served with lettuce and parmesan cheese, is another Italian speciality on offer. I bite into the mozzarella and tomato wedges that are topped with pesto sauce. It is aromatic and fresh. Oregano, basil and rosemary, and spices such as cinnamon, pepper, and garlic define Italian cuisine. “They use tomatoes, coloured peppers, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, aubergine, along with cream and plenty of cheese. Though the Italian fare is mild, some of the South Italian dishes are high on spices,” the chef explains. I then try the Crespelle, a crisp pancake stuffed with melt-in-the mouth cheese and spinach.

A live pasta counter dishes out home-made pastas including linguini (noodle-like), pappardelle, and tagliati which are ribbon shaped pastas. There is gnocchi (potato and spinach dumplings), ravioli with cheese and more. Diners can choose from a colourful line-up of sauces, from tomato and cream, and cheese sauce, to spicy tomato, pesto (basil sauce), and meat and beef sauces. They can mix and match the vegetables, seafood, chicken breast, and fish, and create their own pasta too. Spaghetti, penne, and fusilli are served on request. The cheese varieties, creams, risotto rice, and polenta (cornmeal cakes), have come from Mumbai. They use mozzarella (made from buffalo’s milk), blue cheese (gorgonzola) and the Dutch Gouda cheese. But if difficult to source, one could substitute with Cheddar, says the chef. For desserts, the chef recommends Boca Negra, a soft-centred chocolate pudding. My favourite is the Tiramisu that has layers of mascarpone cheese and cream, sandwiched with coffee-flavoured sponge cake (finger biscuit sponge) and I go yummm…. You can also try the Blueberry Pana Cotta, which has double-layered cream folded with sugar and gelatine.

Delizioso is on for lunch and dinner (a la carte) till October 21. Call: 0422-6656000

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/Food/an-aappa-kadai-comes-to-town/article4038014.ece

An Aappa kadai comes to town

Food With 13 kinds of aappams, Nalas Aappa Kadai is all about variety and innovation

The shrivelled old paati had an aappa kadai at a street corner in Lakshmi Puram, Madurai. Her aappams were the best in the world to me. She made a mildly sweet karupatti aappam that was so delicate that it came apart by the time it reached your mouth. The aappa kadai is not there anymore; every time I pass by the street, I feel sad. So when I heard that a new aappa kadai was in town, I hoped to find aappams at least half as good as paati’s there.

A long list of aappams

Nalas Aappa Kadai has 13 varieties of aappams. This includes the plain, egg, egg masala, bulls-eye, chicken kheema and mutton keema aappams. Then there are the kids special aappams such as rangoli, butter paneer, cheese, cheese cashew, gingelly cheese and flower aappam.

All of which, according to head chef V. Muthu, are easy on the stomach. “Aappam is healthy. It’s enjoyed by adults and children alike,” he says.

A native of Tirunelveli, chef Muthu has worked at all branches of Nalas. He is here to share his expertise with the staff at their Coimbatore branch.

An expert at making aappams, Muthu has over 20 years of experience in the industry. He started off as a helper in the kitchen who washed dishes and mopped the floor.

All of Nalas’ aappams, explains Muthu, were ideated by his boss, the managing director.

Work at Nalas starts early in the morning. The first thing they do is soak rice to make the aappam batter. The batter is ground at around 9 a.m. and at 11.30 a.m., the first aappam for the day is made.

The nice thing about Nalas’ aappams is the variety. Who would’ve thought of kheema aappams? Smeared with minced meat and a mild masala, the aappams are delicious.

Soft as a cloud

Biting into the butter paneer aappam is “like eating clouds” as my fellow diner put it. It is pure indulgence with all the butter.

But it is the cheese cashew aappam that takes the experience to a whole new level. It comes with cheese, a generous sprinkling of powdered cashews and sugar.

Muthu says that in a month’s time, they plan to introduce gold aappams!

Good deals

The ground floor of the restaurant has the good bargains where combo meals are served. It is called Express Aappa Kadai.

The combos start at Rs.44 , and there is a variety of combinations such as veg aappam with coconut milk, kal dosai and salna, two aappams and kadalai curry, two aappams and chicken chettinad, and so on.

Upstairs is their fine dining restaurant, with every thing from soups (try the drumstick soup), starters (chicken sukka and prawn in curry leaves are a must-try), Andhra, tandoori, Arabian, Chinese, Chettinad and south Indian delicacies.

There are kulchas and parottas, grilled and barbeque chicken.

While my Madurai paati’s karupatti aappam was not there on the menu, the cheese cashew aappam more than made up for it.

Nalas Appa Kadai is located at No.986, Sathy Road, Gandhipuram. For home delivery, call 81242-22888, 81243-33888.

Heard they launched Gold aapam. Cost of one appam is 499 rupees. Available in CBE and some select oulets in Chennai.

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/Food/an-aappa-kadai-comes-to-town/article4038014.ece

RADISSION 5 STAR HOTEL UPDATE

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^^ Where is[Location in coimbatore] RADISSION 5 STAR HOTEL coming up?

^^ Where is[Location in coimbatore] RADISSION 5 STAR HOTEL coming up?

It's in Nava India Signal


http://www.icra.in/Files/Reports/Rationale/GBJ%20Hotels%20Private%20_r_06122012%20.pdf

However with a project cost of Rs. 187 crore (~Rs 1.4 crore per room) and a debt:equity of 1.4 times
as on 31
st
March, 2012, the per room investment in the project is high, particularly in view of the
location and the ability of the location to command premium average rooms rates (ARRs). While the
long term viability of the property is sound with limited competition, we expect the high project cost to
lead to a stretched breakeven period leading to considerable requirements for loss funding. The
promoter has had limited experience in the business of constructing hotels. However, a professional
project management team with sound experience has been engaged to work on the project. The
Company owns a 134 room single hotel located in Coimbatore, exposing the company to event risks
within the Coimbatore region. The project construction is currently in its early stages which exposes
the project to time and cost overruns. The project is currently running on a 3-4 month delay, although
the management expects to make up for it by employing multiple interior decorators to speed up the
project completion. With imports forming ~30% of the cost, the project cost is exposed to volatility in
exchange rates.
Company Profile
GBJ Hotels Limited was incorporated in 2008, by Mr. G. Balasubramaniam, and is currently setting up
its first hotel in Coimbatore. Radisson Blu Hotel is to come up in 3.93 acres of land in Avinashi road, at
the heart of Coimbatore city, at ~ 5 km from the Coimbatore Airport. The hotel under construction is
estimated to be around 2 lakh square feet with 134 rooms, a grand banquet hall (of 10,000 square
feet), Coffee shop, Speciality restaurant, Health club, Swimming pool, Business centre, Meeting halls,
Gym, Club floor, etc. The property is expected to be launched by October, 2013.
GBJ Hotels Private Limited currently does not have any operations.
December 2012

@singakutty Whether work was going on radisson site. I could nt find the activity when i visited last time.

i heard "Village" near Flower market is very good taste and hi-fi too.
anybody been there?

i heard "Village" near Flower market is very good taste and hi-fi too.
anybody been there?

Yes its a good restaurant and quite famous among people. It is being run by MBA grads and students working part time, the place is completely covered with ads. which generates revenue for them and also food quality is good for the cost.

What about hilton coimbatore project?any idea?

Can you guys suggest me a nice hotel to stay in Coimbatore at a decent tariff ?

No Star Category pls..It'll be good if the hotel is in vicinity to the airport.

You could try this.. Skylite Hotels. http://www.skylitehotels.com/
Recent addition to CBE right on Airport Road, off-Avinashi Road. No reviews yet; maybe you could give us one, if you make a stay here.


Can you guys suggest me a nice hotel to stay in Coimbatore at a decent tariff ?

No Star Category pls..It'll be good if the hotel is in vicinity to the airport.

^^ Many thanks arvind..Tariff looks affordable for me.

Rooms also look decent in their website..I'll try it..Thanks for the suggestion.

No problem :) . remember to let us know your comments on the facilities..


^^ Many thanks arvind..Tariff looks affordable for me.

Rooms also look decent in their website..I'll try it..Thanks for the suggestion.

A new luxury hotel is coming up in race course by CAG . The hotel is called CAG stay

Hai brand coimbatore
wil u let us to know the details of no.of rooms/floors, etc

Hai brand coimbatore
wil u let us to know the details of no.of rooms/floors, etc

CAG Group rocks Coimbatore. Maybe they are trying to compete with Vivanta by offering lower Tariff...

Cock Ra Co is good if you are a Fish or Chicken Fry lover.

Their grill chicken was awesome. Their way of cooking it is entirely different. A definite MUST TRY.

Similar is with Fish Fry. I had a Big Full fish fry, thought it should cost around 400plus, but it actually costs just less than 200.

They have a glass compartment in the entrance to showcase their non veg, I clicked it but don't know how to post.

Found a NEW BOUTIQUE HOTEL in Avinashi Road.
may be inaugurated very shortly.
Looks Awesome:cheers::cheers::banana:^^

http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/9898/photo0160s.jpg

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Found a NEW BOUTIQUE HOTEL in Avinashi Road.
may be inaugurated very shortly.
Looks Awesome:cheers::cheers::banana:^^

http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/9898/photo0160s.jpg

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/4812/photo0161m.jpg

No, this hotel is opened earlier ...its ads are coming in Hindu newpaper.:cheers:

Busy construction activity going on in Radisson blu site

TFS the info. Hope RAdisson BLue opens by early next year

Restaurants in and around Vadavalli.

Cock- ara- Co, this is in PN Puthur, seems to be a cousin sister of RS Puram's one.
The meal is so good, with awesome fish gravy just Rs 40.
Chick Briyani is good at 60 Rs( seeraga samba )

Swarga looks like a star hotel, but priced very cheap. Food taste, quality & quantity is much better for its asking price & ambience.

Janani a good & cheap veg food joint next to Swarga. I love both its taste & price. A dosa cost R 10 only. This opened its branch at Kalveerampalayam too.

Annapoorani near Karuparayan Temple is a treat for veg lovers. Its tasty, served with love & dedication, good ambience and.......... they don't ask you money.

Cock-ra-Co RS Puram serves excellent Grilled Chicken & got excellent Fish Frys

Pity they closed down Dhanya's ... it was decent wen i went there last yr...

http://epaper.dinamalar.com/PUBLICATIONS/DM/COIMBATORE/2013/03/24/article/115/24_03_2013_115_031.jpg

Phoenix MarketCity gets new iD-entity:cheers::cheers:

http://media.newindianexpress.com/article1515468.ece/ALTERNATES/w460/Actor-Priya-Anand.jpg



SPI Cinemas’ in-theatre restaurant, iD, opened its first eatery outside a theatre complex in the city at the new Phoenix MarketCity on Thursday. The launch saw actor Suhasini Mani Ratnam sampling the restaurant with a sumptuous dinner menu while actor Priya Anand prepared and served the hot chocolate dosa, one of the specials of the new iD, to the other celebrities present on the occasion.

Bhavesh, head of the food and beverage department of SPI Cinemas, said that the new restaurant would retain the core theme of iD brand in terms of ambience, with a lot more addition to the regular menu of idlies, dosas and hot and cold beverages. “The new iD restaurant can accommodate 150 people at a time, apart from the open space that will be available from afternoon. The menu is much bigger than the one in Sathyam Complex with a variety of dosas and chocolate samosas, which are already a hit among children,” says Bhavesh.

Interestingly, the kitchen is right in the middle of the restaurant, surrounded by seatings, and what more — you can browse on your laptop while treating your tastebuds, as the whole set-up is wi-fi enabled.

Bhavesh said Sathyam understood the potential for a hygienic vegetarian restaurant in the city and decided to open a chain of restaurants. “We have one restaurant at the food court of the mall as well and will open two restaurants at the yet-to-be launched Forum Mall at Vadapalani,” says Bhavesh. Sathyam opened its first seperate restaurant in Coimbatore and has plans to expand it across the country in a few years.

http://newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/article1515470.ece

Park Hotels launches mid-market brand Zone:cheers::cheers::cheers:

NEW DELHI, APRIL 3:
Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels, which runs boutique hotel chain Park Hotels in the country, has launched a new brand, ‘Zone by the Park’.

Priya Paul, Chairperson, Apeejay Surrendra, Park Hotels, said, “We saw an opportunity to create a mid segment brand that reflected an upbeat mood. Though different from The Park, we wanted to create a brand that would channel its inimitable spirit.”

The group will launch four hotels under the new brand, with the first one expected to open at Raipur by the end of this year. Other three locations that have been identified for the brand include Coimbatore, Dehradun and New Delhi. ^^It will largely be run through management contracts with developers

Vijay Dewan, Managing Director of the hotel chain, added, “After much deliberation, we closed on the brand ‘Zone by The Park’. Zone will cater to the gap in the Indian hotel market for the burgeoning Indian middle class and international traveller looking for budget travel. The hotels will be priced around the $80-100 (daily tariff) mark.”

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/marketing/park-hotels-launches-midmarket-brand-zone/article4577323.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home

hi every one ,
we(PosUp) doing interior designing (plus) space branding, here we need Informations about list about upcoming constructions in coimbatore city like
* malls
* showrooms
* spa
* play schools
* all pvt sector business like (textiles,accessories - male/ female , restaurents, resorts, all showrooms)
* hospitals
* schools/colleges
* salon
* Dance floors
* theatres
* office
etc
SO IF ANY ONE KNOWS ABOUT UPCOMING THOSE PROJECTS PLS INFORM US .... like any buildings under constructions / yet to come projects....
thanks ...

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/five-amma-unavagams-to-come-up-in-city-soon/article4590850.ece

Five ‘Amma Unavagams’ to come up in city soon

Corporation is in the process of identifying locations

Coimbatore will soon have five ‘Amma Unavgams,’ the budget restaurants, from which members of the working class and economically weaker sections can have food at subsidised rates.

According to Coimbatore Corporation Commissioner G. Latha, the civic body planned to open five such canteens in the city – one each a zone in the coming days. Divulging further details would be premature at this stage because things were at a preliminary stage.

Plus, the Corporation was also expecting orders from of the office of the Commissioner for Municipal Administration in this regard. There were chances that the number of canteens could also go up. Sources in the civic body said that the Corporation was in the process of identifying locations for the canteens and they could most probably be located on the civic body premises. The kitchen could come up at the Corporation wedding hall at Puliakulam.

The civic body had formed a committee comprising the City Health Officer for this purpose. The members of the committee included representatives of the engineering wing, sanitary supervisors and of course the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner.

The sources said that the Corporation planned to involve members of self help groups in maintaining the kitchen and serving food at the counters. It had also planned to involve owners of roadside eateries if they were interested.

The Corporation would buy provisions in bulk from the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation, Chinthamani, the Co-operative store, curd from Aavin and vegetables from the market. The rough estimates it had prepared suggests that there could be a variation in the production price give the cost of living in the city vis-à-vis Chennai.

If the Corporation were to open such canteens, it would be of immense help to the working class in the industrial city of Coimbatore, said U.K. Sivagnanam, member, District Secretariat, Communist Party of India (Marxist).

The Corporation should open a canteen in each of the 100 wards, he suggested.

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Hai singakutty what is the floor count of the radission blue,do enquire and update the same.what is the proposed date for its operation any idea?

http://epaper.dinamalar.com/PUBLICATIONS/DM/COIMBATORE/2013/04/25/Article/251/25_04_2013_251_023.jpg

MERRY BROWN NEW RESTAURANT OPENED IN RACECOURSE-CAG FINE STAY

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The Coimbatore Corporation will soon open Amma Unavagam, the subsidised canteen from the State government, in all the 100 wards of the Coimbatore Corporation. It will also initiate steps to license dogs, pound stray cattle on streets, exterminate pigs from the city and curb illegal hoarding and graffiti.

At the Thursday’s Council meeting, Mayor S.M. Velusamy asked officials to give time for those rearing pigs to move out of the city and after the deadline impound and auction the animals. His announcement came in deference to councillors’ demands.

He then instructed Town Planning Officer Varadharajan to remove illegal hoardings and act against those pasting posters, erecting hoardings and drawing on walls. To the city police, he said they could approach the Corporation if they wanted traffic umbrellas and not depend on sponsors, who were keen on displaying their brands.

Mr. Velusamy also asked Commissioner G. Latha to form a team of officials to work out ways to remove plastic materials from drains and other places in the city. This was after Ward 61 councillor S.M. Samy spoke of plastic materials choking drains and that leading to flooding of streets.

“The Corporation should embark on an anti-plastics campaign as it had done a few years ago. This will help keep the drains clean before monsoon and prevent flooding.”

Finance and Taxation Committee Chairman R. Prabhakaran joined him saying that if the civic body were to focus on cleaning drains, it should start with culverts because that was where the plastics were gathered.

After the councillors complained of improper closing of roads where the underground drainage and storm water drain works were taken up, he said that engineers in the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission wing should immediately close the pits and ensure that no water stagnated at those places.

Soon thereafter, the Council passed a resolution to demand a new road-overbridge between Coimbatore and Irugur railway junctions, supply drinking water to those areas where water pressure was less, construct additional classrooms at the school in Ward 62, and attempt biogas generation from bio-waste.

KFC also should at Race Cource.

Pothys converted one of its underground parking area to super market. Whether it was done with proper permission?

Kannan departmental stores did this for their Pollachi store and now Pollachi municipality sealed that area.

When pasta met the podi

http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/Food/when-pasta-met-the-podi/article4666762.ece


http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01443/LATEST_RECIPE_1_1443002g.jpg

Take your taste buds to the party at Le Meridien’s Fusion Food Festival

The Fusion Food Festival at Le Meridien’s Latest Recipe is an exercise in making up your mind, for every offering straddles multiple cuisines. Continental cooking styles meet South Indian staples; Asian spices grace Italian dishes and Middle-Eastern traditions dilute European sauces. By the end, you’ve got the world hopping on your palate and a brain well-jogged by deciphering what comes from where.

To begin with, we sample some grilled fish marinated with gun powder. “We’ve kept Coimbatore tastes in mind while creating these dishes. They’re all a product of the mixing and matching of cuisines we’ve been experimenting with, to produce something that clicks,” says sous chef Suresh Natarajan. His approach seems right, for the fish is done to perfection and the sharp spices of gunpowder make the oddest but somehow fitting coating.

Along similar lines is the sesame grilled lamb chops where the chewy meat is hidden under a thorough barrage of crunchy sesame seeds. Up next are small ground mutton balls tossed in brown sage butter sauce — essentially South Indian urundai soaked in a Continental seasoning.

The absolute winner in the non-vegetarian section though, is Korean spicy chicken served with rava uppuma. Who’d have thought our everyday uppuma would cozy up so comfortably in a Korean gravy? But it beautifully does.

A close second is the chicken shawarma served with salad dressed in aioli sauce. The sweetness of the aioli’s mayonnaise well balances the shawarma’s Tandoori masala marination. The meat texture too varies from some parts done soft, to others deeply browned.

The vegetarian section furthers the chefs’ experimental whims. We open with what look like regular kuzhipaniyarams, only, they’re stuffed with either wasabi, basil and garlic, or spicy schezwan sauces.

To up the surprise quotient there’s poriyal made from zucchini and bell peppers and pasta cooked with chettinad masala. While the poriyal doesn’t score too high, the pasta makes for an apt marriage between Italy and India.

There’s also the suitably bland wok-tossed veggie salad with rosemary and olives, and the slightly odd snake gourd grilled with herbs. What works best here is the kadai paneer au gratin with its generous helpings of cheese and the distinctly Indian-flavoured ratatouille.

The fusion festival sadly doesn’t experiment too much on the dessert front but Latest Recipe does offer its regular menu of desserts and if you worship at the altar of chocolate like I do, there’s plenty to keep you happy. Chocolate tart, fountain, fondue, ice cream, mousse and cake sit pretty beside a coconut cream caramel pudding which holds it own. Over all, the festival is one crafted with scoops of imagination, dollops of creativity and a gentle sprinkling of the wacky.

The festival is on for dinner at Latest Recipe to May 5 2013. It is part of Latest Recipe’s regular buffet and is priced at Rs. 999 exclusive of taxes. For details, contact 0422-2364343

Solar power for Amma Unavagams

As the countdown begins for the inauguration of the 10 Amma Unavagams in the city, the Corporation is racing against time to complete finishing touches. One of the features in three of the 10 budget eateries is that they are all solar powered.

Installed

According to sources, the Corporation has installed solar panels on a trial basis at the eateries at Flower Market, Kurichi and Singanallur Bus Stand. The one at the Mettupalayam Road Bus Stand is already solar powered.

At each of the three places, the Corporation has installed panels that have the capacity to generate two kw.

The Corporation will use the power to burn lights and run fans. And when the power generated is poor due to overcast sky, the Corporation will use the power saved in power backups and only if that too fails, it will draw power from the grid.

As for the power to run grinder, water cooler, refrigerator and other kitchen equipment, the sources say that the Corporation will remain dependent on the grid.

The sources say that if the civic body finds the installation of solar panels to be effective, it will extend the same to the six other Amma Unavagams.

The sources say that the Corporation is planning to network its billing process so that officials sitting at the Corporation main office in Town Hall are able to monitor on a real time basis what and how much is selling at each of the 10 eateries.

Monitor

Even as the person at the billing counter issues a receipt, the officials will know what is being sold – idli, curd rice or sambar rice. This, the sources say, will help the Corporation monitor the stock available and plan production in the days to come.

Meanwhile, the self-help group members who underwent training in Chennai have been cooking on a trial basis at a Corporation facility near the V.H. Road school.

The civic body sent 15 SHGs to Chennai to undergo training.

It looks like McD will open its 5th outlet - 24 hr at neelambur

It looks like McD will open its 5th outlet - 24 hr at neelambur

Fun republic, brookes, rs puram are the ones operating at present.... am i missing anything.. how come 4

Yup., the count is 3 only. But if we include McD express outlet at the ground floor in Brookie, then it is 4 :)

Is there any good or decent briyani joint in Coimbatore? where ever I go, I get that stupid seeraga samba briyani only.

I tried the one opposite to brooke in a small street(forgot name, its some good tamil name), even that is not spicy, very bland.


Kannan departmental stores did this for their Pollachi store and now Pollachi municipality sealed that area.

Kannan'ukku ithe thaan pollapa. He converted a theatre into a departmental stores and extended it till road and got sealed later.

This is at Vadavelli.

^^ Hotel Mohamed Rawuther near Ukkadam Bus Stand, Hotel Junior Kuppanna in Ram Nagar serve nice Briyani.

But I don't remember what rice they had used.

Cock-Ra-Co, RS Puram and Haribavanam in Bharati Colony, Avanashi road also serve good Briyani.

:)

Hablis sets up biz hotel in Chennai, & Coimbatore:banana:

Hablis Hotels, which launched its 120-room hotel in Chennai today targeting business travellers, is now planning to develop or manage hotels in various cities across the country, said a senior official of the company.

"This is our first project under the Hablis brand. Further, we would look at setting up or managing more hospitality projects in the similar category. Clearly, we are betting on the price points with a lower rack rate in comparison with other hotels. Primarily, our focus has been on providing the comfort of a five-star hotel within the four-star category," said Rajesh, managing director of Hablis Hotels.

Set up with an investment of around Rs 68 crore, the company is expecting its Chennai hotel to be on full steam in the next six months. As part of its business plans, Hablis is also looking to develop new hotels on its land bank in Coimbatore and Bangalore.:banana::banana:

http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/hablis-sets-up-biz-hotel-in-chennai-113061200986_1.html

Hotel Junior Kuppanna in Ram Nagar serve nice Briyani.

Is JK a cbe based hotel? They are now present in TNagra and has created huge hype. Their karandi omlette is very famous here.

^^ Kuppanna and Junior Kuppanna are Erode based restaurants.

Quality of food is excellent.

They (JK) even have a restaurant in Koramangala in Bangalore.