Vallavan Restaurant Menu
Terry Chavarin
A vol-au-vent is typically made by cutting two circles in rolled out puff pastry, cutting a hole in one of them, then stacking the ring-shaped piece on top of the disc-shaped piece.[2] The pastry is cooked, then filled with any of a variety of savory or sweet fillings.
The pastry is sometimes credited to Marie-Antoine Carme.[3] However, an entremet called petits gteaux vole au vent is mentioned in Franois Marin's 1739 cookbook Les Dons de Comus, years before Carme's birth.[4]
In Belgium, it is a common main dish that can be found on the menus of most restaurants, and is nearly always filled with a combination of chicken, mushrooms, and small meatballs, served with either mashed potatoes or fries. This Belgian variation is also available in the Netherlands, where it is called pasteitje ("little pastry"). In American cuisine, chicken la King was formerly a popular filling.
In Pakistan, vol-au-vents with meat filling are called "patties": round ones usually have a chicken filling, and rectangular ones have a beef filling. They are served with chutney.[citation needed]
In the Mexican region of Veracruz it is hispanicised as volovn, and often filled with local fillings such as pollo con mole, atn a la veracruzana, and others. The pastry first arrived in Mexico during the Second French intervention.
Luxury hotels seem to be cut from the same cloth. You are assigned a room by an employee at the main desk, who smiles fervently and wishes you a great stay. The ding of the elevator announces your floor. After walking down a carpeted hallway, you use your key card on a thick, wooden door emblazoned with your room number in brass letters. You enter a spacious room, tastefully decorated, equipped with everything youd ever need. So what is that sets ITC Grand Chola apart While the hotel honours its guests, there is an important entity they honour far more the environment.
This palatial property, built as a tribute to one of the greatest empires of south India, is set in the beating heart of Chennai. If believers of the ITC brand are to be...well, believed, the hotel embodies the principles of responsible luxury with panache. To many of us, the term may seem like a massive contrast, however luxury without compromising the earth and sustainability without comprising luxury is an apparent cornerstone of the ethos of this hotel chain. I arrived at the hotel, with my tiny blue suitcase in tow, and made it my mission to find out exactly what this seeming juxtaposition entailed and whether a hotel could really have it all in todays hyper competitive environment.
Once I was escorted to my room by my valet, I took my time to enjoy the sheer opulence. The room was elegant, and the pride of place was taken up by a very comfy-looking bed. The view from my window was spectacular the stately faade of the hotel stood underneath the stark blue sky with a smattering of fluffy clouds. A small table at the foot of the bed had been decorated with so many chocolates, amongst other delicious treats, that my inner child rejoiced On the same table lay a small placard with my name and picture welcoming me home. When my inner narcissist nudged me to pick it up for closer inspection, it turned out to be made of white chocolate A glass full of chilled coconut water sat invitingly on the writing desk, along with a plate of delectable-looking cheeses. I found no sign of packaged water bottles instead, there were at least four glass bottles with crystal clear water in them. Considering how polluting plastic is, this was an excellent start. Right next to them were some local treats banana chips, murukku, almonds and cashews. As the stickers on the jars indicated, this was part of ITCs Local Love initiative, an effort to highlight the wonderful cuisine of the city.
Though I was relishing those banana chips, my hunger was far from being satiated. Mercifully, it was lunch time. In hindsight, I shouldnt have gorged on those chips and left them for later. I was seated at the private dining area of Madras Pavilion, and boy did I feel like royalty. On the menu was a delicious sadya preparation from Kerala served on a banana leaf. The meal started with a glass of steaming rasam and papadam, and was followed by a variety of rice dishes served with thoran, avial, sambar and a delicious mango pickle that I couldnt get enough of. My stomach was so full by the end of it that I couldnt move. But theres always room for dessert And Im so glad my stomach was able to accommodate that delicious dose of sweetness payasam made with coconut milk served to me in a shot glass While sitting at the table, I learned that a significant amount of edible ingredients at the kitchens in all of ITC properties are sourced locally, helping the environment and boosting the local economy. So, you can eat like a king, guilt-free
What I really wanted after this luxuriously heavy meal was to take a nap, but something more informative was the order of the day. I was about to go on a tour of the property, with Chief Engineer Mr Narayanaswamy Ramamoorthy, where I would get all the answers about this mysterious term responsible luxury. I was told that ITCs environmentally sustainable measures began even before the construction of the present building started rather than cutting trees within property limits, the team transplanted them around the premises a sustainability measure that seems so simple, but one that many large companies overlook. Our first stop was the sewage treatment plant of the Grand Chola, which was a two-minute walk from the main entrance. Hundred per cent of the waste water of the hotel is treated through the plant and recycled for a multitude of uses such as horticulture, flushing and campus cleaning. The hotel also has areas for water harvesting, which help retain all the storm water catchment on-site. Along with these measures, even the fixtures inside the hotel were put in place to reduce water usage, which lowers the hotels water usage by as much as 35 per cent when compared to other buildings just like it The vegetation around the hotel, which is grown vertically so that more plants can be potted in less space, is also low-maintenance to help minimise water usage. Water wastage is a big concern for the people at ITC Grand Chola and it was a privilege to see persistent effort to combat it at every step. I also visited their facility for in-house drinking water purification. Deemed SunyaAqua (pronounced shunya aqua), a path-breaking initiative of what they call zero-mile water. A mineral water bottle pollutes not just because its plastic. The process of shipping and delivering such bottles to hotels by fuel-guzzling trucks leaves a huge impact on the environment.Since this water is purified in- house, SunyaAqua travels exactly zero miles, thereby creating no carbon footprint whatsoever. This is the water inside every glass bottle in ITC Grand Chola. Their process does not just remove contaminants, but also infuses the water with the goodness of tulsi, fennel and cinnamon.
The hotel also uses solar energy and 20 per cent of their domestic hot water requirement is met through this. Considering the sheer size of this property ITC Grand Chola has 600 rooms this is no small feat The electricity inside the hotel comes from their self-owned wind farm at Kundadam, near Coimbatore, the excess of which is contributed to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. The efficiency of this building has not gone unnoticed ITC Grand Chola is the worlds largest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum-rated hotel in the new constructions category, and they display this plaque proudly in the lobby. LEED certifies buildings based on reduced stress on the environment.
During the tour, I also visited the hotels boilers. Before you scoff and wonder how a boiler could be efficient, the hotel uses bio diesel, which is made from vegetable oil rather than more polluting fuel such as wood or coal. Even their heat pump is operated with the help of bio diesel, drastically reducing the amount of carbon dioxide that goes into the atmosphere while its being used.
The last stop of this extremely educational tour was their fully automatic organic waste converter, which converts organic waste into compost. So well-known is this machine that people from around the area come to the hotel for this compost, which Grand Chola gives away free of cost.
As we went around the building, Mr Ramamoorthy explained that it wasnt just its name that was inspired by the imperial Cholas, but its architecture as well. One of the longest ruling dynasties of south India, the Cholas were great patrons of the art and were responsible for sculpting some of the most incredible temples that are still extant. Just like south Indian temples built in the Dravidian architectural style, the hotel has four entrances named Vallavan (north), Sembiyan (east), Killi (south) and Chola (west). The central structure of the complex is domed. Though the interiors are modern, there are soft flower motifs sculpted on the walls, ceilings and pillars. These are inspired by the Brihadeeswara Temple of Thanjavur and were meticulously etched out by 4,000 artisans who came from nearby Mamallapuram. One of the most remarkable features of the building is the grand, sweeping staircase near the main lobby of the hotel, which boasts an elaborate wooden sculpture of two horse-drawn carriages on the wall. And it becomes even more remarkable at 6.00pm in the evenings every day when a short Bharatnatyam performance takes place here. Dont miss it all guests are welcome to attend
I bid adieu to Mr Ramamoorthy and walked back to my room, truly amazed and inspired by all that this ITC property was doing for the sake of the environment. After a quick, energising nap, it was time for me to head to Avartana, which serves contemporary south Indian. How, you may ask, can south Indian cuisine be contemporary I was about to find out just that. My stomach had still not recovered from my heavy lunch, and here I was, sitting at a restaurant where the spectacular lighting was making every dish in the hands of passing servers look so deliciously tempting. I was treated to course after course of modern takes on traditional south Indian dishes. There was the interesting asparagus, French beans and coconut stew a truly palate cleansing sorbet and sago and yoghurt, amongst other fascinating culinary offerings. Thank the gourmand gods that the portions were small Last came the dessert, which was a show unto itself mango and ginger jelly encased in white pudding surrounded by sugar threads. Yes, if the image that sentence is conjuring is that of an egg inside a nest, you are absolutely right That sumptuous meal had me feeling pleasantly drowsy. So I made my way to my room to give in to the tempting call for sweet, sweet slumber.