Pumpkin Tales Restaurant - Alwarpet — Restaurant in Tamil Nadu

My quest for a good Eggs Benedict continues in Chennai this time. Whenever I have searched for Eggs Benedict on Google Maps, there is one place that has always topped the search, Pumpkin Tales. But never really got to visit them in all my previous trips, except this time as it came highly recommended by my niece. As a post-birthday celebration I ended up visiting them for breakfast on a lazy sunday and was quite impressed with the space which was very beautifully done, very open and minimal. Located on the first floor, the ground floor patisserie tempts you to stop by to pick up some good breads, cheese and deliciously baked decadent goodness.

After getting seated quickly, we found the place fully occupied with a wait time of more than 15 minutes, glad we got in just in time for a table to be allocated for us. Ordered a portion of Chicken Sausages for my daughter and I settled in with a Spinach, Tomato and Mushroom Benedict.

While the colour of the hollandaise wasn't a very appealing yellow, the bright sunny yellow runny yolk was perfect. What was missing in colour, the sauce made it up in the taste, the slightly acidic hit wonderfully complimenting the creamy sauce. The toasted brioche bed was perfect for the beautifully poached eggs, with tomato and blanched spinach in between. I simply indulged in the creamly deliciousness of a beautiful breakfast done well.

The roasted and smashed potatoes on the side were seasoned perfectly and the fruit slices were actually not necessary, but a nice-to-have, especially the sour dragon fruit piece.

Wifey ordered a Vietnamese Coffee, which turned out to be a regular frappe, very disappointed, but did not bother to report as we were rushing late for an appointment.

Overall a great place with a lazy sunday service and some delicious benedict options, I am definitely visiting them to try their extensive lunch options and expensive dessert collection. Maybe I will pick up some bread and dessert from the patisserie...

Went in for a late post-dinner dinner when we craved for a second dinner with our friend folks. Had called in and dropped in about 10.05pm.

The walk to the washroom is two flights up! I guess this is the farthest I’ve had to walk to get to the washroom- it is also serviced by a lift though.

We were attended to by about 10.15pm and we were told that its already time for the last order. So gauging our appetite, ordered a margarita pizza, a ramen, and a couple of starters along with a soup. We check if we could order desserts later on and we were told okay, which didn’t happen later on as our waitress had disappeared and the others denied even the ready made desserts available.

The mushroom soup was good, the pizza was not bad- the tomato sauce felt too orange for some reason, the ramen was good but midway realised that it was chicken when we had ordered just egg. The potato mess was tasty too- more like a nice rich dahi chat with grilled baby potatoes rather than pooris.

After the meals the cravings for sweet crept in, but it was already 10.45pm and the staff had started mopping the floor and cleaning up the place. Luck didn’t favour us, or rather the service didn’t. Was hoping to get atleast the bakes or a scoop of ice cream which was already glaring at us, but sob, nope.

Dine out did show pumpkin tales to make a payment, but luckily before I did make the payment online, had intimated the new waitress who had brought our bill to which she told us that they don’t accept payment via dine out. A few moments later someone who was handling finances had come and explained that some other restaurant had gotten it done, but not them and something.

So whatever, 15% discount from my HDFC card, down the drain.

Overall, good food, slightly on the pricey side, service...

It's always the little details that must be taken care of. People sitting in a restaurant have the time to notice. They may be engaged in conversations but they know a good place when they are in one.

The service at Pumpkin Tales is warm with smiles flowing as easily as the water into glasses. The contrasts in the seating, the buzz of conversation and the lights make this a place you want to soak in.

Most of the food is freshly prepared, so it does take some time to be served. And plating the dish with all its ingredients does take time. And that ensures the visual appeal of the dishes is enhanced. As well as the aticipation when it arrives at your table. In fact, a 'mixing' of some of the dishes is offered, and the ceremony adds to the appetite!

There was a time when only the taste mattered. But we've now got to the point where several restaurants can make food taste good. But we've also become a lot less forgiving of bland presentations, especially when the prices are higher.

The open seating and the way the pastries are arranged at one end of the restaurant does enhance the appeal. And probably brings those who try to fight the temptations to feast their eyes on the offerings before they make a decision.

The placement of potted plants behind the wide glass windows also blocks out most of the bland urban profiles.

And just in case you think all these photographs are taken at one meal, they aren't. This was a long-delayed review and the addition of four breaksfast dishes did round off the experience from several visits. Valet parking is available butit must be quite a job to get all those cars which arrive to fit into the...