Latest news with #ITCGrandChola
NDTV
04-08-2025
- NDTV
Where To Have The Best Gourmet Ice Cream And Gelato In Chennai
Show Quick Read Summary is AI-generated, newsroom-reviewed Chennai's ice cream scene features premium gelato and ice cream spots like Yura at ITC Grand Chola, Ciclo Cafe, Stellar Gelato, Les Amis, Gelarto, and Amadora Gourmet, known for artisanal flavours, fresh ingredients, and gourmet experiences. For the uninitiated, there are two key differences between gelato and ice cream. First, the milk: cream ratio. It is higher for a gelato; ice creams have a higher proportion of cream. The other key difference is churning speed; gelatos are churned more slowly, resulting in a denser texture. While many hotels and restaurants across the country do 'house-made' gelatos, sorbets and ice creams, Chennai boasts some luxury-driven places that add a touch of 'gourmet' to the frozen delights. The gourmet wave of gelaterias and the premiumisation of ice cream have shaped the city's endearing love for ice cream since the 2010s. From home-grown ice-cream chains to neighbourhood gelatarias, you will be spoilt for choice. We pick the best premium ice cream and gelato spots to fix your ice cream cravings. Here Are 6 Best Places In Chennai For Gourmet Ice Creams And Gelatos: 1. Yura - Artisanal Scoops, ITC Grand Chola: This summer, ITC Hotels became one of the first luxury hotel chains in India to foray into gelatos and sorbets with the launch of Yura - Artisanal Scoops, at ITC Grand Chola, Chennai. Located next to the Fabelle Chocolate Boutique, Yura (which means 'a beautiful dream) is a cosy niche with an interactive counter where you can sample and pick your favourite gelatos. Yura offers a choice of 8 gelatos and 2 sorbets at any given time, with seasonal soft-serves ready to roll on to crunchy cones. Our favourites here include the Miso Caramel (a match made in heaven for caramel and butterscotch fans) and the French Raspberry sorbet. Where: ITC Grand Chola, Guindy 2. Ciclo Cafe: It's been just over a year since one of Chennai's most popular cafes took the ice cream plunge. Ciclo's ice creams score with their creamy textures and frequent flavour updates. There's typically a dozen flavours on offer, with everything from Milo to Nutella in the mix. Aside from their fail-proof chocolate-based flavours, we also dig their Iranian Pistachio and Lime Pie. You can try some of Ciclo's signature desserts, like the Devil's Food Cake, with their ice creams. Where: Gandhi Mandapam Road, Kotturpuram 3. Stellar Gelato: An inviting pit-stop along East Coast Road with its colourful stained glass facade, Stellar is one of Chennai's newest gelato brands. This cafe offers a wide variety of gelatos and an all-day menu with everything from sandwiches to burgers. Check out their tiramisu gelato and the refreshing mango sorbet. Stellar also offers classic Italian desserts like the Semifreddo, which combines elements like a meringue with gelato. Where: East Coast Road, Injambkkam 4. Les Amis: It began as a tiny outlet in the Anna Nagar residential neighbourhood, fuelled mostly by home deliveries during the pandemic, before morphing into a massive dining destination close to Chennai's premier Boat Club neighbourhood. Les Amis has built a long legion of fans for its sheer variety. With a flavour bank of more than 400 gelatos and a slant on fresh, seasonal ingredients, there's always a new flavour waiting for you. Where: Chamiers Road 5. Gelarto: One of Chennai's best new gelato spots to debut this year, Gelarto is an initiative of Maison Indulgence that has made a mark with its indulgent desserts. The 'World's Best Pistachio' is one of Gelarto's best sellers and is crafted with Sicilian pistachios. This gelateria has a choice of 30 flavours on most days, including a few diabetic friendly gelatos. Popular flavours include the Chocolate Brownie and Vanilla Bean. Where: Haddows Road 1st Street, Nungambakkam 6. Amadora Gourmet: Now the OG premium ice cream spot in the city, Amadora was one of the early movers in Chennai's ice cream premiumisation wave that took shape in the 2010s. Amadora has expanded beyond Chennai with a focus on fine ingredients minus artificial flavours. Amadora's trademark underbaked cake works really well with most of their chocolate and caramel-based ice creams, but it's Mami's filter coffee that remains one of their bestsellers. You can't go wrong with filter coffee and ice cream in Chennai.
New Indian Express
31-07-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
APTDC promotes state as MICE hub, highlights investment and infrastructure development
VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh Tourism made a strong impression at the IEIA South India MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) Industry Leaders Connect at ITC Grand Chola in Chennai. The event brought together senior officials, industry experts, and tourism stakeholders to strengthen the MICE ecosystem in South India. AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) MD Amrapali Kata represented Andhra Pradesh as a distinguished panellist during a session titled 'Synergy for Success: A Collaborative Roadmap for MICE Dominance'. She showcased the State's proactive measures to attract investment, and promote Vizag, Vijayawada, and Tirupati as MICE destinations. She stressed expanding into tier-2 and tier-3 cities through public-private partnerships. It was opened by Suman Billa, Additional Secretary & Director General, Tourism Ministry.
The Hindu
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
We try the decadent caviar menu at Chennai's ITC Grand Chola
Caviar. There is something about the word. It sounds like it tastes: decadent, smooth, buttery. At ITC Grand Chola's Ottimo Cucina Italiana, Chef Zubin Writer, Chef Culinaire, presents these pearls of luxury while highlighting the complexity of flavours. The Chef's Special Caviar Menu that was recently introduced at the Italian restaurant, keeps updating itself with newer dishes where caviar plays the lead role. Think fettucine with seafood and caviar; pan seared salmon, Pinot Grigio emulsion, basil oil drizzle, caviar; white asparagus, citrus emulsion, seared scallop and caviar... 'Earlier, before coming up with this menu, I used to source caviar for a few guests who I knew valued the luxury,' says Chef Zubin. He was incorporating truffle in his dishes and wanted to introduce something new and decided to take it a notch up with caviar. 'I thought why not pair it with scallops and white asparagus. Caviar highlights the other ingredients in the food,' he adds. While there is a steady stream of guests who want caviar, the chef says he requires prior intimation — a couple of days — for these dishes. 'Not everybody would probably understand or appreciate caviar. It's an acquired taste,' says the chef who loves the burst of caviar and the subtle fish flavour that comes from it. For now, the restaurant uses Ossetra caviar, which comes from the Ossetra sturgeon, and is known for its dark, rich eggs. It is considered one of the world's most prized caviars, alongside Beluga and Sevruga and sometimes takes up to a week to import. While coming up with these courses, Chef Zubin says the most important thing was to make sure that the caviar complements the creation rather than overpower it. Flavours were balanced out during the trials. New but unusual food friendships were forged, like gnocchi with pumpkin puree and caviar; parmesan panna cotta with caviar and pecan nut crumble, red pepper relish and caviar. And which is Chef Zubin's favourite? The Fettucine Alla Scoglio E Caviale, and the lobster tortelli with a basil and aged parmesan emulsion with caviar, he says. The chef is also excited about the wines he has paired with the dishes. A lot of thought has been put into the grape chosen for each dish, he says, adding that they made a bold decision to pair red wine with the seafood fettucine instead of the traditional white. It works, since the wine is smooth and the fettucine has clear, vivid flavours. His perfectly seared salmon with a crisp skin is paired with a rosé. 'The rosé's acidity compliments the buttery sauce and the salmon. A little sweetness from rosé, saltiness from caviar and earthiness from salmon was the combination I had in mind,' he explains. One would assume the dessert would be devoid of caviar. But no. Here, gleaming little balls of coffee caviar add drama to a serving of creamy tiramisu. He serves it with a shot of Limoncello. 'A match made in heaven,' he smiles. Prices start at ₹3,050 plus taxes. For reservations, call: 044 2220 0000.
The Hindu
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Did you spot Chennai's Avartana in Ed Sheeran's latest music video, Sapphire?
You could not have missed Ed Sheeran's tall chef's hat in his latest music video, 'Sapphire', set in India. While Ed beams cheerfully from under the hat in the ITC Grand Chola's Avartana kitchen for only for a few seconds, Chef Mayank Kulshrestha, area executive chef, Southern Region, ITC Hotels, who was in the kitchen when Ed shot the video, said the performer spent an hour with the team, curious to learn how their menu came together. 'He flipped some coin parottas and tried his hand at sautéing and steaming,' says Mayank, adding 'He tried the lobster, fish, and Uthukuli butter chicken.' Mere months after his six- city India tour, Ed Sheeran released 'Sapphire' (part of his new upcoming album Play) in collaboration with Indian singer Arijit Singh. The song was just picking up momentum and finding its spot on trending charts when Ed dropped a music video that surprised the country. It featured actor Shah Rukh Khan, Arijit, and snippets from Ed's tour across India. The video, which is light, vibrant and fun, has over 2 million views and counting. Ed stayed at the ITC Grand Chola during his two-day visit to the city and dined at Avartana on both days. Avartana, the hotel's Southern Indian restaurant, has garnered numerous awards, including rankings of number 30 and 44 on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants in 2023 and 2024. During the tour, Ed played tourist whenever he could, riding in autos, getting massages, sightseeing, and sampling local food. 'This is kind of a selfish trip for me because I came here to be a tourist and spent the last two days just going around the city,' he had said during his Chennai show which saw a footfall of approximately 50,000. 'He was a very curious person, and anything creative requires curiosity and enthusiasm. He was very lively and said he didn't want to disturb us. Ed told me this was for a music video and asked us to just keep operating as usual. So we were preparing for the evening shift, and all the stations were busy,' says Mayank. 'He loved our triple-distilled rasam and joked about how he could write a song just for this,' says Shaariq Akhtar, general manager, ITC Grand Chola. To welcome him to the Karikalan Chola presidential suite at ITC Grand Chola, the team built a miniature replica of Portman Road Stadium in chocolate. This is the home of the Ipswich Town Football Club. 'Ed Sheeran is a huge football fan, and he supports Ipswich Town. He was thrilled because other hotels he stays at usually focus on him and his music, but this is an interest I share with him, so he loved that,' adds Shaariq. Another moment from Ed's stay at ITC Grand Chola, which also features in the music video, was one of him getting a true street-style head massage from A Sandeep, a long-time member of the 85-year-old Kerala Hair Dressers in Pondy Bazaar. 'He got the massage on the roof of the presidential suite,' beamed Shaariq. As for that tall chef's hat? Ed autographed it, and gave it to Chef Mayank. So now the chefs can blare Sapphire and dance to 'Don't you end the party, I could do this all week' the next time they make parottas and Uthukuli butter chicken. Ed Sheeran's eighth studio Play will release on September 12, 2025
Hans India
18-05-2025
- Hans India
Resorts for you to explore this summer where every drop counts
This summer, let's explore vacation spots and resorts that offer peace and relaxation while also taking care of the planet. Here are 5 resorts that I would call 'eco-resorts', because while they provide a quiet break from everyday life, they have also adopted some amazing water conservation efforts. Evolve Back Kabini Nestled between Nagarhole and Bandipur National Parks, Evolve Back Kabini is located near the riverside, surrounded by nature and wildlife. The resort follows some strict water conservation practices, where it collects rainwater through rooftop systems and ponds, recycles all wastewater through treatment plants for use in gardening, and uses in-room water purifiers instead of plastic bottles, saving over 150,000 bottles every year, allowing guests to enjoy purified water sustainably while helping reduce plastic pollution helping the sustaible enviorment of the resort. The Oberoi Vanyavilas Wildlife Resort, Ranthambhore Located in Sawai Madhopur, next to the famous Ranthambhore National Park, The Oberoi Vanyavilas offers a luxurious stay with a strong commitment to the environment. The resort collects around 1.6 million litres of rainwater each season through specially designed lakes, which also attract over 135 bird species. It uses a sewage treatment plant to recycle water for garden irrigation, reducing the need for groundwater. The rooms feature water-saving taps, showerheads, and toilets, and guests are encouraged to use water mindfully. Native trees and grasses across the property help recharge the water table naturally. Ananda in the Himalayas, Uttarakhand Ananda in the Himalayas, nestled in the serene Himalayan foothills, is committed to water conservation through various initiatives, which encourage reduced usage and improve water sourcing using advanced technologies. The resort has also cut down its tanker trips, thereby reducing its carbon footprint. Other measures include a water bottling plant with reusable glass bottles, saving 350 plastic bottles daily, and a zero waste water policy that ensures recycled water is used for gardening through drip irrigation and sprinklers. SwaSwara Gokarna, CGH Earth SwaSwara is located on Om beach along the Konkan coast in Gokarna. At SwaSwara by CGH Earth, water conservation is a top priority. The resort harvests up to 18 million litres of rainwater each monsoon through three large reservoirs, meeting all its water needs, including purified drinking water. Wastewater is treated and reused for gardening, reducing pressure on local water sources. Reflecting CGH Earth's commitment to sustainability, similar rainwater harvesting systems are set up across its properties and even in local schools, supporting communities and promoting responsible tourism. ITC Grand Chola, Chennai ITC Grand Chola, located in Chennai, India, has taken great steps in saving hotel uses water-efficient fixtures that cut down water use by about 35% compared to regular standards. It also treats all its wastewater on-site and reuses it for things like irrigation, flushing, and cooling systems. This not only reduces the hotel's water usage but also helps conserve freshwater, benefiting the local environment. Whether through rainwater collection, plastic-free drinking solutions, or the reuse of wastewater, these resorts demonstrate that responsible tourism is not about compromise. It is about thoughtful innovation. This summer, choose destinations that honour the land, respect its water, and quietly set an example for what sustainable hospitality can be.
