Never Trust a Skinny Chef

06May08

Sparky’s (Chennai)

# 15, East Spurtank Road, Chetpet,

Chennai 600031

Phone: 42634233 / 34

A recent trip to Chennai again presented an opportunity to explore great food joints. Contrary to what people say or think Chennai’s food joints are very much underrated and in fact are way better than Hyderabad’s in terms of class and variety.

On a lazy Sunday afternoon we decided to check out a new place. Little bit of googling threw a lot of options and we picked Sparky’s, an eatery started by Thom Petty, an Italian-American. The website wasn’t much but their motto “Never Trust a Skinny Chef” was a clincher.

We took a rick and reached East Spurtank road which is near by the Harrington road. Once you reach there you can see the motto “Never Trust a Skinny Chef” loud and clear from a distance.

Upon entering the restaurant we are transported to a totally different ambience – that of an American eatery with American Icons from all spheres decorating the place. The tables are arranged as per different states. We sat in the Hawaii table. You just can’t ignore the ambience and the room is full with trinkets and posters of the American culture from Indians, Baseball legends, Jazz Icons to Screen Icons and Movie posters.

Then we saw the owner Mr Petty and immediately remembered that the motto isn’t without a thought. The crowd is a mix of expat Americans settled in Chennai, Americans travelling across Chennai to the young students. The lighting is pleasant and music is a mix of great Jazz, Rockabilly and Rock n Roll. Niiice.

We had heard that the quantity they give is huge but still wanted to put it to the litmus. For starters we ordered a Breaded Chicken Strips (Strips of chicken breast breaded and served with Honey mustard sauce) and South of the border Nachos (Corn tortilla chips topped with beans, cheese served with salsa). The topping we took was ground beef. Beverages – Bottomless (unlimited) glasses of iced tea. Niiice.

The Breaded Chicken Strips wasn’t earth shaking but the South of the border Nachos was excellent. And the quantity was huge. Iced tea was good. And we were kinda semi-full after the Nachos. Being fans of Italian cuisine we had already made up our mind for an Italian main-course.

Mamma Rita’s chicken Lasagna with layers of pasta, ricotta and Mozzarella cheese was ordered along with a Vodka Pasta (Penne).

As far as non-veg. Lasagnes go Hyderabad sucks. The Lasagna here was layered as mentioned earlier and yummy but the piece-de-resistance was the Vodka Pasta which was unlike anything I had eaten before.

We ate at a very leisurely pace and I helped myself to four glasses of iced tea. We wanted to have some dessert but true to word of the chef the quantities were huge and we finished the thulp with an American Coffee. We spent some time listening to the good music and checking some fundas. By 4:00 pm almost everyone had left and the music was very clear.

No place is bad enough for good fundas.

Final words – Prices: Very reasonable – Compared to some multi-cuisine eateries in Hyderabad Sparky’s is a steal. Go to Sparky’s for great food, great ambience and excellent service. Mr. Thom will be making rounds and checking with all diners about the food and service. He might try some of the food you are eating.

The diner also has American, Mexican, Cajun and Continental cuisine which we will surely try next time around in Chennai. The stock of Chennai is really climbing.

N.B: They also have a Friday Night Buffet from 7 to 10 PM @ Rs 250. Apparently its very popular and you have to book it a day before.

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Filed under: Food, Fun, Life, Uncategorized   |  4 Comments
Tags: American Eatery, Cajun, Chef, Chennai, Chennai Eating Out, Food, Foodie, Hawaii, Iced Tea, Italian cuisine, Jazz, Lassagna, Mexican cuisine, Nachos, Pasta, Restaurant, Restaurant Review, Sparky's, Sparky's Chennai, Vodka