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        The best way to a parent's heart could only be through his or her ward's stomach. For, the biggest grouse of any modern-day father or mother could only be about his/her child's eating habits. It is almost axiomatic that kids like to eat what the doctors or physicians don't want them to. Happiness for them is in not eating what is on the plate. In such a situation, if any eatery comes up with an idea that will keep the kids interested, and more importantly, make them eat, then most parents wouldn't find the need to pray.

        The Checkers, a new hotel on the Guindy GST Road, seems to have cracked this Gordian knot of parental existentialism. The hotel, which has come into being only recently, has come up with a kids carnival cum food festival with the attractive leitmotif of spiderman.

        Now spiderman is the flavour of the season, and appropriately it also the flavour of this food festival. The food festival, in itself, is pretty routine with all the stuff you would expect to find in a buffet laid out in tasteful profusion. Executive chef S Babu and S Sous Chef A V S Faninder have been pretty broadbased in their approach as they have covered almost every known kind of foody flavour — from Chinese to Continental to Punjabi to South Indian, every school of cuisine has some kind of representative on the spread. in that sense, there is no element of surprise. But smartly, there is a kiddies counter, stacked up with eats that the children are partial to. Again, the food is nothing new, but the packaging to draw the attention of the young ones is worthy of praise.

        But it is not just food alone, the entire ambience of fun and festivity would be a good draw for the brat pack. From magic shows to tattoo painting to games and all the works work on the children like, er, magic.

        The restaurant itself has been smartly decorated with the motifs of the spiderman while an attendant big screen splashes one of the movies from the spiderman series. There is so much of him that you half expect Peter Parker to hang around somewhere amidst the clutter of plates and pots.

        The buffet is priced at Rs. 300 for adults and Rs.175 for children.

        The food festival is on till 27 May. For bookings contact: 43994399.

        Go, spin a web of happiness for your child.