Paranthewali Gali - The Paratha Festival @ Swissotel, Kolkata

Parathewali Gali - the name itself packs in so much memories when taking those rickshaw rides from  D school to the lanes of Chandni Chowk was just a matter of few minutes and we would be there to gorge on sinful yumminess - oil drenched ofcourse! But that seems like eons ago. So when KFB received an invite to preview the Parthewali Gali festival at the fine dining Indian restaurant "Durbari" at Swissotel, I jumped at the idea. I mean what could be better than reliving those memories sitting right here in Kolkata. The special menu developed here has an array of parathas - your staple aloo and gobhi to the more creative chicken tikka and cheese! Not to mention the Malabari Paratha - that was a show stealer for me! Crispy and absolutely oil free served with the flavourful , little sweet Vegetable stew. I would definitely go back for this one.

Then came the Warqi Paratha - a lucknow speciality - with flaky layers and served with a simple aloo ki sabzi , raita and an array of home made pickles.

A steady stream of pararthas followed from here on - there was the Soya Parantha - filled with soya granules. It was nice but I would have loved a more spicier version of the same as soya granules does tend to get bland at times. The Chicken Tikka and Cheese Parantha deserves a special mention - as was rightly pointed out by Aashish - the F & B Manager at Durbari would go extremely well with a pint of chilled beer. We ended our calorie laden( well you have to pay a price for such sin) meal with the quintessential - Bengal's favourite - Moglai Parantha - stuffed with minced chicken and deep fried with an egg wash.

The Paranthewali Gali festival is on at the Durbari at Swissotel Kolkata till 28th June.The menu is extensive and very reasonably priced with good portions. All paranthas are served with a side of aloo bhaji,pickle , curd and laccha onion. For reservations call - 033-66266666
 
Monsoons have come calling to Kolkata and this seems to be the best time to indulge in some Parantha goodness.

The Kabab and Biryani Festival at Swissotel , Kolkata

Durbari - the Indian fine dining restaurant at the Swissotel is hosting a Kabab and Biryani Festival starting today. I was lucky enough to get invited for a preview of the same and I totally loved it. The menu is very innovative with very different and not run of the mill kababs and grilled items. They have introduced the concept of a set menu where diners get to taste a wide array of dishes at a fixed cost. The servings are unlimited and has three courses - almost 7 to 8 types of kababs , biryani and a dessert along with a glass of wine.

I had a chat with Asish - the F&B manager and also Chef Shubrodip Ghosh who has designed the menu. Each and every item included in the menu is new and will surely impress you. Set menus let the diners enjoy the courses well without getting overwhelmed when too many items are served at one go. There is a choice of Veg and Non veg - you choose what you want!The vegetarian selection has kababs like Aam aur chana ka kabab, Noril Makai ki seekh and Dahi potli to name a few while the non veg lovers can gorge on Lahsooni Tawa Jheenga , Saloni Machi Tikka , Murgh Chandi Kali , Shirka Pyaz Boti and so on!

The famous dips at Durbari

The yummy kababs

Noa sahi tangri - Tandoor roasted drumstick filled with spicy minced chicken

Dum Murgh Biriyani

The Gosht Dum Biryani was very flavourful doused with generous amount of desi ghee and succulent pieces of mutton served with a side of raita.
 

Gulam Jamun with Paan icecream

Finished the meal with Gulab Jamun and some homemade paan icecream which was a perfect end to the scrumptious meal. Dining at the Swissotel is always a pleasure and their top notch hospitality just make it even more special. I am off on a holiday tomorrow and there couldn't have been a better way to start my vacation.

If you are around this side of town or now with the summer hoilidays on, want to indulge in some good food, try out the Kabab and Biryani Festival here.

The set menus are priced @ 1700 INR for Vegetarian and @ 2000 INR for the Non - Vegetarian option. Servings are unlimited. It is on at Durbari for both lunch and dinner from today onwards.

 

A Balinese Lunch at The Orient and meeting some lovely people.

The Orient tucked away in the ground floor of City Centre NewTown may seem to you as another Chinese watering hole but it has much more to offer. I myself being a frequent visitor of the mall had not ventured beyond take aways. But not anymore! The other  day  KFB was invited to sample their fare over a Balinese lunch along with some lovely people from the Ambuja Neotia group. I was joined in by my fellow bloggers Antara of Antipasti and Pritha of Guilt Free - both being big fans of South east Asian cuisines. I am, to be honest not to adventurous when it comes to SE Asian cuisines but I went with an open mind. With non stop servings of Jasmine Tea we tasted a flavourful - not over powering-Balinese meal. My fellow bloggers tell me that originally Indonesian cuisine is very robust and spicy but I presume that was underplayed at the Orient keeping in mind the local tastebuds.

We  started off with a flavourful,mild spicy Soto Ayam - Java's popular chicken and glass noodle broth that could be made spicier by adding some sambal sauce. I stuck with what was being served and quite enjoyed it.

For entrée there was Lumpia Sayur - Fried spring roll stuffed with vegetables and tofu - served with some dips. The filling was subtle with an aftertaste of black pepper. The Sate Udang Besar, Bumbu Rujak - Skewers of king prawns with a spicy west java sauce was something I liked a lot. The prawns were cooked well and went well with the sauce. To be honest by now I was pretty much full and requested the chef to cut down on few of the items that was a part of the original menu.

Sate Udang Besar

Lumpia Sayur

Nasi Goreng - Stir fried rice with shrimps,sate,chicken and pickles,topped with fried egg and a prawn cracker was Chef's choice of main course. I am totally a rice person so was very happy to see a loaded plate and especially that perfectly fried egg had me at it. It is definitely the most popular dish when it comes to Indonesian cusine and as google tells me it literally translates to "fried rice". The flavours were reminiscene of the quintessential oriental fried rice to me and I would have liked it a bit more spicier. There was Ayam pelalah - Shredded chicken,tomato chilli sambal served as an accompaniment.

Nasi Goreng

Ayam pelalah

The star of the afternoon would how ever have to be the Balinese Chocolate Cake with white chocolate and rum ganache served with wasabi icecream. Must admit the icecream did have that kick in taste from the wasabi flavour used and the chocolate cake was one of the best I have had in a while. And this coming from an absolultely non chocolate person like me!

Wasabi icecream with chocolate cake

As we know, Indonesian cuisine is diverse and vibrant and has a lot of ethnic influences, so it is commendable on the part of Chef Ghanshyam  - the executive Chef at the Orient to be able to design and execute an menu that would also be appealing to the local palate. The Orient hosts frequent food festivals from around the SE Asian countries as Tanmoy Roy  - Corporate F&B Manager, Operations from Ambuja Neotia tells us. They also have this brilliant concept of oriental martinis that is a part of their happy hours. So there, now you know where to go for your martini fix!

They also have some vegetarian options in their menu like the Tempe Manis - Crisp soya bean curd,green bean,kaffir lime,lemon grass and palm sugar and Sayur Lodeh - Sweet potato, baby corn and baby egg plant cooked in mild curry sauce.

So there ended my tryst with Indonesian food and a good one I would say. I was lovely meeting everyone from the Ambuja Neotia group present that afternoon and thanks a ton for the goody bag- that ofcourse went to my 7 yr old!

Hand made chocolates as a parting gift!

 

The Italian Fare at Swissotel, Kolkata

"Its the Italian Menu launch" - said Enakshi over the phone and I jumped at the idea. I can get quite restrictive when it comes to trying out new cuisines but not Italian. There is so much beyond pizza and pasta and I would not leave the opportunity to enjoy the hearty Italian dishes sitting right here in my city. Swissotel, Kolkata has always been the pioneers in giving the city of joy a taste of varied cuisines - be it the Penang or the Kenyan and more recently the Turkish Food fare that they presented was talked about very highly. It is a hotel that caters extensively to the expat community and hence it keeps in mind the diverse taste buds!
The Italian menu has been specially curated and executed by Executive Chef Pranay under the supervision of the ever cheerful Mr. Saxer , GM, Swissotel. Arundhuti of My Saffron Kitchen and myself headed off to Café Swiss @ the Swissotel to experience an evening of great food. Now Italian cuisine is varied with each of the provinces proudly presenting something very indigenous to the region. Chef Pranay has painstakingly tried to include a little something from across the provinces. You have the quinesential pizzatini as you also have some exotic hand crafted ravioli served with burnt butter. If hearty Italian staples is your thing then the buffet every Thursday night is where you should head. Some of the dishes like the Eggplant Parmigiano and the Agnello Con polenta - braised lamb shanks literally falling off the bone  that we sampled that evening is now a part of the regular menu at Café Swiss. All I would say is food is something personal and sacred and I would not like to dissect each dish here! All I  will do is leave you with some pictures that would surely make you drool and head out to Café Swiss for your Italian fix right here in your city!

Bellini - a cocktail of sparkling wine and pach puree - perfect to kickstart the evening
 

Parma ham with melon - antipasti

caprese



Dips - basil pesto and sundried tomatoes

A varied selection of antipasti

Make your own pizza!

Prawn Frito Misto - crunchy yum

pizzatini

Mushroom with provolone - a part of Hot antipasti selection

Eggplant Parmigiana

Introducing Micro greens - the trend of the moment

The mmost amazing Lemon sorbet - a palate cleanser in between the courses!

Herbed Focacia
 

Breads

 

Hearty Braised chicken stew with beans and Fish roulade in Butter sauce

Gnocchi

Fish terrine

Hand rolled ravioli with Burnt butter

Braised Lamb shanks

 

 

And some drool worthy dessert too to finish off your meal.

Tiramisu bites

colourful meringues

 

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Lamingtons
 There is also a wide selection of Italian wines to choose from - Pinot Grigio Collection or the Chianti Barbanera.

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The delectable buffet dinner will be available every Thursday priced at INR 1600 plus taxes per person and an a la carte Italian menu will be available everyday only at Café swiss, level 6, Swissotel Kolkata Neotia Vista.
You can place reservations through email to kolkatacafeswiss@swissotel.com, or by phone at +91336626666.
 

 

Launch of Sunday Brunch at Durbari @ Swissotel

To begin with Durbari at the Swissotel, Kolkata is my actually my son's most favourite restaurant. So whenever we find ourselves craving for that creamy Dal makhni and soft fluffy Naan we head there. The fact that it is close to where I live only adds to the cause! In the last 2 years we have lost count on the no of times we've been there. So when KFB got an invite from Swissotel asking us to be a part of the launch of their Sunday Brunch there was no saying no. On a Sunday afternoon, myself along with  fellow bloggers Kamalika, Amrita,Anwesha, Sayantani,Pritha and Sammya Brata, we found ourselves comfortably seated in the private dining area of the restaurant ready to sample to delicacies on offer.

We started with the usual fresh lime soda and soon the array of dishes started arriving at our table. The very first dish served to us was the Dahi ke Kebabs. Crunchy on the outside with cold youghurt mix oozing out from inside did wonders to the taste buds.I have tried this out a couple of times on my earlier visits and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Dahi ke kebabs
 

From now onwards there was a steady trickle of dishes - appetizers and starters and each dish stole the show. Chef Pranay and Chef Aditya was constantly by our side explaining the essence of the dishes. The Gondhoraj Mahi Tikka was the show stealer for sure. I am not much of a fish eater but totally loved this dish. Soft pieces of bhetki delicately flavoured with quintessential Bengal's gondhoraj lime and its Asian counterpart Kaffir lime leaves was a perfect match. Or take the Naaza ( Naan - Pizza) so innovative,so tasty! Butter chicken spread over naan base topped with some generous dollops of cheese - my god it was fantastic. Next time I am going to go back for just this!

 

Gondhoraj Mahi tikka

Naaza

Another of Chef's creation for the afternoon was the Murgh Balai Kebab( Chicken breasts stuffed with cheese,onions and pomegranate) grilled to perfection. Personally I would have liked a little less onions as the stuffing but it was good nonetheless. A special mention of Aashish - the restaurant manager here who shared his vision of the food they present at Durbari. You will find a little of everything here - Mughlai , Bengali as well as South Indian. They ensure that they are open to feedback and customise the dishes to suit the palate of business travellers mostly visiting the city from other countries. To make sure that they get a taste of India they are open to modification which is a wonderful gesture.

Murgh Balai kebab

No my friends this was not the end! The entire buffet spread replete with more starters, salads and main course awaited us. The spread was awesome and they would have a new menu every sunday. How could I go to Durbari and not eat their Dal Durbari and Cheese Naan(stuffed with swiss cheese). I was full up till my neck but the greed got better of me! In the meanwhile I will leave you with some images.

Dalcha Kebab
 

Cheese Naan

All these yummy dips are in house made

Well what more can I say. The dessert counter was calling out to me and my love for Indian desserts got the better of me. So I promptly filled up my plate with Mango Ras malai , Rabdi and my most favourite Mihidaana. For the uninitiated what mihidaana is, please refer to the picture below! There was a balanced mix of traditional and modern desserts as you can see.

So there! Once again the food ( not to forget the hospitality) at Durbari stole my heart away and I ended the meal promising myself to be back very soon with the son and husband in tow.

Functional from Tuesday to Sunday between 1900 hrs to 2300 hrs,the restaurant is open for lunch from 12:30 hrs to 15:00 hrs on weekends as well. Mondays are closed.
 
The Sunday Brunch is available every Sunday and the packages start at INR 1000 plus taxes.

For people living in New Town/ Rajarhat and Salt Lake it is imperative that you visit them atleast once for their Dal Durbari - they make it the best in town. And for those of you who live in the other side of the city - one trip can surely be made soon!

Disclaimer - This was an invited review and no compensation monetary or otherwise was involved.