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.

 

Assam 1860 Tea - For those who like a robust cuppa

Few days back I received an email from Assam 1860 - a tea company who wanted me to sample  their tea brand. Me being a tea lover opted to give it a shot. Also the fact that they are from my home state Assam, kind of prompted me a little more. So few days back I received a neatly packaged box of tea waiting to be brewed! Now tea is an integral part of our lives - me and the husband. Growing up in Assam, only made this love for tea stronger. We both take our tea time very seriously and very carefully choose the brand of tea that we drink. We do experiment at times and pick up a new brand here and there out of sheer curiosity but mostly stick to our regular stuff. We start our mornings with a steaming cup of tea ( which the husband makes) a ritual , that has been on for the last 12 years!

Now coming back to Assam 1860 - what I found striking was the packaging. Clearly labelled packets of tea bags and also a small portion of tea leaves is what arrived for me to taste. Recently I have become a black tea convert and was happy to try the tea bags. For a proper cup of tea ie. with milk and sugar, I would usually use the stronger tea leaves. I tried both variations with Assam 1860 and found the flavours very distinct and robust. The freshness of the tea surely shines through. However for people who like to drink black tea I would recommend not to dip the tea bags for too long or it could leave a bitter aftertaste.

I also made myself a cup of masala chai with milk and sugar and elaichi and found pouring myself a refill as well. Assam 1860 is of single origin and unblended variety. I am no tea connoisseur but definitely a tea lover and was very happy with this brand.

The tea is produced and manufactured in their own family owned tea gardens thus cutting out on middlemen and not compromising on the quality, freshness and to maintain a competitive pricing. For more information you can log on to their website - www.assam1860.com

I am definitely going to be ordering my stash in bulk and would highly recommend all tea lovers to give Assam 1860 a shot! 

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.
 

 

Swiss Food Festival @ Swissotel Kolkata Neotia Vista

Yet again I found myself soaking up on Swiss hospitality, this time for the mega Swiss Food Festival to commemorate the Swiss National Day celebrated on 1st August. Swiss food is new to me and obviously there is so much more it it than just chocolate and cheese! The ever smiling Mr. Saxer (GM Swissotel Kolkata) and the vivacious Enakshi was there to usher us into the celebrations. I settled in with a glass of sparkling wine all ready to unwind after a particular tiring day. There were some traditional Swiss games being played by the guests which added to the fun ambience of the evening. The lavish dinner spread  at Café Swiss was thrown open to the guests after a brief ribbon cutting ceremony by Mr. Saxer and team.

 

 A walk around the buffet spread, and I realised that Swiss Cuisine is so multifaceted. There was everything possible from salads to breads to cheese to meats and even an array of vegetaruian dishes! I was a little low on my appetite that night and was more interested to get a taste of the vegetarian fare. I started with some salads. Options were many - Carrot and Raisin, Swiss potato salad, Green apple and Walnut along with some Swiss cheese salad.Even their regular salad bar was well stocked up. It was possible to stuff up oneself only on the salads and be happy!

 

There was Roesti that I quite liked - soft potato patty loaded with cheese and Capuns - stuufed cabbage rolls served in a tomato gravy that I enjoyed with Spatzle  - a traditional Swiss pasta that resembled our desi Anda bhurji! The Surri Gummeli - potatoes served with sour cream also deserves a special mention.

Capuns and Surri Gummeli

I was eyeing the dessert bar by now so didn't eat much of the non veg fare which my friends tell me is a winner! I only helped myself to some Chicken Cordon Bleu- crumb coated balls of chicken stuffed with ham and cheese. There were also Grilled Jumbo Prawns - with chilli flakes and olive oil cooked tender and juicy. I also spotted some unsual dishes like the Alpine Rabbit Stew that my friends vouched for.  Surre Mocke - roasted meat served in a sour sauce and the Salmon in sparkling wine and cream. Also the Rippli - pork tenderloin with green beans.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

As usual,by now I was stuffed uptil my neck and couldn't move even upto the dessert bar. But the greedy me cant give up on sweets so I asked A to get a plate as well! The dessert  bar was loaded with goodies. There was Chef Abhiroop Biswas from the Barry Callebaut Institute - the chocolate conoisseurs to give us a brief of the dessert he created that evening.The Raspberry Mousse pie stood out with a cumin scented shortcrust biscuit. Swiss Museli Quark Torte, Baba Au Rum, Mini Carrot Cupcakes, Engadin Nut cake and Apple Fritters with Vanilla icecream - everything was so yummy.

Pic Courtesy - Sayantani

The thing with Swissotel hospitality is that they spoil you with choices and options and let you enjoy your meal at your own pace. It was a super fun evening spent with my fellow KFBians over some yummy food and gossip. You can read about their experiences here Sayantani , Amrita and Antara

The Swiss Food Festival is on till the 7th Aug at the Café Swiss for Dinner Buffet and priced at  INR 1600 +

Go for it if you like to explore new cuisines..you will not be disappointed. Trust me!