Tuesday, October 30, 2018

A Regal Feast - Awadhi Food Festival by Chef Rehman at JW Kitchen - JW Marriott Hotel, Bengaluru!



This September I came up with a blog post on my experience on Awadhi cuisine curated by Chef Mujeebur Rehman from Lucknow. I felt extremely lucky to meet him again over a Lucknowi feast and this time at the wonderful JW Marriott Hotel, Bengaluru. JW Kitchen at JW Marriott Hotel is one of the best fine dining restaurants in the city with fabulous buffet options and this time the 10-day long Awadhi Food Festival is what foodies should look forward to. If you love Awadhi cuisine, then this is the perfect place to experience the royal cuisine.







 
Lucknow, the capital of state Uttar Pradesh, the city of ‘Nawabs and Kebabs’; the city with great culture and alluring traditions; has the most wonderful cuisine which can spoil anyone’s diet plans. I love good food, made with so much love and fresh ingredients and if food can be equally good like a royal meal, then there is nothing better than this. I was one of the luckiest to experience this Daawat (feast).



This time Chef Rehman surprised us with lot more interesting dishes and loved the Kaale Chane ke Asharfi, Paneer Achari Tikka, Galawati (Galouti) Kebab, Sheermal (bread made with saffron and milk), Lagan Ka Murgh, Lucknowi Kulcha, Bhuna Gosht Bare Ka, Zafrani Murgh Pulao, Sheesh Pulao (made of 5 different vegetables), Nawabi Bhaigan Bharta, Aloo Katli Lazeez, Ittr Ke Dal etc and few desserts like Sheer Kurma, Bread Butter pudding, Beetroot Halwa, Malpua etc. The first time I tried Lucknowi Kulcha which was soft and fluffy, went well with most of the side dishes. All the dishes were an example of par excellence for finger-licking food made with handpicked ingredients. The visiting Chef Rehman was sweet enough to take us around explaining each and every dish on the display. They have a daily changing menu for this regal feast.

Chef Rehman from Lucknow


The customers can get to try the regular buffet menu as well which consists of Chaats, Continental, Indian food and as well as pastries from their elaborate menu. After having a fab Lucknowi meal there was no room for trying any other dishes from the buffet counter. The staffs at JW Kitchen are very helpful and attentive. They will make sure you have the best dining experience when you are this beautiful restaurant. Overall I had a great experience at JW Kitchen and would love to visit again for experiencing this wonderful hospitality. The Awadhi Food Festival is on till 4th Nov 2018.
Buffet pricing – For Adults - ₹1750 ++
For kids - ₹875 ++
Check out my FB live with Chef Mujeebur Rehman – Awadhi Food Fest at JW Marriott, Bengaluru
Address:
JW Kitchen at JW Marriott Hotel
#24/1, Vittal Mallya Road
Bengaluru
For table reservations, contact - +91 8884494035


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Wednesday, October 24, 2018

National Pizza Month at Ottimo, ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru!



The Ottimo Ristorante at ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru is celebrating the National Pizza Month throughout this October and I had an opportunity to check out the special menu recently. The Italian Masterchef at ITC Hotels, Chef Vittorio Greco provides a feast for the senses with his creations. Ottimo restaurant focuses on Pan Italian cuisine and the award-winning hotel ITC Gardenia believes in responsible luxury which you will experience in every nook and corner of this beautiful property right in the heart of the city. Ottimo restaurant is garden themed and you will find Italian herb names mentioned on the seats. The terrarium inspired private dining area with a beautiful chandelier is the ultimate dining space which you would want to spend your time.




National Pizza Month special menu consists of 5 exclusive pizzas and I can’t say which one is the best. We also got to try some interesting dishes from their new menu as well. A meal at Ottimo will surely transport you to Europe.



We started our dinner with a refreshing orange drink.



Chef Sasha from Ottimo created each pizza with utmost care and fresh and exclusive ingredients which will surely blow your mind.


Pizza Al Salami –The pizza made of tomato base, mozzarella, and Italian Salami gave a perfect start to our dinner.


Pizza Con Pomodoro E Burrata – The perfect combination of tomato and fresh burrata with a topping of a handful of Arugula.


Pizza Al Contadina – Herb Marinated Chicken pizza with a tomato base, smoked scamorza, and pepperoncino. This delicious thin crust pizza with little air pockets inside will literally melt in your mouth.


Pizza Bianca - In one word – perfetto! The pizza made of Mozzarella, parmesan and fontal with Mushrooms and drizzle of truffle oil can be so addictive. After having this tomato-base free pizza, I am craving for more. Totally different from pizzas I had till date. White can be good sometimes.


Overall I enjoyed all the pizzas I had. Thin, chewy crust with freshest of fresh ingredients make all the difference. The seasonings like Chilli flakes and oregano will be provided upon request. But trust me with or without seasonings, if you love the Neapolitan flavors, then go for these pizzas.


From the Ottimo’s new menu I love the ‘Blue Potato Feuillantine’. The Blue potato grown in ITC Gardenia is not only organic and but one of the beautiful ingredients you can find in your plate. This dish also had some reductions and fresh herbs.


If you love seafood then don’t miss the ‘Brodetto di Pesce Ligure’ which is made in Ligurian style with seafood broth which contains scallops, and Prawns and served with a dash of tomato and basil.


For the main course, I had the ‘Stinco D’Agnella Al Vino Rosso Con Polenta Morbida E Verdure Di Stagione’ which literally means beautiful lamb shanks with polenta, veggies (carrots, zucchini, and Brussel sprouts) and served with a red wine glaze. This was like ‘fit for Goddess’ meal. Absolutely loved it!


For desserts, we tried the ‘Deconstructed Tiramisu’ and ‘Vanilla Panna Cotta with Wild berry coulis’. The idea of deconstructed Tiramisu was brilliant except for the fact that Savoiardi cookies had too much of coffee flavor. The presentation, mascarpone cheese, and coffee crisps were fabulous. 


The Wild berry coulis used for Panna cotta was so good that within seconds we polished off the entire dessert.




Overall I had a great meal at Ottimo this time and would love to visit again for another delightful experience. Thanks to the entire team from ITC Gardenia for a special evening. Do visit ITC Gardenia and join the National Pizza Month celebrations. The pizza menu is available only for dinner (a la carte) and priced ₹750 + taxes. Buon Appetito!
Address:
Ottimo at ITC Gardenia
#1, Residency Road
Bengaluru - 560025
For reservations, contact - 080 4345 5000


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Monday, October 8, 2018

Next Stop Kolkata- a Kolkata Street Food Festival at Monkey Bar for this Durga Pujo!



Isn’t an amazing feeling to experience the nook and corner of a place through a culinary journey? I am sure you will agree with me on this. Festival season is going to begin and Durga Puja is celebrated all across India in different forms. But nothing comes close to how Bengalis celebrate their Pujo. It’s the time of the year to celebrate Durga Pujo and what is festival without a Peyt Pujo? This time Monkey Bar along with Kolkata based Home Chef Iti Misra and Monkey Bar’s Head Chef Dheeraj has come up with a special menu – ‘Next Stop Kolkata’ which will surely take you through the streets of Kolkata. This festive special menu is available at all Monkey Bar outlets (Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, and Delhi) and is on until 21st Oct, ’18. I just the loved the Chefs selection of dishes which has got a history of 50-60+ years and gives you an emotional attachment if you are dining with people who understand Bengali cuisine well.

PC: Sanjay Ramchandran
We all know that before the pre-Independence time itself Calcutta was home for Chinese and British people and the result is that we got some amazing food culture from them. Recently I saw a promo video by Monkey Bar where Chef Manu Chandra and Mrs.Misra explores the food streets of Kolkata. Much before the video gave me a visual treat; my taste buds were blessed with those delectable dishes at the preview of this fest. Some of the must-haves from the menu -

PC: Sanjay Ramchandran

Beadon Street Fish Roll – Slightly smoked Kolkata Bhetki fish fillet stuffed with curried shrimps, coated with bread crumbs and fried. This flavorful fish roll is served with Kasundi Mustard mayo. This dish is made popular by Mitra Café in Beadon Street and now it’s is Bangalore’s favorite as well.

PC: Sanjay Ramchandran

Chitpur Road Chicken Rezala – Some of the best Awadhi dishes can be found in Kolkata and an example for the same will be Chitpur Road’s Chicken Rezala – mildly flavored white colored chicken gravy made of cashew and poppy seeds. Here at Monkey Bar, they serve this lip-smacking gravy with teen kona porotta.


College Street Hing-er Kochuri – This deep-fried flaky bread (with/ without filling) is a very popular dish in the Northern part of India and the importance of Kochuri in Bengali cuisine was told by some of the co-diners. Inspired by the Putiram Sweets near Presidency College/College Street, you gotta try this snack with a bowl of spicy potato curry and sweet-sour red pumpkin. I am sure you’ll enjoy this combo.


Elgin Road Pork Momo – My favorite from the menu was this steamed and pan-fried Tibetan style dumplings served with spicy, smoked tomato chutney. If you are not a pork lover then try the Tiretti Bazaar special Prawn Dumpling.
PC: Sanjay Ramchandran



Esplanade Mughlai Porota – From the team, I came to know that Esplanade is home for some amazing street food and the best example is Mughlai Porota with layers of egg. The yummy porota is served with Paanch poron (Bengali special spice mix made of 5 types of spices) flavored baby potatoes.

PC: Sanjay Ramchandran

Girish Park-er Shoitan Deem – I love the way it is pronounced – Shoitan Deem, a version of scotch eggs made of deep fried eggs, encased in Shami kebab mince and served with pickled onions.

PC: Sanjay Ramchandran

Vivekananda Park Ghooghni – Curried white peas topped with potato Salli and onion, served with masala brioche.

Vardaan Market Moong Dal Pakodi – Inspired by the Kolkata style ‘North Indian Chaat’ on Camac Street, this is an absolute favorite afternoon snack of Monkey Bar staffs at Kolkata. The deep fried Moong dal dumplings topped with Khatta Meetha chutney, yogurt, and crispy fried curry leaves.


They have also added a few drinks with popular Bengali flavors. I tried the Piara Peara - the classic Guava-Chilli drink with Tequila and Tabasco-spiked and served in Chilli rimmed glass.


Overall, I enjoyed the ‘Next stop Kolkata’ menu and would love to try some of the dishes around the festival time. A special Thanks to dear Radhika Misra and Mrs.Misra for the wonderful hospitality and also for the details. Now I know which all places to visit for an amazing gastronomical experience on my visit to Kolkata. A meal for two would be ₹1200/- (approximately). #Yougottatryit :)


Address:
Monkey Bar
#610, 12th Main, Indiranagar
Bengaluru -560038
For table reservation, contact -  080 44114455
 
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Friday, October 5, 2018

Rangeelo Rajasthan- Rajasthani Food Festival at My Place - Gokulam Grand Hotel & Spa, Bengaluru!





I just experienced a glimpse of Rajasthan in Bengaluru recently at the ongoing Rajasthani Food Festival at Gokulam Grand Hotel and Spa. You can’t miss a few things when you think about Rajasthan – the beautiful forts, vibrant colors, villagers in silver ornaments, and of course, the Rajasthani food which is mostly made of limited ingredients. There is a lot to learn from the life of Rajasthani people. I was lucky to meet two really sweet Chefs from Jaipur – Chef Hemraj and Chef Kishan Kumar who literally took us to their hometown through a culinary journey. It was lovely meeting Chef Rayomund Pardiwalla after a long time. This time I enjoyed the food festival as Chefs have sourced all the ingredients from Rajasthan which not many people follow in Bangalore. Along with the great food, there was also some live music performance by Rajasthani folk singers.



I started with a bowl of simple ‘Corn (powdered) and chicken Shorba’ which gave a healthy start to my dinner. This was followed by some appetizers like Murgh Angara kebab, Hara bhara Kebab, Lahori Paneer tikka, and Fish tikka. I didn’t forget to take a second serving of these appetizers. It was perfectly grilled and so yum :)





Apart from the flavorful appetizers, I loved some dishes from the Chaat counter. The Kachoris (with fillings like moong dal and onion), Mirchi Pakoda with filling, tasted great with a portion of lasoon (garlic)  ke chutney and Mirchi (Chilli) pickle. Dahi ke gujiya was just another version of North Indian Dahi Bhalla but much much flavorful.




I love Dal Batti Churma from my early days of Bangalore. Here at ‘My Place’, they served four types of Churma - Plain, Bajra, Pineapple and Gulab and two types of batti – Masala batti with aloo and cashew nut filling, and plain batti soaked in desi ghee. At first out of excitement, I ate the Batti and Churma without taking dal and when I tried it with dal, it tasted so heavenly especially bajra ke churma+masala batti and dal combo with a good amount of ghee. Gulab ke Churma was also nice and flavorful.





They have a daily changing menu and the day I went there were specials like Kacchi Haldi aur Matar ke Subzi, Jodhpuri Ghatte ke pulao, kale channe ke kadhi, Marudhara Aloo, Panchmel made of 5 types of lentils, Ker Sangri, Ramghadi Fish curry, Murgh Jodhpuri, Laal Maas, and Murgh Mangodi Pulao. Ker Sangri, Murgh Jodhpuri, Ghatte ke Pulao and Paneer Shekhawati was my favorite from the main course. Inspired by the Shekhawati region in Rajasthan, Paneer Shekhawati had rich creamy gravy with whole spices in this dish.




For desserts, there were options like Malpua with Rabdi, Pathua, lapsi, and Misri Mawa and I liked the first two desserts out of all.



Overall this was completely a new and pleasant experience compared to the previous Rajasthani food festivals I have attended. If you love Rajasthani food and looking for dining options this weekend, then give it a try. It is priced at 1688 AI and available only for dinner. The Rajasthani food festival is on until 7th Oct 2018.
Address:
My Place - Gokulam Grand Hotel & Spa
115 Gokulam Ext,
BEL Circle, Bengaluru
For table reservations, contact - 080 4300 1000

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