Deliciously spiced

Coming to our meal,we tried starters from the A la Carte menu,namely the Five Spice Chicken (Rs 289) and the Jalapeno Cheese Poppers (Rs 189). The Jalapeno Cheese Poppers is a must try for cheese fans as it was filled to the brim with cheese.

The main lunch buffet had an impressive spread of continental,oriental and Indian food. Chef Shirodkar says,“The lunch buffet consists of mainly two non-vegetarian and four vegetarian dishes,four salads,four sweets and dals and rice. The dinner buffet includes three non-vegetarian dishes and a non-vegetarian salad in addition to the dishes above.”

We sampled a few dishes of which the Paneer Makhani was substandard as the paneer was quite hard and lacked the ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ quality. The other two dishes we tried were the Thai Chicken Yellow Curry which was well made and the traditional Bengali Machher Jhol (Bass Fish cooked in gravy). The hint of lemon grass in the Thai curry gave the dish a delicious tangy taste. The Machher Jhol was a fond reminder of the street food that one is used to savouring in the little kiosks in Kolkata.

The restaurant also has a live Pasta counter. We tried out the Penne Bolognaise that was made with minced meat and a generous helping of cheese. One can choose between a variety of meats and sauces and have the dish made accordingly. For the main course,we ordered the Methi Karoga Murg (Rs 289) from the A la Carte menu. The flavours of the meat and the Fenugreek (Methi) blended well while retaining their individual flavours. The Murg Malai Kebab (Rs 289),on the other hand,was a bit disappointing.

An interesting item we came across was the Korean Wheat Water. “It is normal water but a little different. We add wheat to normal water in a 20 per cent ratio and boil it. After that the water is chilled and the wheat is drained off. What is left is this golden coloured water that has a hint of the smell of wheat,which is very refreshing. It is very popular in Korea and we hope to popularise it here too,” Chef Shirodkar explains.

As far as the desserts were concerned,there wasn’t anything out of the world. The chocolate eclairs and the strawberry cheese cake were good options to round up a filling meal but the one item that was worth every cent came from the bar. We could hardly stop raving about the Bubble Trouble cocktail that has vodka,a clear soft drink and a hint of bubble gum flavour along with sugar syrup and lime. The drink which is yet to make it to the menu,was absolutely delightful,refreshing and quite ingenuous.