Street Food of the world @ Raj Pavilion, ITC Windsor, Bangalore

Twitter: @nkandhari     Facebook: Review Of Restaurants     Instagram: Review Of Restaurants 

Street food is possibly one of the most loved and comforting form of food. Be it India, Mexico, Malaysia, Thailand, Spain, Morocco, London, NYC or any city or country of the world; street food is the most dynamic, democratic, soul satisfying and an exciting expression of the food culture.

To experience it in a five star setting may not sound as interesting if you consider the spread to be only Indian. However, it gets totally worthwhile when you have hot selling items from various parts of the globe. To give you an idea - how about Spanish Paella, Malaysian Ice Kachang, Nasi Goreng of Indonesia, Roti Jala with chicken and prawn curry and a lot more that comes up on the buffet menu on a rotation basis!

The evening I dined, the street food section of the expansive buffet spread comprised of Mexican and Malaysian delicacies. We started with live Mexican station from where was dished out nachos with the lovely multi-layer dip which comprised of lamb, chicken, beans, salsa, sour cream, guacamole and cheese. For the vegetarians, the dip came layered excluding any meats. From the Mexican koisk, the vendor also dished out other classics like tacos and burrito which were hearty and filling. To be able to experience more, we sampled some of these and moved on to the other side of Greenwich Meridian.

On the other side of Greenwich Meridian was a Malaysian street vendor who served up the famous Roti Jala with Malaysian chicken curry and a tangy and spicy sambal prawn dish. I could have easily made a complete meal of this combination in itself. I absolutely loved the prominent flavor of the coconut milk used in the chicken curry and the tang of the tomato and the flavor of Malaysian spices that made up the prawn dish. Of the two curries, I enjoyed eating the roti jala soaked in the chicken curry and enjoyed the prawn dish all by itself.

The vegetarians on the table too were having a good time savoring the roti jala with the vegetarian counterparts. Thoughtfully, ITC Windsor has segmented their buffet spread to balance between the street food offerings and the regular features on the buffet which include salads, soups, mains like Chinese, Indian, Continental and more. Over the course of the evening, we also enjoyed some cold cuts, gourmet cheeses, and a little bit of Chinese before moving on to the dessert section which had the colorful and vibrant Malaysian dessert 'Ice Kachang' waiting for us.

In desserts, there was s spread right from Indian to international but for this evening, the star was the the live station preparing the 'Ice Kachang' as known in Penang, Malaysia. This is a dessert made with shaved ice, condensed milk, fresh fruits, jelly, syrups and more. While every Asian country has it's own version; this one is from Penang, Malaysia. 

This special street food introduction is on offer at ITC Windsor's Raj Pavilion for dinner all days of the week until 30th June 2015. The elaborate buffet is priced at Rs. 1800 plus taxes and charges. Head here if you'd like to indulge in a buffet spread that offers the street food classics from around the globe and also offers the elegant and gourmet food options.

Address: ITC Windsor, 25 Windsor Square, Golf Course Road, Near Sankey Road, Bangalore

Phone Number: +91 80 4140 1205

Street Food Fest @ Church Street Social, Bangalore

Twitter: @nkandhari     Facebook: Review Of Restaurants     Instagram: Review Of Restaurants 

Church Street Social never seems to get tired of bringing in and introducing innovative creations in the food and beverages segment. Celebrating a year since its launch, Church Street Social is hosting a #StreetFoodFest where in the best of street foods mostly from the country are being dished out in the very apt style Social is known for.

Available only till the end of this month, Church Street Social with visiting chef have customized and curated an elaborate menu with some great listing of foods available on streets. Going beyond food, the beverages too have received a quirky social twist. They are not just innovative but also bring in some nostalgia with drinks like Panpasand shots, masaledar nimbo-soda pani served in classic goti bottles and lots more. Does this ring the bell of nostalgia?

It was a crazy Saturday afternoon, and here's what I enjoyed the most and highly recommend for you to go and give it a shot.

SHOT! Well, that exactly what we started with. There was mango bite shot, hajmola shot, kaccha aam shot and do you remember 'PanPasand? Yes, Pan Pasand shot too. I tried the mango bit and the hajmola shot. It surely was a good start. Head out here for these assorted jars of shots. An assortment of 10 shots comes for a steal - Rs. 1299 only.

From the small plates what worked best for me was the Ballistic Bhajiya - a chilli bajji of the streets stuffed with cheese and the Punjabi Samosa which is a classic and came served with chutneys and pindi chole on the side.

In small plates non-vegetarians; it was the spicy and flavorful Malabar Chicken Lollypops,  the classic chicken kababs, Prawnstar (no there is no spelling mistake here) and what clearly stole the show was the Mutton Biryani Buritto. The mutton biryani buritto was topped with gooey cheese and stuffed with boneless mutton biryani. The meat was succulent and the flavors rich.

A street food festival without golgappa and other chaat items would be incomplete. Though chaats are usually something I really don't venture into beyond the streets; the names of these at Social intrigued me and I ended up trying two of the dishes from the menu. One that really impressed me was the was 'Karari Bhindi Ki Videshi Chaat'. 'Dimaag ka Dahi Bhalla' which another chaat dish I tried. For a moment, the name had me carried away thinking it might actually be a chaat dish that contains mutton brain. But that was just me the non-vegetarian being wishful. It was a Dahi Bhalla with a kick of wasabi in the curd and hence the name.

There were a host of classic stuffed parathas that came with a serving of makhan (butter), curd and pickle. Of the lot, I tried the mutton keema stuffed paratha and was bowled over by the flavor and the amount of meat stuffed in the soft, melt in mouth paratha.

Again, making us nostalgic were the servings of the goti soda bottles; yes the ones that used to be commonly available and sold by street vendors. Here, in goti soda bottles were really interesting cocktails like 'Masaledar Vodka Nimboo Paani', 'Gin and Ginger Soda', 'Raspberry Cream Soda Vodka' and likes. These were the 3 best drinks I liked and hence the specific mentions. 

Having gone through all this, of course in a good way; my attempt at mains was very limited. I was curious to try the 'Moilee Seafood Laska' and called in for a portion of it which came in the company of steamed rice. The flavors of the sea food were quite evident and I did enjoy eating this dish.

Desserts are and official finish to a meal and between our group of 9 we shared a portion of 3 desserts - Izzat Ka Faluda, Gulab Jamun Cheesecake and Tiramisu softie. Just the thought of eating a medley of Gulab Jamun and cheesecake did not appeal to me and so I didn't venture into it. I love coffee and clearly this Tiramisu stood out the most for me of all the desserts on the table. It was not the best Tiramisu I've had but was definitely a good one to end my meal on a perfect and happy note.

To sum it up, it was all street food in the confines and comfort of Church Street Social. Well, not just confines and comfort but also a nice Social twist to the classic street food preparations. An average meal for two has a good wallet factor. Including a couple of drinks and shots a meal will cost about Rs. 2500 plus taxes and charges. 

The festival is on till the 31st of March and can be best be experienced in a group for the sheer listing of interesting food and drinks. 

Address: 46/1, Cobalt Building, Church Street, Bangalore 560001

Phone Number: +91 80 4171 3016