Kolkata Street Food Festival at Monkey Bar

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It's that time of the year when Bengali's world over travel back to India to reunite with their loved ones and celebrate the Kolkata's biggest festival - Durga Pujo. The grandeur and the extravaganza of the pandals and the celebrations are spoken about world over and is a festival looked forward to not just by Bengali's but people of different religions and castes as well. Like all festivities, people flock to the pedals not just for worship but also to experience the Bengali gastronomy which is really sought after. 

While Pedals are known to have food stalls set up with some of the traditional bengali delicacies on offer; this year around; Monkey Bar decides to take us on a gastronomic trip down the iconic lanes of Kolkata. 'Next Stop Kolkata' is a special menu curated by Kolkata based home chef 'Its Misra' and Monkey Bar's head chef 'Deeraj Varma' will be available across Monkey Bar outlets in Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai all day from October 4th to 21st, 2018. 

What's different about this food festival is that Money Bar honestly attempts to showcase the classic and traditional street food available in the streets of Kolkata which became available as way back in it's time as immigrants from different parts of the country and world started to make Kolkata its base. It can be said that the Kolkata street food is not the local street food but an inspiration / ode to the global immigrants who have made Kolkata their home.

The menu's got the Chinese inspired prawn dumplings widely available at the Tiretti Bazaar area; Pork momo's widely available at the many Tibetan joints at Elgin Road; Kolkata-Style North-Indian Chaat of Moong Daal Pakodi from Vardaan Market ; Beadon Street Fish Roll and many more. Each dish available on the menu has a Monkey Bar twist to it and it does uplift the preparation for an enjoyable experience. 

During the preview, I tried a few dishes from the menu which includes the lovely deep fried fish fillet breaded on the outside and stuffed with a mince curried shrimp filling called 'Beadon Street Fish Roll' made popular by Mitra Cafe; 'Vivekanand Park Ghooghni' a dish of curried white peas topped with potato sali; normally served with Pav but here was served with a wonderful masala brioche bread.

Continuing the lunch, the Moong Daal Pakodi was served as a chaat topped with khatta-meetha chutney, yoghurt, boondi, sev and crisp fried curry leaves; a Monkey Bar take to the traditional Moong Daal Pakodi served on the streets at Kolkata. 'Esplanade Mughlai Porota' is served in 2 variants - stuffed with egg or with spicy mutton Keema filling. We tried the one with egg and it came served along with Paanch phoron baby potato. 

My top picks for the day were these next 2 dishes:

- 'Girish Park-er Shoitan Deem' aka Egg Devil - This was boiled egg encased in a Shammi Kebab mince instead of the minced potato encasing as available on the streets near Girish Park. Well, another great example of how Monkey does a twist.

- Chitpur Road Chicken Rezala - It's a mildly spiced and flavoured white chicken curry; silky texture getting its subtle flavours from cashew and poppy seed paste comes served with the triangle porota known widely in Kolkata as 'Teen Kona Porota'.

Then; Monkey's got to do cocktails too and so we have 3 cocktails inspired from the flavors experienced and time chef Dheeraj spent on the streets of Kolkata - 'Piara Peara' - Tequila based cocktail with Guava juice spiked with tobacco; 'Puchka Paani Capriojka' - Vodka, Gondhoraj lime, mint and puchka Paani (Pani puri water) and then the 'Thaanda Cha' - Vodka, chillied spices infused Darjeeling Tea.

I'm going back here for some of the above dishes and a round of keema stuffed mughlai porota. When are you headed here?  

Oh! You got to know this; if you hold an original driving licence from Kolkata each day you are in for a treat; courtesy Monkey Bar. 

Bon Appetit!

Address: #610, 12th Main Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Near Crosswords, Indiranagar, Bangalore

Phone Number: +91 80 4411 4455

Note: This visit to Monkey Bar was on invitation but the opinions expressed are solely mine and are absolutely unbiased nor influenced by the brand in any way.
Pictures Courtesy: Monkey Bar

Travel for Food - Escape from Bangalore for a Quick Lunch in Mysuru

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Been nearly a year since I posted on this blog and getting back to it, I start with travelling to another city for lunch. Travel experiences is something I've always wanted to share and this time around I start by combining 2 thing I love the most - Travel for Food. 

Travel to Mysuru makes for a perfect lunch plan. You can do a roadtrip and explore the food at various hole in the wall and legendary outlets or simply take the train if you simply want to get to #Mysore hassle free for a quick yet delicious lunch. 

Depending on how much time you have and how you want to make the best of it, you can also add on a few things to do in Mysore and extend your Itinerary to make it a fun day trip.

What I did this time was - 

8 AM - Boarded train 16536 Gol Gombaz Express from Bangalore City Railway station.

11 AM - Arrived at Mysore Junction and headed out for a meeting.

12:30 PM - Wrap up the meeting and headed straight to Hotel RRR for a wonderful Andhra style meals, Chicken Biryani and some starters to go along. 

1:45 PM - Headed back to the railway station at Mysore which is a 10 minute drive from RRR.

2:15 PM - Boarded 12008 Shatabdi Express for Bangalore. 

4:30 PM - Arrived back at BLR railway station.

What are you waiting for? Go ahead and book your ticket for a quick lunch at Mysore via the IRCTC Website.

Tips:

- Auto is a convenient means of commute.

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Made In Punjab - Extravagant Punjabi Fare

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Coming from the celebrated family of Kalra's the launch of Made In Punjab was much awaited and when it did it was with all pomp and show in true Punjabi ishtyle. Invited to experience the offerings from their menu, a friend and I headed one evening for some hearty Punjabi fare.

We started off with the legacy tandoori champ which were succulent lamb chops in a special house mix of spices. The evening surely did kick start on a really high note. Soon giving us company on our table was 'Bhatti  Ka Murgh' which was perfectly spiced tender chicken leg.

Appetizers continued to flow in with a melt in mouth 'Paneer Barrel Tikka' which as the name goes resembled barrels with an in between filling of spinach and cheese. Not usually a fan of mushrooms, the restaurant staff did insist we try 'Jau Mushroom Chakli' and it sure did have us asking for more. It was deep fried parcel with a filling of barley, minced mushrooms mildly seasoned and came served with a mustard-garlic chutney.

Punjabi evenings are never sober and hence the liver got it its fair share of job to perform. We had some interesting cocktail concoctions which had fancy Punjabi naming conventions. In order of preference I loved the 'Nayaa Zamana' which was MIP's take on the classic 'Old Fashioned' cocktail which concocted with a base of bourbon whiskey, caramel, citrus and apple. This was closely followed by 'Nashili Chai' a concoction of various white liquor and in house tea infusion.

Nayaa Zamaana

Nashili Chai

Heading to our next course 'Main Course' I had to have the much talked and heard about 'Nalli HardKaur'. It was a visually pleasing sight and even more enjoyable to eat; all the way through the last morsel of the intense lamb shank and finally sweep clean the plate to not leave a drop of the silken curry. The meat was cooked to fall of the bone consistency and exuded intense flavors.

I can go on about 'Nalli HardKaur' but let's move on to 'Luxury BC'. Let's cut the thinking, this is the luxury butter chicken; succulent chicken chunks in an ultra rich and delicious gravy. Both the dishes were best enjoyed with the traditional Punjabi breads like butter naan, paratha, tandoori roti and likes.

Finishing with a dessert, we tried the dates Rasmalai. The dates added a nice flavor to this dessert but for me this dessert lost out on the texture for it was too spongy unlike the traditional rasmalai which usually just melt in mouth. As I said, "this did not work for my palate but my dining companion relished this dessert."

An average meal for 2 at MIP will cost around Rs. 2000 ++ inclusive of food and a beverage each. I know I'm going back here often for delicious Punjabi fare and kick-ass cocktails. The menu is vast with some extravagant offerings and apart from repeats I look forward to trying more off their menu.

Address: Made In Punjab, UB City, Bengaluru - 560103

Phone Number: +91 81309 55899

Note: This visit to Made In Punjab was on invitation but the opinions expressed are solely mine and are absolutely unbiased nor influenced by the brand in any way.

Taste of Puglia - Straight from the heart @ Bene, Sheraton Grand Bangalore

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It's been a while since I've written about the food at Sheraton Grand Bangalore and is my first time I'm writing about the food at Chef Giuseppe's table. At the helm of Bene - the signature Italian restaurant; Chef Giuseppe hailing from Puglia is hosting a food festival showcasing the cuisine from his region placed in Southern parts of Italy. The food from here is rustic and earthy and Chef with his team at Bene left no stone unturned. Read on to know how the evening transpired.

As we took to our seats, our table was set up with breads baked in-house with the focaccia being a favorite. The texture of this bread was brilliant with a crispy outer shell and the airy centre. The flavor of extra virgin olive oil was evident and was a perfect accompaniment to every course of the meal. Hard to imagine an Italian meal without breads.

Olives were imported from Italy and were stuffed with either capers or almonds. The wine for the evening was from the Grover's produce. I generally love red wine and hence stuck to the Grover Shiraz. Must say, "I'm quite turning into a fan of their wine produce off late." The wine paired wonderfully with the food and before this could be concluded the olives paired with the wine did really enhance the wine experience.

Moving on, soon arrived the 'Bruschetta Pugliese' (missing picture) which was assembled to offer the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes, saltiness from the sun-dried tomato, pepper notes from the young arugula. This married brilliantly with the extra virgin olive oil and shaved parmesan drizzle; all topped on perfectly toasted Puglia bread. There was also 'Panzerotti Pugliese' fried mini folded pizzas stuffed with burrito cheese, tomato and basil. These were mini parcels of good ness reiterating the saying, "Good things come in small packages."

'Caprese Alla Barese' can easily make a comforting and satiating meal. The flavors and textures of the ingredients of this cold salad were a treat to the palate. This dish comprised of Bocconcini mozzarella, fresh basil pesto and sundries tomato tossed with extra virgin olive oil, fresh oregano and drizzle of Modena balsamic Vinegar. Most Italian restaurants offer this salad and so does Bene at Sheraton on its regular menu. But this preparation was an excellent representation of the region Chef hails from and by far the best I've had.

Each course that arrives had higher expectations to beat and the next one at task was 'Ciambotto' a seafood soup which includes the catch of the day cooked in bisque and fish stock and served with the Focaccia dipped in it. The flavors were earthy; sorry oceanic, the texture rich and I was a happy foodie again realising why I've loved Bene through these years.

'Orecchiette Alla Ragu' is a home made pasta originating from the Puglia region. This comes tossed in 48 hours slow cooked lamb ragout and pecorino cheese. I loved the bite that this pasta provided, the ragout it was tossed in and the slow cooked lamb was succulent and packed with flavor as a result. I swept this clean with no guilt what so ever.

The main course was plated with - (1) 'Branzino in Costa Di Palate' - a Chilean sea bass fish topped with potato crust placed on a bed of cherry tomato asparagus and garden salad. (2) 'Zucchine Al Tonno' - Zucchini stuffed with tuna capers and garlic. Both had a brilliant flavor profile but for me; of the two the Chilean sea bass stole the show for its simplicity in preparation, the perfect balance in cooking the fish and the accompanying salad and the cherry tomatoes clearly elevated the experience of eating this fish.

Next course was the final one and was the dessert. 'Biscotti di Mandorla' made and appearance. This was a warm South Italian short bread tart stuffed with home made nutella and came topped with again a homemade Mascarpone cheese ice cream'. While the table was filled with discussions during each course for their sheer excellence; during this it was a silent heavenly abode. No words were needed for the silence as everyone clean swept their plates spoke it all. I'm no dessert fan and I left no trace of this dessert on my plate.

So if you've been following me on my social media channels you'd have seen the buzz around this dinner already which has been pleasing dinners since 4th November. While this comes to an end as I write these lines, let me tell you this is clearly a reminder that Bene stands out as my go to restaurant in the city for excellent Italian food and hospitality and also a restaurant I will time and again recommend you to hit for a fantastic experience. 

The best way to experience it all is to go in for a 6 course experiential dining that was offered on the menu for Rs 2000 + taxes and charges. Absolutely worth the price and for those who wanted to go the a la carte way, a special menu was on offer with lots to choose from for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. 

While this festival may have run through the duration planned for, this review only clearly hints that Sheraton will only work again towards going beyond the expectations this food festival has already set. So while I look forward to more meals here, do watch this space for upcoming food promotions and festivals.

Quick Tip:

When you are at Bene and you happen to catch Chef Giuseppe, let yourself in his hands and he will walk you through an experience you will remember for a long time to come.

Address: Bene, Sheraton Grand Bangalore at Brigade Gateway, 26/1, Dr. Rajkumar Road, Malleshwaram - Rajajinagar, Bangalore - 560055

Phone Number: +91 80 4252 1000

Food Festival: An Essence of Chettinad @ Sheraton Grand Bangalore

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It was Day 01 of the Marriott - Starwood Merger and Yes, I was there :)

We kicked off our evening at Sheraton experiencing the in season Oktober Fest menu; buts that's for another post. Fast forwarding the evening to when Chef Sabari with all enthusiasm walked us to our table at feast to experience the food festival close to his heart - 'An Essence of Chettinad'. Hailing from the region, Chef Sabari shared stories of the culinary journey his team set out on to bring the authenticity and experience back to Sheraton Grand Bangalore and it clearly showed through the evening spent.

Indian section of the buffet was dedicated to Chettinad cuisine which was extensive enough to ignore the rest of the otherwise magnificent buffet spread. True to the restaurants name, the Chettinad spread alone was a 'Feast'.

We were welcomed with Panakam and Neermore and before heading to starters we started off with condiments placed on our table like a variety of chips, chutneys, pickles, spread of podi and more before we progressed to the next course of starters. Panakam is a jaggery based drink with lime juice, ginger, cardamon forming key ingredients. We shamelessly enjoyed a couple of rounds of this drink as we nibbled through the condiments placed on our table.

Starters was an enjoyable course - a result of good ingredients, spices, marination and cooking style. The non-vegetarian starters included quail cooked in Chettinad spices (Kadai Perattal), prawn fry (Karuvepillai Eral Fry) and lamb chops (kari Varuval). This only made me look forward to the coming courses from the buffet spread.

Live stations continuously dished out vegetarian and non-vegetarian starters, appam, Adai, parothas and Nei Paniyaram. Adai as recommended by Chef was enjoyed in the company of ghee and jaggery. Neil Paniyaram was relished with the wide spread of chutneys and podi. 

Mains included a range of dishes for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. There was Karaikudi Attiracha Curry; a flavourful lamb dish and Chettinad Meen Melagu Varuval; a seer fish preparation (yes! I was equally excited to hear Seer and not Basa)  that went well in the company of a nice flaky parotha. There was also Chettinad chicken biryani which I have usually never been  fan off. 

This was not all, I loved the vegetarian section too which had Pusanikkai More Kozambu, Vatha Kozambu and more. These were my favourites from the vegetarian menu and were relished with steamed rice. 

I'm not a big fan of desserts but I did venture into it. Amidst a wide spread selection, a fellow blogger recommended I try the Sago Payasam and it hit the bullseye. I did not need to look for any other dessert from the spread. At the end of it all there sure was a need of a digestive and to finish there was a delicious paan on offer.

It's a limited time showcase and the menu offering is on a rotational basis. So head here to enjoy a buffet that has an extensive offering of Chettinad food prepared from the heart by Chef Sabari and team. While only one more day remains for this food festival, I urge you to try it out and if that's not possible the buffet spread at Sheraton Grand Bangalore is fantastic and makes for an enjoyable experience. The buffet at feast comes priced at Rs. 1445++ for lunch and Rs. 1595++ for dinner.

Quick Tips:

Go enjoy an Essence of Chettinad at Feast, Sheraton Grand Bangalore and stay tuned for more to come.

Address: Sheraton Grand Bangalore, 26/1, Dr. Rajkumar Road, Malleshwaram - Rajajinagar, Bangalore - 560055

Phone Number: +91 80 4252 1000

'The Moplahs of Malabar' - Unique Tastes at Dakshin - ITC Windsor, Bangalore

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Under the aegis of Kitchens of India, ITC Hotels have been hosting numerous food festival; each showcasing an aura of specialty cuisine that they aptly categorize under the following themes:

- Unique Tastes

- Forgotten Treasures

- Royal Repasts

Like always, this running food festival showcasing the unique tastes of 'The Moplah Cuisine' is no less of a grandeur giving insights into the food and cultural amalgamation of the highly respected community of Kerala Muslims also known as 'Moplahs'. Under the able guidance of Mrs. Ummi Abdullah - a Moplah culinary specialist; chef George at the helm from ITC Windsor's Dakshin along with his team are wonderfully steering a legacy that ITC hotels is known to live by.

A meal here always starts with generous servings of a variety of chutneys, uttappams, papads and fries. I've always looked forward to this especially the banana uttappam which tastes so very distinct when had with a different type of chutney. I expected it to be a long evening with loads of food so I had to balance out my indulgence to be able to last through the rest of the evening.

The experience of the 'Moplah Cuisine' started with the arrival of none other than Mrs. Ummi Abdullah who in all her enthusiasm shared stories ranging from the love for cooking, extracting coconut oil, the 3 generations that follow her, all time favorites, complexities and unique techniques involved with this traditional cuisine and so on. All these conversations were enjoyed in the company of delicious appetizers that followed one after another.

Mrs. Umi Abdullah (3rd from Right)

Taking the lead were fried onion fritters and deep fried pockets of spiced chicken; the former called 'Ulli Ada' and the later being 'Kozhi Ada'. A bite into each of these and you know right away that the food is non-greasy, not spicy / hot but the emphasis is clearly laid on the use of fragrant spices. I can be biased towards non-vegetarian food and you know that very well too. But in this case, I was really impressed with 'Ulli Ada' the fried onion mini samosas if I may call them.

Kozhi Ada

Fried Onion Fritters

The filling of deep fried sweet onion and it's marriage with the fragrant spices hit the right notes on my palate. 'Kozhi Ada' was minced chicken subtly flavored with spices stuffed in a really thin yet perfectly crisp casing. I was amazed to hear that this can be deep fried and then stored for over a month packed in containers for consumption as a tea time snack. How cool is that! Isn't it?

Next up were 'Thenga Unda' and 'Chemeen Unda'; both being steamed rice dumpling with the former containing onion and coconut while the later contained fragrant - spiced minced prawns. subtle and delicate flavors and the simplicity of flavors is what made me happy about 'Unda'. 

Tenga Unda

Chemeen Unda

If you thought this was all we had for starters, the best was yet to arrive and when it did; it seemed like a complete meal by itself. This was the 'Meen Porichandu' - grilled seer fish slices marinated in Malabar spices. A drizzle of lime and accompaniment of onion was all that was required to make this soul satisfying.

With this, we made a foray into the mains which were served in the classic Dakshin thali. Served on the plate left to right in the cups is - 'Meen Mulakithattu' a traditional moplah fish curry made with tamarind; 'Chena Varatharacha Curry' yam simmered in coconut gravy; 'Erachi Nadan Porichathu' an authentic preparation of succulent lamb in a paste of garlic and coriander; 'Thakkali Vattichathu'; 'Kozhi Varattiyathu' chicken drumsticks tossed with traditional malabar spices and to the extreme right is 'Alisa' a porridge of slow cooked broken wheat and lamb topped with fried onion and ghee. This was similar to haleem and traditionally in a Moplah household; Alisha is best enjoyed with a mixing of sugar and hot ghee. I tried it both ways and did love the rich consistency of Alisha. 

Main Course - Dakshin Thali

The mains were accompanied by 'Appam', 'Podi Pathiri' and Ney 'Pathri'. Each one was very different from another and was a blend of distinct texture and unique tastes. The course does not end here. What followed was a delicious 'Thallasseri Mutton Biryani' which was fragrant rice  with succulent mutton and topped with dried fruits.

Mrs. Ummi Abdullah at the start of the meal introduced our table to a dessert that is a result of finesse. This uses egg as a main ingredient and when plated traditionally it takes the form of a garland and hence the name 'Muttamala'. Muttamala made with egg yolk is served resembling string hoppers and comes topped with 'Kinnathappam' steamed and sweetened egg white disks. Saffron, cardamom and the sugar syrup used as ingredients in the making of this dessert wonderfully basks the otherwise prominent flavor that egg can leave behind in a dessert if not done right. This was perfect and was polished off in no time. 

This meal at Dakshin is available for lunch and dinner as a thali or can be called for a la carte from the menu till 12th September. At Rs. 2300 + taxes (ITC does not levy Service Charge), trying the thali is the perfect way to experience the unique tastes of Moplah cuisine which is yet another experience wonderfully curated by the team of ITC Windsor.

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

For Reservations - Phone Number: +91 80 4140 1205

Note: This visit to ITC Hotels Windsor, Bengaluru was on invitation but the opinions expressed are solely mine and are absolutely unbiased nor influenced by the brand in any way.