French Weekend at Swissotel, Kolkata

"French cuisine is known for its exquisite taste and presentation and we are proud to present traditional French recipes brought to us from Lyon which is know as the 'gastronomical capital of France'". I am sure that the people of the city will enjoy the dishes."

- Mr.Marco Saxer (General Manager of Swissotel, Kolkata)

 Kolkata Food Bloggers recently got invited at the inauguration of the French Weekend at Cafe Swiss in Swissotel that will continue till 13th July'14 and to taste the exquisite flavours from France to celebrate  the French National Day (celebrated on 14th of July).  As a part of the team Amrita, Vishal and I reached on time to witness the french culinary journey that will keep the impression in our mind forever. Just at the entrance we got struck to see the decor and the huge replica of the World Cup to keep the spirit of the recent sport fever. Warm and cordial greetings from team Swiss made us comfortable and we were served Cranberry cooler and Sparkling wine. When it comes to French Cuisine the concept of the fine dining with its unique delicacies pops up and make you lure. I always admire the quality of food that Swissotel restaurants serve and mainly when they present the food fests picking up different cuisines of the world, they ensure that they should present the authentic taste of the cuisine. Therefore for each Food Fest they bring the specialised and experienced chefs from that particular country. This time the flare from French Cuisine instantly sealed our lips so that we should not talk but eat and eat and eat. 

Most of the delegates were from France and French Consulate. Busy in chitchatting and munching the delectable starters. We were introduced with the GM, Mr. Marco Saxer and was overwhelmed to see his cordial greetings that made us more comfortable. To enrich our knowledge we were introduced with Louise Arnes from Lyon, the Gastronomical Capital of France, who crafted the menu keeping in mind to stick to its authentic taste and to present the traditional dishes from her country. She also shared keeping in mind the local ingredients that  could be found in India, the menu had been designed. Though she wanted to add two more dishes like Red varrine and a dessert, since the ingredients were not available here therefore it got omitted. The key qualities of the food  were: spice less and the usage of the fresh ingredients. So as our journey started of tasting and exchanging the knowledge of French Cuisine and the dishes served that very day.

The starter menu comprised of: Zucchini and Tomato Verrine, Accars (Fish Dumpling), Asparagus and Ham Ballotins, Smoked Salmon and Avocado verrine, Mini Chicekn croquet monsieur and Gourgeres (Cheese Puff). My picks were the Smoked Salmon and Avocado verrine and the Accars (Fish Dumpling). How could I miss the Asparagus and Ham Ballotins and Cheese Puffs too. Smoked Salmon and Avocado verrine was just out of the world. A layer of avocado seasoned mildly with lemon juice and then topped with a layer of sour cream and crowned with the smoked salmon. One need to scoop out the two layers altogether and to take a bit of the salty smoky flavoured salmon. And here you go- I reached directly to the heaven after each bite. The fish Dumpling was the another one hit my palate. Crab meat steamed and topped with some brown sauce made a perfect pairing and after tasting it the balanced flavour did win my heart. So as the Asparagus and Ham Ballotins. All the fresh ingredients and the usage of minimal ingredients made each dish not only exotic but too savoury.

The Main course menu  goes like this: From the Veg section:
 Dauphinois Potato (Potatoes cooked with Cream). Ratatouille, Herb and Cheese Shouffle, Warm Camembert with Wild Mushroon Fricassee and Onion and Leek Tart.
We were recommended by Louise to taste Dauphinois Potato (Potatoes cooked with Cream). That one is one of the famous dishes of her native land. And so it was. Half Boiled Potato got baked with Cream and Cheese made the pair like made in heaven. The creamy bite of the potato coated with Cheese and Cream made the taste nothing but yum. 
When I first watched the movie Ratatouille, I was hooked to create the dish Ratatouille at my kitchen. I made it but never knew what would be the original taste. This was for the first time I tasted and found it not only delectable but exquisitely good in taste. A mild tangy tomato based sauce coated with the vegetables made a succulent bite. Yes it had then become a winner where a meat lover like me complementing a veg dish like this.
Warm Camembert with Wild Mushroon Fricassee was also a dish worth to mention. Mushroom cooked in thick cheesy-nutty gravy made perfect blend of taste. 

The Non-Veg Buffet Spread goes like this:

Lobster Thermidor,Poulet au Vinalgre (Lyon Specialty of vinegar braised chicken, Bouf Bourgulgnon (Tenderloin cooked with red wine), Gigot d'agneau (Roast leg of lamb served with roaste potatoes), Pork Tenderloins with Bacon and Apple Riesling Sauce.

My picks of the day were the Pork Tenderloins with Bacon and Apple Riesling Sauce and the Lobster Thermidor. Fresh Pork slices cooked in diced bacon and Apple Riesling sauce was out of the world. The Pork was perfectly cooked and the freshness of each ingredients made it more delicious. At each bite one will have the tiny diced bacon along with the juicy pork piece.

Lobster Thermidor here got presented in a different way since it was a part of the buffet spread. But none could beat the taste. I have tasted Lobster Thermidor in variuos places. And each time I came up with a different taste. Here too the taste was different but again taste wise it got the full marks.

The non-veg dishes were also winner in its own way. Mainly when you got a chance to taste the authentic and traditional French dishes sitting in your own city of joy, what life needs more.

How could I miss the Breads and the Cheese Truffles that are French Cuisine famous for. The truffles were exceptionally good in taste cheese rolled in nuts/ pesto/coconut flakes. I have never imagined that a cheese truffle would be so tasty. It went perfectly with the assorted breads that was on the spread. The Spread also had the Famous French onion soup and Bouillabaisse (Sea Food Soup served with rouille). I tasted the seafood one. The smell of the seafood was very mild that would make you more prone to go for the second serving and the next. Assorted seafood crunches would give you a mouthful serving with the warm liquid soup pouring down your throat giving an utmost satisfaction to enjoy the delectable dish.

And last but not the least here I come to the Dessert section that is French Cuisine mainly famous for. All the famous French Desserts along with some from other cuisines too were lined up to made us satisfied. We were pretty full then. But who could resist if you have these luring desserts welcoming you. Croquembouche, Matafaim,Paris Breast, Blue Berry Cheese Cake, Lamington, French Apple Tart, French Swiss roll, Creme Brulee, Cherry Clafoutis. Opera Cake, Chocolate Mousse, Sandesh. Ladoo and so on and forth all were presented at one's service. No need to say again the each dessert was a winner. But my pick was the Croquembouche and the Paris Breast. Paris Breast was a kind of choux pastry stuffed with hazelnut sauce. At each bite the oozing chocolaty hazelnut sauce was a heavenly match with choux pastry.

All over my experience was splendid. Mainly loved the way the taste and the presentation of the dishes were taken care of, keeping in mind to give the utmost authentic flavour of the traditional dishes that were crafted in the Buffet Menu for the French Weekend.

For more Pictures pls visit my Facebook Page.

French Weekend at Cafe Swiss is on till 13th July'14.

Price: INR 1600 plus taxes per person for Dinner Buffet. A special Sunday Brunch on 13th July will cost INR 1650 plus taxes per person.

Timings: 7.00pm to 11.00pm 

To know more detail about French Weekend one may call at this no: 033-6626 6666

             

Gala Brunch spread at Durbari, Swissotel, Kolkata

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"
"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"
"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.”

-A.A. Milne

Ah!!! It’s not exactly the same thing happened with me last Sunday and yes there was something very special waited for me us to pair my our breakfast and lunch together. I know you got me. I am talking about Brunch - the concept that is recently evolving in Kolkata. The European concept of brunch has been ceremoniously offered to Kolkata by Swissotel first at their Café Swiss restaurant. Then they moved a step ahead to give it an Indian touch by designing a Sunday Brunch Menu to their famous Indian speciality restaurant Durbari. Kolkata Food Bloggers were exclusively invited to sample the re- launch of the Durbari Sunday Brunch Menu on last Sunday. My soul always does happy dances and taps its feet when it comes to Swissotel. Yes, I love visiting the place (with Friends/Fellow Bloggers & Family) for its elegance and the quality food they serve. Did I mention about their courteous hospitality which makes you feel like home!! This time visiting Durbari was not new for me, but what was new, was the delectable brunch spread on offer.

Durbari itself is famous for offering the North Indian speciality food where you will get the Kashmiri influences as well as the Awadhi. Recently keeping in mind about the Bengali culture and food, Durbari offers some famous Bengali dishes like: Malaikari, Shorshe Machh, Kosha Mangsho. It made us more surprised when Ashish (Restaurant Manager) informed that Durbari is the only one restaurant in Kolkata which serves the famous PANTA BHAT. And the icing on the cake is the Chef’s own touch that incorporates some brilliant fusion dishes to serve. For example picking some from the Brunch menu: Naaza (Na of Naan & Za of Pizza), it's a fusion of Naan and Pizza. The chef deftly made an indianized Pizza, making the base out of  Khameeri roti and topped it with Murgh Tikka, amul cheese and some colourful bell peppers. A smoky flavor steaming out of it would give one a taste of heaven. Or take Murgh Balai Kabab. The name itself  made us all curious what could be the meaning of Balai. On asking Chef Aditya casually shared “Malai kabab tha, to maine iska naam Balai kabab rakh diya” (there is already Malai Kabab, so I kept it Balai Kabab). And  yea you guessed right we all almost rolled over the floor. And this Murgh Balai Kabab was a stuffed chicken breast with onions and

pomegranate. Taste wise I was not able to do much justice to it. Ok let me talk about the menu later on. Coming to the characteristic of the Brunch menu- it is not constant but keeps on changing every week. That means every week there will be uniqueness on the menu and a new taste to lure. Soon after we reached Durbaari, we were greeted by Enakshi Kundu (assistant marketing and communication manager) and Aashish Shaw (restaurant manager) and made us comfortably sit in their private dining area. The culinary journey started then – clicking, tasting, gathering information, giggling on intervals and all we shutter bugs kept on playing the music of our shutters to freeze the beauty of each food in our cameras.

Now let us peep in the Brunch Spread: 

Starters

The special starters will be served on the table. One will get more starter options on the buffet counter too: i.e.Zafrani Paneer Tikka, Dalcha Kebab (Veg) and Achari Tikka, Sarson Mahi Tikka (Non-Veg ).

Dahi Ke Kabab

 This starter was served first. The speciality of this starter is, it is always served cold. Hung curd with some spices got coated with semolina and then got fried was divine. It will tickle one's taste bud with a kind of not so tangy but too tasty paired with the aroma of the fried spices.The perfectly shaped and fried patty could be easily grab for a second serving.

Naaza..I have already talked about it. One of the star dishes for which one can go back again and again.

Murgh Balai Kabab

Gondhoraj Mahi Tikka

Now this one was the star of the day. Tender pieces of  Bhetki Fish delicately marinated with Gondhoraj lime and Kaffir lime, grilled and served to us to so the justice to it.and no need to say each bite made to say only YAM, nothing else.The balanced flavour totally camouflaged the Fishy smell for which Bhetki is famous for. 

The main course/ Buffet Spread

Sarson Mahi Tikka

Achari Tikka

Palak Paneer 

Methi Murgh

2.      The sumptuous  buffet spread will lure you with almost 15 -16 dishes to devour. Starting right from the Soups/Shorbas, Salads, Starters, Main Course and Desserts were all on offer. The main course comprises of  Dal Durbari, Palak paneer, Diwani Handi and Aloo Dhaniawala from the Vegetarian section. Ajwaini Fish Curry and Methi Murgh were from the Non Veg section. Green Peas Pulao was there to compliment the side dishes. I enjoyed thoroughly each of bite of all the dishes. But to be specified Dal Durbari was out of the world. Mainly when we were served the famous Swiss Cheese Naan, both conjugated like made for each other in heaven. Off the Brunch menu Murgh Makhni Andaz and Kumbh Do pyaza were also served to sample the taste. Again they won my heart.

3.       

The dessert counter had a mixture of Indian traditional sweets and pastries along with fresh fruits. Mango Rasmalai, Mihidana and Rabdi were enjoyed unanimously by my fellow bloggers. For me I was so full I had console my appetite with bite size Tiramisu. 

The overall food experience was out of the world and when you have host like Swiss team who would take the utmost care to make you comfortable with their cordial politeness. And don't miss the price on offer. Yes it is just 1000/- plus tax (yes you hear me right!!!!) for the Brunch which is available only on Sunday. 

Durbaari is opened from Tuesday to Sunday between 1900 hrs to 2300 hrs,the restaurant is open for lunch from 12:30 hrs to 15:00 hrs on weekends as well. Mondays are closed.

Singapore Peranakan Food Festival at Swissotel, Kolkata

Singapore thy name is an intrinsic part of my life as it is my birth place. And one could guess when the invitation to the Singapore Peranakan Festival by the Swissotel called the KFB (Kolkata Food Bloggers) to join, my joy knew no bound. That sumptuous taste of the food of my birth city still smacks my lips. And from the core of my heart I so much want to taste the real taste of joy what I miss badly. Though with an excited heart of a little girl I headed towards to sample the food, I had no clue about Peranakan but of Singapore. A little search on net gave a vague idea but what we learnt and got shared at the fest was different which came direct from the maestros who flew from Singapore. Archita and I reached on time and promptly we were joined by the two guest chefs - Chef Abdul Halim bin Ahmed and Chef Jasper Kok. 

From Left to Right: Chef Abdul Halim bin Ahmed, Chef Jasper & Food Blogger Archita Chanda Ray

We started all our queries with Chef Abdul Halim bin Ahmed, the senior Chef and he with a smiling face passionately kept on answering all our questions. What we learnt about the Peranakan cuisine is that the cuisine mainly evolved by the influences of Chinese, Malay, Indonesia and the inter-marriage in between them.  It is locally famous as "MAMA cuisine" (Malay + Chinese). Chef Jasper shared that it was very hard to differentiate the taste between the Singaporean cuisine and Peranakan cuisine, only  those, who always dealt with the food could distinguish the taste. The special characteristic of the Peranakan cuisine  is, it offers milder taste than of the Chinese and Singaporean cuisines as very less spices are used in this cuisine. And that we found just after we started tasting the food. For Peranakan Cuisine the main spice paste that they use is made out of Shallot, Garlic, Chilly, Lemon grass and Blue Ginger. We got very confused with the Blue Ginger, then Chef Mahesh revealed it was nothing but Galangal. The usage of Coriander and Turmeric Powder is very common which leads the taste quite similar to the Indian Cuisine. 

From Left to right: Ayam Lemak, Ayam Percik, Beef Rendang, Laksa add ons and the Soup & Ayam Buah Keluak

Every cuisine has its own story and Prenakan is also no exception. We moved with the tasting session and the munching and chomping kept on beating the music of appreciation where the Chefs kept on discussing about their creations of the night and the stories behind the Cuisine.  The Fest at Swissotle went for 6 days and every night the buffet menu was different. The menu got decided upon the likeness of the people in Kolkata where our friendly Chef Mahesh helped them to understand the taste buds of Kolkata people. We attended the fest on the last day and that really helped us to know about the true essence of the success of the Fest.  The Singapore Peranakan Food Festival was a real success where the varieties and the vast ranges of dishes got offered throughout the 6 days. People really appreciated the dishes were Chilli Crab (We missed it as it was not on the menu that day), Beef Rendang and Babi Pongteh. I don't eat beef so can't say about it but yes why people liked Babi Pongteh I can vouch for that. Three different types of Chicken preparations were served that night and each one of them were unique in taste. I found the dishes much similar to our south Indian curries and upon asking it Chef Jasper said yes as he told earlier Peranakan was more of a mixed cuisine where one would get similarity with chinese, malay, Indian and Indonesian cuisines.

Prawn Oatmeal

Prawn Oatmeal made us all surprised. The dish is new to us. And it looks very modern too. Chef Jasper told us that this is not a Peranakan Cuisine but a Chinese one which is not very old in the world of cuisine. It is kind of a bit fusion that they now offer in an attire of modernization. White oats just got sauteed with a dash of salt and white pepper  and then added it with the fired Prawns. The taste is very balmy but exotic. A must say signature dish from the chefs' side.

Babi Pongteh

The stunner of the night and also the most tasted dish I should confess was the Babi Pongteh. It was a Pork preparation cooked in a very mild bean sauce and almost with the minimum spices. The pork was succulent and juicy just melted in mouth on each bite. I was not able help myself to go for two serving. It is exactly the best example of what Peranakan Cuisine is famous for. The taste with a very milder base and usages of less spices. 

From Left to Right:  Veg Nasi Goreng, Broccoli & Cauliflower, Nyonya Chap Chye & Fried Bee Hoon

Each and every dish are so mild in taste that one would feel like help himself/herself with multiple servings. Whether it is the  fried Bee Hoon ( Singaporean Noodles) or the Nasi Goreng or the lined up veg dishes all will give one the divine taste that an authentic cuisine offers. There is no addition of the store bought spices or the addition of too much sauces. 

Soto Ayam , the soup which taste very much like an Indian Chicken Stew.

Bubur Cha Cha & A H Bo Leng

Two of the traditional sweets of Peranakan Cuisine were served on the counter along with an array of dessert collection from all over the world. I am not a very traditional sweet lover but more of a chocoholic whom the pastries lured more. But I literally enjoyed the story behind the dessert A H Bo Leng.  Though A H Bo Leng doesn't come under the Peranakan cuisine, it is more of a Chinese dessert. In Chinese it means "Happy together again with family". Small round balls were made out of  glutinous rice flour and then boiled in the sugar syrup.  The story that Chef Jasper shared was, every year on 22nd December , every household in Singapore would prepare this dessert and will to eat depending on the number of the age of the person. He also added that another name of the dessert is Tang Yuan.

From the core of my heart I would like to thank Swissotel for offering Kolkata the real and authentic taste of the world cuisine with an addition of a healthier version to it. It was always a great experience to meet the experienced and the learned Chefs in person. A place where any one of any age can enjoy the food, where the Chefs personally take care of their customers and salute their taste buds. Last but not least heartiest thanks to Team Swiss  and Chef  Abdul Halim bin Ahmed & Chef Jasper for giving us this opportunity to witness the authentic world cuisine and congratulations on the great success of the Singapore Peranakan Food Festival.

To view more pictures of the fest visit HERE.

Read what Archita of My Food My Life experienced HERE.

[Disclaimer: This is an Invited Review and solely based on the author's honest experience . No monetary benefit is included]

An Overview of the Seafood Festival at Swissotel, Kolkata,

 

A chill wintery evening lured the KFB table members to esteem the invitation came from the Swissotel, Kolkata to sample their "Seafood Festival". Seafood is always my weakness and the invitation made me excited to experience a focused journey, mainly where one could witness a face to face conversation with the chefs. It’s a long drive from my place to reach Newtown. Thankfully I have one of the KFBians to give me company and make the long way shortest with all the chitchats and giggles dominated the mechanical traffic sounds echoing all around us. After reaching Swissotel, we were warmly welcomed by the Team Swissotel. Their cordial gestures made us to sit comfortably and at ease. Soon we were offered Juice/Tea/coffee to satisfy our quenched heart and no later the other 3 KFBians joined the group. And the journey of the "Seafood Sensation" started and it would never end, if we didn't have the rush to again cover the long drive and reach back home safely late at night.

The most proud moment arrived when shortly Chef Mahesh and Pastry Chef Sanjay joined us. In no time we all swayed in the jaunt discussing minutely the dishes listed down in the menu and proudly exhibiting on the dessert buffet corner . Chef Mahesh, young he is but experienced that he proved by the dishes and the knowledge he shared with us. Patiently he kept on answering all our questions and we all stepped in the shoes of a student mesmerizingly lost in the land of learning the culinary secrets that came direct from an Experienced Chef. He unfolded the myths embedded in our mind and stirred it up  with the knowledge that would help us in the long run.

The sample dishes from the Seafood Fest kept coming one after one and our discussion on that particular dish kept on blooming with Chef Mahesh. First we are served two dishes from the Appetizer section: Yam Talay (450/-) and Seared Scallops (675/-). Yam Talay was made after Thai cuisine, a seafood salad with a spicy salad dressing. Crab meat, scallop, prawns, squids all got mixed with the green mesclun (young salad leaves) and got sprinkled with the chilly infused citrusy  dressing which after each bite would hit the palate with a kind of yamness. But the Seared Scallops I must say was the star appetizer of the evening. This is for the first time I have tasted Daikon (Radish of Japan with a long hard durable root eaten raw or cooked) and the Cauliflower Veloute. The pan seared scallops were served on a bed of Cauliflower Veloute, (made out of pureed cauliflower sautéed with butter and flour) and Daikon was an amazing combination. Taste wise I just felt keep on eating the dish. It is a must try dish.

Next came lining up the 3 exotic dishes from the Main course. We all jumped with joy when we found Lobster Thermidor (1400/-) on the table. This is one dish that we the KFBians kept on discussing and tasting where ever we got it but failed to taste the authentic Thermidor that the actual recipe called for. Where ever I have tasted in Kolkata it was served either very creamy or very cheesy. But here we had totally the dried version of it. The Chef told us the original recipe calls for very less ingredients, scooping the flesh out of the Lobster shell, roughly chopping it, nicely mixed with the ingredients and to bake. Ah, I must say I loved it with a tiny bite on the Asparagus, Broccoli, and Garlic bread the Thermidor cooked up the perfect bite in my mouth.

Next we tasted the Norwegian Salmon (850/-). Pan roasted Salmon served with Salsa Varde, Mashed Potato and Chorizo (Pork) crisp. After settling down in India, this was for the first time I have taste Salmon. The taste blended perfectly with the minimum spices used to give a crispy bite to the Fish steak. Loved the pairing with the mash potato and the chorizo crisps which gave an extra hint to the flavour to make the bites more savoury.

Chermoula Spiced Fish (500/-) was the last one we got to sample. It came direct from the Meditarian Cuisine, spiced up in a Moroccan style. No need to say it has also won our heart.

The Seafood Festival Menu has been created taking dishes form all over the world. The Chef said he tried to maintain the authentic recipes of the classic dishes but at the same time he has introduced few fusion dishes too.  The Chef did able to create a Seafood Sensation by the magic of his creations.

We then move on the Buffet portion where dishes from French cuisine were luring us but the dessert section entice all to eat less the savoury items but gobble up more the dessert. Chef Sanjay did proved that his experience made him crown the hat of the best baker for us. The amazing beauties made perfectly and tasted out of the world, made us so impressed that is beyond explanation.

Last but not the least what surprised us and just bowled all of us, was the Paan Icecream. First time we heard and also tasted for the first time, we were not the verge to believe that the Icecream has been made out of Betel leaves. The taste was just out of the world, and I was not able to control myself to keep on tasting and tasting. Topped with gulkand gave us the feel of having meeta paan (Sweet Betel Leave) but in the attire of an Icecream. This was the best dessert of the night. And yes the Nolegur Icecream is amazing too. But I got hooked with the Paan Icecream.

The Seafood Sensation can be happily devoured in any of the outlets within Swissotel (the Swiss cafe, the Maaya lounge, Durbari and Splash). I would highly recommend to enjoy the feel on the pool side that is in the Splash and enjoy a journey to the seaworld. 

The overall experience was amazing. Mainly I would like to thank the wonderful hosts - Enakshi, Maya and Anuj for their awesome hospitality and the cordial gestures that made us feel so free and enjoy the evening with utter satisfaction.

For more pictures pls visit HERE..

To read more reviews, visit HERE....