Hilsa Festival Preview at Buzz, The Gateway, Kolkata

Festival - Hilsa Festival

Venue - Buzz, The Gateway Kolkata

Date - 10th July'15 to 26th July'15

Serving type: À la carte

Timing - 

Lunch : 1230 hrs to 1500 hrs

Dinner : 1930 hrs to 2300 hrs

Pocket Pinch - Meals for two, approx.INR 1500, inclusive of taxes (The price is based on main course items)

My recommendation: Ilish Pulao, Ilish Pithe, Doi 
Ilish & Smoked Hilsa

With the welcoming note of the Monsoon season, our home atmosphere got quite festive when the Man came after the morning shopping chore from the local market and announced with an elated smile:  "Ilish eshe gachhe" (Hilsa has come). The family members like a greedy child with salivated mouth sat down to decide the recipe that would do justice to the Hilsa/ Ilish fish for that day. My FIL with a gleeful joy started reciting a poem. Its a very old bengali poem what my FIL said. He had forgotten the title and the writer's name. But the gist of the poem what I understood is:
An old lady was all set to start her religious tour. Just at the moment she was leaving one of her relatives gave a surprise visit carrying "Jora Ilish" ( Previously people used to buy pair of Ilish). That lady without wasting any time cancelled her tour and sat down to cook Hilsa/ Ilish and enjoyed every bite of it.
 Thus Bengalies are that much carzy when it comes to Hilsa/Ilish. Though it is the national fish of Bangladesh, West Bengal would die for it. This is the one fish which can be cooked in various way. 

Team KFB reached Buzz on an invitation from Taj Gateway to sample the menu of the Hilsa Festival

Special thali for the tasting session.

that has started from today and will continue till 26th July'15. Buzz, the hotel restaurants of The Gateway Hotel has become famous for presenting the "Purbo Bangla/Opar Bangla" or the East Bengal delicacies along with the continental dainties. They never fail to celebrate the core Bengali festivals through their delicious delicacies. And to make sure they bring out the traditional regional dishes mostly from East Bengal and partially of the west Bengal. As the Monsoon knocks the door and the local fish market is flooding with Hilsa, Buzz without wasting any time organised the Hilsa Festival for the Hilsa Lovers with some traditional Bengali dishes from the both sides of Bengal. Thanks to Chef Ashish Roy, who took out his precious time and explained us each and every dish, like how they cooked, why they kept the dish in the menu etc. Now let us take a tour through the dishes that were designed specially for the Hilsa Festival.

What you will get in the Menu:

Starter
{Per dish INR 550 }

Shukno Lanka Peyaj Diye Ilish Bhaja
Block of Ilish fried in churned mustard oil with dried chilies and slices of baby onion

Ilish Pithe

Boneless Ilish stuffed in savoury dough and deep fried. This was the take of the day and highly recommended. Dhaka, Bangladesh specialises and is famous for the sweet and savoury Pithe. Among the the savoury one Ilish Pithe is one of the signature delicacies of Dhaka. 

{Picture Courtesy: Vishal Tupper}

Main Course
{Per dish INR 650 comes along with steamed rice, except Smoked Hilsa}

Narkol Diye Ilisher Paturi (Boneless)

Boneless Hilsa marinated with coconut and the steamed inside banana leaf. Paturi needs no introduction. Check any festive occasion  Paturi is a must added dish to the menu. And if it comes to the Hilsa season the menu goes incomplete without Hilsa/Ilish Paturi.

Ilish Mishti Kumror Jhol
Chef's special peparation cooked in iron griddle with the red pumkin and ground spices.

Ilish Pulao
Hilsa cooked in dum along with the finest hand-picked rice. Slowly cooked in the Hilsa fish stock the dish tasted heavenly. I have tasted Ilish Pulao in many famous food joints, but every where I found a kind of fishy smell dominating the dish. So I kept this dish out of my menu after that. But here to my surprise after tasting it, I didn't get that small rather I had fallen in love with it. So do try it.

Doi Ilish
Classical preparation with hung curd and churned mustard oil. This is another dish which I will highly recommend to try. Goes perfect with the white rice and also with Hilsa/ Ilish Pulao.
{Picture Courtesy: Vishal Tupper}

Smoked Hilsa

A western twist - fillet of boneless hilsa smoked with jasmine rice, honey and a dash of pommery - served with garlic bread. We all had fallen in love at one bite. Soft, creamy melted in mouth hilsa fillet that gives an out most sumptuous experience when you taste it. This dish is specially cooked keeping in mind for the international customers who will get the taste of the queen fish of Bengal with a continental touch up.

Apart from these Shorshebata Ilish (A classical recipe - Hilsa cooked in Mustard based gravy) and Kalojeera Begun diye Tel Jhal (A home style cooked dish with aubergine and tempered with kalonji/ nigella seeds). Hope those readers will enjoy the Hilsa Festival at  Buzz, The Gateway, Kolkata.

Happy Eating....

A Journey with the Mediterranean Cuisine at Souk, Taj Bengal, Kolkata

"A Souk is a traditional Middle Eastern marketplace where Mediterranean cultures and cuisines have mingled for centuries. True to this history, Souk - the flagship restaurant of Taj in Mumbai - Now brings together the myriad flavours of the region to Kolkata, at Taj Bengal."

On our last meet it was decided with the PR Director of Taj Bengal to have an exclusive Kolkata Food Bloggers Table meet at one of their restaurants. And as promised it got organized. A charming  and vibrant Table got all set in no time at Souk which was famous for serving Mediterranean Cuisine on go. The special prize for the day was meeting Chef Sujan Mukherjee and the General Manager K Mohanchandran in person and sharing the depth of knowledge on Mediterranean cuisine. For me I have tried Mediterranean cuisine but can not vouch on the fact that I tired the most authentic one and I have a vast knowledge on the cuisine and its taste. Therefore this table meet has honestly opened the plethora of knowledge to make sure what the authentic cuisine really offers. From my last few experiences I always look forward to meet a chef in person to know their point of view on presenting a cuisine on a different region which is not only challenging but also need the skill to read the peoples mind and taste. As for Kolkata, it is a city which is famous for food lovers and love to welcome the world cuisine and to experiment with it. Though now a days the Street food's Lebanese offerings are much more famous and people  gobbles up the  dishes. But we are missing out the original flavour of the cuisine. Here at Souk, Taj Bengal we made an authentic culinary journey which was not only educative but helped us to open the vastness of the cuisine by the verities of dishes that was served to us, the stories behind all and original way of cooking it. 

Bringing home the flavours from Lebanon, Morocco, Syria and Turkey, Souk presents truly a Mediterranean dining experience with minimalistic décor where one can relax and enjoy the food. With two private dining area (Chef's Studio & Casablanca) the place offers a lavish regular buffet spread for all as well as A la Carte menu too. A special A la Carte menu is been designed for the private dinners or if some comes up with a group which comprises of touching all the famous flavours to have an exclusive Mediterranean dining experience.  The menu keeps on changing to give the ultimate freshness to the customers and verity.  Souk is truly the Mecca for connoisseurs of fine dining who wish to discover - or rekindle - a passion for authentic hummus, felafil, mezzes, tagines, kebabs and pastilllas.

Amuse Buche - Watermelon with Feta Cheese and Mint

The Mezze Platter with Assorted Pita 

After tasting each dish it became clear that the spices here are having a very distinct flavour. We kept on tasting each dish and Chef kept on clearing all our doubts as well as kept on enriching our knowledge on Mediterranean cuisine too. we got to know that original Hummus always tastes better when the chickpeas are skinned and then pasted. Seasame seeds are grilled and pureed to produce Tahina which is the most important ingredient in the Hummus. The Hummus were offered here with a perfect blend of spices and I loved the creamy texture that melted in mouth. The Mezze platter is a significant offering on its own way. The tradition of Mezzes is very strong, as it is in the Mediterranean basins.  Loved the crispness of the Felafil - a spicy snack made from a puree of chickepeas, rolled n to small balls or shaped into patties and then fried in oil Traditionally it is eaten in Pitta Bread. The quality of meat in the Kibbe is worth mentionining. The meat comes from Jaipur to offer the quality lean meat. The grill platter just opened the original flavour of the Grill culture. It is an understanding that Mediterranean cuisine is simple yet at the same time sophisticated. The subtlety of Middle Eastern dishes is mainly due to the numerous spices and aromatic herbs which are used in their preparation. 

Mixed grills – Izgarlick Karides (Prawns from Egypt), Adana Kebab (lahm kebabs with bell peppers), Tavuk Yogurtulu Bitlis (chicken from Bitlis) and Samak meshwi (fish from Turkey) and Truffle Pilaf

Lahm Tagine (lamb with preserved lime, olives and chickpeas in tangy sauce with couscous)

Samak Moroccan (pan fried fish with pickled lemon, cayenne pepper, parsley and onion)

Pasta from the regular Menu

MOUSSAKA

Lahm Tagine, Samak Moroccan, the Pasta all were sumptuous and flatters with the aunthentic mediterranean flavours. Pasta dishes are very famous in the middle eastern cuisine. The one we tasted had a very disticnt flavour of the berries, olives and tomatoes. But what won my heart and was the start of the afternoon was the Moussaka. It is a baked dish which is very common in Turkey, Greece and the balkans. It is made with layers of aubergine (eggplant), meat sauce and often with a thick Bechamel Sauce. Here the addition of Zuccini and layeres of cheese made the perfect and delectable. I will go back again to have this dish again.

Omali, Rose Petal Ice Cream and Baklava  

I am not very fond of desserts. But loved the Chef's taste of making Baklava less sweeter than the original Baklava (Which tastes tad sweet). Loved the flavour of the Rose petal ice cream. In the Mediterranean Cuisines a incredibly wide range of flavours and sugar is always a fundamental ingredient. Mainly the flavours of  rose water and Orange flower water are much significant in the desserts.

Moroccan Mint Tea  at the end made the meal perfect.

KFBians & Chef Sujan Mukherjee

The overall Experience was wonderful.  Not only it was an afternoon where we got lucky to taste the Authentic Mediterranean Dishes but being a food blogger the knowledge which I had gathered from the Executive Master Chef and also from the honourable GM it was worth sharing. So if you love to experiment your taste bud and love Mediterranean food then Souk at Taj Bengal is a must visit place.

For more pictures click HERE.

A Preview of The Mexican Food Festival with Chef Eduardo Perez at Taj Bengal, Kolkata

"The great variety of flavors and textures in mexican cuisine gives us not only a healthy and balanced diet, but also a very exquisite one. "

-Chef Eduardo

Mexican Food Festival will continue till 2nd March'14. 

The A la Carte Menu price is 3000/- (inclusive of tax)

for Two. Few Mexican dishes will be available on the 

buffet counter too at the regular buffet price at THE HUB.

After Delhi, Mumbai, It is quite exhilarating for the foodies of Kolkata to assay the authentic Mexican Cuisine. Taj Bengal Kolkata proudly invited Chef Eduardo Perez to host the Mexican Food Festival for a week and to share his culinary magic with us. Ensuring the fact that now a day eating out has changed our palates to such an extent that our minds and bodies crave for changes and expect lots of verities in the flavours to whet the insatiable appetites. This kind of food festival not only is an eye opener for the people who have never tasted the respective cuisine but also for them who love scaling and experimenting their taste buds often. Being a part of Kolkata Food Bloggers(KFB), the invitation for the Food preview of the Mexican Food Festival and meeting the Chef in person did open a plethora of knowledge about this particular cuisine. The tables got decked up with the twinkles of the cutleries,  myths got unfolded, tasting and learning session started - two hours moved in a mesmerizing trance where we had a short tour to the Mexican kitchen and traveled back to our own city to enjoy the dishes on our own way.

Mexican food in taste and ingredients is a bit close to Indian fare. Though ginger is absolutely not used in Mexican cuisine, usage of chilies, coriander leaves, onion, tomato, garlic are used amply. Mexican cuisine may sound one of the most complex flares in the world of cuisines mainly when we got to know that Mole sauce itself needs almost 30 ingredients to cook. Chipotle chili paste or sauce is one of must ingredients the Chef shared. No usage of milk but of water and corn oil enhance the taste of the dishes.  Considering Tortila, Rice, Corns and Beans as the staple food, we got awestruck to hear that there are more than 100 types of chilies they use in their dishes. Mulling over the fact of their meat intake, Beef comes first and then follows the pork, lamb, chicken and seafood.  Cheese is one of the very common ingredients but Mexican cuisine has their own specialty cheese production, naming some famous are Oaxaca and Panela.

The Menu for the Mexican Food Festival has been designed not to open an extensive array of Mexican food but keeping it simple and compact. Focusing mainly on the traditional Mexican dishes is what exactly the Fest got conceptualized. The A La Carte menu offers one soup, two starters, two main course dishes and one dessert.  Keeping the proverb in mind “When you are in Rome, you have to be a Roman” The dishes were presented with a bit twist to add the Indian flavor to our taste and also at availability of the ingridients that can be easily available in Kolkata. Our serving started with the most traditional and authentic soup. The soup was cooked with three times lesser spiciness that should cook as an original Mexican way. Usually avocado too gets added in the soup but in Kolkata the availability of good avocado is very rare. The Chimichangas were presented with the addition of the famous Indian Panipuri flavor. Chicken Fajita won my heart. Though it is not presented in a Totilla wrapper but more over like a salad. The Mole Sauce here cooked with more than 13 ingredients and what surprised me the usage of chocolate, banana, and cookies in the Mole sauce. Yes, every cuisine has its own charm and magic. The winner was the Churros which were served with a scoop of freshly made Vanilla and diced raw coconut Ice cream and Chocolate sauce. The whole menu, as I have told earlier has been designed keeping in mind to focus on the Mexican Traditional cooking and the authentic way to serve it. But observing the taste buds of the people some variations got added with some twist and turns. Overall the Journey was explicable and delectable.

Chef Eduardo Perez: Lives in Merida, Yucatan Mexico. Graduated from the Letty Gordon Institution at Mexico City and the International School of Chefs at Merida, Yucatan, Mexico where he teaches today. "Giving colour and taste to the Mexican Food festival across India in association with Corralejo Tequila, Taj Bengal is going to host Chef Eduarado Perez to enchant us with his exquisite 'Mexico' and 'Maya' seasoning, using authentic Mexican ingredients "

Soup

Sopa Azteca (Chicken Tomato Chipotle Soup with Fried Tortilla)

Starters

Chimichangas (Flour Tortilla stuffed with soft Potato Tomato Onion Coriander and Lemon)

Chicken Fajitas (Flour Tortilla with Mexican spiced grilled Chicken and Cheese)

Chicken Fajitas (Flour Tortilla with Mexican spiced grilled Chicken and Cheese)

Main Course

Mole Con Pollo (Chicken with sweet Mexican Sauce)

Mole Con Pollo (Chicken with sweet Mexican Sauce)

Enfrijoladas (Corn tortilla stuffed with Cottage Cheese & sweet corn with spicy kidney beans sauce)

Enfrijoladas (Corn tortilla stuffed with Cottage Cheese & sweet corn with spicy kidney beans sauce)

Dessert

Churros (Deep- fried sweetened dough with cinnamon served with vanila-coconut Ice cream and Chocolate Sauce)

For more photographs please visit HERE.
Read more experiences here by Archita & Amrita..

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