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....

Kolkata Food Bloggers Table meet at Chawlas 2, Kolkata

Chawlas 2
ADDRESS: 43, Ballygunge Gardens, Near Golpark, Kolkata

Phn: 033 40640000

Meal for two: 800/--900/-

Picture Courtesy: Archita Chandra Ray

If you walk few steps ahead of Amenia, Golpark, you will get Chawlas which is very easy to locate just above the Arambagh Store. I hardly experiment new food joints if I am out with the family. We have 2 or 3 fixed restaurants that we keep on rotating only because of the Lil one enjoys those eateries and our taste buds too now depend solely what the lil one will approve. So after we have the KFB Table meet every month I am on cloud nine to experiment the versatile taste of the Kolkata Food Joints, which always lure me with an open arm. This time we got an invitation from the humble, polite and professional Team Chawlas to visit their joint and let people know about their food. I was quite surprised to see the place first that I have never noticed the restaurant which is just located on road through which I commute everyday. That is the only concern of the Chawlas Team that the location was so good but most of the time they failed to come in the notice of people only because it is located on the top of Arambagh.

I entered the restaurant and climbed the stairs following some amazing photographs adorning the walls with the scent of History. I was greeted by one of the owners to this cosy little joint and made me comfortable to sit and enjoy the experience of the North Indian delicacies from Punjab. Four members from KFB Table then delved into the journey of the food tasting session that started savouring one after one delectable dishes. 

Soda Shikanji

Soda Shikanji (not Shikanzi)[Price: 40/-], first I have learnt the pronunciation from my friend Amrita and she explained me Soda Shinkaji was actually made out of Soda, Lemon Juice and a special kind of Spice mix. It tasted something like Jaljeera/Chat Masala but the Spice gave a different taste too. What we intimated later that this was a special kind of spice that came all the way from Ludhiana. In fact for each item they have their own spices and all they have from Ludhiana itself. India is such a versatile country where apart from the language the food also narrated different stories and the taste behind it that is mainly ruled by the originality of the regional spices. We all loved the refreshing Drink.  I loved the fizz sparkling out of the glass as soon as it was served. Tried to capture it but failed...

Masala Papad (Price: 25/-) came next. I found it a bit spicy and hot as my hot tolerance is very poor. But I bet who are the king and queen of spicy and hot food lovers will surely enjoy it. Topped with Paneer, Tomatoes, onion, Cucumber mix can be enjoyed with a chilled refreshing Drink.

Flair of starters filled the table in no time - Chicken Malai Tikka (Price: 210), Tandoori Chicken (Price: 320/- Full), Mutton Adrakhi Panje (Price: 245/- , comes 4pcs) and Tandoori Stuffed Aloo (Price: 165/-). Let me start with the veg one first. Tandoori Stuffed Aloo, is very tasty stuffed with paneer and a blend of special kind of spices. Not too spicy nor too hot, perfect amalgamation of all the flavours. I would not much speak about Chicken Malai Tikka because this is common of all and everybody's favourite too. But would really like to speak about the other two. We were told that their Tandoori Chicken is special. Why!!! because it is white in colour. After asking the reason behind it they said that they were trying to follow the healthier version of preparing food. Therefore they always use pure ghee and refined oil. They do not use any artificial colours to their dishes. Taste wise and quality wise (talking about the meat quality), no doubt it made us happy. Wholeheartedly enjoyed the healthy version of white Tandoori Chicken. But the real take of the day was Mutton Adrakhi Panje. I am a bit of skeptical kind of person when it comes to mutton or pork. I can't bear the chewiness of the meats and the wild smell of it if it is not cooked properly. No doubt the mutton was too juicy and soft and overall it tasted out of the world. At each bite the flesh got melted in our mouth and a contented smile was seen on each face. I am going to try this one again to Chawlas. Forgot to mention, the kababs were served with cream salad, that too enhanced the taste of the dishes.

The main course got served shortly when we were done with the starter. We were busy in the discussion about the food the main course started to line up one by one on the table. Four kinds of flat breads got served along with pickles, marinated onions and Fresh Salad. Among Butter Naan (Price:45/-), Garlic Naan (Price: 50/-), Lachha Paratha (Price:45/-) and Tandoori Roti (Price:15/-) which one I like most I can't say. But what I like most that they are very soft and you don't have to strain your gums to muscle them up. Perfect pairing for the main course we enjoyed with.

As you can already see in the picture, we were served four different types of dishes. Butter Chicken (Price: 450/- Boneless/ Full) again comes under the list of all time favourites. Likewise the flavour, the colour, the texture and the taste all are perfectly blend to try out again and again. I am not a Dal lover so I hardly tasted Dal Makhani (Price:135/-). So skipping this part to give my opinion. Hope you will get the feedback from my fellow bloggers’ review. Mutton Roganjosh (Price:225/-) again is the winner. Taste wise and the succulent softness of the meat won all the hearts. Then we were offered the famous Chawlas Special Cream of Chicken. We were told that when it comes to cream people think that the taste will be on the sweeter side (I come under this group..:P ..). But the specialty of the Chawlas is, you will not find any sweetness in the taste but a peppery tinge in it. The taste is totally different. Some people may like, some may not, as one of our foodie friends said he really enjoyed the Cream Chicken of Chawlas. So it is always better to try out one’s own taste bud and rely on it. If you ask my opinion my  mindset  and taste have become set if there is cream a bit sweetness might help to enhance the taste. But again the taste always varies person to person.

Last but not the least, we were all so much full there was no more space for any kind of desserts. But the generous Team Chawlas didn't let us go without tasting their Gajar ka Halwa. I am not a sweet lover so skipped this part and left my fellow mates to speak on it. But seeing their faces I guessed they really enjoyed the dish.

Overall we spent an awesome afternoon. Now a day my mind always looks for the eateries where I can bring the lil one and she can enjoy the food. And if you ask a Mom, I am quite satisfied with the taste of the food. Because the dishes are not spicy, hot and chilies are used very less which the kids can easily enjoy and digest. The foods are not very oily too. The space is small but will give you the comfort feeling of home. The Waiters are well versed and courteous. I am really too impressed by the simplicity and the humble gestures of the owners (Among the four owners we met 2). They simply left us to enjoy the food and the company of friends. Yes I should also mention the portions they serve. Each main course Handi is more than enough for 3 people, yes it is immense. Do try out this North Indian Punjabi Food joint with your family and Friends.

Read more Reviews on it Here:

Archita

Amrita & Vishal

{Disclaimer - This was an invited review and no compensation monetary or otherwise was involved.}