Vedic Village Scripts Calcutta Trails: A Cuisine Story

Exclusive Arena Above the Pool to Host Calcutta Trails

Some eat to live! Some live to eat! I, for one, have always considered myself to fall in the latter category. Now I do not proclaim myself to be a Gastronomist but I would go so far to say that if there was a subject called ‘Gastroeconomics’ (forgive my word play!) I would surely ace school. So what could be better for a food lover such as myself and many others like me than having a scrumptious meal in the lap of nature?

Here I introduce you to Vedic Village’s latest gastronomical adventure ‘Calcutta Trails: A Cuisine Story’ during puja, starting from Panchami (Sunday, 10^th October) to Dashami (Friday, 15^th October).

This holistic and diverse food trail is a part of Sharodiya Pujo Adda Milap 2021, which has it all starting with refreshing mocktails to filling main course. Let’s not forget their wide spread of salad and soups (definitely worth looking out for especially if you are watching your waistline). To finish it all off are some delicate desserts.

It would be a shame not to mention in specificity what such an exhaustive menu holds within it. Starting off with the refreshing mocktails, it constitutes of two variants- Fruit and Nut Lassi and Lemongrass Mojito. The Lassi is quite filling and for those looking for a lighter drink you can give the Lemongrass Mojito a go. The Salad spread is more than just the plan of regular greens comprising Aloo Kabuli Chat, Chicken Tikka Chat (a personal favorite), Egg and Roasted Bellpepper,  Laccha Piaz, Gondhoraj Lebu (lemon) and lanka (chili) to name a few. It also comes with an accompaniment bar bound to give the diner a feel of home with their aloo/ baingan (potato/brinjal) bharta, masoor daal, and jhuri bhaja. The soups consist of a Tomato Basil Shorba and Chicken Currypata Cream. It comes with assorted breads.

Coming to the main course buffet it is divided into 4 catogories. The Tangra Cuisine offers Vegetable Manchurain, Chilli Chicken, and Rice/Noodles. The traditional Bengali spread boasts of vegetarian dishes like Chanar Dalna, Kosha Aloor Dum. The non-veg spread have Chingri kakra paturi, Kosha Mangsho, and Pabdar Jhal not to forget the variety of dals, rice, and roti that accompany it. The Calcutta Street Live with the Vegetable Chop, Chicken Cutlet, Kathi Roll, and Ghoti Gorom is certainly a unique addition. I have to admit I might be biased to the Anglo-Indian spread featuring the Vegetable Tetrazini and Chicken Strognoff.

Ending on a sweet note, diners have a variety to choose from like the Golapi Rosomolai, Fruit Custard, Cream Caramel, and Mishti Doi. It also has an Ice Cream Bar and Live Jalebi making counter. You can finish the hearty meal off with a melodious mishti paan to reminiscence the good food and comfort your full stomach.

At Rs.1699 (all inclusive), this is one trail that no one, especially a foodie, should miss out on.

Baked Mihidana with Kamola Bhog, a Dramatic Combination at the Independence Day Dinner

_{What a combination!!}

I am one of those individuals who look to celebrate a big occasion and as Indians, what better occasion it can be to celebrate than the Independence Day! We headed for the Dinner Buffet on the 15^th of August organized by the Holiday Inn Kolkata. Given the standards and expertise of their capable kitchen, the price was cheap and tempting, and I didn’t think twice before I slipped into the den.

Social Kitchen was the venue for the grand buffet. They also had a 14^th August pre-independence dinner alongside the lunch and dinner plans on the 15^th. The best thing about the sumptuous meal is that the prices were surprisingly affordable considering the star category hotel spread on offer. Valued at INR 450 + GST, this has to be one of the most convenient dinner buffets that I have attended. More so because, the deal is quite affordable even for the middle class people having a tough time under the circumstances.

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_{Social Kitchen, as it looked on the Independence Day}

Coming to the food, I was pleasantly surprised with the explosion of flavors and dishes through their items. The Welcome drink was refreshing and I quite enjoyed the seasonal fruit punch as the beverage. We started off with the hot, fresh and delicate starters on offer such as Fish Amritsari and Chicken Lollipop. The lip-smacking taste was heightened by the quality of fish that they had procured. For the vegetarian starters, they had crispy chilly baby corn and Hara Bhara Kebab. After stuffing myself with these known, yet lip-smacking starters, I headed for the soup appetizer that consisted of a flavorful lemon-coriander.

_{The Spread, at a glance}

There were salad options as well but I conveniently avoided the leafy greens to enjoy the sumptuous main course on offer. From mutton bhuna to grilled fish in lemon butter sauce to an amazing veg lasagna, they had perfected it all. The quality of mutton was amazing. It was soft, well-cooked and hence could smother each pieces within the mouth quite effortlessly. Each and every item was praiseworthy, except the Chicken Biriyani that tasted rather ordinary. There were also noodles and koftas and many other dishes that escaped my attention.

I was saving myself for the dessert spread that looked rather inviting. Baked Mihidana was simply awesome, and I swear, this particular item from Social Kitchen can pose tough contest on any day to lot of renowned sweet confectioners in the city. But the intense magic took place not before when the guy served me a scoop of hot Baked Mihidana combined with Kamola Bhog which absolutely stole my heart. The cream caramel which was basically a form of caramel custard was also heavenly for the taste buds and I also took a mouthful of the Fresh Fruit Gateaux.

Overall, it was a fascinating experience and I was feeling full and contented at the end of my meal. The fresh ingredients were impressive and their hygienic service using disposable plates and completely contact-less serving was also satisfying. At least I could enjoy a meal without worrying about the virus for a while!