A legacy that was founded by APEEJAY Surrendra group 110 years ago into the steel industry, then migrating into different sectors of business. Now they have their feet in the hospitality industry and Kolkata was the first city to embrace The Park hotel, one of its own kind in a luxury boutique hotel in 1967. Since then, they have started 6 more outlets of hotels across the country at very prime cities of India.
The Park Hotel always displays a great diversity of the country in terms of food by organizing different food fests of different cultures and religions across the country. From 11th Oct 2021, they are hosting a beautiful Bengali food fest in honour of Durga puja which is widely celebrated by Bengali, Odhiyas, Assamese, etc. The Durga puja is not just dealing with puja rituals but also with some delicious delicacies from sweet to savory they have amazing spread which is hard to resist. To celebrate that The Park Hyderabad has organised Maach, Mishti & more… Bengali food fest in their Veranda restaurant.
Let’s talk about food: It was a very well-curated menu by chef Thimma and his team starting from welcome drink to the final dessert option every food was on point. Starting with the welcome drink, it was Gondhoraj lebu Sherbet which was a sweet, sour, and tangy drink to refresh your mind and mood. Gondhoraj lebu is nothing but aromatic lime which is almost similar to kafir lime in texture, but it is mostly used to give lemon essence in bengali cuisine. The starters were show stoppers and my personal favorite as I have been eating it since I was born a childhood nostalgia Vegetable chop, Mochar chop, Fish fry, and chicken cutlet. The appetizer portions were perfect bite-size the mochar (banana leaf) chop fritter was good soft and the subtle flavors were not too dominating or overpowering but blending it with the taste. Next was veg chop made out of mixed veggies especially beetroot to give stuffing natural red color also it has boiled cheena badam (peanuts) to give good earthy texture and crunch. Fish fry and chicken cutlet were simple yet quite delicious and flavorful. The assortment along these starters was Tamatar Khaju ki chutney and Kasundi tamatar ki chutney. It was perfectly sweet and tangy assortments to pair these delicious starters.
The main course was on another level as the flavors got more confinement and texture outpour was too delicious. Kosha mangsho is bhuna ghosht in bengali which is paired with soft and fluffy lucchi also with mishit pulao and steam rice. The mangsho was nicely tendered and spiced up well. The first bite of the dish really made say this words “Ki bhalota mangsho aachey”. Then it was Narkol Diye Cholar Daal its nothing but very basic chana daal with freshly coconut shaved paired up with hot steam rice along jhuri aloo bhaja (fried potatoes sticks) and Uchhe Bhaja (karela / Bitter Goud). Shukto a mixed vegetable dish consists of plantain, drumsticks, eggplant, potatoes, etc. The gravy is milk-based on which is quite smooth in texture where you can feel all the vegetable starch in it and the mild spices inside the veggies. Dum aloo is one of the most favorite dishes for bongs, as they relish aloo more than any other vegetables because of its versatility in nature. The aloo was perfectly cooked in subtle spices, which gave a nice texture to the small potatoes. The dum aloo is mostly made with baby potatoes, as it doesn’t have much starch and contains its own sweet taste. Chena Rasa is a cheese dough cooked in liquify gravy with not many spices in it but yet flavorful and tangy which comes from tomato. Now it’s Machor Ghonto it’s again a mixed veggies dish, but the main ingredient is a banana leaf (Machor). All the veggies used in this dish was complimenting the main ingredient that is banana leaf and the taste gave me a nostalgic feel about how the food is being served in Bengal. Finally, Malai chingri served in halved coconut shell was fabulous in taste and texture. That creamy malai gravy has all the flavors and tastes from the spices through the chingri (Prawns) has absorbed the taste from the gravy, still, gravy can be beaten. To paired with those delicious curries, we were served steamed rice, Lucchi. Mishti pulao, and Laccha paratha. Mishti pulao is another deemed dish from Bengali cuisine which has dry fruits and rice dish with a hint of sugar to make it a little sweet in taste, and it can be paired with any spicy gravy. So the main course ends with Kolkata’s famous aloo biryani, though the taste was not that accurate but quite niche to its resemblance.
Mishti / Dessert: You know you can’t miss desserts made by any bong or in Bengali food fest as it is another sweet treat for our soul. It was an amazing spread of mishti starting with sita bhog, payesh, bhapa sondesh, kesari cham cham, and rasgulla. So, my pick from this spread is bhapa sondesh, rasgulla and cham cham as these are my childhood favorite desserts.
Rating:
Ambiance: 5/5
Food: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Overall Experience: 5/5
