2017 can be termed the year of Bengali food promotions in Hyderabad. Until October itself, we have already seen about a dozen Bengali festivals in the city. So when I was informed that Taj Deccan is organizing another Bengali promotion, I must admit that I was not super excited. Still, I am not someone to miss a good Bengali meal, so on a Wednesday evening, I was at Spice Junxion attending a bloggers’ table.
One major difference that this festival has with other Bengali promotions is that it is completely a-la-carte. There is no need to have a humongous number of items from the buffet, and you can only have your favourite dishes. The menu for this festival is also very compact. About eight starters, ten main courses and five desserts to choose from. The pricing looked very attractive for a star property – most of the dishes were priced between Rs 250 and Rs 700.
As we were waiting for the starters we were served some Jhal Muri. Now Jhal Muri ( a spicy concoction of puffed rice with potatoes, chillies, chana, lime juice and mustard oil with typical Bengali spices) is something you do not start a meal with, rather you have it when you are having an adda with friends. But still, we made good use of it as it was extremely balanced in taste, and restrained ourselves from having more of it due to the many dishes which were following. Some good Lebur Sarbat (lemon juice and kala namak based drink) was served as a welcome drink.
The festival is curated by Chef Sunil from Diamond Harbour in Bengal who is working with Taj Deccan for two decades now. He has done complete justice to the cuisine from the state he belongs. Having an in-house chef who is thorough in his region’s dish is an asset to any property, as they need not lean on any outside experts for the promotion.
Among the starters were quite a few snack items. In Mangsher Singara or samosa filled with kheema, the chef had a nice thing going, the taste of the filling especially was brilliant. The Vegetable Chop with veggies, potatoes, and peanuts also did very well, for me the taste replicated the best street food places in Kolkata.
The Chicken Pakora was crispy, nothing unusual. Dimer Devil had half of a boiled egg with chicken mince fried inside a coating. And finally Beguni (thin eggplant fritters with a besan based quoting), which was a real starter the Bengali way, to be enjoyed with rice and dal. I would have liked the coating here to be a little less thick.
Other starters on the menu are Dhane Pata Bara (pakoda with coriander leaves), Kolar Bora (banana fritters) and of course the famous Kolkata Rolls.
By now, I was getting very optimistic, as all the starters passed the quality and authenticity tests. The main courses served to us had first the combo of Luchi and Chholar Dal. Kosha Mangsho (mutton sautéed Bengali style) was next to come in. The dish had the right colour, perfect looks and the taste justified the looks. The mutton was cooked to the optimum (we had a bad experience in another festival) and the masala was bursting with taste.
Over to the dishes with rice. The Potol Posto needed a little bit of zing I thought, this was one of the very few vegetarian dishes I tasted on the day. I ignored the Bhapa Aloo, but my friends seemed to like it. Sorshe Ilish (hilsa cooked in mustard paste) was again very decent, the fish had a surprisingly good taste too, given that October is late for the hilsa season.
Some Mishti Pulav Bengali style was out next. I tried it with the delicious looking Chicken Chaap. The chaap was the only representative from the Kolkata Muslim cuisine, I would have loved some Kolkata biryani to go with it. I recalled Kosha Mangsho back in the game as it was an ideal foil for the Mishti Pulav.
Some of the main courses which were not served for the review looked interesting – Chingri Macher Malaikari and Doi Mach to name a few.
The dessert platter served to us had my favourites – Mishti Doi and Nolen Gurer Ice Cream. The Patishapta seemed a tad dry – but I do not like that dish anyway. If I visit the fest again, I will try out the Aam Doi.
Overall, a very good experience. I liked most of the dishes in a Bengali festival, which is a rarity. Full marks to Chef Rishi Manocha, Chef Sunil and the team. I would recommend the festival which is on for lunch and dinner for people liking Bengali food as well for people who want to try it for the first time. A meal for two should be around Rs 1800 (all inclusive). The festival ends on 15th October.
Location:
Spice Junxion
Taj Deccan
Banjara Hills, Hyderabad
Telephone: 66523939
Disclaimer: The review is based on an invite from the restaurant.
One major difference that this festival has with other Bengali promotions is that it is completely a-la-carte. There is no need to have a humongous number of items from the buffet, and you can only have your favourite dishes. The menu for this festival is also very compact. About eight starters, ten main courses and five desserts to choose from. The pricing looked very attractive for a star property – most of the dishes were priced between Rs 250 and Rs 700.
As we were waiting for the starters we were served some Jhal Muri. Now Jhal Muri ( a spicy concoction of puffed rice with potatoes, chillies, chana, lime juice and mustard oil with typical Bengali spices) is something you do not start a meal with, rather you have it when you are having an adda with friends. But still, we made good use of it as it was extremely balanced in taste, and restrained ourselves from having more of it due to the many dishes which were following. Some good Lebur Sarbat (lemon juice and kala namak based drink) was served as a welcome drink.
 |
| Jhal Muri |
The festival is curated by Chef Sunil from Diamond Harbour in Bengal who is working with Taj Deccan for two decades now. He has done complete justice to the cuisine from the state he belongs. Having an in-house chef who is thorough in his region’s dish is an asset to any property, as they need not lean on any outside experts for the promotion.
 |
| Mangsher Singara |
Among the starters were quite a few snack items. In Mangsher Singara or samosa filled with kheema, the chef had a nice thing going, the taste of the filling especially was brilliant. The Vegetable Chop with veggies, potatoes, and peanuts also did very well, for me the taste replicated the best street food places in Kolkata.
 |
| Vegetable Chop |
The Chicken Pakora was crispy, nothing unusual. Dimer Devil had half of a boiled egg with chicken mince fried inside a coating. And finally Beguni (thin eggplant fritters with a besan based quoting), which was a real starter the Bengali way, to be enjoyed with rice and dal. I would have liked the coating here to be a little less thick.
 |
| Chicken Chaap |
Other starters on the menu are Dhane Pata Bara (pakoda with coriander leaves), Kolar Bora (banana fritters) and of course the famous Kolkata Rolls.
 |
| Chicken Pakoda |
By now, I was getting very optimistic, as all the starters passed the quality and authenticity tests. The main courses served to us had first the combo of Luchi and Chholar Dal. Kosha Mangsho (mutton sautéed Bengali style) was next to come in. The dish had the right colour, perfect looks and the taste justified the looks. The mutton was cooked to the optimum (we had a bad experience in another festival) and the masala was bursting with taste.
Over to the dishes with rice. The Potol Posto needed a little bit of zing I thought, this was one of the very few vegetarian dishes I tasted on the day. I ignored the Bhapa Aloo, but my friends seemed to like it. Sorshe Ilish (hilsa cooked in mustard paste) was again very decent, the fish had a surprisingly good taste too, given that October is late for the hilsa season.
 |
| Sorshe Ilish |
Some Mishti Pulav Bengali style was out next. I tried it with the delicious looking Chicken Chaap. The chaap was the only representative from the Kolkata Muslim cuisine, I would have loved some Kolkata biryani to go with it. I recalled Kosha Mangsho back in the game as it was an ideal foil for the Mishti Pulav.
 |
| Chicken Chaap |
Some of the main courses which were not served for the review looked interesting – Chingri Macher Malaikari and Doi Mach to name a few.
The dessert platter served to us had my favourites – Mishti Doi and Nolen Gurer Ice Cream. The Patishapta seemed a tad dry – but I do not like that dish anyway. If I visit the fest again, I will try out the Aam Doi.
Overall, a very good experience. I liked most of the dishes in a Bengali festival, which is a rarity. Full marks to Chef Rishi Manocha, Chef Sunil and the team. I would recommend the festival which is on for lunch and dinner for people liking Bengali food as well for people who want to try it for the first time. A meal for two should be around Rs 1800 (all inclusive). The festival ends on 15th October.
Location:
Spice Junxion
Taj Deccan
Banjara Hills, Hyderabad
Telephone: 66523939
Disclaimer: The review is based on an invite from the restaurant.
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