The Westin Kolkata is the most recent luminary on the culinary scene of Kolkata and visiting it has been on my wish-list for a while now. I am very glad we had scheduled our Kolkata Food Fanatics New Year Meet at Seasonal Tastes their beautiful restaurant on the tenth floor of the hotel. Picturesque views on a hazy winter morning and a spectacular spread of food was what greeted us at The Westin Kolkata.

We were seated and our beverage orders were taken. Two mocktails proved rather popular, Orange & Basil Mojito and a Watermelon Mojito and that is what most of us had. What stood out for me was that the drinks were not overtly sweet but retained the natural flavor and fruitiness which was rather enjoyable.

 

Once we all settled down we hit the fantastic buffet which turned out to be an absolute blockbuster. From the beautiful cold salad counter which had some stunning seafood including scallops and crabs, beautiful cheeses , fantastic cold cuts including Parma ham and stunning salmon. We piled up our plates and headed back to sit and enjoy the scrumptious food.

The chat counter had a lot of varieties of Chaats which tempted one and all. But best of all they also had Kolkata’s beloved Puchkas and I confess I immediately stopped to sample one and it was excellent.

Satay’s always remind me of my many Thailand trips and I get pretty happy whenever I see them …. A dedicated Satay counter made me very happy so I quickly ordered up Prawn and Chicken Satays. They were served up to our table perfectly done with some Peanut Sauce.

There were a number of dim-sums and baos on offer which were enjoyed by all those present though to be fair I did not sample them. They had prawn, chicken and vegetarian varieties. They were freshly made and steaming hot and were a popular choice.

I was quite mesmerized by the cold cut section which had on offer a sublime Parma Ham, Honey Glazed Ham, Smoked Salmon and a beautiful Beetroot cured Salmon. I could have happily filled my stomach on that with some focaccia bread from the bread counter. However I confess that with so much delicious food on offer I succumbed to temptation.

Next up the siren calls of the Pasta counter drew most of us to it…. Hand made fresh Pasta and I immediately spotted a “ham wilted rocket and mascarpone filled tortellini” which I ordered. What arrived were superb tortellinis in an absolutely incredible cheese sauce that was outstanding. After this there were repeat orders from everyone around us for the dish. Possibly one of the best Pasta dishes I have sampled in a long long time!

By now the indian starters were beckoning and there was a Tandoori Quail, Ajwain Tandoori Prawns and Tandoori Paneer on offer. I truly enjoyed both the wonderful fresh paneer and the perfectly done tandoori prawns on offer.

To end this incredible food orgy I knew I had to sample a tiny bit of Pulao and the Kosha Mangsho on offer among many other vegetarian and non-vegetarian delights in the Indian section. The Kosha Mangsho rocked my world and surprised me. The mutton was beautifully cooked and the spice balance was perfect. I would have loved to try the other indian food on offer but was too stuffed and look forward to visiting sometime in future to sample those.

Chef Ravish Mishra was kind enough to indulge us by serving up one of the Signature Dishes of Seasonal Tastes – Slow Cooked Chicken Breast and Compressed Chicken Leg with Egg Yolk Morels and Turnip. A brilliantly executed dish that was highly appreciated by one and all.

The desserts at The Westin Kolkata are so visually appealing and beautifully presented that they have you in their thrall the moment you check out the buffet. I heard numerous co-diners repeat the mantra of “I need to keep space for dessert” all through the meal. And everybody enjoyed dessert needless to say. I nibbled a tiny bit from various plates but alas had to skip dessert.

For me the standouts were the huge variety of starters of every kind, the thoughtful way all the vegetarian items were segregated in the buffet, and the outstanding cold cuts on offer. They also have a Jain Selection of food both in the buffet and A la carte which is prepared without onion and garlic for those so inclined. My only complaint was that I would have needed at least three stomachs to do justice to this spectacular spread. This is a perfect setting for a lazy Sunday brunch and I would highly recommend it to all my fellow foodies.

It was friend and fellow blogger Raina Kshetry’s birthday and as a special surprise The Westin Kolkata served us an excellent Opera cake which was cut with due merriment and celebration. Our thanks for this thoughtful gesture which we all appreciated.

A special mention to Chef Ravish Mishra and his Team for not only serving up great food but being personally present to oversee our brunch. Amrita Ray thanks for having the Kolkata Food Fanatics over, we had a great afternoon.

 

DISCLAIMER: I visited Seasonal Tastes at The Westin Kolkata as part of the Kolkata Food Fanatics January Meet-up. Food is very personal and the viewpoints shared are entirely my own.

PICTURE CREDITS: Suneha Saha