Food tasting event : Taste of Kerala - Senses, Marriott Suites , Koregaon Park - Pune
Taste of Kerala at Senses, Marriott Suites - a food festival bringing forth the culinary specialties of the God's very own country. The food festival has started from the 16th September and will go on till the September 25th 2016.
I was here on a blogger's table invite organized by Hundred Percent PR who handle the PR activities of JW Marriott in Pune - special thanks to Anuja and Shantanu for being such wonderful and delightful hosts, and making sure we were facilitated well. :)
The menu for the food festival:
To supervise and do full justice to the food festival - Chef Tolien Vargheese had specially come to Pune from Kochi to help all the foodies in Pune experience the traditional cuisine of Kerala and come to in acquaintance with it.
Quoting the chef from the press release "Kerala cuisine is characterized by the use of coconut, chilies, curry leaves, mustard seeds, tamarind, asafetida and other spices like black pepper, cloves, cinnamon. The cuisine has multitude of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes prepared by using poultry, meat and thrilling variety of seafood."
We had the pleasure of meeting the chef - he was a very humble, polite and a down to earth man.
During my onsite visits to the US, where I usually reside at the Marriott - they do not facilitate with any in house restaurant which is open for other guests. I am glad, Marriott in India has considered the dine-in options and it is pleasant.
Located right opposite Hard Rock Café, you need to take a left and go about 500-600m till you reach the Marriott. Anuja was telling me, that Marriott had recently taken over the Oakwood lounge - which was a famous go to place for the Pune-ites.
Senses - was where the food festival was being held, and I must say wow - the way the décor and the theme had synched up! The amazing part is Senses is open 24x7.
I loved the line put up:
As you enter there is a tiny pathway to the restaurant - where beautiful Rangoli had been done in vibrant colors, on either sides.
And she was the beautiful lady who was looking gorgeous in the Kerala attire and was so polite and sweet - welcoming all her guests with a smile on her face.
At the main entrance of the restaurant, there was another beautiful Rangoli done in colors of white, blue and red decorated along with lamps. It was my first step to the world of Kerala.
The restaurant has a indoor seating with over 10-15 tables, adorned with the traditional pots, copper utensils, kadhai.
They had a band playing a proficient duo, playing soulful music in English and Hindi with their guitar and mouth organ.
The buffet had a widespread of dishes - you really need to build an appetite, to be able to come even close to having a taste of all the preparations. Appreciate the variety put up.
The exemplary dishes from the world of Kerala were on display for the buffet.
They had a live counter for the starters - CHICKEN 65,APPAM AND STEW, KERALA PARATHA, TAWA FISH. They had earthen pots, tawa, kadhai and the pickle pots on display - authentic.
We started off from dishes from the live counters - we learnt we could intimate the chef about the dish we wanted, and they would prepare the dish in front of us - which would even give a chance for us, to glance upon the preparation.
The fish and chicken marinates were kept prepared, and placed beautifully over banana leaves - and the chef had to deep fry and grill it on the hot tawa on request.
The APPAM and STEW - my first venture into this combination. Fluffy, soft appams with chicken stew - not sure how should it actually taste. I nibbled few bites of the combo and it was kinda sweet. The chicken stew was done well - thick, juicy stew cooked with coconut milk, added chicken cubes and curry leave tadka.
The KERALA PARATHA was a delight - finely layered and soft, a perfect accompaniment for any dish.
After a while, we went on to try the wide spread of healthy salads on display.
Kudos to their the team who had arranged the food, it added a different aura altogether - led you to sample each one of it on display.
Every inch was a work of innovation and genuineness. The names of the dishes were written, I would love to say crafted tactfully on the BAY LEAVES and these bay leaves were placed in tiny matkas filled with rice. How significant, ain't it!!
The cheese - EMMENTAL, EDAM, CHEDDAR were arranged like a charm.
They had the GRILLED ZUCCHINI, FRIED EGGPLANT, GRILLED CHICKEN WITH SALSA,CHICKEN SALAMI, PORK, OLIVES, GREENS, SAUCES, PRAWNS AND CORN SALAD, BARBEQUE MUSHROOM SALAD, GRILLED CHICKEN SALAD, PAPRIKA ROASTED POTATO SALAD,APPLE AND WALNUT SALAD,CHUTNEY with variety of oils. I tried a bit of everything, since I wanted to leave space for the other dishes - heartwarming in all.
Moving on to the starters - I found an imbalance of spices and salt. The starters on display were cold.
The DAKSHINI MURGH TIKKA - was a dish done well, imbibed with spices from the south.
The CHILLI AND BASIL FISH - tad bit salty.
The OLIVES AND CHEESE NUGGETS - an addition of salt would have been the game changer. Crispy exterior and tasty filling.
The TANDOORI ALOO - was the best among the starters - baby potatoes tandoor-ed with red chili paste.
They had a variety of tangy chutneys too - CORIANDER, TOMATO, COCONUT CHUTNEY, BEETROOT PACHADI.
There was an assortment of chips and papads - my favorite, I must have gorged on a plate full of these, varying from the wafers, different kinds of banana chips, bitter gourd chips and the sabudana chips.
In the meanwhile, I had ordered for two different mock-tails - which were rejuvenating .
One was BERRY BLAST - strawberry, cranberry juice with a sweet sour taste.
The other was the GINGER LEMONADE - a perfect accompaniment with my food. Both the mock tails were suggestions from the bartender.
As I write, I am surprised at the number of dishes I have smacked down - plentiful looks like. :P
And finally I had a choosy main course comprising of CARROT TORAN - interesting mix of grated carrots, onions, coconuts and other spices.
From the continental section I had the CHILLI GARLIC NOODLES - fabulous. The long strings of noodles rolled on the fork like a charm, an went down my stomach with the same charm. :P
The OKRA PRONATA(not sure about the name :|) was enticing.
From the Indian section tried the NEYCHORU which was a flawless preparation of rice with distinct spices, loads of ghee and nuts & dry fruits. Yummy!
The PARIPPU was a tasty thick dal preparation with coconut infused in it.
Wow, I have been writing for quite some time now, and we are yet to cover the desserts.
Ah, desserts - I had been eyeing at the display, since the time I was heading towards the alfresco seating. The desserts were plated beautifully and I was just holding onto my desire to try the ultimate slices of beauty.
The PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN was the stellar dessert of the evening - absolutely delectable with the balanced flavors. It looked so decorative with the pieces of the pineapple on top and the color was gorgeous.
The TIRAMISU was smooth.
The BLACKFOREST CAKE looked stunning with the alluring chocolate decorations over the cake and cocoa dusting.
The COCONUT MOUSSE CAKE was too sweet.
The APPLE PIE won my heart.
The CHOCOLATE PUDDING smelled delicious and taste of the thick chocolate with grated coconut was toothsome and irresistible.
The COCONUT PANNACOTTA didn't strike well with me - tasted about sour.
The BALUSHAHI - nopes, the outer covering itself was too hard for me to even make an effort to taste the filling.
The MANGO GATEAUX was amazingly soft, and just blended so well in the mouth, so was the STRAWBERRY PASTRY - had distinct flavors of mango and strawberry.
The PAYASAM - was okayish.
The food overall was comparatively less spicy, as compared to what I had in mind with the perception that the South Indian dishes are in general spicy - my guess would be it was probably the need to cater to a mixed audience of Indians and the foreigners(they were quite in numbers here).
The staff was very courteous and was dressed in the traditional wear of Kerala - sarees and mundu.
Buffet of course has diversified dishes and being able to pull most of them at par is definitely, something that requires an art - it did unfold the traditional secrets. :)
Oh, and yeah they did have many books in the shelves for both adults and kids, few magazines and newspaper also stacked up. Rarely I get to see this.
#bloggerstableinvite #tasteofkerala
~Bon Appetite!!
P.S All the above photos have been clicked by me. :)
I was here on a blogger's table invite organized by Hundred Percent PR who handle the PR activities of JW Marriott in Pune - special thanks to Anuja and Shantanu for being such wonderful and delightful hosts, and making sure we were facilitated well. :)
The menu for the food festival:
Quoting the chef from the press release "Kerala cuisine is characterized by the use of coconut, chilies, curry leaves, mustard seeds, tamarind, asafetida and other spices like black pepper, cloves, cinnamon. The cuisine has multitude of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes prepared by using poultry, meat and thrilling variety of seafood."
We had the pleasure of meeting the chef - he was a very humble, polite and a down to earth man.
During my onsite visits to the US, where I usually reside at the Marriott - they do not facilitate with any in house restaurant which is open for other guests. I am glad, Marriott in India has considered the dine-in options and it is pleasant.
Located right opposite Hard Rock Café, you need to take a left and go about 500-600m till you reach the Marriott. Anuja was telling me, that Marriott had recently taken over the Oakwood lounge - which was a famous go to place for the Pune-ites.
 |
| History of Pune |
Senses - was where the food festival was being held, and I must say wow - the way the décor and the theme had synched up! The amazing part is Senses is open 24x7.
Ok, so at the entrance, on display were the spices predominantly used in the cuisines of Kerala. They were put in super cute gunny bags over banana leaves - dalchini, curry leaves, halkund, whole dhaniya, bay leaf, boriya chili, star anise, dahi chili.
I loved the line put up:
"Kerala, a land of spices, where food is celebrated not only as an art but a religion."
On display on the walls were mini versions of pestle and mortar.
As you enter there is a tiny pathway to the restaurant - where beautiful Rangoli had been done in vibrant colors, on either sides.
And she was the beautiful lady who was looking gorgeous in the Kerala attire and was so polite and sweet - welcoming all her guests with a smile on her face.
At the main entrance of the restaurant, there was another beautiful Rangoli done in colors of white, blue and red decorated along with lamps. It was my first step to the world of Kerala.
The restaurant has a indoor seating with over 10-15 tables, adorned with the traditional pots, copper utensils, kadhai.
And an comfortable alfresco seating with about 10 or so tables - well lighted and breezy. I really enjoyed being seated here out in the open. The interiors were plush and elegant. Since it was raining, the top was covered. Surrounding were lots of bamboo trees.
They had a band playing a proficient duo, playing soulful music in English and Hindi with their guitar and mouth organ.
The buffet had a widespread of dishes - you really need to build an appetite, to be able to come even close to having a taste of all the preparations. Appreciate the variety put up.
The exemplary dishes from the world of Kerala were on display for the buffet.
They had a live counter for the starters - CHICKEN 65,APPAM AND STEW, KERALA PARATHA, TAWA FISH. They had earthen pots, tawa, kadhai and the pickle pots on display - authentic.
We started off from dishes from the live counters - we learnt we could intimate the chef about the dish we wanted, and they would prepare the dish in front of us - which would even give a chance for us, to glance upon the preparation.
The fish and chicken marinates were kept prepared, and placed beautifully over banana leaves - and the chef had to deep fry and grill it on the hot tawa on request.
 |
| TAWA FISH |
Started the cheered up evening with the CHICKEN 65 - a crispy deep fried chicken, but few of my pieces were done tad bit more crunchy than needed, it was served along with the chutneys.
 |
| Chicken 65 |
The TAWA FISH - had the king fish - spices were done well yet seemed little bland, mostly the ingredients hadn't settled in completely.
A fellow foodie, said the vasa was comparatively better than the king fish.  |
| TAWA FISH |
 |
| APPAM AND STEW |
 |
| APPAM AND STEW |
After a while, we went on to try the wide spread of healthy salads on display.
Kudos to their the team who had arranged the food, it added a different aura altogether - led you to sample each one of it on display.
Every inch was a work of innovation and genuineness. The names of the dishes were written, I would love to say crafted tactfully on the BAY LEAVES and these bay leaves were placed in tiny matkas filled with rice. How significant, ain't it!!
The cheese - EMMENTAL, EDAM, CHEDDAR were arranged like a charm.
They had the GRILLED ZUCCHINI, FRIED EGGPLANT, GRILLED CHICKEN WITH SALSA,CHICKEN SALAMI, PORK, OLIVES, GREENS, SAUCES, PRAWNS AND CORN SALAD, BARBEQUE MUSHROOM SALAD, GRILLED CHICKEN SALAD, PAPRIKA ROASTED POTATO SALAD,APPLE AND WALNUT SALAD,CHUTNEY with variety of oils. I tried a bit of everything, since I wanted to leave space for the other dishes - heartwarming in all.
Moving on to the starters - I found an imbalance of spices and salt. The starters on display were cold.
The DAKSHINI MURGH TIKKA - was a dish done well, imbibed with spices from the south.
The CHILLI AND BASIL FISH - tad bit salty.
The OLIVES AND CHEESE NUGGETS - an addition of salt would have been the game changer. Crispy exterior and tasty filling.
The TANDOORI ALOO - was the best among the starters - baby potatoes tandoor-ed with red chili paste.
They had a variety of tangy chutneys too - CORIANDER, TOMATO, COCONUT CHUTNEY, BEETROOT PACHADI.
There was an assortment of chips and papads - my favorite, I must have gorged on a plate full of these, varying from the wafers, different kinds of banana chips, bitter gourd chips and the sabudana chips.
In the meanwhile, I had ordered for two different mock-tails - which were rejuvenating .
One was BERRY BLAST - strawberry, cranberry juice with a sweet sour taste.
The other was the GINGER LEMONADE - a perfect accompaniment with my food. Both the mock tails were suggestions from the bartender.
 |
| BERRY BLAST |
 |
| GINGER LEMONADE |
As I write, I am surprised at the number of dishes I have smacked down - plentiful looks like. :P
And finally I had a choosy main course comprising of CARROT TORAN - interesting mix of grated carrots, onions, coconuts and other spices.
From the continental section I had the CHILLI GARLIC NOODLES - fabulous. The long strings of noodles rolled on the fork like a charm, an went down my stomach with the same charm. :P
The OKRA PRONATA(not sure about the name :|) was enticing.
From the Indian section tried the NEYCHORU which was a flawless preparation of rice with distinct spices, loads of ghee and nuts & dry fruits. Yummy!
The PARIPPU was a tasty thick dal preparation with coconut infused in it.
Wow, I have been writing for quite some time now, and we are yet to cover the desserts.
 |
| The dessert spread |
The PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN was the stellar dessert of the evening - absolutely delectable with the balanced flavors. It looked so decorative with the pieces of the pineapple on top and the color was gorgeous.
The TIRAMISU was smooth.
The BLACKFOREST CAKE looked stunning with the alluring chocolate decorations over the cake and cocoa dusting.
The COCONUT MOUSSE CAKE was too sweet.
The APPLE PIE won my heart.
The CHOCOLATE PUDDING smelled delicious and taste of the thick chocolate with grated coconut was toothsome and irresistible.
The COCONUT PANNACOTTA didn't strike well with me - tasted about sour.
The BALUSHAHI - nopes, the outer covering itself was too hard for me to even make an effort to taste the filling.
The MANGO GATEAUX was amazingly soft, and just blended so well in the mouth, so was the STRAWBERRY PASTRY - had distinct flavors of mango and strawberry.
The PAYASAM - was okayish.
 |
| BALUSHAHI |
 |
| STRAWBERRY PASTRY |
 |
| COCONUT PANNACOTTA |
The food overall was comparatively less spicy, as compared to what I had in mind with the perception that the South Indian dishes are in general spicy - my guess would be it was probably the need to cater to a mixed audience of Indians and the foreigners(they were quite in numbers here).
The staff was very courteous and was dressed in the traditional wear of Kerala - sarees and mundu.
Buffet of course has diversified dishes and being able to pull most of them at par is definitely, something that requires an art - it did unfold the traditional secrets. :)
Oh, and yeah they did have many books in the shelves for both adults and kids, few magazines and newspaper also stacked up. Rarely I get to see this.
#bloggerstableinvite #tasteofkerala
~Bon Appetite!!
P.S All the above photos have been clicked by me. :)
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