Food tasting event : Culinary Collection - Paasha, JW Marriott Senapati Bapat Road

Posted by storiesbyankita October 09, 2016

Food tasting event : Culinary Collection - Paasha, JW Marriott Senapati Bapat Road - Pune

My first visit to the JW Marriott in SB Road and what can I say – I am aww-struck with the place. Fantaboulous!😍

I was here on a blogger’s table invite, organized by Hundred Percent PR who handle the PR activities of JW Marriott in Pune.

It was a food tasting event for JW Marriott's biggest Food Festival titled as the 'Culinary Collection'. The festival has started on the 1^st of October and will be on till the 15^th October - a duration of 15 days.

The festival has definitely vouched to offer every food lover the taste they would want to submerge themselves in – a foodie’s paradise.

Culinary collection unites chefs from around the world, to showcase their expertise in the field.

From the excerpts:

Executive Chef Mayur Tiwari said, “This is our humble attempt to showcase the culinary art that most foodies relish. We have tried to bring different unique food experiences to Pune so that our guests can indulge in a memorable food journey.

The Culinary Collection has the following to offer:

· ‘Refreshing Sri Lankan’ at Spice Kitchen by Chef Mahesh Wanniarachchi and Chef Thushara Ranathunga from Colombo

· ‘Italian Awesome Twosome’ at Alto Vino by Chef Christian Huber’s twin, Chef Andreas Huber

· ‘Deliciously Arabian’ at Paasha by Chef Nicola Kadmos

· ‘Temple Temptations’ at Shakahari by Chef Jai Kishen

· ‘Chocolate on Canvas’ at Pune Baking Company by Chef Vikas Bagul

We had the immense pleasure of meeting with the pioneer of the “Deliciously Arabian” concept, Chef Nicola Kadmos. I won’t shy away from admitting – in addition to presenting us with a sample of authentic Arabian delicacy, the man was one handsome guy – I totally regret not having taking a picture with him. Alas!
We also met up with the curator of the “Italian Awesome Twosome” – Chef Andreas Huber.
The chef explained to us about the food that was served, the ingredients - how is it prepared.

I was highly impressed when I saw that JW Marriott has been awarded with the LEED Gold certification, which is Leadership in Energy and environmental design – the building produce less waste products and are more energy efficient. Kudos!

From the time you step into their premises, the reception - the hospitality - the conviviality of the staff is worth mentioning about.

It was Friday night, and they were running house full - there was a gush of people out there.

The interiors of the JW Marriott are plush premium, posh. The beautiful light fixture hanging at the lobby was an eye catchy piece. The beautiful vases in various shapes with the packed flowers in colors of white, yellow and pink added more color and freshness to the place.

My door obsession took over - this was the great door to their convention center.

I was astounded on spotting the wish tree. The wish tree, which would help fulfill the wishes of those who need you. This was their contribution to the Joy of Giving Week - Daan Utsav. This is my first, where I had noticed the wish tree put up in a 5 star luxurious hotel – could I be more dazzled?! 😮

The paintings in the lobby to the elegant human bronze sculptures – every inch of the walk through the lobby to the lift I was in total wonder struck-ness. I was in love with the sculptures – the 3 pieces was the art chosen in its best form. Superb!

As usual Shantanu and Rajani from Hundred Percent PR, were excellent and cordial hosts. We had Mansi from JW Marriott, who walked us about the entire concept of the Culinary Collection. Again a perfect host having taken this onus task and she executed it beautifully - organised!
She provided us with lot of detailing, kept us enthralled and she was one cheerful lady. 😊

Our journey started with the quick tour of the 'Chocolate on Canvas' – the display was stupendous. Even in my wildest dreams I wouldn’t have guessed, the beautiful artifacts on display were delicately crafted chocolate, which further had been shaped to the art work with expertise and utmost precision. Beat that even the varnish was edible.

Such chefs, creating magic with their hands – how, how?! Masterpiece – see it to believe it. It truly lived to its name – 'Chocolate on canvas'

There were these cute edible toy chocolates – such cuteness and looked so toy like. One could easily give it a miss to be toys on display. Applaud to the extremely talented chef to have come up with this enchanting concept in all – artistry at its best!

Take a glimpse of the art work with chocolate:

Next we headed to Paasha, where the food tasting was to be held. We had the opportunity of tasting the best of the food items from each of the above culinary collection.

Paasha, an elegant rooftop restaurant located on the 24^th floor.

They showcased a variety of wine and other alcohol bottles in the delicate glass fixtures on the wall – this was imparting a different glassy glamour.

The indoor seating was wooden themed. Meant for fine dining with dim lights, and heavy wooden furniture and sofas, each table embellished with modish table settings. The tables by the glass walls with the stunning view of city were epic. Classy!

The view from the restaurant:

They have an outdoor seating with the view of the city to die for – utterly relaxing ambiance. Any day, a quiet dinner under a star studded sky with a view is worth your money. You could also plan out your exit time, you can easily spot the traffic on the Pune roads. 😉
Just chill!

We seated ourselves comfortably on the sofas, where they brought in the addictive munching-s. They were served in a boat shaped cutlery which was filled with fried cashew nuts and some crispy chips.

By this time, my grumpy stomach was screeching food, food!!

And there it was, the flair started with the “Deliciously Arabian” – we were served with the MEZZE PLATTER which was a combination of

· Hummus,a creamy thick dip,a combination of mashed chick peas, blended well with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic and tahini. Hummus and pita bread is always a regal combination and you can’t miss out on this delicacy.

· Moutabel was cooked eggplant mixed with tomatoes, olive oil, a dash of pomegranate and various seasonings.

· Fattoush was more of a bread salad with fried bread crumbs loaded with greens and various herbs and seasoning with a subtle hint of tangy-ness.

· Falafel was crispy fried balls.

· Labneh was the drained yogurt with mint and an overdose of olive oil – with prominent sour flavors imparted from the yogurt.

· Muhamarra was a dip of chili paste garnished with walnuts and olive oil.

The above dips could be had with the pita bread - for some reason the pita bread was little dry and seemed crispy.

To conclude,the mezze platter was a trip to the Middle East - thoroughly enjoyed the authentic delicious healthy Arabian cuisine.

Next in line were dishes from the “Refreshing Sri Lankan”.

It started off with the a fried SQUID dish - not a fan of sea food, hence this was not tried by me. This was followed by the PUTTU accompanied with a bowl of refreshing soup – PUTTU had distinct flavors of rice flour mixed with grated coconut, very close to a kind of pitha that is prepared in Odissa.

In the meantime our drink for the day – FRESH and FRUITY was served. But it did taste very much like the VIRGIN MOJITO with the loaded mint leaves and lime. I am not sure if the drink got mixed up.😆

After little rest to our satiated tummies, it was followed by another round of dishes from the 'Temple Temptations' - this constituted of the main course dishes.

The CHORCHORI won my heart, since we did not get to meet the chef and we couldn’t be told about the ingredients of the dish – but it tasted so similar to the Bengali dish which is like vegetable mélange, done very simply yet tasty.

BEAN PAPRU– another simple curry with French beans, cooked with spices and grated coconut.

The LANGAR KI DAL – a rich dish with a mix of pulses.

The DAL DHOKLI – yellow dal with mustard seeds with a twist of dhokla slices in it. Interesting!

The above was served along with the bread assortment - soft and well made.

The pure vegetarian delicacies were a true reminisce of the scrumptious traditional Bhog that is offered in the temple.

Next in line was , the ‘Italian Awesome Twosome’ - a nice break from the usual Italian dishes that we gorge on, the same old pastas, pizzas.
We got a chance to relish their North Italian delicacies.

SPINACH AND CHEESE DUMPLING – is prepared with a combination of stale bread, cheese, spinach. The cheese made the dumpling gooey – simple and of course, it had distinct flavors of spinach.

POTATO RAVIOLLI WITH MUSHROOMS, FUTINA CREAM WITH TRUFFLE OIL – the two dough layers with a beautiful filling of potato and mushrooms sealed. The layers were kind of thick – not the thin layers as I had expected.

The GRILLED PEPPER CHICKEN BREAST, SPINACH, BRAISED LEEKS and CUCUMBER CAVIAR - grilled tender chicken breast pieces which were juicy and had the perfect balance of the flavors. It was plated beautifully - specially the cucumber caviar.

Finally it was time to give in to my sweet tooth - we were served with an exclusive platter of their best signature chocolates. Look at them - they appear like little precious gems.

I loved the PASSION FRUIT TRUFFLE the most of the lot - beautifully crafted outer white chocolate cover with milk chocolate as filling.

Starting the orange piece - going clockwise - Passion fruit gel,coconut and lime,Irish whisky and maple, Coffee fudge, Earl grey Ganache


Starting from the yellow piece -Coconut and lime, raspberry creme,coffee fudge,passion fruit truffle,sea salt caramel

The staff was very cordial and the servers are well acquainted with the names of each of the dishes, they were serving.

Savor the world flavors with simplicity at its best.

In all, I was left the JW Marriott, elated and utterly satisfied with the flavorsome spread – satiated.

Saziare!

Of course for all the readers, there is something for everyone to enjoy at Culinary Collection. 😊