ITC Royal Vega's special seasonal platter is a locally curated luxe delight

Indian cuisine is a milieu of cultures and culinary practices built over a period of more than 5,000 years. Royal Vega at ITC Royal Bengal has taken a cue from abundant produce and spices in the subcontinent and features some of the best vegetarian delicacies in its newly-curated spring spread, aptly named Vasant Ritu Khasa. On till mid-May, this gala affair comprises exotic thalis replete with fresh spring harvests from across Bengal with a special touch from Chef Culinaire, Varun Mohan.

This 69-seater diner paints the perfect picture of everything we have learnt from our diverse culinary heritage and we were really impressed. The twelve pager bill of fare features three distinct set menus Ritu Khasa, Ranjit Khasa and Sheharwali Khasa that take into account various dining influences of this region.

“Indian gastronomy is strongly influenced by Ayurveda and it tells us that our bodies need to adapt to seasonal changes that take place every two months. The spring menu offers a range of vegetarian dishes from different parts of our country made with local ingredients,” shares Varun.

We began the gustatory trail with some muuh meetha, which is essentially a crunchy platter of the Rajasthani Churma. We braced up for the gastronomic adventure with a glass of Khatte ki Pakauri made of gram flour fritters in tamarind water and Sarsapa Raita with a pungent twist of mustard sauce. What followed was an extensive thali of a dozen handcrafted nibbles ranging from appetisers to gravies, Pooris to Pulao and sweetmeats that bring to Bengal flavours from the North-West part of the country. Some of the dishes such as the Hari Mirch Polika- a distant cousin of paranthas made with bajra, can be traced back to the ancient culinary culture of Harappa.

“Bengal potatoes have a higher water content which lends to its unique flavour. The Hari Mirch Stambhita is a Jodhpuri dish made with Chandramukhi potatoes while the Krishnatil Aloo is made with baby potatoes cooked in Vrindavan style. We suggest you pair the latter with Pitthi Pooris for an authentic experience. Raw Bananas and Jackfruits are some other local produces that we have used,” concludes Varun.

End the royal affair on a sweet note with the flavourful and textured Mewa Halwa and Shahiphal Sandesh. The latter is inspired by our very own Makha Sandesh and tastes yummy.

Pocket Pinch: Rs. 2250/- per head.

Up till May 14th, 7:30pm onwards