Get a taste of Bhutanese cuisine at the Bhutan to Bharat food festival at The Square, Novotel Kolkata Hotel & Residences. Chef Michael Swamy, a renowned author and also a wildlife enthusiast, has curated a menu that celebrates tradition, community, and the bountiful offerings of the land, and tastes simple yet flavourful. Ranging from hearty stews to fiery curries, foodies can enjoy a cyclical menu every day.
Chef Swamy says, “we took some of the signature dishes from Bhutan, and then tweaked them a bit, making it easier for our palate, since the dishes of Bhutan are very spicy. The general public won’t be able to tolerate the heat, so I toned it down. But I made sure to use authentic cooking techniques and made sure that each dish is slightly different from the other. That’s how we played with the ingredients. Among these, the butter-poached Himalayan trout and the butter-poached asparagus are my favourites. I love their Bak-Thuk noodles, the Chapale and of course the soup.”
Coming to the food, here’s is a break down of what we tried. We started our meal with Top of the Mountain, a refreshing mocktail, a concoction of orange, fragrant mint and coriander leaves, spicy jalapenos with lime and VEEN’s sparkling water, which is sourced straight from the hills in Bhutan, and paired it with Bhutanese honey chilli broccoli and honey chilli chicken lollipops. In contrast to the sweet mocktail, the spicy, tangy and sticky starters were a welcoming change.
We moved on to the Bhutanese national dish, Ema Datshi, assembled in a freshly baked bun with a side of red rice crackers, which chef Swamy served himself. Keeping in mind the spice tolerance of the crowd, the soup was creamy, flavourful and was comfortable to have even when it was soaring outside. And of course, we couldn’t resist from digging into the Water Chestnut and Cheese Momos and the Chicken Cheese Momos, served with Himalayan truffle oil, which definitely was the star of the show.
For the main course, we could not choose what to go for and ended up trying everything. We paired the Bak Thuk noodles paired with Asian greens with the braised tender lamb with tamarind glazed carrot and the Bhutanese steamed rice with butter poached Himalayan greens. While the noodles tasted great, the lamb is something that we’ve never tried before. The lamb chunks were tender, flavourful, slightly sweet and sour, with a fiery kick.
But our favourite had to be the fluffy steamed red rice, which is slightly different than the ones in get in Bhutan and the butter-poached Himalayan greens. The hot fluffy rice paired with this mildly spiced, creamy veggie stew left us craving for more. Trust us, you too can make this super-easy and filling dish at your home, and have it with rice.
We were too full for desserts though, we still decided to have a bite of the Trifle with Himalayan plum berry and Orange cheesecake.
Meal for one: Rs 1,449++
Available until May 5, Noon to 3 pm | 7-11 pm
