With the pandemic almost out of our way, people are re-surfacing out of their cloistered existence to celebrate life. And this never-say-never spirit is nowhere more palpable than the city’s diners, big or small, that are back buzzing with life.
Exercising abundant caution, JW Marriott Kolkata’s Asian diner Vintage Asia too is welcoming back their patrons with some irresistibly delectable offers. Renowned for its offbeat pan-Asian delicacies, the restaurant has come up with a comforting imperial weekend brunch conceptualised by the hotel’s executive chef Prakash Chettiyar and sous chef Abhishek Guha.
As we went to the teeming outlet on a Saturday afternoon, we were greeted by peppy live music and a well-curated spread, replete with an array of very innovative soups, dumplings, salads and satays. What really impressed us were the numerous sections ranging from the live soup and salad stations to carving and roasting corners, besides the atypical mains and desserts.
The scrumptious buffet spread also has a selection of their all-time favourites including Steamed Char Siu Chicken Bao, Chaozhou Lotus Root Dumpling and refreshing Asian salads like Teriyaki Bean Curd Salad and Thai Herb Roasted Chicken and Noodle Salad. But if you want to keep it light and guiltless you can try the Braised Chicken and Melon Soup along with the very scrumptious Wild Mushroom, Pepper and Seven Spice Salad and the Tropical Fruit, Cashewnut Roasted Onion Sweet Chilli Salad — just like we did.
We loved the mushroom toss for incorporating a variety of delicious mushrooms and accentuating their inherent taste and plumpness with a heady mix of spices. We also found the Steamed Kaffir Lime Flavored Waterchesnut and Mushroom Bao surprisingly flavoursome.
For the mains, we checked out a few portions of well-cooked Roasted Duck Cilantro Chilli Dip, the ever sinful Paksha Paa (Bhutanese Style Pork) and Vietnamese Steamed Fish in Garlic Soy Sauce. Cooked with a slight drizzle of soy sauce and garlic the well-marinated bekti made for a perfect comfort sider. To do away with the guilt of having an overdose of meat, we incorporated a bit of green in the form of the crunchy Chiang Mai Vegetables Tossed Thai Chilli. We preferred pairing most of these dishes with Basil Steamed Jasmine Rice, which went incredibly well with all the dishes.
Do keep some space for the melt-in-your-mouth desserts that include a boastful array of classic confections like Raspberry and Lemon Cheese Cake, Kaffir Lime Cheese Cake and Hazelnut Praline Cake among other sweet options. But we have still not got over the Creamy Coconut and Passion Entremet loaded with water chestnuts — a pure guilt-free indulgence.
Available on weekends between 12.30 and 3 pm. Meal for one: Rs 1,899 (sans alcohol).
sharmishtha.g@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @sharmidas