Banquet of Hoshena brings a unique immersive dining experience to Mumbai

Banquet of Hoshena takes its patrons to an imaginary land where kings and queens, fairies and volcanoes come alive on table, and sometimes on dining plates over a seven-course meal. 
Banquet of Hoshena takes its patrons to an imaginary land where kings and queens, fairies and volcanoes come alive on table, and sometimes on dining plates over a seven-course meal. 
Banquet of Hoshena takes its patrons to an imaginary land where kings and queens, fairies and volcanoes come alive on table, and sometimes on dining plates over a seven-course meal. 

After touring cities like London, Dubai, Kuwait, Germany, and Stockholm, Banquet of Hoshena finally arrived in India at Mumbai’s Ramee Guestline Hotel. Created by Nadine Beshir of Dinner Time Story in collaboration with Studio McGuire, the Banquet of Hoshena takes its patrons to an imaginary land where kings and queens, fairies and volcanoes come alive on table, and sometimes on dining plates over a seven-course meal. 

We visited the Banquet of Hoshena in Juhu last week and were asked to take our seat in the 28-seater restaurant. Soon the lights went off and a white mannequin came to life as Queen of Hoshena with big bold eyes and a bright red lip, courtesy 3D technology and image mapping. The queen was also the narrator of the story of her once-green and luscious kingdom that banished bad emotions like anger and fear and as a result, accidentally banished love, happiness and courage. Over the next hour and a half, the drama unwinds alongside the meal which is accompanied by clever props, sounds, illusions and a zillion expressions of the queen. 

The dinner starts with an amuse-bouche of chilled watermelon and feta topped with balsamic pearls in a jewelled box. The second course saw mini Khao Suey Samosas on a floating-place - the dish was placed on a magnetic axis to give the illusion of levitation. The samosas had a filling of noodles and were served alongside a mildly spicy rich gravy of coconut milk reduction. The next course was a pumpkin and coconut milk soup with a side of chopped and sauteed vegetables, adding crunch to the mildly flavoured and very soothing soup. Moving on to the appetiser, we had Kasundi mustard and turmeric sandwiched cottage cheese with mint and yoghurt chutney on the side. The paneer was well marinated, soft and flavourful but none overwhelming the dish including the mustard. The chutney added the right amount of tartness to the dish. For non-vegetarians, there was Kasundi mustard and turmeric-infused char-grilled king prawn. 

Also read: With Beyond Dining, Chef Raji is not only serving gourmet food but also curating a personalised experience

<em>The dinner starts with an amuse-bouche of chilled watermelon and feta topped with balsamic pearls in a jewelled box.</em>
The dinner starts with an amuse-bouche of chilled watermelon and feta topped with balsamic pearls in a jewelled box.

Next on our plate was beetroot mozzarella seekh kebab. Roasted with red chilli & coconut spicy sauce, it was a spicy dish that also looked very beautiful - it emulated the texture of seekh kebab perfectly, and was served with a mint chutney, which balanced the flavours of the dish. For mains, we had very soft pan-seared tofu topped with a crumble made from grated coconut and thecha (a Maharashtrian masala made from peanut, salt and chilli), giving it a really good flavour. It was served with congee rice and a side of fragrant coconut broth, the latter was a reminder of delicious Mangalorean curry.

<em>Khao Suey Samosas and Pan-seared tofu served with congee rice and a side of fragrant coconut broth</em>
Khao Suey Samosas and Pan-seared tofu served with congee rice and a side of fragrant coconut broth

For non-vegetarians, there was fish fillet and those who had it there couldn’t stop raving about the taste. We rounded up the meal with mud pie served with berries & a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The cake was gooey and as expected, the ice cream and berries complimented it. But, what elevated the experience was the way it was plated - one half of the plate was occupied by the various elements of the dessert - the mud pie, the ice cream, the berries and the edible flowers - and the other half witnessed a beautiful, making it a visual delight. 

<em>Mud pie served with berries and vanilla ice cream</em>
Mud pie served with berries and vanilla ice cream

We really liked the variety offered here. Not only did they ensure that the paneer is not being served more than once for vegetarians, but the non-vegetarians also had chicken, prawn and fish in different courses of their meal. Throughout the meal, a parallel immersive story was going on, sometimes it makes the guests interact with their plate and at one point, it also asked them to whisper their fears into a pouch carrying ‘magic ice cube’, light a magic candle (LED lamp) and create drama with dry ice as they make their own concoction.

The meal for two would cost 7000++. 
When: Friday to Sunday, from 7 pm to 12 am

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