Raichak on Ganges

Fort-themed heritage resort

For all those footloose travellers interested to know about the Colonial history of Bengal and get indulge in fine dining experience on the banks of Ganges, the best destination is Raichak on Ganges. Lying at a distance of 51 km from Kolkata in South 24 Parganas is the tourist hamlet of Raichak that has a 200-year-old heritage fort better known as Ffort Radisson. The 18^th century heritage property on 100-acres of land area has been transformed into a luxury hospitality set-up by the Radisson group along with Bengal Ambuja in 1997. Raichak on Ganges is a weekend holiday destination with a collection of four-star hotels, resorts, spas and country homes. But travelling from Kolkata to Raichak is far from being a pleasurable journey and city slickers will be disappointed.  

The Ffort Raichak

It was on the eve of Holi in the present year that I took the Diamond Harbour, Kolkata to head to Raichak and I had to negotiate smoke-belching traffic on the way. It took a whale of time to reach the destination since the main thoroughfare is congested with heavy traffic. But once I reached Raichak, all my worries took a backseat. If the road connectivity from Kolkata to Raichak is well-developed, then the resort can turn into a popular day-long tourist destination and entice a large number of tourists. The serene Raichak hamlet on the banks of Ganges has been developed into a tourist village.

The landscaped garden

 

 A view of The Ffort Raichak

 

 A view of river Ganges

There are four complexes at Raichak on Ganges including The Ffort Raichak, Ganga Kutir, Anaya Kutir and the Ffort Suites. The chief highpoint of the property is the Ffort Raichak that forms the prime and the most ancient property. The entire property overlooking river Ganges is encircled by a moat and has a landscaped garden. There are swimming pools, restaurants, gym and a playground area.

  

    Address:

Raichak on Ganges

Raichak (Singhalgunjabad),

South 24 Parganas,

West Bengal-743368

(033)40404040

reservation@neotiahospitality.com

The Aananda Imperial

Branding the concept of luxury hospitality in Bilaspur

Luxury hospitality is not the sole preserve of a selected few. In contemporary India, tier-III cities are coming up with luxury properties and The Aananda Imperial, the four-star property from the house of V N Inn Private Limited in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur serves as the best example. It is incidentally the premier and only luxury MICE hotel in Bilaspur.    

An outer view of  The Aananda Imperial

I had received an invitation to review the property that made me travel to Bilaspur and stay for a day. It was an experience worth narrating owing to the kind of incredible facilities on offer in the hotel for its valued guests and the path of substantial growth moved by the hospitality group. The property has a traditional way of receiving its guests by lighting the ceremonial lamp and putting tikka on the forehead and this reminds us of our great Indian tradition- Atithi Devo Bhava.  

 Hotel lobby

 

 A partial view of the hotel

 Opened in 2010, the hotel spreads over an area of 1 lakh sq. ft with a built-up area of 70,000 sq. ft. The property is close to Bilaspur Railway Station at a distance of 2 km and is around 132 km from Swami Vivekananda Airport, Raipur. It stands tall with 70 luxury rooms comprising Royal suites, Scott suites, basic, premium and mini suites. If you’re looking ahead to avail of the comfort of Royal suites, you have to shell out anything between Rs 7,000 to Rs 10,000. There are five spacious venues for hosting conferences and meets including The Emperor ball room, Forum board room, Lincoln conference hall, Imperial Court board room and The Dewan- the sprawling lawn spreading over 40,000 sq. ft. The Ozone bar is equipped with a private dining area, smoking zone and washroom facility. The hotel set-up has a huge parking area.

 A typical luxury suite

This happens to be the one and only hotel in the state with a lofty atrium. The Royal suites are unique with impressive metal art installation and the basic suites are done up with wall paintings that flaunt the artworks of Chhattisgarh. All the suites are in pastel shades.The hospitality group leaves no stone unturned to go with the flow of “Unity in Diversity” and organizes the prominent Indian festivals like Durga puja, Diwali, Eid, Holi and Baisakhi.  

Metal artworks on display

Gourmet 24 ⃰ 7

A world of delight for gourmet lovers

 Not many of us are aware about the existence of Gourmet 24 ⃰ 7, the all-day vibrant dining outlet of The Aananda Imperial based in Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh. During my visit to the hotel sometime in June, this year, I had a chance to sample the elaborate list of menu that was laid out on the buffet table.  The 52-seater restaurant was opened to public on November 14, 2010 and sprawls over an area of 2,000 sq. ft. The restaurant specializes in authentic Indian flavours from almost every state of India followed by Continental and Oriental fare. The outlet has the widest offerings in the land of Chhattisgarh. 

 A view of the restaurant

The interiors of the outlet have floral décor flaunting pastel shades. Gourmet lovers can enjoy an elaborate, buffet dinner and the menu is colourful with a balanced consistency and ingredients. In other words, the menu is in sync with the state’s rich biodiversity. I had my dinner and in a bid to satiate my hunger pangs, my culinary journey began with Vegetable Croquettes and Jafrani Paneer Tikka.

Vegetable Croquets and Jafrani Paneer Tikka

 There was a live Golgappa counter and I relished the yummy Golgappas to satiate my taste buds. Very soon, I moved on with vegetable salad, fruit salad and Cucumber Canope that were an indulgent affair.

 Chaat counter

 

 Cucumber Canape

Vegetable Salad

 

 

Monaco Biscuit Canape

 I picked up the Pakoda Chaat but was not satisfied. I switched off to the main course with plain rice and Vegetable Malabari comprising cauliflower gravy tempered with Malabar spices. I wished to have more but keeping in mind, the host of items that were on offer, I reluctantly moved on to other counters. There were a slew of dishes in the main course like Paneer Roll in Makhani Gravy, Vegetable Thai Red Curry, Hakka Noodles, Goan Fish Curry, Dhania Murgh, Burhani Raita and Mango Raita but I was craving to savour dessert delights. 

Vegetable Thai Red Curry and Hakka Noodles

The dessert platter is offered with a wide array of sweet bites and believe it or not, the chef had cooked up a storm on the dinner table. On offer were as many as nine delectable dessert offerings like Dates Clafoutis, Chandana Kheer (rice pudding with bananas and sprinkled with dry fruits), Cream Cham Cham and Chocolate Pistachio Macarons.

 Chandana Kheer

 

Cream Cham Cham

 Chocolate Pistachio Macarons

 I wanted to have some new dessert items like Cardamom Pine Apple Panacotta- an Italian delight rustled up with cooked cream that is moulded, baked and served with pine apple candy with a twist of cardamom flavour.

Cardamom Pine Apple Panacotta

  The dessert-Bitter Sweet Chocolate Flower Pie was quite heavy on the stomach that is made of chocolate tart, filled with crumb brown sponge and done up with gum paste flower, chocolate twister and pancake syrup. 

Bitter Sweet Chocolate Pie

If you’re a true foodie, then you should savour Apple Jalebi and Orange Cremeux that constitutes gelatinized orange paste that is crushed and served on a bed of crumbled white sponge. 

There are sweet dishes from Chhattisgarh like Mawabati- made of ghee, refined flour and milk powder and Dehrori.

One can try the lavish Sunday brunch spread with 10 live counters that should not be missed-out.  Foodies should not leave the outlet without trying the desserts.

Address: Gourmet 24^* 7,

                         The Aananda Imperial,

                        Vyapar Vihar Road,

                        Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh- 495001

           

Phone:  +91 7752425500

Food for two: Rs 1,298 approximately on week days inclusive of taxes. One can order alcohol.