Yauatcha

New Year dining with Cantonese fare

With the year drawing to a close end and the temperature plunging sharply, it’s the time to party. Perhaps the perfect way to plan out a perfect welcome to 2019 would be to go for fine dining experience and Yauatcha, the one and only Michelin-starrer restaurant in Kolkata and in the East can be a sound option for gourmet lovers. Best known as a contemporary dim sum tea house that rustles up authentic Cantonese cuisine, Yauatcha serves the finest quality of beverages, dim sums and Continental desserts. The plush food outlet is snuggled on the 5^th floor of Quest Mall that stands on the busy thoroughfare of Syed Amir Ali Avenue.

When I received the offer to dine out at Yauatcha, I made sure that I savoured the experience of Cantonese dining. The restaurant is looked after by Ka Hospitality chain based out in Mumbai that belongs to Number 1 category. Spread over 6,000 sq. ft area, Yauatcha in Kolkata is the third restaurant from Ka Hospitality next to Mumbai and Bengaluru. The 103-seater restaurant that came up sometime in September 2014, Yauatcha is reputed for dishing out exclusively Cantonese cuisine with a modern blend.  

 The interiors of the restaurant

 

I headed straight to the restaurant and began with a glass of orange juice. I was offered a wide range of tea but I could not resist the temptation to sip the juice. At Yauatcha, there is a wide range of tea starting from Kashmiri Kahwa to Assam tea and Chinese Oolong from Fujian Province to High Mountain Oolong from Chiayi Taipei. Beverage lovers can also sip the renowned Darjeeling’s Makaibari tea. Overall, there are 28 different forms of tea on offer.  I started with an all-vegetarian Cantonese cuisine. Dim sums can be savoured all round the day. I savoured three kinds of dim sum including steamed dim sum, poached dim sum and fried dim sum. I was offered Vegetable Chive Dumpling and Truffle Edemame Dumpling in the category of steamed dim sum. There was Poached Peking Dumpling while the best of dim sums are the fried ones. I nibbled a number of fried dim sums including the spongy Pan-fried Turnip Cake done up with spices and Crispy Vegetable Cheung Fun that are crispy spring rolls wrapped in rice paper sheet. Pan-fried turnip cakes appear in rectangular slices with a thin crunchy layer and are pan-fried before serving. 

 An array of dim sums served

 

No sumptuous meal is complete without sweet treats.  The outlet churns out in-house Continental desserts that are on display. The outlet is into serving nine kinds of desserts and seven kinds of ice creams. Since my stomach was full to three-fourth, I skipped the main course and took a dig into Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Cake and Chocolate Pebble that were heavenly. I rounded off my meal with vanilla ice cream that was bitingly cold. One can also bite into Red Fruit Fromage, Pecan and Coffee Delice, Raspberry Delice, Sacher Torte and a wide variety of macarons.

Continental  desserts on display

 

 The food outlet has an open kitchen and remains open from 12 noon to 12 midnight.

Address: Yauatcha

Quest Mall, 5^th Floor,

Syed Amir Ali Avenue,

Park Circus, Beck Bagan,

Ballygunge, Kolkata-700017

Phone: 09819431907 (M)

Food for two: Rs 2,000 approximately plus taxes exclusive of alcohol.

Rejuve The Spa

Revitalizing at luxury spa

For those on a visit to Kolkata and who would like to revitalize oneself to lead a stress free life and savour experiences, there’s nothing like Rejuve The Spa at The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata. Lying on Old Court House Street, Rejuve sprawls over 13,000 sq. ft area and is incidentally one of the largest luxury spas in the city. It is a place where fitness freaks are spoilt for choice with a plethora of facilities of global standards. The entire first floor of the luxury haunt is occupied by Rejuve.

           

                                       The entrance of Rejuve

The spa has its interiors done up with antique works like Dokra craft and terracotta stuff. One should not miss out on the signature detoxifying drink called The Rejuve tea offered by the spa that promises to sooth our tired nerves. The drink is a concoction of basil leaves, ginger and jaggery that are boiled and lemon juice is added to it. The spa boasts of state-of-the-art gym, salon and a swimming pool.

Swimming pool

 The therapies on offer at the spa include- Ayurvedic and Western therapy. Ayurvedic therapies like Shirodhara are beneficial for those suffering from migraine, headache and insomnia. There is Abhyanga that implies a complete body massage to ward off joint pain. For treating acne or pimples, there is Mukh Lepa or facial massage. The problem of obesity can be overcome with Udwarthanam or the complete body scrub.  In the category of Western therapies, there are a host of treatments like aromatherapy, Swedish massage, Balinese massage, deep tissue massage and foot reflexology.

 Ayurvedic therapy room

  Western therapy is best suited for weary travellers who are not running out of time.   

 Western therapy room

 

Each therapy corner has its own steam bath and shower and this goes well with the gym. There are a slew of packages on offer in Western therapy that include A Journey through Bengal is a kind of Swedish massage offered with Bengal tuberose scrub and mineral mud body wrap. The treatment relaxes the muscles and at the same time nourishes and moisturizes the skin.

 Gym

 Rejuve is the one and only spa that prides in having an aqua bed with facilities for body scrub and body wrap.

 Aqua Bed

  The spa stands off from others in offering hot stone massage – a one-of-a-kind Western therapy done by applying lemon and ginger oil on the body and then massaging with lava stones procured from Finland to get rid of body ache, fatigue and stiffness. The oil helps to alleviate the pain in the muscles.  The spa has a separate couple treatment room in Western therapy.

 Couple treatment room

Alfresco of The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata

Kolkata’s culinary cauldron

If you just love luxury dining from the bygone British era and you’re on a visit to Kolkata, then do not forget to step into Alfresco, the all-day plush dining outlet of The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata tucked on Old Court House Street in the city. Mouth-watering dishes, colourful desserts, heart-warming hospitality, soothing decor and picture-perfect ambience are some of the phrases best used to describe the multi-cuisine outlet. Opened sometime on Bengali New Year’s Day in 2014, the food outlet has two private dining areas with a total seating capacity of 80 and is based on the concept of “Four Pillars of Kolkata Cuisine” including Tangra Chinese ( a blend of Chinese and Bengali fare), Bengali ( inclusive of West Bengal and Bangladesh), Nawabi (Awadhi delights) and Anglo-Indian cuisine. When the opportunity of dining at Alfresco arrived for me, I was literally on the cloud nine.

The restaurant in the lobby overlooks the Lily Pond flaunting swaying palm trees and the interiors of the food outlet sport white outlook with glass ceiling. Food connoisseurs can tuck into their favourite dishes enjoying the views of Lily Pond. To start with, there are three live counters- Street food, regional and dessert counters. There are separate counters for fruit juice, cheese, fruits, starters from Western countries, bakery and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Raita and Chaat. In fact, the hospitality group lives up to its expectations with its stunning variety of one-of-a-kind, in-house bakery stuff rustled up at its renowned outlet- The Bakery that began way, way back in 1830 during Colonial times. There is a separate vegetarian and non-vegetarian counter. Alfresco happens to be the only luxury food outlet that serves alcoholic beverages all round the day.

Colourful desserts on offer at Alfresco

  I began with the regional counter and picked up Appam with stew and chutney and moved on to the street food counter that had delectable Golgappas. I moved on to the mains with Kaju Kismis ka Pulao and relished it with Dal Baluchi- the signature creation of the restaurant prepared with a blend of black lentils, ginger, garlic simmered overnight on charcoal fire and done up with cream and butter. I relished the spicy Aloo Hing Dhaniya Chatpata and Bhuna Makkai aur Aloo (corn dumplings dipped in yoghurt gravy) that were quite heavy on the stomach. 

                                        

                                     Aloo Hing Dhaniya Chatpata

                                            Bhuna Makkai aurAloo

Another platter that I savoured was Spinach and Ricotta Malfatti with spicy tomato coulis (an Italian delicacy comprising tender dumplings prepared from ricotta, spinach and served in spicy tomato sauce). Non-vegetarians can settle for Meen Moille (fish rustled up in Malayali style) or Kolkata style Chicken Biryani. For lovers of Anglo-Indian cuisine, there is Railway Mutton Curry. There is a carving station with fish or chicken platter.

 Baigan Barishal

There is no better way to finish off the meal than to go for lip-smacking Continental desserts and the outlet serves 10 kinds of desserts inclusive of Indian and Continental. One can go for Coconut Rice Pudding that is eggless and free from sugar.  I opted for the Continental desserts that include Eclairs, Chocolate Tart with Hazzlenut and White Chocolate with Raspberry delight.

Eclairs

Cheese cake

Coconut rice pudding

Lastly, there are eight kinds of ice-creams on offer including vanilla, mango, chocolate, butterscotch, strawberry, pistachio and tuty fruity and I settled for chocolate ice cream. Some of the must-things to try here are Dal Baluchi, Bhune Makkai aur Aloo, Aloo Hing Dhaniya Chatpate and Railway Mutton Curry. A buffet lunch for two person would come for Rs 3,100 exclusive of all taxes.