Angare of Pride Plaza Hotel Ahmedabad

Exuding the vibrancy of Gujarat

Little does any of us know about Angare- the fine-dining restaurant of Pride Plaza Hotel Ahmedabad that churns up delectable dishes from North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) and Gujarat. The 85-seater food outlet is only 2 ½ years old and serves a la carte menu. The outlet is most sought-after by the residents of Ahmedabad, MICE and global visitors. For connoisseurs of good food and those yearning for NWFP delights, Angare is a must-visit outlet.

  
                                     A view of the outlet

       
 During my brief stay at Pride Plaza Hotel Ahmedabad, I happened to have a close brush with the food outlet. The walls of the colourful food outlet have been done up with vibrant colours to bring alive the pulsating culture of Gujarat.

The interiors of the outlet

A glimpse of the interiors of the outlet

 The NWFP platter replete with kebabs and biryanis is influenced by the cuisines of Baluchistan and Peshawar. The fare on offer is served fresh and hot and there are Tandoori delights including Seekh Kebab, Boti Kebab and Shammi Kebab. For lovers of green, there are lip-smacking items like Dahi Kebab and Bharwaan Tandoori Aloo that go down well while Galoti Kebab, Shammi Seekh Kebab and Boti Kebab are some of the must-try dishes in the non-vegetarian segment. Finally there are sweet offerings like Gulab Jamun and Shahi Tukda to end one’s meal.      

Cafe Treat of Pride Plaza Hotel Ahmedabad

Robust flavours of Saurashtra

“Variety is the spice of life” –the saying goes well when it comes to savouring your spicy taste buds with a fusion of Gujarati, Punjabi, South Indian and Continental delights at Pride Plaza Hotel Ahmedabad’s Cafe Treat. It was a sudden call from Pride Plaza Hotel Ahmedabad to halt for a couple of days sometime in June, this year in order to savour the dishes on offer. For those gourmet lovers in search of new dining experiences and would like to embark upon a culinary safari of Gujarati delights as well as a slice of Indian menu at a reasonable rate, there’s no looking back. The culinary experience at Cafe Treat- the all-day dining outlet with a seating capacity of 90 is worth cherishing.  The food outlet serves buffet breakfast and dinner while lunch comprises a la carte menu. The restaurant has a steady stream of visitors and rustles up Continental, Gujarati, Punjabi and South Indian delights.

A glimpse of Cafe Treat

The buffet dinner has 11 Gujarati recipes served regularly and the main course has six vegetarian items. There are six kinds of desserts including one hot dessert.  Gujarati delights are more of Farsaan comprising interesting savoury platter and on offer are eight kinds of Farsaan including Dhokla, Khandvi, Idra, Khaman, Theple, Patra, Handvo and Bhakarvadi that are fried fritters. In a nutshell, Farsaan forms an indispensable part of Gujarati diet. The restaurant begs to differ from other food outlets in the city. The all-day dining outlet caters with the most number of Gujarati delights.

Farsaan on display

  I started off my dinner with Farsaan items like Dhokla, Khaman, Khandvi, Idra, Moong Dal na Gota and Palak Muthiya. The mains comprising noodle soup and vegetarian Pulao with Gujarati Kadhi, green Tinda Masala and Kela Vatana nu Saak (a rich, spicy preparation of raw bananas and green peas) were worth savouring. The best way to end one’s meal is to pamper your sweet tooth and I was spoilt for choice with the dessert offerings including fruit tart, Choorma, Srikhand, Kaala Jamun and the heavenly bite of chocolate balls.  I had the famed Gujarati sweet delicacies like Meethi Boondi and Mohanthal (gram flour sauted in ghee and sugar syrup is added to it.) 

Live counters at the outlet

Once can avail of an elaborate buffet breakfast with juice and fruit corners and live counters for Dosa, Idli and Theple. The puffed omelette in the live egg station is another attraction. Besides, there is a separate Continental section exhibiting an astounding array of bakery stuff. One can get to choose from the South Indian tiffin, and there are different sections for breakfast rolls, Poorie and Parathas. The dessert section comprising fruit-based yoghurt and Indian sweets are not-to-be-missed.

The bakery section

The lunch a la carte menu is best savoured with Gujarati Pulao, Aloo Rasila, double crunch chocolate pastry and mango ice cream. For affluent travellers visiting Ahmedbaad, Cafe Treat should figure on your bucket list.

Double crunch chocolate pastry

Vintage Asia of JW Marriott Kolkata

Gorging on Oriental platter

For connoisseurs of good food intending to dig into sumptuous fare from Far East and go on a nostalgic trip to Thailand, there’s Vintage Asia, the fine-dining restaurant of J W Marriott Kolkata that specializes in authentic Chinese and Thai fare.  The restaurant came into existence sometime in December, 2016 and these days, the outlet has earned the distinction of churning out some of the best Chinese and Thai cuisine in the city of Kolkata. 

Moreover, the 80-seater restaurant happens to be the favourite address for Royal Thai and Chinese Consulates of Kolkata. Done up with traditional interiors, the outlet recreates the ambience of Far East with its rustic, textured wooden stuff. The setting is cozy exhibiting a blend of art deco and contemporary Oriental touches.  A beverage lounge at the entrance has seating facilities. There are two live stations where chefs rustle out real Chinese and Thai culinary dishes. The menu on offer is a la carte and one can get to choose from a broad range of options for Sunday brunch including dim sums, starters, soups, the main course items and desserts.  Serving freshly cooked items forms the main forte of the outlet with the focus on finest, fresh, traditionally-sourced ingredients. The menu crafted by chefs appears quite impressive in taste and look. The outlet procures lotus roots and Jasmine tea from Thailand.

                                        The interiors of the fine dining outlet

On one Sunday afternoon in July, I had set out to head to Vintage Asia to enjoy the lunch menu. I began my culinary journey with Asparagus Water Chestnut Crystal Dumpling, Raw Papaya salad or Som Tam and Schezwan hot and sour soup that certainly deserve mention. 

A bowl of Asparagus water chestnut crystal dumpling

Som Tam and Schezwan hot sour soup

I was waiting to have my fill with the main course when I was served burnt garlic fried rice, a Chinese recipe containing spring onion. The menu is best savoured with Thai yellow curry comprising silken tofu, pumpkin and butter mushroom. I moved on to have other platters including stir fried lotus roots with snow peas and black fungus that is a typical Thai dish. 

 Burnt garlic fried rice served with Thai yellow curry

There were other options including the Chinese preparation- Wok tossed fresh noodles rustled up with carrots, beans, onion, garlic and chilly flakes. The outlet’s hot pot tofu- a spicy preparation of onion, peppers and bean sauce would completely blow away the gourmet lovers.

                                        Wok tossed noodles

The perfect way to round off one’s Oriental meal is to go for Thai desserts like Tub Tim Krob –a popular coconut milk based dessert of Thailand prepared from chilled, jellied water chestnut served in sweetened coconut cream. There is the homemade tender coconut ice cream garnished with pomegranate, a famed Thai dessert that can send the sweet tooth holder into a culinary trance.

Some of the signature dishes of the outlet are Chinese dishes that are mainly Cantonese and Schezwan cuisine and one of the non-vegetarian items- Schezwan chicken is another signature dish of the outlet. The hottest selling dishes are Thai yellow curry, hot pot tofu to be savoured with burnt garlic fried rice. The outlet’s Sunday brunch menu is pegged at Rs 1,999 for a single person.The outlet is into serving both lunch and dinner on Saturdays while dinner is only served on weekdays.

Pride Plaza Hotel Ahmedabad

Luxury calling

For luxury and super-busy MICE travellers on a trip to the heritage city of Ahmedabad, Pride Plaza Hotel Ahmedabad is the highly preferred option. The five-star property stands out with pride and exudes the vibes and energy of Saurashtra, best-known as the “Land of Legends”.

It was a stroke of luck for me when I flew down to Ahmedabad sometime in June, this year to indulge into the world of luxury for a couple of days. It was such a refreshing experience to get steeped in an ambience that has a luxurious feel with lavish food. Snuggled in a cosy corner of Judges Bungalow Road at Bodakdev, the nine-storied Pride Plaza Hotel Ahmedabad took shape way back in November, 2004 and soars high as one of the tallest structures in the hospitality scene of the city. 

                                       An outer view of the hotel

This is the hotel that focuses upon five norms of a traveller including Bhoomi, Bhesh, Bhasha, Bhojan and Bhajan. With 164 luxury rooms, the hotel is only 18 km from Sardar Vallabhai Patel International Airport and around 15 km away from the railway station. It enjoys the reputation of having the largest number of banquet venues in the city and the banquet is well-known as Imperial. 

                                       A luxury room of the hotel

                                      A finely done up rest room

 

The interiors of the property are well laid out with handicrafts and paintings depicting the lifestyle of Saurashtra. The lobby overlooks the atrium rising up to the 9^th floor. With music played in the lobby, there is a live display of Hindustani classical music.  I stayed at an American Plan room and had an opportunity to gape at the art works along the corridor that displays the traditional handicraft of Gujarat.

 The lofty atrium

 The hotel with cosmopolitan culture is well geared with a large swimming pool, gym and Ekantaa spa that provides wellness therapy. The concept of fitness has caught up well with the city residents. Besides, Swedish, Thai and Balinese therapy, the spa focuses more on Abhyanga therapy for the holistic well-being of an individual. There are nine banquet halls with a seating capacity of 10 to 1,000 guests.

                                       The lobby

                                       A view of the interiors 

 

The hospitality property stands tall with two fine-dining restaurants including Angare and Cafe Treat- an all-day dining outlet.