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.
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