Reflections

     Fine dining at fort-themed outlet on the banks of Ganges

For those visiting the fort-themed resort of Raichak on Ganges during weekends and intending to experience fine dining, there is Reflections- the 98-seater food outlet at the Ffort Raichak that serves both Continental and Indian cuisine. The outlet overlooking the banks of rive Ganges opened sometime back in 1997 and its interiors impart Colonial outlook.

 An outer view of Reflections

The interiors of the outlet

During my visit to the resort at the onset of Holi in the current year, I had a chance to dig into the cuisine offered at Reflections. Before taking a look into the menu, here’s something that foodies should know about. For those diners expecting buffet lunch or dinner at Reflections would be disappointed, since the food outlet serves only a la carte menu except during weekends when there is option for buffet spread depending upon the footfalls of visitors.

I started my lunch with an appetizer- Sea food Tiramisu and there was Parmesan Pudding served with roasted tomato basil soup. 

 Sea food Tiramisu

Parmesan Pudding

There were more vegetarian offerings and the main course had a number of vegetarian platters. I got to savour an array of vegetarian Kebabs that move fast in the outlet, most of these are delights from North Western Frontier Province like Bhutte da Kebab, Peshawari Subz ki Shami, Multani Paneer Tikki, Khile Phool ka Kebab and Bhamre Aloo Pothohari – potatoes stuffed with cottage cheese, vegetables, dried plums and pea nuts.

 Kebab Platter

Dessert lovers get to sample some unusual delights like Monte Carlo, Rearranged Philadelphia Cheese Cake and Ice cream blended with Gulab Jamun that was worth relishing. The major highpoint of the restaurant is foodies get to indulge in the delights and catch breathtaking views of river Ganges.

 Monte Carlo

 Rearranged Philadelphia Cheese Cake

Ice cream served with Gulab Jamun 

 

Dining in the outlet costs around Rs 900-plus taxes for a single person and the restaurant does not serve any alcoholic drinks.      

Address: Reflections,       

            Raichak on Ganges,

            The Ffort Raichak,

            Ground Floor, Post Bag 1,

            Diamond Harbour Road,

 South 24 Parganas,

            West Bengal.

   

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