Bringing alive the days of Zamindars and Raj rule
For
high-end luxury tourists contemplating to imbibe in the old-world charm of
Kolkata’s heritage that dates back to 1857, there is Raajkutir from the house
of Ambuja-Neotia hospitality that forms the newest heritage property to open
its doors sometime on December 18, 2018. Nestling in the heart of the city, the
sprawling heritage mansion spreads over 15 acres of land area and provides the
perfect opportunity to soak into the bygone grandeur of Zamindars of Bengal. Having said this, Raajkutir has been created
around an imaginative story of Zamindars of
Bengal and their lavish lifestyle.
An outer facade of Raajkutir
The front view of the heritage property
I
was really thrilled by the opportunity to have a heritage walk around the
stunning boutique hotel sometime in the New Year and with heightened
anticipation, I reached the property. The welcome was quite grand with guests
smeared with chandan tikka on the
forehead, garlands were offered and there were welcome drinks. One should
devote some time for the heritage walk to have a complete view of the property.
The luxury set-up has 33 well-furnished rooms decked up with antiques from
Zamindar era.
Rooms done up in Zamindar style
Interiors of the room
Besides, there are large glittering indoor and outdoor banquets
with live counters, an all-day dining food outlet- East India Room sprawling
over 2,000 sq.ft area that churns out platters from Colonial era.
The Banquet
The embellished chandeliers
I settled in
at East India Room that promises to tickle one’s taste buds with tantalizing
menu from the days of Portuguese and British rule as well as the dishes rustled
up in the kitchens of Zamindars of
Bengal.
A view of East India Room
At
East India Room, we had a lunch date and started off with Mulligatawny that was
a favourite soup of British soldiers made of yellow lentil and white rice
balls. There was Elliot Road cutlet, a vegetarian delight of beet, carrots,
potatoes flavoured with tangy sauce and the yummy Raja Nrisingh Pratap’s Mochar
chop made from banana blossom and done up with mustard sauce from Bikrampur on
the other side of Bengal.
An array of starters
I was served Tetrazinni- the baked sphagetti done up
with butter, cream and parmesan. I switched on to the main course that had
yellow coconut rice with capsicum brinjal potato curry- a vegetarian speciality
from the British Indian kitchen spiced up with coconut paste and tamarind. To
round off our meal, we were offered black forest pastry and caramel pudding
that had a lingering taste.
Sphagetti
Yellow rice with capsicum brinjal potato curry
Black forest pastry
Besides,
the heritage haunt has Outpost that promises to rejuvenate one’s body and mind
with traditional massages from the hoary past. One should not forget to drop in
at the exhibition counter- Colonnade, the shopping arcade called Arcadia,
Loafer’s Cafe offering bakery stuff with a whiff of Victorian flavours and Swig
is for wine aficionados.