Top Left - the massive lobby of the Crowne Plaza that greets you on entry. Top Right - One of the sprawling lawns on the premises for those outdoor events. Bottom Images - our welcome nibbles. Loved the personal touch of a separate cookie platter for Anoushka. 

 One of the unique aspects at the Crowne Plaza Bengaluru is its rooms in the Quiet Zone. Two floors - the 8th and 9th, have rooms that are placed away from the humdrum of the streets outside (not that you can hear it from the rooms that we were in). These rooms have superior sound insulation, ensuring that you have the peace and quiet you need - whether you are working late into the night or are coming in after a late night of working and need your rest. Of course we did not need anything like this and were allotted the King Club Room (Rs 11,250 ++ for room alone. Prices subject to dynamic pricing).

One major grouse I have against most places offering a brunch is that they have no breakfast dishes on the menu in most cases. That is why I did a double flip when I saw the table tents proudly announcing waffles, pancakes and eggs made to order. Now that's a good start to a brunch.

The overall ambience of the buffet is created such to make the most of the glass enclosed restaurant. so bright light, lots of greenery, yet the comfort of air conditioned environs. The live counters except for the pasta counter is placed on the outside. But if you prefer the joys of being pampered at the table, everything can be requested to be brought to you.



In terms of entertainment for the little ones, there is pottery, there was a play section with colouring and craft but Anoushka did not find the person in charge despite checking several times. But she had fun making her own pots and of course with Alan, the Mentalist, who was doing the rounds of tables. What fun he is!

The Sunday Brunch is priced at Rs 1300 ++; the ​cocktail brunch Rs 1950 ++; for children, the buffet is priced at Rs 750 ++.

Crowne Plaza is a brilliant escape from the city. Here are the prices you can avail of (Correct as of time of publishing this post)
1. Room Only - Rs 6000 plus taxes (Single / Double same )
2. Room + Breakfast - Rs 6499 plus taxes (Single / Double same )
3. At Rs 6999 plus taxes (Room+Breakfast+ Lunch or dinner, it also has the below inclusions (Single / Double same )

Buffet Breakfast, Welcome Drink on Arrival, Comp Wi-fi, Either Lunch or Dinner, Bottle of wine, 25% Discount on all Food and Soft Beverages, 25% Discount on Sunday Brunch, 25% Discount on Spa, 25% Discount on Laundry, Complimentary Room upgrade subject to availability at the time of Check-in, Early Check-In by 12: 00 hrs and Late Check-out

Here is a link to help you get to the Crowne Plaza

The restaurants are placed to the left of the lobby. Tamarind welcomes you through wood and glass panelled doors and you step into a space that is predominantly in hues of brown with its wooden floors, and table-chairs set-ups. The tamarind leaf motif makes subtle appearances in metal embossing over the glass enclosed open kitchen, across the walls, and even on your cutlery. In fact, take a closer look at your plate when you get there. The slightly raised groove on the plate ensures that all the little katories that you have on it remain put all through your meal. Cozy seating options are the comfortable alcove seats lining one side of the dining area.

Your welcome to Tamarind will be with water, just like in any other establishment. But there is a difference. Take a look at the coaster on which your water glass is placed and it will tell you that your water has been steeped with a particular spice. On the day of our visit it was cardamom. The coaster will give you an idea of its medicinal properties and its relevance to Indian cooking.


The food at Tamarind is the work of Executive Chef Alok Anand. Chef believes that his food is representative of good old Indian food, the way we make it at home, with a small personal touch. Not for him the various classifications and modernization methods accorded to food today. Each of the dishes follows extensive research of meals had in homes across the country. Each of the masalas used is distinct, imparting a flavour that is unique to the dish and not generic as is most times the norm. In fact, Chef Alok and his team have even sourced some of their cooking utensils from places that they have spent time in.

We started with the Dahi Kalash - a little sphere courtesy some molecular gastronomy, of flavoured yogurt on spoon with a pomegranate pearl, placed on a bed of savory toasted sev. One pop into the mouth and the memories of a chilled dahi chaat come to mind.


The Bakli Salad was up next - A boiled wheat salad tossed with onions, tomatoes, coriander and lemon dressing, served with crisp namkeens resting on paneer knobs. This dish comes with 4 spice mixes, each of which when mixed with the salad give it new dimension in terms of taste. The paneer acts as the neutralizer on the plate, allowing each new flavour to come forward.


Up next were the soups and they were served in small portions of a little teacup each. Finally someone is listening when it comes to portions for soups. I always tend to avoid them for fear of filling up - now with portions like these (priced proportionately), there is nothing to worry about this indulgence. We had the Chane Ka Ark - a chickpea extract soup, served with a crisp roti, topped off with some mashed chickpea and butter. Chef Alok pointed out an interesting thing to note - the roti - even when dipped in the soup does not soften, but remains toasty crisp - a trick to mull over!

Ghosht Pudina Yakhni was the meat based soup - a flavourful lamb stock, with meat, that is light, slightly tangy, yet easy on the tummy. Take my advice, the little lamb balls skewered and placed in the soup - eat one mid way and save one for the end. Steeped in the soup, these are a soft burst of moist flavor that make some of the simple pleasures in life, easily available.


Gilori Paneer Tikka - sure you must be thinking, plain old boring tandoori paneer tikka - but slice into this one and you will find that it is stuffed, rather generously with an aromatic filling which I will leave to you to dissect. Good on taste and texture, boring old is something it definitely is not.

The Murgh Reshmi Seekh with a light hand on the ginger and green chillies made for a lovely kebab to bite into. It set the perfect base the Kakori kebab that was to follow in a short while.

The Gucchi Malai Bahar is a every mushroom lovers tandoor delicious dream come true - stuffed with cream, fresh herbs and spices, this one is the one on the menu that warrants seconds and thirds.

The Kakori Kebab didn't really wait to melt in your mouth - so soft was it that a slight touch is enough to break it down completely. Be gentle, pick it up in your spoon and let all the melting happen in your mouth.

Notice on each of the plates the little pearls of green or red. Simple ways devised for the wait staff to know their meat from vegetarian dishes. Little sago pearls dipped in green or red and placed decoratively on each plate.

The Sheermal Tart Mein Gilouti gets an upgrade for its sheermal base, with it being turned into a tart. A roti tart - a lovely innovation that is a play on the original, keeping its essence completely intact, yet lending a texture, taste and presentation style that is unique.

Main courses were a massive flurry of dishes, each, as the chef said, standing out in terms of their tastes and the base masalas. The Qasar E Pukhtan you see below is a Paneer Roulade with a squash and nut gravy. The Phaldhari Bhurji - tandoori plantain tempered with ginger, garlic and onion was a stand out dish for me. The Kukkad Methi Saag is a soul comforting dish and one that you will instantly connect to as is the Laal Moth ki Daal. You can choose from some interesting rotis and breads like the pounded chilies and olives - Kuti Mirch Jaituni Naan. The Saufiyani Khameeri Roti is another lovely one. The Nalli E Khaas is of the kinds that you take a serving of and sit in a corner with a spoon to enjoy. The broth has a depth of flavour that underlines the reasons why the slow cooking movement bandwagon is something worth climbing onto.


Tamarind offers a range of accompaniments with its dishes - what will make you happiest is perhaps the freshly churned butter with powdered jaggery. The hand pounded spring onion chutney, raw mango chutney and mint and coriander chutney served with the Kadai Masale ka Fan and Namak Para will make you reach out for more. The Khajur aur Bhune Pyaaz ki Raita - dates, caramelized onion and yogurt chutney went perfectly with biryanis that wrapped up this massive meal.

The Safed Murgh ki Biryani and the Khumb Pulao are both unique in their own right and make great main course finales.  Great on the taste and not to heavy on the stomach, unless of course you have gone through a meal like what I have just explained!

Special mention goes to the Malai Lassi - churned yogurt with clotted cream, dry fruits and a touch of saffron. So thick is this lassi that a heavy spoon stands erect in it!

Desserts were the Baked Gajrilla (carrot pudding) - with a wheat base and a phirni foam in the center. We also had a trio of ice creams - Rose, tamarind and paan flavoured. Pleasant ways to end a meal, with the rose icecream standing out to attention the most - the candied rose petals and all.

Bangalore went into a tizzy recently when the three superstars of Masterchef Australia visited the city as part of World on a Plate (WOAP) food festival. The event took place across two major venues placed side by side - the JW Marriott - Bengaluru and UB City. JW Marriott also played host to Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris for the busy weekend which saw master classes, pop-ups and interactions galore.


I had the pleasure of interacting with each of the three judges at the end of the press conference for WOAP, albeit for a short while. I came away with some interesting observations and thoughts from each one on the culinary scene both in India and internationally.

Naturally the conversation centered on food and all three were unanimous in their praise of Executive Chef Anthony En Yuan Huang and particularly spoke of the Kerala special breakfast he had organized for them by bringing in a chef from the Marriott Kochi. That set the ball rolling for the rest of the conversation.


In fact Gary went on to say, "If the chef who cooked our breakfast were to open a restaurant in Australia, it would be packed. But, at the same time, it couldn't be a traditional Indian restaurant that looks like the Taj Mahal, it needs to have specific theme, an idea and will need to be trendy and new". Which led me to my first question...

Indian Food on the International Spectrum
Gary believes that Indian food just needs to be exported and says that what drives tourism is local stories- where the good restaurants and markets are, and it all comes together to become a foodie experience. "When we come to India, we are lost - it's about wanting to know where the good dosas are, or where the best new Indian food is at and it's about exporting those ideas. Particularly south Indian, because we don't get too much of it. Even when it comes to North Indian food, our exposure is limited".

Gary and George both spoke of the good work that Manish Mehrotra is doing with Indian Accent. "Manish is doing some amazing stuff," says George. "For chefs like Manish and or even I, food is culturally deep in our hearts. To take something culturally embedded and give it a modern twist, can go wrong in many ways. But Manish has managed to keep it on the straight and narrow and is doing a fabulous job".  George also went on to speak about his close friend Sat Bains and his restaurant in Britain. "A Punjabi who is not cooking Indian per se, but is doing something spectacularly wonderful".


On this visit to Bengaluru, the trio also visited the Permit Room and were all praises for the young chefs. George recalls, "When they came out, I just grabbed them and had them take me into the kitchen and show me how they make their paratha. We just stood there together as cooks and had a moment, and did what cooks do - discuss, chat and take pictures of how things are done. These boys are taking your (Indian) cuisine and giving it that touch of modernizing that takes it to a new level."

Cooking Reality Shows and Us
We watch the shows, we cheer for participants, some win and some don't. How much does a cooking reality show contribute to building a career in the culinary world I ask Matt? "With our show at least, 75% of the contestants end up in a food-based career. One of them fronts a kids TV food quiz show and we also have a physiotherapist who now cooks at one of the 6 best restaurants in the world. It's all about 'find your dream and follow it'. I recently met Nidhi from our Season 8 show in Adelaide and she is now planning to open a small cook shop serving her specialty curries and it is definitely going to do well".


Such cooking shows have also changed the way we cook at home. We pay more attention to ingredients, seasonality and even plating! Gary agrees and says, "It is also in the usage of words like crema or pâte à bombe or to even consider a croquembouche. People did not know of the different types of foams and crumbles. We have a girl on this year's show, Nicolette, who is 19 years old. She told us that she was 11 years when Masterchef started and it is so obvious from the way she talks about food that she has learned so much. If I look back at my career 20 years ago, I wasn't talking about food the way she is. It is amazing".

When Food Discussions Go Online
Gary agrees that social media has changed the way people think about food. "We can look on our phones and check out what happened at Noma last night or what's on at Huxley in San Francisco for breakfast. You can see them get in pink radishes or a charred and pureed lemon and so on. These are things that you can pick on so easily".

I also had to ask Matt about his thoughts on online review sites and how they fare for restaurants. He says is that the problem with aggregator sites is that you do not know the people who write for them and therefore cannot establish a relationship. With personal blogs and websites you tend to understand the writers better. That being said, as a writer for any outlet, your reputation is on the line each time you put up something because people want to go and have the same experience. It is important to filter out the fluff and look for the good stuff, among the writers".


This is also what Matt does when steps out - "I put out a request on my social media, because I think social media should be an outward thing where you ask for advice. Based on such advice I visited Karavalli at the Taj Gateway, Bengaluru and my God! What a man Chef Naren is; still going strong for close to 26 years and his food..." Now that is something wonderful that comes out of online media as well.

The three gentlemen were every bit as gracious and affable as you see them on TV. Their knowledge of food and abilities to express those thoughts make you long for more time to converse. Perhaps another day and another time!

Read Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3 and then come read about our fabulously wonderful last day in Austria. It began with a visit to The Esterházy Palace.


The palace is a visual treat. Palace Esterházy's cellars go all the way back the 17th century. The wine producing here has now moved to a classy facility today, but the palace is still home to the largest wine museum of the country. It houses 700 exhibits, including the largest preserved wine barrel of the country and the oldest Baumpresse (an ancient Austrian basket wine press) in Burgenland. You can read my article on Austrian wines in the Huffington Post-India to get a better idea.

A brilliant guided tour around the palace saw us delve into its history, its gradual growth and construction and the several influences with each passing century. In fact, the royalty that resided here were greatly taken up Chinese artefacts and you will see a lot of these influences around.


The Palace also has a lovely little chapel which still houses the pipe organs of centuries ago. While these pipe organs were still functional till a while ago, the Palace authorities decided to record its music and play it during public visits, which you can see in the video below.



The underground museum of the ancient wine related artefacts will keep you engrossed as will the amazing curios and wine shop at the end of the tour. This time round, I made sure I was the first one out and on the bus! Click on the image below for some great pictures of the Palace!





 The excessive wine over the 4 days got to most of us in the group and we just had to head out for some beer. After the gala at the palace, few places remained open and we managed to get a table for 8 for all of 45 minutes at the Salm Brau

The next day I had to leave the hotel early in the morning, another thing I plan to change in case I attend this Summit again. We were provided with City Airport Train tickets that would take us from the Wien Mitte station in Vienna, directly to the airport in 16 minutes flat. The Wien Mitte station is easily accessible from across Vienna. What I particularly loved was the fact that you could check in your luggage at the Wien Mitte train terminal and forget about it till your destination. 


Austria was a fabulous four days and I have written quite a few stories from the experience of them all. You can read them at the links below. Additionally do click on the image above for some lovely images of Vienna.

I flew back to Bangalore with Lufthansa via Vienna. The check in for Bangalore was extremely harried since the flight seemed to have been overbooked. A happy exchange of seats saw me find a place in the premium economy section with, ironically, an empty seat next to me.

Disclaimer: This trip to Austria was sponsored by AWB. The views expressed are personal and unbiased