CHENNAI: It isn’t strictly food that stands out at Courtyard by Marriott’s Bengali food festival. At the entrance, celebrating the individuality of the city, there’s a slideshow along with a cardboard taxi cutout where visitors could have a picture taken of them, Kolkata-style.
The food is for the most part Bengali, served across a buffet spread. Some items like the Sweet corn Vegetable Soup seem to be slightly out of place on a Bengali Menu, let alone a Bengali Food Festival.
Nevertheless, the chicken and mint Shorba is a mildly spiced, tasty soup to start with, to be followed by aromatic Maach Biryani coupled with a fish stir fry in plum sauce. For the curious, try the Mutton Kheema Chops and the Chachadi (a mixed vegetable subzi) Quite good. Quite Bengali. What else is on the menu?
“Bengali food culture involves a lot of fish in it so we have incorporated it into our menu,” Sridhar Sigatapu, the Executive Chef of the Courtyard by Marriott Chennai says. This involves the Roi maach sarson batta — a grilled fish covered in sauce.
Other items on the menu are just as enticing: an authentic Aloo Posto and a tender grilled Mutton in a tomato and onion gravy. “We brought in chefs all the way from Kolkata,” says Sridhar. In fact, one of the staff at the hotel, Deepa Chandiramani adds with a laugh, “We have had so much Bengali food that I think we have become partly Bengali ourselves.” For dessert, there’s a live counter serving fresh, sticky Jalebis, alongside the ever-popular Rasagulla and our favourite, Malpua with Rabdi.
(The Bengali Food Festival is on at Paprika, Courtyard by Marriott Chennai till October 3)