For all those with an appetite for West Asian cuisine, there is good news. Hotel Swosti Premium is hosting a Lebanese Food Festival offering a selection of Lebanese and Arabic delicacies in its restaurant, Panorama.
Celebrity chef Rajiv Hiranya, who owns a restaurant in Italy and his three assistants are in the hotel to cook and serve the delicacies. They had demonstrated preparation of a four-course menu on the first day of the festival.
The meal that kicks off with Meat Ball made from mutton keema diced with herbs or the Lentil Soup made of rice or pulses also has six varieties of salads made with imported herbs and spices. These salads look healthy, nourishing and nutritious as much as they are for the body. Be it the Hummus - Chic Peas Salad, Baba Ghanous - steamed brinjal with herbs or the marinated Olive Salad, most of it work as appetisers. The main course starts with the Chicken in devil sauce which has grilled chicken assorted with spices and cooked in a tomato gravy. Mutton lovers have the Daud Basha which has mutton Kebab modified in Lebanese style.
Vegetarians needn’t worry either as the falafel works just as well. The Hara Patatas which has a cilantro and palak base with steamed vegetables or the grilled vegetables in the peas kofta blended in a saffron gravy perform an adequate follow up job.
Chicken Majbus Biryani is a unique style of biryani cooked with rice, dal and chicken blended together.
The final course is a sweetener with dates and Figs Wolbo which is made from small pates stuffed with date paste.
Served in buffet, each meal offered with a complimentary glass of red wine costs ` 1100. The festival will continue till July 20.