Eat Ito eat all the night and the day; this Elvis Presley classic from the 60s is one of his many rock and roll evergreens celebrating gastronomy. The king of rock and roll was a known foodie, so much so that the peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich is sometimes referred to as the Elvis Sandwich. He had a profound liking for the fried goodness of American South cuisine. Several cookbooks of his favourite recipes have been penned to immortalise Presley’s love for food. So when he, rock and roll music, and American cuisine comes together, you get the perfect recipe for a food festival. The Life Caffe (the extra F adding to its fizz) at Hotel Chorus in Connaught Place is organising an Elvis Presley food festival called Presley on the Platter, all through June.
The spiced up and lyrical names of dishes like Jailhouse Rocktails, All Shook Up Shakes, Tender Feelings Witches (sandwiches), Love me Tender Burgers, Hound Dog Hot Dogs, and Devil in Disguise Desserts on the menu speak of the American character with which Presley is associated. Deepak Khera, the hospitality consultant at Life Caffe, says, “Elvis Presley, at his time—60s, 70s—was a youth icon and a cult figure. The youngsters of today and yesteryears, all connect with him. Since Presley’s music still beats in the heart of people, we decided to recall the era. Celebrating Presley means remembering his favourite foods—burgers, sandwiches, hotdogs and shakes.”
Size does matter is the best way to define the Godzilla-sized hotdogs that are a foot long, and the burgers that weigh a pound. Size is the only talking point of the hotdogs, but the succulent meat inside the burger helps to score an extra point. The in-house baked confectionary is another highlight of the burgers, hotdogs and sandwiches.
Presley was famous for his intense cravings. Once he and his entourage jumped on his private plane to fly to Denver to grab a sandwich. It so happened that one night in 1976, the king started reminiscing about Fool’s Gold Loaf, a sandwich he’d once eaten at the Colorado Mine Company in Denver. It cost $49.95 at that time.
Even though Presley’s favourite milkshake consisted of butter, ice-cream and bacon fat, the lighter variations available at the restaurant for sure do justice to Presley’s creamy era. These include Hawaiian Colada, Fruity Delite and Plain Plantain.
The regular menu, on the other hand, has the best of everything—Indian, Oriental, Japanese, grilled, seafood and more. The versatility of the menu lies in the fact that it serves both sushi and Bengali Chingri (prawn) Malai.