Hello me chichas! Would you believe that we are at the end of September already??? This year has literally flown away and we are fast approaching one of my favorite time of the year aka Durga Puja. I love how the air shifts slowly ushering in this magical time. Well you know once I get started on it I will get lost in the flow and we will completely digress from the topic at hand. Recently I was invited by the PR of The Westin Kolkata to sample the Una Fiesta aka Spanish Food Festival being held by them. The festival is on from the 20th till the 30th of September and is available for the dinner buffet. Chef Marcos Sierra Sahun from Arts Hotel Barcelona specially curated the menu bringing you the traditional dishes made with modern cooking techniques. He took us around the buffet introducing the various dishes, a brief glimpse into its background and also shared how the locals back home enjoyed or paired the food. When I heard that Churros were on the menu I literally lit up! I was so looking forward to it…well before we get to desserts (coz you know I am liable to stuff myself with just that and ignore the rest completely) let me take you through the rest of the layout…
Potato Bravas
Piquillo Pepper
Asparagus Romesco
Tomato Soup with Olive Oil Caviar
Well we started our meal with some Tomato Gazpacho with Olive Oil Caviar…the caviar bursts and fills your mouth with intense flavor while the tomato soup helps to balance it out thereby preparing your palate. Next came in the appetizers were in the vegetarian selection they had dishes like Potato Bravas, Piquillo Pepper and Asparagus Romesco. Strangely the bell peppers were my favorite of the lot as they were packed with a lot of flavor. The potatoes were a close second cause hey how can one go wrong with fried potatoes! The main course had Vegetarian Paella, Potato with Saffron Stew and Vegetable Stew with Tomato Sauce. The paella was a meal in itself and didn’t really need an accompaniment. I even tried the Spanish Omelette with some bread in the middle and it was delish! They have a wide selection of breads, cold cuts and salad to go with the meal.
Vegetarian Paella
Pumpkin and Orange Soup
Selection of breads
Potato and Saffron Stew
Vegetable Stew with Tomato Sauce
And now we come to my favorite part of the meal aka the desserts! And let me tell you that I would commit serious crime to get my hands on those churros…they were beyond sublime! Picture this…warm and fluffy coated generously with cinnamon sugar dipped once in caramel sauce and then drenched with chocolate sauce! Are you still sitting and reading this? Seriously if you dont try these you are missing something epic. We were sitting there zoned out on sugar induced bliss…you know…the best kinds 😉 It was very hard to pull myself away from them but the other desserts were calling. They had Santiago Torte, Cream Catalana and Sisho with Green Tea Sponge. The catalana is a must try from the lot.
Churros
Santiago Torte
Cream Catalana
Cream Catalana
Sisho with Green Tea Sponge
All in all it was a good meal marked with subtle flavors and made personal with the chef’s stories to go along with the dishes. And incidentally we were invited on a day when the preparations of the first birthday of The Westin Kolkata were on where they were making a 23 flavor cake to celebrate the event. We got a small glimpse into some of the flavors but the main reveal was to happen on the next day. Can you imagine what the 23 flavors could be? Boggles the mind! Do check out the festival if you get the chance. So what did you think of the meal? What were your favorite dishes? Would love to hear about your favorite Spanish dishes and also what you thought about the post. I will see you soon…take care!
PS – The author was invited by the PR of the restaurant to sample the menu. Views expressed are genuine and the author’s own
