Residency @ Crowne Plaza - Inducing the good ol times!

From times immemorial, the Residency at Crowne Plaza (formerly Park Sheraton) is known for their penchant of putting up lavish and extravagant spreads. They are tagged by the moniker "Ferrari of all buffets" as it happens to be one of the first places to serve a widespread buffet on a daily basis for both lunch and dinner. The restaurant has lived up to it's reputation over time and continues to be a popular destination for an up scale fine dining buffet spread. They are known for their variegated cuisine spanning across Indian, oriental and continental.

On the occasion of the Indo French chamber of association celebrating 40 years, they decided to come up with a unique theme celebrating the rather unchartered territories of Re union islands and unravel the cloak surrounding the mystery of these islands located in the Indian ocean. It may be pretty intriguing to note but the Re union islands have a huge influence of the South of India in it's culture, lifestyle and even food. Plenty of people from down south migrated to these islands and the influx of tradition has inherently been carried over. Turmeric, cumin, coconut, masala, spices and other predominant ingredients which form a feature of south indian recipes are part and parcel of the food dished out in these islands.

The concept sounded interesting and it wasn't like a showcase to prove that they were trying to be different. Though it was radical, it came across as being very natural and warming. I really found the whole thing to be unique and inventive. They brought in a chef exclusively from the islands and put forth a rather interesting fare of delicacies proving the authenticity in a righteous manner. Another remarkable feature was the music being spiced out with the native band members swooning away on those 'off the cuff' rustic instruments bringing a refreshing sound. The music was a little louder for the set up but it just pepped up the whole atmosphere and it was fantastic listening to the baila like dance form of music from the heart of the land of Re union.

On the food they didn't divert completely to have everything Re-union but instead played safe by keeping the tried and tested Tandoori, chinese and continental along with having an equal measure of cuisine from France and the Re union islands. I felt this was well played as they played to the gallery by ensuring that everyone's pallet goes well suited. I managed to taste most of the veg stuff from Re union islands and must say I found the experience interesting. The coconut vegetable soup was an eye opener and top notch. The sweet potato based dessert was one of a kind and very enjoyable. The french style savoury crepes were another hands on winner. The potato based stuff were immaculately good and the lemony tinge with shredded onions seem to be a usual part of the food from this region. I also did try my hand at a bit of North Indian and the gravies be it the shahi panneer and rajma masala were marvellous. The chinese side of things too were pretty good with the tofu curry being a delight. Apart from all these they also had a large salad counter with a special section for cheese and a sprawling dessert draw. A bunch of starters and chaat were also served on the table along with a refreshing multi coloured welcome drink.

The food was truly pleasing and it was indeed a feast gorging on an array of delicacies amidst the high octane lively music. The decor comprising of ivory coloured cushion seating was really comfortable. The ambiance is another big plus point. It mirrors a confluence of the old and new by retaining the old world charm in the midst of the newness surrounding the interiors. As the event was over an invite, pricing goes out of question. It is no doubt though on the higher side but this is an experience you wouldn't mind paying a hefty sum once in a while as what you get in return will ensure that you will not go home without taking back 'something to remember'. The service was spot on and the hospitality shown towards us was welcoming.

This was indeed a meet to remember. They just 'upped the ante' via this theme of 'Reunion Islands' and delivered the result with elan and finesse. It was a pleasure to participate in the celebrations. I believe there are more interesting themes to come and just taking the Re union food festival as an illustration, it is certain that more good times are here to come for the Residency at Crowne Plaza.

Cappuccino @ Crowne Plaza - Coffee never goes out of favour!

'Cappucino', the all day dining restaurant at the 'Crowne Plaza' is up and about with it's newly launched menu titled 'Unconventionally Conventional'. It's basically a twist to their existing menu along with adding selective special dishes from across the globe. Some of the stuff fall under the radar of 21 dishes to try during your lifetime. It's pretty exotic and curated to bring the best of the Western world right in front of you.

We were here on an invite to sample some of the items from the new menu. We began our journey with an immensely refreshing litchi cooler. The tall glass had a lovely frothy layer and a gulp of that sweet drink was energising. Then our tryst with food began with the super food salad in the mode of a waldorf based one with plenty of apples, berry tomatoes, strawberries, cabbage, lettuce and roasted flax seeds. It was dressed up with honey and mustard which had a subtle essence to it. The tanginess and flavour of apple diluted the spread but the taste of the salad made it's presence felt. Then we moved on to the Asian summer rolls comprising of a unique mix of crisp vegetables, ragi, vermicelli, sprouts and being covered in thin rice sheets. This seemed pretty opaque with a glassy layer and for company was the sweet chilli sauce. It felt a tad different from the regular spring rolls and lacked the usual crispiness but had a hint of sweetness to it. It's hard to classify if this will be lapped up and I personally found it pretty nice but not extraordinary by any means. Then came one of the show stealers of the day in the form of the Pesto and Garlic toast with a cup full of cheese fondue as condiment. This three cheese fondue was totally drool worthy and possessed the ammunition to melt waftly in the mouth. The breads were superlative and it was a delight squishing those crusts in that melting layer of fondue and crunching it over. Just as we were relishing our breads dipped with fondue, came the roasted garlic tomato soup which was well delivered having a lovely smoky aroma to it.

One of the highlights in the main course section was the gargantuan one metre pizza being made in a length of over 3 feet and comprising of 5 variegated toppings of both veg and non veg. It was massive in size and a major star attraction on the night. And further on main course, we tried the Orcheeti Al dente pasta. These are pocket sized pasta sheets with a saucy layer inside those conch shells and the interesting thing about them is that the sauce never remains on your plate when you eat these thumb pressed delicacies. We also had a crack at the eggplant zucchini which had a tantalising layer of cheese bottled up over a bunch of veggies with a strong odour of the egg plant.

Desserts section we literally had a ball and got to savour one after the other bombshell. The presentation was immaculate and especially the Hazelnut creme brulee and chocolate cheese cake were the silver linings and stood out from the rest of the pack. The blueberry muffin like cake was also fantabulous but the Tiramisu missed a little of the zing.

The ambiance is very coffee book style. It characterises a free open style ambiant giving it a very laid back and breezy feel. The decor is cozy and comfortable and overall it's designed in a very inviting manner. The open kitchen also adds to the mix. The service tended to be a little slow but it was because they wanted to take extra care of the proceedings and I must say we felt really hospitable dining at Cappuccino.

Taking the full ensemble into equation, Cappuccino works on a number of fronts and I can confidently say having had a fair share of the sample from their new menu that the outlook points towards the right direction. As a vegetarian, my choices were a wee bit limited but still I loved most of what I had. For the meat lovers this menu is gregarious and an absolute largesse with exquisite stuff such as Shepherd's pie, Cichetti and many more as part of the deal.

Cappuccino is a nice little restaurant to dine and can be categorised as an ideal place to have a relaxed and whole hearted meal over some easy confabulation.