South Indian Food Festival, K19 Restaurant, Park Plaza Hotel, Kolkata

     K19 restaurant over at Park Plaza Hotel, Kolkata is holding a South Indian food festival which started on the 26th of February and will go on till the 6th of March. The lunch is a-la-carte and the dinner is a buffet (Rs 1299/- + taxes). When I first heard about it I was super excited to try it out coz I love South Indian food and no I just don't mean the dosa or idlis or upma...which I do love a lot...but what makes my soul happy is some appam with spicy coconut curry! Oh sweet lord! So good!!! I was quite looking forward to the meal and the food over at K19 has not disappointed me yet. I have had some of the best food there and no I'm not just saying to promote the place :P I have not yet forgotten the Awadhi food festival I had the pleasure to enjoy last time so I had high expectations of this one too...

Awadhi Food Festival, K19 Restaurant, Park Plaza Hotel, Kolkata

     When Mr. Ashish Chopra, Culinary Historian, asked me what my fondest memories of food were I remembered all the times when I was traveling with my folks when I was a kid and the strange experiences that I had which I remember cause they were not very pleasant. But I think my fondest memories come from my school days. We had this tiny canteen aka store that would sell things like chowmein, fried rice, moghlai parantha with aloo or lucchi and channa dal (only one of this dish per day) with the omnipresent veg chop. All the girls from the senior and junior block would crowd around and literally fight tooth and nail to buy food worth 10 bucks! But I haven't had food that tastes like that even remotely. Not that it was anything exceptional but I guess the memories make it special...or was it the "survival of the fittest' appeal of it :P Isn't it strange how many memories/emotions food can evoke?

Kolkata Street Food Festival at K19 Restaurant, Park Plaza Hotel, Kolkata

     Kolkata has one of the best street food...period! You have not lived if you have not tried the pucchka (pani-puri aka golgappa) with the spicy aloo mix and the sour lip smacking water. Though Delhi comes in a close second and is often head to head in a lot of things but for me my vote will always go to Kolkata. Taste aside the entire experience of standing by the road with the plate made of leaves and trying to gobble up the pieces faster than the pucchka dude can serve them up is a hoot and a half. My friend recently dropped in from Mumbai and he really wanted to try out the infamous pucchka but he ended up having it from some restaurant and was very disappointed with it. He told me that he didn't like it one bit and I literally went nuclear on him saying that he better not be saying anything bad about it since he didn't really experience the real deal in the first place :P 

     Smoke Shack is an open air restaurant located on the rooftop of Park Plaza hotel in the heart of Kolkata. I was very surprised to find such a good hotel and amazing food joint located mere minutes from my residence. They have a gorgeous infinity pool and a lovely view! I can go and sit there for hours just for the view alone...it is very soothing to look over the city line sitting beside the pool. They have special aqua exercise classes scheduled for summers in case any one is interested :) We were called in for lunch and coz it was very hot we had to shift to another restaurant of the hotel so couldn't enjoy the beautiful Smoke Shack in its full splendor. But it would be great spot for a dinner date as towards evening a lovely breeze is blowing and it becomes very pleasant...