The world seems to be getting smaller and smaller because of technology and the easy, more affordable means to travel. We can go to far away places and get to taste the various culture that the world has to offer. I, for one, love to travel to see famous landmarks, unique places and sights, to shop and also to eat. But alas, I've not had the opportunity to visit India just yet but this Indian gastronomic experience at Century Park surely gave me a taste of authentic Indian cuisine.
As I entered Cafe Park, the center buffet set-up with a huge golden statue as centerpiece immediately caught my eye. It is surrounded by serving dishes of colorful and aromatic kitchen creations that seemed to call out to me and say, "Try me." I had to encircle the buffet thrice to be able to decide which food to try first.
Being a traditional diner, I got a cup of Dal Shorba or thin lentil soup. The light yellow liquid with few lentil bits is not spicy not salty and has the faintest aroma and flavor of curry, much like watered-down curry sauce.
Next, I tried the appetizers, although I'm not sure if all of the offered appetizers are of Indian origin and how I wished they all had name markers for identification. As you can see here in the photos, there were sliced cold cuts made from turkey and pork, and seafood. The Indian Food Festival also offered a lot of vegetable based dishes like eggplants, chick peas, and potatoes, among others.
Appetizers alone will suffice for a full meal but I felt I must try the main dishes so as not to waste the festival invitation. The next featured foods are heavy on sauces infused with various Indian spices and/or coconut milk, such as the Prawn Malai Curry or prawns cooked in coconut milk with curry. The prawns are well prepared, skin off with the tail intact, and well cooked. The sauce it is submerged in on the chafing dish is creamy and mildly spiced, just enough to add dimension to the seafood taste. Thumbs up for this delicious creations -- I ended up eating several prawns.
For the meat lovers, a must try is the Rogan Josh or lamb in spiced cream sauce. The red color is characteristic to this dish and is achieved by using kashmiri mirch or "peppers from Kashmir" -- mildly hot compared to other Indian peppers. This dish is usually eaten with leven bread or rice.
If you want a less sinful but equally flavorful dish, get the simple named Buttered Chicken or chicken in buttery tomato rich gravy. This is also a heavy dish that goes perfectly with plain steamed rice, plenty of which you'll be needing to offset the strong spicy flavor and aroma.
There are still more dishes in the buffet spread but I no longer have room in my tummy so I skipped and went straight for dessert. I need the soothing sweet and milky desserts to fight the fire (spice) building up in my mouth and throat. I picked just three which suited my palate: the Hahi Tukda or indian bread pudding; the Anannas Ka Halwa or pineapple sweet confection; and the Makai Ki Kheer or sweet corn pudding.
Ongoing at Cafe at the Park from September 15 until 24, the Indian Food Festival aims to promote world Indian culture and cuisine, to inspire travel, strengthen cultural relations to guests and patrons. Get ready to spice up and sample Indian delicacies prepared by Chef Ashish Sanyal and Chef Jagdish, fused by traditional Indian spices and flavors.
The festival is a joint offering of Century Park Hotel with Asia's first airline, Philippine Airlines and TajSATS, the leader in airline catering services in Asia. The hotel will raffle off two (2) roundtrip tickets New Delhi, India-Manila courtesy of PAL, plus hotel GCs and Heelz Hobbo gift voucher.
The Cafe in the park is open daily from 5:30 am until 1:00 am and also offers extensive a la carte menu and daily breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets. For inquiries and reservations, you may call (632) 5285827 and (632) 5285829 or email foodbev@centurypark.com.ph.
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