The name Holiday Inn holds a special place in my heart and one that I associate with very precious childhood memories. I was nine years old when I went with my parents to Bombay for the first time and we stayed at The Holiday Inn hotel in Juhu. It was my first five star hotel experience and I remember how excited I was. I would spent most of my time in the bookshop, the pool and once I figured out that the hotel was a favorite haunt of film stars, I would sit in the lobby for hours hoping to catch a glimpse of them. The Holiday Inn was also where I had my first five star buffet meal and since I’ve always been a foodie (yes, even at 9 years), the huge spread, especially the cakes, pastries and ice-creams were a source of much delight.
When I first saw the Holiday Inn building near City Centre 2, all those memories came flooding back. And when the hotel opened a few months back, I started hearing some very good things about Social Kitchen, the all-day diner. I was recently invited by the Holiday Inn management to try out the food at Social Kitchen and I must say that the variety, the quality, the taste and the price really impressed me.
The first thing that struck me about Social Kitchen was the bright and cheerful atmosphere. Done up in beige and yellow, the restaurant is a 70 seater and there is a lot of space so everything is spread out. They have a lunch and dinner buffet along with a very elaborate a la carte menu. The kitchen is headed by Suman Chakraborty who is extremely passionate about his food and he has included a very good mix of Indian, Asian and European cuisine in the menu.
We started off with some of the specials from the a la carte menu and the dishes that I personally loved and would recommend all of you to try out are Salmon Roulade, the light, frothy, cheesy and extremely comforting Green Peas Capuccino, Fried Calamari, the melt in your mouth Malai tikka kabab and the Tandoori Chicken, grilled to succulent perfection.
The buffet has sections dedicated to salads, chaats, main course and dessert. By the time we were done with the a la carte menu, I had no space left in my stomach to try out dishes from the buffet but I did taste the Fresh Water Prawn and the Fish Florentine. I saw the biryani aficionados tuck into the Chicken Biryani with gusto so I am definitely trying that out on my next visit.
I’ll be honest. The dessert section is the main reason why I eat buffet meals and that is the section I check out first. Social Kitchen has a very impressive selection of both Indian and Western desserts. Don’t miss out on the Lamington, an Australian cake, made from squares of sponge cake coated in an outer layer of chocolate and rolled in desiccated coconut. This Aussie classic is very hard to find in Kolkata and I’m so glad that it is now available at Social Kitchen.
The lunch buffet is priced at Rs 899 A.I and Rs 999 A.I for dinner as a part of their introductory offer. Overall, great ambience, excellent food and total value for money. This is a place you must visit!
Address – Holiday Inn Kolkata Airport, Biswa Bangla Sarani, Near Chinar Park, Rajarhat New Town, Kolkata