My Weekend Stay At The Park Hotel, Hyderabad

March 25, 2018

Since late last year, Hyderabad has pretty much become my second home thanks to work. However, like all business trips, my stay would start on a Monday and get over on a Friday evening so I could never really see much of the city. It was just hotel to office and back to the hotel at night and the same old routine for five days. This month, I spent nearly 2.5 weeks in the city and got a chance to explore. And also, thanks to The Park Hotel, Hyderabad, I spent a weekend in their beautiful property and felt like royalty.

The Park’s Chronicles of the Deccan

The Park Hotel, Hyderabad

Location:

One of the best features of The Park Hotel, Hyderabad is undoubtedly the location. It overlooks the Hussain Sagar Lake so the view from the rooms is incredible. Hussain Sagar is one of the most popular sights in Hyderabad and I was told not to miss out on watching the sunrise and sunset by the lake. I did not have to venture outside at all for the view because all I had to do for those two days was to just walk up to the window and see the beauty unfolding right in front of my eyes.

Traveller’s Tip – If you are staying at The Park, definitely opt for the Lake View rooms.

Another reason why The Park Hotel, Hyderabad can be a perfect choice for a tourist visiting the city is again the location. Major tourist spots like Charminar, Salar Jung Museum, Chowmahallah Palace, the old city is all within a distance of 30-45 mins. Considering Hyderabad’s traffic scene, it definitely makes sense to stay somewhere near these places if you are a tourist.

Read on to know more about the property, the rooms and the dining options.

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The Grand Tour – A Walk Through The Bylanes Of The Oberoi Grand

August 12, 2017

“It is all this that makes The Grand Hotel a great one. And more than all this, the fact that it is embedded in the memories of six generations. That it shared the momentous events of modern India. That it bore witness to two world wars; the heyday and passing of an empire; famine, flood, fire and riot; a bloodied Independence and a comparitively bloodless revolution. That it has watched both triumph and disaster and, taking the poet’s advice, treated “these two imposters just the same”. – Bachi J Karkaria, To a Grand Design.

The Oberoi Grand Lobby

Like many refugees who came to Calcutta from Bangladesh in the 1940’s, my paternal grandfather had a tough life. On a very meagre salary as a government official, he had to support a family of more than 20. This included his brothers, sisters, their families, cousins and even friends who crossed the border looking for food and shelter. It was a life far far removed from any luxury hence one day, when my grandfather, courtesy his job stepped into The Grand Hotel, it was nothing short of paradise for him. The white marble, the sparkling crystal chandelier in the lobby, the grand piano, the well-dressed ‘shahebs’ and ‘mem-shahebs’, it was a new world. And I remember how many years later when we were crossing The Oberoi Grand one day, his eyes were gleaming when he recounted that experience to me. The charm of the Grande Dame of Chowringhee has always been magical.

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Gabbar’s Bar & Kitchen Turns One & Celebrates With A New Menu

September 7, 2016

Gabbar’s Bar & Kitchen recently turned one and to celebrate, they are out with some new additions to their menu. Out of all the restaurants that do molecular gastronomy in Kolkata, I find Gabbar’s to be the most innovative. Here, the humble Papdi Chaat gets a makeover with liquid nitrogen, the Khichdi gets an Italian twist, the Khowsuey condiments come in a Ferris Wheel and the Paan is served with a filling of gulkand flavored mousse!

Risotto style Olive Khichdi with Prawns

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ITC’s Fabelle Chocolates Launches At ITC Sonar, Kolkata

August 3, 2016

If you are a regular reader of my blog, follow me on social media and see the pictures that I post, you will know how much I love chocolate. After I started writing about food, I’ve become more open towards experimenting with other flavors but there was a time when I would not even touch an ice cream or dessert if it did not have chocolate in it. One thing that I’ve always wanted in my city is a place where I can go and get good quality luxury chocolates, the kind of stuff that you get abroad. It took a long time to come but finally my wish has been granted. After a successful launch in Bengaluru at ITC Gardenia, ITC has introduced Kolkata to an inimitable chocolate experience with the launch of Fabelle Chocolates at an exclusive Fabelle Chocolate Boutique at ITC Sonar, Kolkata.

The mantra of Fabelle Chocolates is luxury and the entire Fabelle experience starting from the decor of the Chocolate Boutique to the exquisite chocolate creations that are available is truly magical. I was told that Fabelle Chocolates have been in the making for almost a decade with extensive research and innumerable trials in the pursuit to craft the finest luxury chocolates in India that rival the best in the world.

Fabelle Chocolate Boutique at ITC Sonar

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Hilsa Festival At Buzz, The Gateway Hotel, Kolkata

July 30, 2016

“If Bengali cuisine were Wimbledon, the hilsa would always play on Centre Court.” The “Ghotis” might disagree with this statement and replace hilsa with prawns but I completely agree with Samanth Subramanian. One of the major reasons why I love the monsoons is because of ‘khichuri’, ‘ilish bhaja’, ‘shorshe ilish’, ‘ilish pathuri’, ‘doi ilish’ etc etc. You get the gist. I love the fish! This time, all hotels and restaurants come up with Hilsa Festivals and one that I went to recently was the Hilsa Festival at Buzz, The Gateway Hotel.

Smoked Hilsa

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