A couple of years back we had checked into
ITC Maratha in Mumbai on K’s birthday.
ITC Maratha in Mumbai on K’s birthday.
Rini Saha, who heads PR at the Maratha, kindly
got us upgraded to a suite then. The palatial room had a massage chair which K
refused to get up from till it was time to leave.
got us upgraded to a suite then. The palatial room had a massage chair which K
refused to get up from till it was time to leave.
This year K had to go to Bengaluru on work
on her birthday. I joined her and we spent her birthday there. This time too at
an ITC property. ITC Gardenia at Residency Road. We wanted a hotel which was
central and this met our requirements and the rates offered were pretty good too.
on her birthday. I joined her and we spent her birthday there. This time too at
an ITC property. ITC Gardenia at Residency Road. We wanted a hotel which was
central and this met our requirements and the rates offered were pretty good too.
The location is fantastic and if, like us, you like to stay in posh hotels and eat at local places then Koshy, KC Das, Wild Spice and Nagarjuna are all within walking distance.
I checked in to the room first as K was in a meeting
and saw a massage chair the moment I opened the door. I immediately took a
picture on my phone and mailed it to Kainaz.
and saw a massage chair the moment I opened the door. I immediately took a
picture on my phone and mailed it to Kainaz.
Through our stay at the Gardenia K
and I took turns on the massage chair.
and I took turns on the massage chair.
The room we were in is called the ‘luxury
delight’. Thank to Rini, I suspect, I am an ITC Club member now which I think entitles
you to upgrades when you book rooms here. The card also has a RFID which, when
enabled, will alert the staff the moment you enter an ITC Hotel so that they can
greet you. Not a good thing to have on you if you are ever on the run!
delight’. Thank to Rini, I suspect, I am an ITC Club member now which I think entitles
you to upgrades when you book rooms here. The card also has a RFID which, when
enabled, will alert the staff the moment you enter an ITC Hotel so that they can
greet you. Not a good thing to have on you if you are ever on the run!
The room, not technically a suite as it does not have a separate room, was
thoughtfully designed with the sitting area demarcated from the sleeping area.
There were TVs in every corner including by the bath tub. There is a lovely
balcony, which most rooms here seem to give, taking advantage of the lovely
Bengaluru weather. All balconies look onto the patch of green in the middle. I
was quite kicked to see a personalized welcome letter with my name and photo on it. There
was some bubbly and cake for the birthday girl. Couple of other useful
touches were charging points all across the rooms, lights which were brighter than
in the average hotel room and a touch screen control panel by the bed. You
could make calls and even control the lights using this. The latter was a
blessing as I often spend hours in hotel rooms trying to figure out the myriad
light switches. There was a pillow menu which included a pillow for times when
you want to soak in the tub. I don’t know if all rooms had that but our’s had free
wifi. For some reason old school luxury hotels in India like to charge for
wifi. Another thoughtful touch was a laundry credit of two items per person.
Laundry when you are travelling is such a pain and hotels who charge large
amounts can win quite a few brownie points by offering this. When we returned home from the trip I got a mail saying we had left one of K’s skirts behind. At our request they couriered it to us and didn’t charge though we offered to pay for the delivery.
thoughtfully designed with the sitting area demarcated from the sleeping area.
There were TVs in every corner including by the bath tub. There is a lovely
balcony, which most rooms here seem to give, taking advantage of the lovely
Bengaluru weather. All balconies look onto the patch of green in the middle. I
was quite kicked to see a personalized welcome letter with my name and photo on it. There
was some bubbly and cake for the birthday girl. Couple of other useful
touches were charging points all across the rooms, lights which were brighter than
in the average hotel room and a touch screen control panel by the bed. You
could make calls and even control the lights using this. The latter was a
blessing as I often spend hours in hotel rooms trying to figure out the myriad
light switches. There was a pillow menu which included a pillow for times when
you want to soak in the tub. I don’t know if all rooms had that but our’s had free
wifi. For some reason old school luxury hotels in India like to charge for
wifi. Another thoughtful touch was a laundry credit of two items per person.
Laundry when you are travelling is such a pain and hotels who charge large
amounts can win quite a few brownie points by offering this. When we returned home from the trip I got a mail saying we had left one of K’s skirts behind. At our request they couriered it to us and didn’t charge though we offered to pay for the delivery.
While I was driving down to the Gardenia from
the airport I got a tweet from @ITChotels offering a bespoke birthday meal for
the birthday girl. Soon enough I got a call from executive chef Datta of ITC
Gardenia on my phone even before I reached. He wanted to know what we would
like to eat for the special dinner. I suggested European as we were going to Fatty Bao for Asian the
next day. I told him that K just loves steak tartare and he said he would make
one for her. I decided to push my luck and said that I am addicted to foie
gras. Chef Datta said he had some, ahem, goose liver and would try to see what he
could do.
the airport I got a tweet from @ITChotels offering a bespoke birthday meal for
the birthday girl. Soon enough I got a call from executive chef Datta of ITC
Gardenia on my phone even before I reached. He wanted to know what we would
like to eat for the special dinner. I suggested European as we were going to Fatty Bao for Asian the
next day. I told him that K just loves steak tartare and he said he would make
one for her. I decided to push my luck and said that I am addicted to foie
gras. Chef Datta said he had some, ahem, goose liver and would try to see what he
could do.
K checked in at night and squealed with
delight when she saw the room. Since both of us travel quite a bit on work we
are quite jaded when it comes to hotel rooms, yet the artistically done ITC
Gardenia Luxury Delight room clearly made us happy and we felt we got more than
our money’s worth. it made our weekend and holiday very special.
delight when she saw the room. Since both of us travel quite a bit on work we
are quite jaded when it comes to hotel rooms, yet the artistically done ITC
Gardenia Luxury Delight room clearly made us happy and we felt we got more than
our money’s worth. it made our weekend and holiday very special.
To Europe via Ottimo
We got ready for dinner and went down to
Ottimo, the European restaurant at the ITC Gardenia. We were welcomed by a
young lady, Sasha Fernanded, the assistant sous chef chef at Ottimo, who wished K and told us what she had in store
for us and then headed back to the open kitchen.
Ottimo, the European restaurant at the ITC Gardenia. We were welcomed by a
young lady, Sasha Fernanded, the assistant sous chef chef at Ottimo, who wished K and told us what she had in store
for us and then headed back to the open kitchen.
“This is the sort of treatment Vijay Mally
gets in Bangalore” K told me in a hushed excited voice.
gets in Bangalore” K told me in a hushed excited voice.
Dinner started with some lovely focaccia
and then the amuse bouches. A deconstructed parmesan sphere which you took a
bite of and then felt the parmesan nectar gush down your palate.
and then the amuse bouches. A deconstructed parmesan sphere which you took a
bite of and then felt the parmesan nectar gush down your palate.
The other amuse bouche was a Ferrero Rocher
foie gras. Foie gras enrobed in a chocolate and hazelnut casing. We both love
foie gras and K is a Ferrero Rocher devotee so if there was ever a dish made
for a birthday girl, this was it.
foie gras. Foie gras enrobed in a chocolate and hazelnut casing. We both love
foie gras and K is a Ferrero Rocher devotee so if there was ever a dish made
for a birthday girl, this was it.
Next on was foie gras ice cream! Slabs of
foie gras enrobed in a nutty gelatinous casing pierced bt a pipette with a
twelve year old balsamic in it. This was placed on a slab of ice and and you
ate the foie gras like an ice cream stick. Imagine the joy of two foie gras lovers being
presented with generous undiluted slabs of goose liver to nibble on. The cold ice
cream format dulled your taste buds a bit which is when the drops of balsamic
helped liven up the liver.
foie gras enrobed in a nutty gelatinous casing pierced bt a pipette with a
twelve year old balsamic in it. This was placed on a slab of ice and and you
ate the foie gras like an ice cream stick. Imagine the joy of two foie gras lovers being
presented with generous undiluted slabs of goose liver to nibble on. The cold ice
cream format dulled your taste buds a bit which is when the drops of balsamic
helped liven up the liver.
Then came the dish that I had specially
requested the chef to make for K. Steak tartare. A dish K is so addicted to
that she has it during every meal when in the West as you rarely get it in
India. It reminds her of the raw kheema she used to sneak in as a kid when her grandma would make her kebabs.
requested the chef to make for K. Steak tartare. A dish K is so addicted to
that she has it during every meal when in the West as you rarely get it in
India. It reminds her of the raw kheema she used to sneak in as a kid when her grandma would make her kebabs.
The tartare in Ottimo was served with soft,
runny inside, quail eggs, balsamic caviar and parmesan chips. K took a bite and
broke into a smile of birthday delight. The dinner was her treat to me but I
felt so glad that I could arrange for her favourite dish in the world thanks to
Ottimo. I had a few bites of the tartare and felt that in freshness and
juiciness of it compared favourably with the best we had in our recent trip to
Prague. K had gone to Budapest after Prague, had the tarter there of course, and
said Ottimo’s was better!
runny inside, quail eggs, balsamic caviar and parmesan chips. K took a bite and
broke into a smile of birthday delight. The dinner was her treat to me but I
felt so glad that I could arrange for her favourite dish in the world thanks to
Ottimo. I had a few bites of the tartare and felt that in freshness and
juiciness of it compared favourably with the best we had in our recent trip to
Prague. K had gone to Budapest after Prague, had the tarter there of course, and
said Ottimo’s was better!
As we waited for our steaks, which I chose
over the pork belly on offer, chef Sasha insisted on getting us a porcini tortellini
pasta. In retrospect we are glad that the she insisted on this. The tortellini
was made in house and had a pleasant bite and yet was not chewy. I had each tortellini
ring individually and quite enjoyed the experience. The pasta was heady in its
flavours with the porcini and parmesan combining together to gave us an
experience which didn’t make us miss the absence of meat. This is one of the
most flavour packed pastas that I have ever had and I just loved the very
unique texture that it had. Come to think of it, K is really fond of cheese
based pastas. The folks at Ottimo really knew how to crank up the birthday
quotient.
over the pork belly on offer, chef Sasha insisted on getting us a porcini tortellini
pasta. In retrospect we are glad that the she insisted on this. The tortellini
was made in house and had a pleasant bite and yet was not chewy. I had each tortellini
ring individually and quite enjoyed the experience. The pasta was heady in its
flavours with the porcini and parmesan combining together to gave us an
experience which didn’t make us miss the absence of meat. This is one of the
most flavour packed pastas that I have ever had and I just loved the very
unique texture that it had. Come to think of it, K is really fond of cheese
based pastas. The folks at Ottimo really knew how to crank up the birthday
quotient.
Then came the dish I was looking for, the
steak. I ordered it in memory of the wonderful steaks that I had had in Nase
Maso, Prague. The steak at Ottimo was Aussie. I asked for it to be done medium
rare and it was nice and pink though done a bit more conservatively in comparison to
what I have had at Prague. Not as marbled. Possibly tenderloin.
steak. I ordered it in memory of the wonderful steaks that I had had in Nase
Maso, Prague. The steak at Ottimo was Aussie. I asked for it to be done medium
rare and it was nice and pink though done a bit more conservatively in comparison to
what I have had at Prague. Not as marbled. Possibly tenderloin.
There was more to it. The dish was actually
a meat lover’s carnal dream. It was served as two pieces of steak with a layer
of foie gras in the middle and a layer on top with some morrel reduction over
that. Chef Datta explained that this is a classic French serving and is called
Rossini. For me it was an out of body experience with lovely steak livened up
with the exquisite flavours of a beautifully grilled foie gras. The dish of the
day for me, possibly of the year. A dish that made me feel as if it was my birthday and not just K’s.
If great produce is what one looks for in
India, then restaurants in Bengaluru offer the best when it comes to meat. This
is the city to come to eat in and Ottimo kept the the city’s reputation alive.
a meat lover’s carnal dream. It was served as two pieces of steak with a layer
of foie gras in the middle and a layer on top with some morrel reduction over
that. Chef Datta explained that this is a classic French serving and is called
Rossini. For me it was an out of body experience with lovely steak livened up
with the exquisite flavours of a beautifully grilled foie gras. The dish of the
day for me, possibly of the year. A dish that made me feel as if it was my birthday and not just K’s.
If great produce is what one looks for in
India, then restaurants in Bengaluru offer the best when it comes to meat. This
is the city to come to eat in and Ottimo kept the the city’s reputation alive.
We weren’t keen on dessert as there was
cake in the room and more importantly I had carried Pooja Dhingra’s Le 15
Patisserie macaron dark chocolate cake from Mumbai. Ever since I first ordered
it for K’s birthday two years back, I have not had to bother about what cake to
get on K’s birthday. The instructions are very clear!
cake in the room and more importantly I had carried Pooja Dhingra’s Le 15
Patisserie macaron dark chocolate cake from Mumbai. Ever since I first ordered
it for K’s birthday two years back, I have not had to bother about what cake to
get on K’s birthday. The instructions are very clear!
Chef Sasha got us a huge chocolate globule on
which she poured a hot sauce and the shell gave in as a stream of cream gushed
out and below that was a nutty chocolate ball. She insisted that we have this
with a shot of limoncello as advocated
by their Italian head chef, Greco, and yes the experience was pretty hedonistic.
which she poured a hot sauce and the shell gave in as a stream of cream gushed
out and below that was a nutty chocolate ball. She insisted that we have this
with a shot of limoncello as advocated
by their Italian head chef, Greco, and yes the experience was pretty hedonistic.
The bill left me a bit confused. They didn’t
charge us per dish. The overall bill was about Rs 6,000 with taxes and was
presented as ‘2 Ottimo meals’. While 6,000 is not a small amount, given the
produce used and that some of the dishes were served as individual portions we
had expected the bill to be more. So I am not sure if this is a discounted
price and whether you can expect to pay the same if you had this meal at the Ottimo.
charge us per dish. The overall bill was about Rs 6,000 with taxes and was
presented as ‘2 Ottimo meals’. While 6,000 is not a small amount, given the
produce used and that some of the dishes were served as individual portions we
had expected the bill to be more. So I am not sure if this is a discounted
price and whether you can expect to pay the same if you had this meal at the Ottimo.
What I can tell you for sure is that if you tell
Chef Datta of ITC Gardenia about your life’s desires then he will organize a meal for
you through which you will have to keep pinching yourself to check if you are dreaming.
Thanks ITC Hotels, you did make a birthday girl very happy.
What a dream of a trip! Finding charging points in a hotel room is such a bother.Usually there is only one and far away from the bed! Finding light switches is also a problem.Good if all that is taken care of.
K's birthday meal was a magnificent example of the chef creativity!
lovely. just lovely. wish you guys many more such experiences.
the chef really went out of the way for the meal
thanks Kaniska