Aamlicious festival at Khandani Rajdhani

The best part about Summers is getting an opportunity to relish the King of fruits~the mighty Mango. Mango is used in both its raw and ripe form in a wide range of food all over India. 
I look forward to relish my favourite fruit in a variety of dishes and so when I received an invite from Khandani Rajdhani to experience their Aamlicious festival, there were no second thoughts.
I have a weak heart towards the Rajasthani and Gujrati food because I have friends from these communities since my school days. A visit to their house means relishing their simple and flavourful food. 
Khandani Rajdhani, is a personal favourite . I have enjoyed their grand Thali many a times when they opened first in Kolkata. Last Durga Puja, I was pleasantly surprised to see them opening up in the heart of the city, Park street. At Khandani Rajdhani, they believe in pampering you big time. From the moment you enter their restaurant till you leave with a happy heart and a full stomach, the staff continues to charm you throughout with their smiling faces and caring nature. 
All this and more were reasons enough to make my husband babysit our daughter while I walked down to Park street to enjoy my Aamlicious day. 
I was warmly greeted by Debjita Mallick, the PR & marketing Manager, and the rest of the staff. The traditional Tika was adorned on my forehead and I was seated with a big thali with numerous little bowls.  

While me and Debjita got our seats and started talking about everything, the manager politely urged us to begin with the starters which were already served to us. The polite servers always make it a point to tell their customers the name of the dish they are serving. On my plate was an array of starters like sprout keri kanda salad, Maharaja shahi dhokla, keri samosa served with 4 different types of chutneys. The Kairi panna served alongside was perfect for the scorching afternoon. 

The most lovely part about eating at Rajdhani is that you are so well looked after. There are servers who keep an eye on your plates and keep urging you to try more, almost like a close relative who loves to feed you till you start crying full. 

My plate soon had dishes like the famous Ragda patties, Aam ki launji and dal baati churma which came loaded with a spoonful of ghee. 

The main dishes of the day were Paneer makkhanwala, flower capsicum, Aaam batata chips tindora, choula, panchkuti dal, surti dal, kadhi. All this was served with Phulka, puri, rotla adn my favourite Khuba roti. We also had khichdi and rice as options. 

The desserts of the day were  Shreekhand, Corn halwa, Malpua with rabri and Aamras. 

The Aamras that they serve is from Alphonso mangoes from Mumbai.

The entire meal was nothing short of a sheer delight. The simplicity and flavour of the dishes were so pronounced. My favourites were the khuba roti with keri tindora sabji, the ragda patties, the keri samosa, the yummy raw mango chutneys and the delicious Aamras. 

Their Aam ki launji needs a very special mention. For me it was the dish of the day. The sweet, sour, spicy flavours along with chunks of raw mango bowled me over. 

Pic courtesy : Khandani Rajdhani

The Aamlicious festival at Khandani Rajdhani is on throughout the Summers and will have a special rotational mango menu with 2-3 special dishes from raw and ripe mango. Some of the dishes on their menu will be the delicious and rare Kairi Chana Dal Dhokla, the inventive Kairi Samosa Sabzi, lip-smacking Mango Kofta Pulao, exotic Malabari Mango Kadhi and the regional delicacy Mango Pachadi, evergreen favourites like the Mango Raita, Fajeto and Aamrakhand and the Mango Jalebi for all those with a sweet tooth.

Find out more about them here. 

Happy mangoeing

Amrita

'Vicky Goes Veg'-Celebrity Chef Vicky Ratnani's first Book Launch at the Corner Courtyard.

The mundane of vegetarian food for hardcore meat-eaters, such as myself, received a very pleasant antidote of renewed and refreshed perspective of the wonderful world of veggies through an amazing collection of self conceptualized dishes by the man himself, Celebrity Chef Vicky Ratnani launching his maiden book 'Vicky Goes Veg' at The Corner Courtyard, Kolkata. The collaboration of the blends of international styling and flavour-prints by using locally procured ingredients comes from the vast experience that Chef Vicky gained over many years through his travel and work in numerous countries. The compounded result was a robust synergy of international styling with local ingredients bearing an outlook of simplicity and class. 

Sampling from the range of Chef Vicky's Salads

Chef Vicky Ratnani who recently launched his book in Mumbai with Farhan Akhtar and Mr AP Hinduja, unveiled his book in Kolkata at The Corner Courtyard.

The book’s inspiration was the increasing demand of “not-so boring vegetarian” recipes from the audience of his very popular show “Vicky goes Veg”.

Farhan Akhtar at the launch in Mumbai  said ‘Going green has never been more deliciously exciting! Bon appétit..’

Thrilled to have the jolly chef launch his book, The Corner Courtyard generously hosted the event and even served the guests, high tea, appetizers and salads with recipes from the book itself.

Chef interacted with the audience and shared trivia and insights on the making of his maiden read.

Megha Agrawal – Director, The Corner Courtyard, said, “We are deeply humbled that a celebrity Chef like Chef Vicky chose The Corner Courtyard to launch his first ever book. Our kitchen is ecstatic to serve and more importantly learn from the master himself”

Chef Vicky Ratnani “Kolkata is one of my most favourite food destinations in India. Food being one of the most integral part of Kolkata’s culture, I have been eagerly looking forward to launch my book in the city.

I am very touched with the team of The Corner Courtyard for beautifully supporting my launch and serving my recipes as a part of this special day”

About the book:

Vicky Goes Veg has a collection of different and out of the box recipes for Vegetarians like Garlic Soup, Chickpean and Almond Crouquet, Green Chillies and Raw Mango Risotto as well as the general favourites like Braised Plantain with Thai Spices sharing space with Hing-roasted Pumpkin, Vegetable Shepherd’s Pie, and so on. The recipes here are not the usual, mundane ones. The dishes hail from all over the world but come with an Indian twist. 

The recipes mentioned in Vicky Goes veg are precise and have been rendered even more mouth-watering by the series of delicious photographs on the side.

About the author, Vicky Ratnani

Vicky Ratnani is a chef, TV host and food connoisseur. He hosts a popular TV cookery show by the same name on NDTV Goodtimes, and is the corporate chef at Aurus, a fine dining restaurant in Mumbai.

About The Corner Courtyard

Located in the heart of South Kolkata near the junction of Lansdown and Hazra Road, The Corner Courtyard recently opened its doors to Customers during the 1st week of October 2013.

The Corner Courtyard is the brain-child of its founder & CEO, Megha Agarwal, an alumnus of the prestigious Symbiosis Institute of Pune. It was finally her life-long love for travelling, hospitality and an unfulfilled entrepreneurial drive that has now culminated in realizing her dream project, resulting in converting a 108-year-old building in South Kolkata's Lansdowne area into a Boutique Hotel-cum-Restaurant, probably the first such restoration project in the hospitality sector in Kolkata.

Housed in a Colonial era building that dates back to 1904, TCC aims to capture the aura of a classic colonial ambience, and provide a semi-fine dining experience, based on a Global cuisine menu that is designed to stand out from other establishments for its offering as well as the presentation.

TCC also incorporates a unique accommodation with seven individually designed and themed boutique rooms, using 50-100 years old period furniture, which has been painstakingly restored over a period of over one year by restoration experts.

Very thrilled to have my own copy signed by Chef Vicky

I for sure would be savoring the veggies for some time to come and hope Chef Vicky launches another book before my veg spree comes to an end...!

Happy Reading & Eating

Vishal & Amrita