Taj Mahal Palace Hotel is hosting a Belgian Food Festival for 8 days. Krutika Mody and I were invited for a media preview of the menu and here’s what we think of it.
The image that popped up in our heads when we heard of Belgian food was of chocolates; dripping on the fruits, stacked in bowls, melting everywhere. So, before heading to explore this new cuisine we decided to do a little Wiki check on the Belgian food. It said, ‘French food in German quantities.’ Still clueless we scrolled down further to check out the dishes. The names were alien but the wide choice of meats and seafood made me happy. Krutika laid her hope on the only vegetarian dish she could find in the list; French fries.
As we entered the venue the buffet was set. We quickly said our hellos, exchanged cards and headed to fill our plates and stomachs. I stacked mine with all the non-veg dishes namely fillet of chicken; fish with endives; roast beef, pickled potato gel, green beans; smoked eel, apple jelly lime, herb, salad and salted salmon. Krutika focused on the vegetarian side which included poesti, spinach, Champigno De Paris; asparagus flamande; bake lettiuce chervil, picle and French fries.
The food was mostly bland with very little flavor in it. My chicken had some sweet stuffing in it which wasn’t quite up to my taste. Fish with endives was something that stood out and was worth a second serving. From the veg section Krutika liked the mushroom salad (bake lettiuce chervil, picle).
Before moving on to the desserts the food animator Mr. Eric Boschman made us taste a Belgian beer calle Geuze which had a bitter taste. So if you are someone who prefers his Kingfisher mild, this stuff is not for you. We also tasted the best Belgian chocolate made by Pierre Marcolini with a fine white wine. The pure dark chocolate had a honey filling inside and was absolutely divine.
For the desserts we had petit four carnello which included chocolate éclairs, macaron, pastry etc. Contrary to our expectations they weren’t as delicious. The chocolate in the desserts was very ordinary and was nothing like the glorious Belgian chocolate. Carmelo was a kind of pastry which tasted more like snickers.
If you are a lover of tikkas and tandooris its best that you stay away from the festival. For those who would want to indulge in the authentic European cuisine and don’t mind the occasional bland food can definitely try this out.
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