Around My Kochi!: eatingout

Olivia @ Olive Downtown, Kochi

Review & Photographs By Lt Col D Purushothaman Pillay (Retd)

Great Buffet Choices At The Newest All Day Diner In Kochi.

Kochi has a brand new entrant in the ‘All Day Dining” space that too located right in the heart of town at Kadavanthra. I would like to share a wonderful new food-discovery experience in “Olivia” at the recently opened Olive Downtown Hotel.

We as a family were pleasantly surprised by the multi-element food spread that we stumbled upon during a Sunday lunch we enjoyed at the Olivia Restaurant. A buffet for me personally is a remarkable way to explore different cuisines and discover new tastes. At this lunch we were privileged to sample a mix of Thai, Mexican, Kerala, Bengali, Punjabi, Creole, Continental and Chinese dishes in the elaborate spread of soups, salads, proteins, vegetables, starch, carbohydrates and desserts selected by the knowledgeable Executive Chef Faisal Basheer, for the day.

As a result when the guests line up to choose their food from one serving station to another, they are spoilt for choice, given the variety paraded for consumption. I had also noticed very subtle little things that had been kept in mind in the layout of food on the easy access central food island. Like for instance, the multiple plate and bowl stacks placed intermittently, that also got attentively replenished as and when they depleted, then the first stop in the food line housed the cold cuts and as one meandered to the last few stations adjacent to the seating area, one found hot foods in covered food warmers thereby ensuring that one walks to the dining seat with a plate full of appetizingly warm food.

I shall now touch upon the menu in some detail. For soups there were two options the delicately flavoured Chinese Talumein Vegetable Soup and the Mexican Hot Pot. For Salads the wide selection included Spicy Carrot Salad, Mexican Coleslaw, Creole Green Bean Salad and the basic Raw Vegetable Salad. Non-vegetarian salads had Thai Beef Salad, Chicken Noodle Salad and Tomato & Egg Salad.

The main course had exciting meat options like the Kottayam Chemmeen Curry (Prawns), Erachi Ularthiyathu (Beef), Adivasi Kaada Chuttathu (Quail), Laal Maas (Lamb) and Schezwan Chilli Fish. The vegetarians had some wonderful dishes in Bengali Dal Tadka, Paneer Kurchan, Aloo Mutter Curry, Khajur Ki Tikki, Achinga Mezhukkupuratti, Kadhari Vegetables, Terrano Belando, Baked Vegetables In Mustard Sauce and Crispy Fried Vegetables.

The Rice/Pasta/Breads included Steamed Basmati Rice, Shandong Vegetable Noodles, Penne Arabiatta, Kashmiri Pulao, Roti, Naan, Kerala Porotta and Appam.

Finally the Desserts section had Walnut Chocolate Brownie, Kiwi Cream Flan, Burnt Sugar Custard, Blueberry Cheesecake, Vanilla Gateaux, Assorted Parfait, Sugar-Free Apple Trifle, Parippu Payasam, Semiya Payasam, Milk Peda, Gulab Jamun and Shahi Tukda. The food was delicious and stood out for its freshness and distinct flavours.

In addition to the breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets, the restaurant also has an elaborate selection on offer in the á la carte menu. They even have an exclusive children’s buffet spread. The restaurant imbues an elegant ambience and one is also impressed by the impeccable and attentive service provided by the smart waiting staff. This value for money buffet is a great bargain priced at just Rs 599 excluding taxes. That variety of food at that cost in such an aesthetic setting is a really good deal.

The tall, polite and well-spoken F & B Manager Sankar V Nair and the very experienced and confident Executive Sous Chef Faisal Basheer, who jointly lead the efficient Olive Culinary Team are the brains behind this Olivia experiment and richly deserve our compliments and encouragement. I firmly believe that if Olive can maintain this price point for the delectable fare they offer at Olivia’s multi-cuisine buffet, that is an eclectic assortment of diverse food styles, then it will soon gain the reputation of being the best buffet restaurant in town. We are looking forward with excitement to their soon to be opened specialty restaurant called "Afghan" which would be serving Middle Eastern delicacies. On the basis of what this super food-team is already providing, that would definitely be one menu worth exploring.

Here I am reminded of a wise idiom I had learnt in school which says “Well begun is half done”. “Great Job” Team Olive. I wish this new enterprise that has been launched with a promising start, the very best for a successful and prosperous future.

Hotel Olive Downtown

28/286, KP Vallon Road,

Kadavanthra Junction,

Kadavanthra,

Ernakulam – 682020

Kerala

Website : http://www.olivehotels.com/olive-down-town

Facebook Page : https://www.facebook.com/olivedowntown?fref=ts

Reservations Call – 0484-4222333

The Mediterranean Food Festival @ Masala, Holiday Inn, Cochin

An unforgettable riot of the Euro-Afro-Asian Flavours!

By- Lt Col D Purushothaman Pillay (Retd)

The secret is out, as to why, the Holiday Inn, Cochin under the able command of their dynamic and inspiring GM Mr Raju Shreshta, has consistently retained its top spot, as one of the best run properties in Kochi today. It is on account of that spark of passionate hospitality one experiences, in every sphere of this hotel, none more so, than their wonderful bar and two exquisite eateries. Their able and proficient team that is being continually nurtured and motivated by an extremely efficient and professional management, exudes limitless enthusiasm and a palpable sense of dedication, in whatever they endeavour.

The best place to experience their famous hospitality is the various food festivals they have been organising lately. I would love to share my delightful experience at the last Mediterranean Food Festival, they had organised a couple of weeks ago.

In the stately comfort of an airy, bright and cheerful ambience of Masala, we were hosted to some signature dishes which had origins in distant geographies, like, Spain, Italy, France, Greece, Croatia, Cyprus, Morocco, Egypt and The Levant. For me the Mediterranean cuisine denotes the coming together of three continents, it has African, European and Asian-Arab influences, that makes it a exciting melting pot of tastes.

Meats and seafood of many varieties that included, duck, chicken, mutton, veal, beef, pork, sardines, catfish basa, mussels and shrimps, were paraded in different forms and interpretations of the Mediterranean gastronomic lexicon.

That memorable Mediterranean experience started perfectly with two exotic soup choices. The vegetarian - 'Soupe au Pistou' - which is a Provencal Vegetable Soup, that was a happy coming together of trimmed green beans, cubes of diced zucchini, squash, carrot and tomatoes, boiled along with stalks of fresh celery and that flavourful chopped light-green and white bottom portion of the leek. The steaming bowl was served along with a floating goat cheese crouton, drizzled with a thick but very smooth pistou, made of garlic, tomato and basil.

For the non-vegetarians the 'Moroccan Harira Soup', was an equally wholesome option. This chickpea stewish soup of tender chicken thighs and green lentils with a hint of rice, topped with cilantro and freshly chopped parsley leaves, was a meal in itself.

Let me start the main course, with what I liked the most. Having that slow poached 'French Duck Confit' was an amazing food experience in itself. This exquisite duck leg that took an overnight 16 hours to cure and a further 12 hours to cook, finally arrived perfectly browned and crisp on the outer skin, one that my ravenous teeth shredded through to discover that meltingly tender inner meat, oozing its own warm brackish fat, as it effortlessly dropped off the bone, to collapse into a salivating mouth. Sous Chef Sanjeev Kammath, the creator of this perfection, got a special hug from me, for this stand out dish.

The 'Croatian Seafood Stew Brodet', from the Dalmatian coast, was another special memory from that evening. I remember that the simple stew with a mix of seafood, dry wine, tomatoes, onions, basil leaves and parsley, was not stirred but layered, so that the delicate, perfectly cooked fillets did not disintegrate.

In the main course, I also got to taste an excellent Valencian round-rice dish, braised in an aromatic sofrito, called the 'Spanish Paella Mixta'. It was a healthy combination of meats, seafood, sausages and vegetables. It came attractively topped with a variety of seared crustaceans that added to the allure of both, the look and taste of this unique dish.

My two boys loved their 'Chicken Shawarma'. They said, it was the best that they have had, in a very long time. That classic Southwest Asian Levantine Arab meat wrap, that was sourced from the fresh shavings of a slow-roasted meat block of pierced boneless stacks of thighs and breasts of tender chicken, enticingly rotating on vertical rotisserie spit, that tantalizingly resided along a constant blue heat source, was served with a delicious sesame paste having that tangy garlic-lemony note, called Tahini. Mind you this combination was deliciously addictive and the wrap was a hit. This fast food, of Arab descent, has slowly nudged its way, to most cosmopolitan street-sides, on every continent of this planet. It is fast becoming a wholesome meal choice, for the global audience and my two kids.

The taste of Cyprus was ushered in, by that sublime lightly spiced pork marinated and cooked in Greek red wine, going by a charming feminine appellation-“Afelia”. Where the red wine infused sweetness, the coarsely crushed coriander and onion seasoning, balanced the flavor with a certain sourness. Thus for me, other than the meat, it was the savoring of this balance of delicate flavors on my taste buds, that I still remember very fondly.

Egypt got represented with a 'Macaroni Béchamel'. It was a delectable bake, rich with loads of healthy spinach infused between two dense yet soft layers of macaroni, soaked in the silky smooth creaminess of the béchamel sauce. A hint of nutmeg, cinnamon with the freshly chopped thyme and parsley, took that dish to a new level.

Last but not the least, that mouth-watering 'French Boeuf Lyonnaise', was the juiciest beef sirloin steak one could sample. It came dressed with the classic French Lyonnaise Golden Potatoes garnished with caramelized onions and a green salad with fresh lean dough, crisp crust baguettes.

In addition to the major highlights mentioned above, that festival of flavors also included, 'Greek Aubergine Stew', the Italian golden risotto balls with a gooey mozzarella core called 'Arancini', crisp 'Moroccan Grilled Sardines' and a spectacular array of tempting ambrosial desserts.

It would be appropriate to complement the brilliant team of the experienced Master Chef Joji Joshua, his expert second-in-command Michael Saju, the talented new Sous-Chef Sanjeev Kammath and the livewire F & B Manager Ganesh Chalangodan, for putting together such an imaginative menu, imbuing all those subtle flavors I have just talked about. It was an evening to remember, one where I was overwhelmed by the flavors of a marvelous cuisine that I relished immensely. I would love them, to think of an encore soon. Thank you Team Holiday Inn and keep it up. I am already looking forward to your next festival, whatever be it, because I know you have put together a dream team that could nail any flavor.