I-Day Menu at Pondichery Cafe, Sofitel BKC- Impressive!

Bringing in Independence Day at Pondichery Cafe, Sofitel Mumbai BKC

The long (I-Day) weekend was full of awesome food for us. We brought in India’s 68th Independence Day with a special Independence Day menu at Pondichery Cafe, Sofitel BKC. We were there on August 14th for dinner and Sofitel was showcasing the rich flavorful cuisine from West Bengal, #BongCuisine.

We reached the beautifully lit Pondichery Cafe at 9 pm and started our gastronomic ride to West Bengal. According to us, #BongCuisine has to start with Alu Posto (potatoes cooked in mustard oil with poppy seeds) and has to end with Roshogullas (cottage cheese balls in sugar syrup), and we did right that!

Alu Posto

The Alu Posto that was served was very authentic with the right flavor of mustard oil and it indeed reminded us of the Alu Posto cooked by a Bong friend’s mom. This went very well with the Rotis that we were served with. We did a couple of servings until the live counters serving Jhalmuri (Bong version of Mumbai bhel) and the famous Egg rolls caught our eyes. The egg rolls were comfortably spicy with a satiating filling of omelette. Yes the quantity of omelette is important as according to us it makes the roll softer & fluffier.

Calcutta Style Jhalmuri

Egg Rolls

While we were just getting done with rolls, some lip-smacking looking Jhalmuri was on our table. Unlike the Mumbai Bhel, this Bong version wasn’t that spicy and was a lot more tangy & crunchier. Crunchier with Sev, Groundnuts, Masala Lentils etc.

Post the Bong version of amchi Mumbai’s famous Bhel, we tried the favorite fish of Bengal- Bhetki. The Chef at Pondichery Cafe had freshly baked Bhetki with his own twist of flavor. This was simply yummy with the right flavor hitting you on the right spot 😉

Macher Jhol

Bongs love fish, and the next dish was the famous Macher Jhol. Now we don’t know how the authentic dish tastes. This dish didn’t look that appetizing when you first look at it, but it tasted nice with the Calcutta Mutton Biryani.

Calcutta Mutton Biryani

After a good dinner, all one wants is some good desserts. The dessert counter at Pondichery Cafe was a little disappointing for us. Disappointing because Indians are known for their sweet tooth and the variety of sweet dishes that Indian Cuisine contains. Bengali Sweets are globally known too. The dessert counter at the #BongCuisine showcase at Pondichery Cafe didn’t have the famous Roshogullas or Sondesh & Cham-Cham. These indeed would have given the whole gastronomic ride a happy ending. But nevertheless, we indulged on some chocolate mud cakes, ice-creams, pastry etc.

Our dessert platter 😉

All in all, this was an awesome experience where we got to indulge and also get to know a lil more about the lesser known #BongCuisine. What added excitement to the whole experience were the live counters.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Mirroring unity in diversity, the Independence Day menu at Podichery Cafe in Sofitel BKC included assorted street food from each region of India, taking its guests through a gastronomic journey across the country.

11th August: Mouth-watering dishes from Gujarat, Goa and Maharashtra

12th August: Moving south and celebrating the backwaters of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh

13th August: Spicy food with a Northern tadka

14th August: #BongCuisine

15th August: Flag hoisting followed with highlights from all the regions