Its winter in Kolkata and the subtle chill is in the air. And, what better time can it be to have a lazy brunch in one of the fine dining coffee shops in Kolkata ? And, when you get an invite for tasting a peruvian brunch (something which is extremely rare here), there was no turning back… So, here we were, in Cafe Swiss, Swissotel from Kolkata Food Bloggers to taste the food. Chef Erika Santa Maria had arrived from Peru herself, so authenticity was assured.
Peruvian cuisine is a strange confluence of inca food mixed with numerous varieties of immigrants (spanish, italian, german and west african)- hence given its seperate identity in world cuisine. Corn and potato is the staple diet there with numerous varieties of chilly …. Also, meat is used abundantly – so we didn’t have any problem.
The peruvian spread was for one day only in the Cafe Swiss, but we were assured that some of the items will be kept in the regular menu.
Now, swissotel is such a place, where you never miss the salad bar and the cold section , and who am I to let it go ?
Beef steak- well done
Cold salad and ceviche (lime marinated cold fish with crunchy onion)
The soup was something that had made our day. It was a simple home styled chicken soup with rice and corn. The non-spicy, subtle taste was something, which was needed to cleanse our palate after the salad-attack and it did just that.
Aguadito de gallina- chicken soup with vegetables
The main course consisted of a huge spread. The barbecued meat platter (consisting of well-done beef steak and various pork sausages), fish flavored with oregano, the heavenly pizza, the aubergine with cheese- list was endless….. But, what stood out was Arroz con pollo- coriander flavored rice with vegetables an chicken. The simple taste made us go back to it for a second helping. Surprisingly, the barbecued chicken was pretty good and so was the fish served with mustard sauce…..
Chicken skewer
Chicken skewer
Cream caramel
Aubergine gratinated with cheese
Now, comes a statutory warning. Even if you miss everything, never, ever miss the dessert counter in Swissotel buffet. Its nothing less than heaven (even for a non-sweet-tooth guy like me). Starting from traditional cream caramel to perfect perfetti to tiramisu, from fondue with chocolate fountain to waffle, it had everything one could dream for….. And there were the peruvian specialties (off course…) Arroz con leche (Peruvian rice dessert) , Pie de limon (Lemon pie), Crema Volteada Peruana (Crème caramel with quinoa) and Maracuya (Passion fruit) cheese cake …
So, we were full (s usual), but in this whole meal, (my first experience on peruvian cuisine), what stood out was the simplicity of the peruvian food and impeccable cooking by chef Erika and Chef Pranay…..
Thanks Swissotel for the experience…..
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I can be reached at 9903528225 / indrajit.lahiri@ymail.com
