The Oberoi Grand, somehow carries an air of old traditional Calcutta (and not Kolkata). And the good part is this is one of the few big hotels in the city that I felt is always doing good business both on rooms and F&B segment. Jokingly, I was told that there are loyalists who may and will object, if a sandwich is cut in some other shape than the traditional one… So, tradition rules here- period.
When I was told that they’re re-branding its coffee shop with the world cuisine thrown in, and naming it after the famed Three-sixty in New Delhi and Three-sixty-One in Gurgaon, I was happy. And when I came to know they’re offering their lunch buffet with a live Sushi counter offering unlimited sushi (off course at a pocket-friendly price), I was happier.
Now, Three-Sixty-three, being an Oberoi property, is chic and posh. The sublime air of class could be felt. The outlet has got a lovely partial glass-ceiling, so natural sunlight was aplenty. As we found our seats, being the seasoned glutton that I am, I started looking for food station. And, I found, the whole outlet is having 6 food counters, namely,
- The salad bar having one of the widest spread of cold cuts and salads with ample amount of non-veg and prawn items thrown in
- The live Sushi counter (star of the show)
- The Indian counter
- The European food counter also serving wood-fired pizza
- The oriental counter specialising in the special Calcutta/ tangra styled chinese food and
- The dessert counter
We were asked for our choice of cocktails (not in the regular lunch buffet package) and as usual, I trusted the server. He got me a strange item. It was cognac base mixed with Darjeeling tea and the result was sublime. It was one of the strangest yet lovely drinks that I had in a long, long time. And, in between he was getting it for me, I got my plate-full of salad to go with it… Frankly, if you ask me, I’ll be unable to name everything that I took. And thankfully, there was a lady at the salad counter who was guiding idiots like me about the names and ingredients… But, as usual, I completely ignored her and went by my instincts…. And, I must say, they didn’t betray me. But, again, the Bruchetta was fantastic along with the Calcutta-chinese styled shrimp salad in hot and sour dressing. Basically, I would suggest, go for whatever excites you visually- because taste-wise, they’re all good (at least whatever I’ve tried).
And after I was through with the huge spread, my tummy needed some rest and while I asked for one assorted sushi platter enjoying my drinks, it came. Now, Sushi always looks good, in fact it’s one of the prime USP of the dish. And, same was the case here. They were gorgeous looks-wise and also were a treat for the taste-buds. “To hell with the main course, I’ll only stick to these” I told myself and gorged in…
After finishing a plateful of these little beauties, obviously, there was no place left for the main course and I headed straight to the dessert section. Now, this is one section, for which, Oberoi is famous for and this time also, it was no different. The Tiramisu was slightly unusual in texture, while the heavy chocolate gateaux was perfect… And the velvet cake was awesome.
This buffet is priced at 1450/-+ Tax on weekdays and 1650/-+ Tax for an extravagant brunch on sundays (the version with unlimited alcohol is 2250/-+ Tax BTW and I feel is a better deal). And considering the offering and the sushi counter, I feel is a damn good deal.
Will I come back again ? Hell, yes. If not, my family will kill me…
And, apologies for my bad, bad mobile photography.
Bon apetit !!!
Comments and critics welcome …
I can be reached at indrajit.lahiri@ymail.com
