Kolkatans are basically food loving people. Bengalis spend most of their hard earned money to please their taste buds, and that’s a piece of fact. There is no denying that most of us love a scrumptious meal over networking or venturing out for newer horizons. This makes the race simple and sweet but adversely affects them in many cases! But let’s not delve into that, we are here to check what makes this state the sweetest part of India, not only literally for their sweet dishes, but also for the food loving, adda loving and festival loving citizens! We celebrate all our special occasions and festivities with loads of good food at the finest of spots spread across the city. And yes definitely Aura (at the Sonnet Hotel) is one such place where you will try to get the share of your favorite dishes drenched in the classiest of ambiances.
Sonnet Hotel has always been my sweet swanky destination which has got that warmth, it somewhat feels like home, don’t ask me why! And when you are at Sonnet and looking for a proper meal you have to be at their all-day dining destination, Aura. They keep on conducting lovely food festivals as well. Recently they have started this oriental food festival – ‘Pan Asian Delight’, which covers mostly the South East Asian cuisines, yes you got me right, that’s the food I absolutely love!
So, this article with quickly run you through this food festival so that you get a clear idea of the food items available before visiting the place. So, you get Bakso Soup, Tom Yum, Tom Kha, Shanghai Noodles soup, Spicy Dragon Soup, etc to start with.
I absolutely loved the Bakso Soup, that’s the highlight of this festival for sure. It’s a clear soup which is very soothing, with the subtle aroma and perfectly fluffy meaty balls playing with the mustard greens! Well, this is basically an Indonesian dish though it was chicken meatballs here at Sonnet, and not pork or beef meatballs. It’s a popular street food in Indonesia and found easily at street food vendors’ stalls or carts. As far as I know, Bakso became internationally known to the public when Barack Obama mentioned it in his speech remembering it as his favorite street food from his childhood days in Indonesia! So that’s a bit of history for you! 🙂
In this festival menu at Sonnet, you can try the Gado Gado or Som tom salads as well. In the starters, you will be served the Indonesian corn cakes, Burmese rolls, sweet potato and sesame croquettes, veg lollipop (which comes wrapped on an ice cream stick), sate ayam, Thai shrimp lettuce wraps, and Thai fish cake which I really liked.
By the way, my favorite section of dumplings will also fascinate you. They have got steamed wantons, Dim sums, and Siu Mais to choose from. Apart from being subtle yet flavorful, they are visually appealing as well.
The Main course has loads of options, here are some – spiced coconut sweet potato, tofu in hot garlic sauce, Fish gaeng lueng, four treasure veg, Burmese yellow curry, curried coconut chicken, Chicken ayam taliwang, etc. you can pair these with some Yang Chow fried rice, Pad thai noodles, Thai fried rice, etc or get your complete meal with Nasi Goreng or Mie Goreng.
I loved the Mie Goreng at Sonnet! I don’t think I have tasted this in last few months here in Kolkata, though I have had this back in Indonesia, Singapore and even in Sri Lanka! This dish is very common in Indonesia and Malaysia and is available everywhere, sold by all street-food hawkers and even high-end restaurants! Here at Sonnet, the fried noodles were loaded with shrimps and topped with a sunny side up!
And then, you can end your meal with some Choco coconut pudding, Thai banana fritters with a dollop of ice cream, or darshan with vanilla ice cream. To wrap things up, please check out these pointers below, and hope you will enjoy the nip in the air with these amazing South East Asian delicacies at Sonnet.
- What: ‘Pan Asian Delight’ food festival
- Where: Aura, The Sonnet Hotel, Saltlake sector-1, near City Centre Mall
- When: 23rd Nov – 2nd Dec 2018
- Price: INR 1400 for two
- Highlights: Bakso Soup, Nasi Goreng, Curried Coconut Chicken, Siu Mai, Stir Fried Chinese Greens
Disclaimer: Foodiedada was invited by management / PR to review the festival menu
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