Weddings like we know are the one occasion when people don’t mind shelling out the moolah. The D-Day is considered to be the most special day in one’s life, where everyone wants to live-it-up according to their choicest whims and fancies as they celebrate with their loved ones. And a major ingredient in any celebration is the delectable spread. Food after all is the elixir of life and so takes the centre stage at any festive occasion. Nowadays, with destination weddings and theme-based weddings being all the trend, the related celebrations are being seen more as an opportunity to pamper one’s guests and a primary factor here is the food – entailing exotic cuisines prepared by renowned chefs, or a bevy of courses with a wide range of dishes, or a one-time-only customised menu as per the couple – which makes for a memorable feast as the guests tuck into sheer indulgence fit for royalty.

Also, like author of The Big Fat Indian Wedding, Sakshi Salve says, “People who are well travelled and familiar with different cuisines from around the world will want to showcase their experiences through the food they serve. I think it’s more a statement of who you are as a person as well.” This is really an astute observation so well-fitting the trends one observes at big-budget weddings which are all the rage nowadays.

Restaurateur AD Singh ventured into bespoke catering space with The Moving Kitchen as he saw an increasing demand for gourmet catering. He says, “Apart from presenting a great meal, there’s a demand for specialized cuisine from obscure countries and untapped regions”. Appetizers paired with miniature drinks, strolling chef stations, de constructed menus, food bars like cheese and sushi bar and sommelier to name a few, are just some of the features. With clients being the crème de la crème, the offerings too have to match the well-travelled discerning global palate.

The wide range on offer includes- Mediterranean, Indian, Modern European, Japanese, Chinese, South East Asian, fusion and New World.  They work with specialised chefs representing varied cuisines and also with home chefs to bring a home food experience to meet special regional requirements. There is a lot of possibility by way of presentation and taste, that as a gourmet catering company, they are constantly experimenting with.

Like with any bespoke pursuit that tailors to definite needs, there will always be interesting anecdotes to share.  After all every new occasion has its moments, and some stand out. AD shares, “there was this one incident when we had packed up and the food was over. Unexpectedly, a group arrived late as their flight was delayed and the guest requested us for something to have. So we rustled up a shrimp cocktail and some hummus with pita. They loved our shrimp cocktail and enjoyed the same with chilled shots of vodka.”

There are also those who are die hard Desi food fanatics and will stick to what they know. They also want to serve the best of the best of regional cuisines and leave no stone unturned in showcasing what our country has to offer – much to the delight of the foreign guests as part of the wedding entourage.

With wedding season right around the corner, celebrity chef Manish Mehrotra of Indian Accent fame is  working overtime charting out a menu and giving instructions to his team. They are to travel to Italy for a big fat Indian wedding. According to Manish, with destination weddings, the need to fly in professional Indian chefs has risen, as in foreign lands they needn’t necessarily find someone as proficient to toss up the best dal makhani or make the most superior quality biryani with all the technique and best ingredients possible. For Manish, this is one time where NRI’s and Indian top honchos want him to dish out the best Indian cuisine and they are willing to go the extra mile to fly him and his team all over the world. This will be Manish’s sixth wedding in Italy. He says, “I am excited as the guest list includes big wigs who love their Indian food and foreigners who are looking to be wooed. At such times I feel the responsibility of representing Indian cuisine to the best of my ability”.

For Nishant Choubey, Executive Chef, Dusit Devarana, it is his busiest period and right now he is preparing for the upcoming wedding of a Bollywood starlet and her businessman husband. “The food will be traditional, authentic Rajasthani cuisine served on brass thalis, and in keeping with the trend of mostly sit-downs as people like their privacy and want to enjoy the different offerings made with all the attention to detail”, says Nishant. The wedding will have a lot of famous personalities that will include some foreign names, informs the chef.  For more adventurous high profile weddings that Nishant is called in to help with, he is well known for his Ceviche station, that usually includes-red wine soaked shitake, home cured Salmon, tuna tataki, oyster bar with tequila shots, caviar and classical accompaniments. There is a lot of travel in the pipeline for Nishant as well, as it is the busy period of weddings galore. He rose to fame after being chosen as one of the few to attend MasterChef classes at the World Gourmet Summit in Singapore. While last month we saw Chef Gaggan Anand visiting India from Bangkok for a series of pop-ups, Nishant has now been chosen to represent India at Bangkok with flavours of India at an International pop-up in the coming month.

With the above gourmands rustling up continental fare and Desi dishes with flair to add that extra zing to weddings and make them an experience for the attending guests and foodies alike, there is no saying where the trend of gourmet weddings will go on to. But we can rest assured as we are truly entering a time of festivity and celebration at the traditional family-centric weddings, with something for everyone to cheer about!

Black, green, white, oolong and tisanes are not shades graduating from basic to exotic, rather these are varieties of tea. As tea becomes posh again, there is a cultural shift brewing as the country’s staple beverage undergoes a paradigm shift in terms of premier products,  packaging, presentation coming together to make tea the ‘it’ drink. Elaborating on this very trend, tea sommelier Anamika Singh made a point saying, “People are becoming more tea-educated. The Delhi crowd is growing experimental and loves to try tea with more flavours.” And it is not a Delhi-only phenomenon as tea bars are opening up in other major metros – Mumbai, Bangalore, and Kolkata – adding to the existing lot of specialist tea retailers and cafés and upscale high-tea establishments.

Talking of tea-preneurs, there is Anamika Singh who took her love for the leaves on to setting up the Anandini Himalaya Tea Boutique in ShahpurJat, Delhi.From select teas to infusions and blends, her boutique stocks directly from the Manjhee Valley Tea Estate in Dharamsala owned by her family along with exotic blends sourced internationally. While Anandini is new on the scene, there have been pioneer luxury tea retailers like Mittal Teas, a landmark in the tony neighbourhood of Sunder Nagar, where you can taste as well as buy rare teas. Having left a career as an engineer, the owner, Vikram Mittal is a charming gentleman with a world of knowledge about teas. Talking of old school, there is also Premier’s, near Bengali Market, which is a long-standing, high-end showroom selling its branded packaged tea where the visitors are always welcome for tea-tasting.And if we move out of Delhi, then Gurgaon also has its share of tea-rooms and lounges which cater to its cosmopolitan, well-travelled tea-enthusiasts. Goodricke Group has also launched its tea lounge, Goodricke Teapot in Gurgaon’s DLF South Point Mall. It’s MD, AN Singh, has gone on to say,”Our target customers are the 25 and beyond, a discerning audience that appreciates quality. Being in Gurgaon, our visitors range from corporate to expats to someone who just wants a nice cuppa to enjoy with a great book, besides the eternal explorer whose search for the perfect tea is fulfilled here.”

Talking of tea in India, there has to be a stopover at Dolly’s Tea Shop in Dhakuria, Kolkata. Dolly Roy is India’s first woman tea taster and the first woman tea auctioneer in the world – not a mean feat at all. To spread her enthusiasm for teas, she set up this small and cosy tea-room with a loyal following which offers twenty different fruit-flavoured teas and refreshing fruit infused iced teas. Carrying the baton forward from such established tea-tasters, there are young aficionados who have turned their passion into their trade, like RadhikaBatra, a well-known tea sommelier, who also owns a tea boutique in Mumbai called Radhika’sFine Teas and Whatnots. Her boutique is a concept tea-bar which hosts tea tastings, organises tea walks in the city and sources tea varieties from plantations all over the world. She regularly keeps up with the latest from the plantation owners and believes that developing a discriminating palate for tea is learnt over a lifetime of trying out new flavours and varieties. With the young and old, the classic and the fancy in full view ahead of us, we have gone on to scouring for the best to put on our list of favourite tea bars in India, where you can relax over a flavourful cup breathing in and tasting the handcrafted brews and aromatic infusions.

A mention of the tea-scene in Delhi will start with the TheAapkiPasand Tea Gallery in Old Delhi. And the name high on the list of tea connoisseurs in Delhi is Sancha, the brand behind the tea gallery and boutiques in Delhi and Mumbai. The original one in line is this colonial-style 1,200, square foot store located in Old Delhi where soothing music accompanies the aroma of freshly brewed tea brought in from estates in Darjeeling, Assam, Kangra and Nilgiri. There is also another Sancha boutique in Santushti, Chanakyapuri, which not only stocks an enviable variety of teas but has a cosy, quiet ambience surrounded with beautifully packaged tea sachets and tins to enhance the tea-tasting experience.

While Sancha is a pioneering presence in the story of tea-tasting and shopping boutiques, there are also some cafés putting out a commendable variety. One name to be mentioned here is that of the Tea Room Co., in DLF Star Mall, Gurgaon where blends of herbs, fruits, scents and teas come together in steaming cups. Commenting on the current tea culture, Mridu Gupta [MD of The Team Room Co.] succinctly puts it as “the need of the time that translated into a concept.” With interiors being a mix of charming old-world ambience and quirky new-age accents like the tea-cups suspended from the ceiling, The Tea Room offers a quaint space for a typical snack time, any time of the day. The regular green, black and white teas are there but there are also some delectable fruit blends, herbal infusions, scented brews which can be paired well withdesi fare or some from their fusion menu.

Bringing in the more traditional high-tea experience is the The Tea Lounge at the Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi. The menu features,among other designer teas, Nilgiri’sRajamallay, Makaibari Gold Leaf, organic tea brewed to Ayurvedic specifications, teas from Sikkim’s sole tea estate, green teas from Japan and Vietnam, smoky Chinese black teas, and grassy Egyptian Chamomile. With such an exotic, enviable collection, this sure sounds like a tea-drinker’s haven. The Viennese décor overlooking the pool and green lawns adds to the charm of it all as does the menu with tasty savouries like chicken calzone, chicken feuillette, salmon sandwiches, scones and herb pies. The quiet, luxurious ambience here works to heighten the sense of calm that accompanies the sipping from a tea-cup with wafting aromatic steam – a pleasure for the senses.

Before we move on to our haunts in Mumbai and Bnagalore, we must not forget to add a few more names from our Delhi roster for the tea-taster. So, there is the Cha Bar at the Oxford Bookstore, in Connaught Place, where you can read while you drink. A nifty tuck-in place in the centrally located bookstore, the Cha Bar boasts of some 80 types of tea and blends including hand-picked varieties from Darjeeling, Nilgiri, Sikkim, accompanying a range of international teas. There is also the tea lounge at The Eros Hotel which offers a blue-speckled space for chai and conversation with their Indian high-tea spread featuring teas from Assam and Darjeeling’s estates to herbal infusions and the sweet and strong masala chai to go with fried fritters and confections. Another place for a very-English high-tea experience would be The Atrium at The Imperial which channels in nostalgia with its silver tea service and fine bone china to compliment and hold the delicate brews.

Moving on from Delhi to Mumbai, we start at the almost-recent SanchaTea Boutique in Kala Ghoda which conjures up the look and feel of a quaint English tea room. With floral upholstery on Bacall high back chairs and décor-pieces inspired by a teapot, the shop is a must-visit for gourmet tea lovers, offering around 60 varieties of tea blends, beautifully packaged, from across the country. Another foray by master tea taster, Sanjay Kapur, this outlet is Sancha’s first one in Mumbai. Talking about the handcrafted tea-blends, Mr Kapurhas recounted how they inspire emotions like the one called ‘Love Pekko’, a black tea with a drift of natural rose,“is motivated by the notion of a honeymoon period.” Every bit a connoisseur, he has further expounded that tea-drinking is “an experience. The aroma of tea is like a perfume. Tea cannot be done in a hurry. If you are calm, you can enjoy it.”

Tea Trails in Mumbaiis another city-haunt for the tea-lovers.  India’s first chain of tea cafes, the first Tea Trails cafe was launched in suburban Mumbai in 2013 after the owners spent more than 2 years in R&D to handpick products suitable for the Indian palate. Curating a wide range of teas – from classic black, green, white, black, oolong, to speciality mixes, herbal tisanes, coolers and Indian chais – in an attractive, peaceful ambience with an informed and  helpful staff , Tea Trails has made a name for itself serving gourmet teas from around the world paired with great food. Some signatures varieties from their menu would be the herbal infusions called Red Zen – a bright red coloured brew which is a sweet and tart blend of hibiscus, orange peel, lemon grass, lavender, cloves, licorice root and stevia. The speciality teas worth checking out are the LapsangSouchong [a black tea from China, this was the favourite of Winston Churchill], Darjeeling First Flush, the Argentinian Mate [packed with antioxidants, this infusion is a source of vitamins and minerals], and the Red tea from South Africa which is a distinctive red liquor with a sweet and nutty taste. For those who like it cold, there is the Bubble tea in fruity flavours of mango and lychee which is like an explosion of freshness in the mouth.

For the luxuriously inclined there is The Sea Lounge at Taj Palace, Mumbai, which although not really a tea shop, is known for its English high-tea which has been on service at this hotel since the 1980s. With an old world charm and art deco furniture, complete with a pianist and picturesque view of the Arabian Sea, this is a city institution for traditional Afternoon Tea featuring an elaborate buffet spread of classic English delicacies and Local Indian favourites complemented with a selection of the world’s finest teas and coffees.

Moving south, we come to a tea boutique called Infiniteain Bangalore. Set up in 2003 by GauravSaria, the owner of four tea estates in West Bengal, this is located in the upmarket Cunningham Road and boasts of an exhaustive menu of over 150 tea varieties from all around the world. A first of a kind tea room, it has a unique retail-restaurant concept which stresses on the ‘from leaf to the cup’ chain of thought. Split into a ground floor and a mezzanine floor, the ambience exudes warmth with a distinctive charm where ‘tea’ dominated even the décor as it is strewn with tea-related information, pictures and posters all around. Upon closer look, one can even spot a tea moment from Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Should a visit not be on your cards, you can find their online store a veritable treasure trove of teas along with their descriptions and brewing instructions. One worth sampling is form their latest arrivals and is the different-looking non-leafy Dan GuiBai He – a Chinese speciality tea handcrafted as blooming tea where the finest silver needles are formed into round tea blossoms with beautiful lily and osmanthusbound inside, which unfold in a colorful display after the tea is infused. A visual treat to go with the light, flowery aroma and taste!

You name it, they prepare it at this South Goa charmer named ‘The Riverside’  housed in The Leela, Goa. Here the menu is only a suggestion and the traditional Italian dishes are impeccably rendered with no mindless mishmash of ingredients. Italian cusine is not about aping how they do it in Sicily or Tuscany. A true Italian food is akin to polygamy. Please don’t discern it otherwise.

It’s about how you master the art of marrying all three –  authentic recipe, latest global trends and locally grown herbs and  ingredients. Chef Lenin has perfected the art of polygamy.  Add to that his personalised service and you feel like family.

We (my wife of four year old marriage and I) entered at around 9 PM. By this time the restaurant is filling up. I am almost ready to begin my new career as a food reviewer with the venerable The Luxe Cafe.

We choose a wine by the glass from the extensive list. Many regions are represented. There is a reserve section for those wanting an extra special drop and there are several options by the glass. I always let the sommelier choose, usually a surefire way to end up with the most expensive glass from the list. Here, the restaurant manager doubled up as the sommelier and he can potentially pass off as one any day. And, what choices of wine he made to go with our four course hearty meal. Bang on!

Offering contemporary Italian cuisine with fresh local seafood and a fine selection of wines and cocktails, the menu is planned with care. For starters, we tried the Pan Seared Scallops – beetroot and pomery mustard carpaccio, a truffle flavoured mushroom mousse, a puree of green peas with bacon and then the scallops with white parmesan.

Ringlets of fried calamari had crunchy outsides and bouncy insides. The Caesar salad was beautifully dressed, each crisp leaf carrying the same measure of salty, cheesy bliss.

The combo blew our senses totally. Somehow we came back from hibernation to think of and order from the mains. We went nuts over the fishy spread that came next to embrace our palate.  It was   pan seared seabass with carrot mash, ricotta mascarpone spring onion and saffron braised fennel. We tried the pancetta wrapped mozzarella stuffed chicken breast served with soft polenta and butter sauté vegetable and porcini sauce. For veggies, I would recommend asparagus cannelloni with parmesan crisps and green apple. The sea food platter consisting prawns, fish, lobsters and squids was like as if it was  straight from the sea with minimalistic tempering. That’s how Chef Lenin keeps the freshness of meat intact with just as necessary intervention of ingredients.

Steak lovers would balk at the thought of having their choicest cut in India’s sea food capital. But you have to cut it to feel how marbled it is. And, eat it to feel how juicy yet perfectly grilled it is.

This Wagyu steak, the famous cut from Wagyu province of Japan is firstly a herculean task  to source. Then, to prepare this cut with perfection if something I don’t know about.  I have heard its somewhere even next to a Herculean task. We ordered medium rare. It is accompanied by bone marrow bruschetta, a chicken liver sauce made with wine and garlic. A great ensemble to feast on!

It was a melange of food emphasizing Northern Italian cooking.  While it has a wide selection of the usual entrees, including pastas, fish, and meats, its preparation of even ‘standard’ dishes is creative, visually appealing and delicious. The gnocchi, tiny light potato dumplings, covered with a piquant, creamy gorgonzola sauce is delightful; as is the pasta fusi alla grappa, bowtie-shaped pasta with a sauce of mushrooms, grappa, and parmigiano. The tiramisu, among the deserts, is smooth creamy and light yet comes with a tinge of decadency. You just can’t let go off this treat even if you are struggling with your gut filled to brim thanks to the food you have already had.

We received attentive service from a caring, helpful staff. Both the chef and the restaurant manager kept us hooked on to both food and their endearing conversation on life beyond Italy, restaurants, Leela, Goa and many more. We left satiated after being fed soul stirring food from the land of Mussolini by Lenin.

While bidding adieu to the staff of The Riverside, a thought criss crossed my mind. The night. The restaurant by the bank of river Sal. Great food and service is an understatement. A slight nip in the humid air due to monsoon. The company of my soulmate. And Goa! It was a perfect set-up for renewing my wedding vows with my equal half that night.