Sampling detoxifying food while listening to melodious Vedic chants playing in the background — all of this may sound like a myth in today’s day and age. With the fast-paced life that we all lead, experiencing a culmination of these values seemed quite a stretch till I visited Vedic at The Westin Kolkata Rajarhat.
As I rode the capsule elevator up to the 31st floor of the hotel, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Soon, I was welcomed by the hostess. She was clad in a red-and-white sari and walked me in.
First impression…
The hydroponic farm with lettuce, basil and coriander at Vedic
As I walked into the establishment, the first thing I noticed was the brilliant hydroponic farm wall behind a glass window. Gradually, I got a sense of what Vedic actually stood for — food that takes you back to your roots. Along with a jug with detox water — apple and cinnamon was the brew of the day — I saw the wall opposite to the soil-less farm had farm-fresh organic produce, like honey, cold-pressed oils and more for sale, all under the brand of Vedic.
As I walked into the corridor-like restaurant, I couldn’t help but notice the giant hand-painted discs, depicting pastoral life and values of the Vedic age. I could also hear the soft music in the background with Sanskrit chants from the Vedas.
There are three discs suspended from the ceiling with a painting on each side
The decor was minimalistic with a strong presence of copper everywhere — from the decorative bells hanging from the ceiling to the cutlery and crockery. The cutlery was copper-plated while the crockery was earthenware with a copper polish.
Journey across India via your palate…
There’s no doubt that these are as traditional as snacks can get in India
While the restaurant is vegetarian, it is all things luxe. They have three set menus — Himam, Hemanta and Sishir. Each menu takes you through different regional cuisines to give you the best possible taste of the diversity that India stands for. They serve an assorted platter of knick-knacks to snack on, including khakhra and mathri, along with three kinds of house-made pickles — carrot, garlic and lemon.
The meal being served to me was to be an amalgamation of the Chef’s specials from each menu and it started with Raktaphalam. The deep soup plate was presented with a quenelle of spinach-coriander pesto, and a curry leaves-coconut foam. The hostess bought out a teapot from which the steaming hot tomato broth was poured. Reminiscent of rasam, the flavours of herby greens and tangy tomatoes were truly unmissable.
Served in a soup plate, this dish is salty, tangy and so fresh!
The next dish, Channa, made the most dramatic entry no doubt. It was served on a plate hidden mysteriously under a glass cloche filled with charcoal smoke, cardamom, cloves and ghee. As the cloche lifted and smoke enthralled my senses, the paneer roulade emerged. This wood-fired makkhan paneer was wrapped with kalmi saag served on a tangy makkhani gravy along with an anardana (pomegranate) and mint chutney. The flavours were fresh, clean and you could taste every component you saw on the plate.
The wood-fired 'makkhan paneer' wrapped with 'kalmi saag'
They also served one of their signature Vedic cocktails — Peru Payala. A concoction made from tequila, guava juice, chilli, lime juice and their special blend of spices. The drink is refreshing with a mellow and sweet guava flavour that gets a spicy kick from the chillies while being balanced out by the lemon — a perfect palate cleanser to move on to the next round of appetisers.
One of the signature Vedic cocktails — Peru Payala
The next two dishes were Dakshin Vindhya and Organic Moong Bhalley. The former is a tikki made from raw banana and pearl sago served with curry leaves and coconut relish, along with a root pachadi.
The latter is the chef’s take on the much-loved chaat that’s a staple in the country. Served on a crispy wafer tart, the moong daal bhalley are served with sev, a nitrogen liquid chutney and yoghurt foam shaken and piped straight from a syphon gun.
Both the dishes highlighted India’s heritage and love for snacking and chutneys!
Dakshin Vindhya and (right) Organic Moong Bhalley
The stars of the meal were definitely the mains served as an assorted thaali. Starting off with the Indian breads, the Malai Gucci Kulcha was soft and had a rich umami flavour from the Kashmiri morel mushrooms used in the stuffing. The Methi Thepla was crisp and had a hint of pleasant bitterness from the methi. The Black Rice was chewy and the perfect neutral canvas to carry the flavours of the sides.
The dark green Winter Green Saag was packed with flavours too. The texture of the saag along with the spices and topping of white butter made the dish shine (even someone who dislikes greens would lap this up in an instant).
The Daal Vedic had slow roasted and hand pounded moong dal, carefully simmered in a brass pot overnight. This helped the daal develop flavours that were earthy and much-more complex than your regular kaali daal.
The Dum Ka Anjeer Kofta was a sphere of paneer filled with figs, which gave the dish an earthy sweetness.
Malai Gucci Kulcha, Methi Thepla, Winter Green Saag, Daal Vedic, Dum Ka Anjeer Kofta (clockwise) and Black Rice
The meal was concluded with a chef’s special homemade Rabdi and purple carrot gajar ka halwa. The colours of the dish were just as interesting as the flavours. I loved the way the deep purple colour slowly bled into the light saffron-coloured Rabdi. The chewiness of the halwa paired seamlessly with the Rabdi making sure the meal ended on a sweet note!
Chef’s special homemade Rabdi and purple carrot gajar ka halwa
What makes the experience unique…
Be it the Vedic chants or the gorgeous view from the 31st floor of the hotel, the giant bowls of spices kept around the open-kitchen set-up or the paintings that you can’t help but glance up at as you enjoy your meal — the ambience of the restaurant truly makes for a unique dining experience.
The open-kitchen amidst the dining room and (right) the view of Rajarhat from the 31st floor of The Westin Kolkata Rajarhat
“At Vedic, our main aim is going back to the roots and highlighting India’s culinary heritage. We use copper, clay pots and iron cast metals to prepare the food just like our ancestors used to. This winter special menu is all about highlighting fresh produce, which is also a value we uphold with our hydroponic farm,” said Soham Dhar, sous-chef in-charge of Vedic.
Chef Soham Dhar of Vedic, The Westin Kolkata Rajarhat
The food is made keeping in mind the flavours of different regional cuisine and lets you sample the taste of India under one roof.
