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Saturday, September 22, 2012

Merry @ Le Meridien

"It's all about the experience" is the motto of Hotel Le Meridien. Your journey begins right at the moment you look up at the huge glass building that soars 20 floors above the ground. There are multiple entrances, and each creates a different impact on you. We were invited to Restaurant Eu de Monsoon - upon entry is a reception desk in front, a dining area on your left and a lounge on your right. The scale of the double height space draws you in; and as you glance around, you spot your destination.

It seemed like a completely different world from the hot afternoon outside. The dark brown panelling, the perfect ambient temperature of airconditioning, seemed to rejuvinate us as we sipped our cocktails and spoke to each other. Mine was fresh cucumber juice minus the vodka (so it was actually a mocktail), and it did wonders to me.

The hotel staff, irrespective of designation or stature, mingled with us cordially and invited us in the wine chamber, just preceding the dining area. There were floor-to-ceiling refrigerators with various wines from different countries kept at the correct temperature, lit so that light does not fall on the wines and a table where a guest can taste some wines before choosing the perfect one to pair with his meal. The sommelier, Sameer, was polite and answered all our queries.

Gradually we stepped towards the dining hall where a plate with three sets of forks and knives awaited us, quietly hinting at the various courses we were about to have! Some brand presentations were made, which are usually quite boring - but these were engrossing. For example, I did not know Le Meridien was owned by Starwood, whose forte was not owning the hotels, but the brands. Also, the hotel had been redone to create contemporary style of interiors, mixed with the original traditional elements. Sure enough, the ceiling above us had lights that seemed to have belonged to a Nawab's palace rather than a 5 star lounge. The edges were again adorned with modern lights. [ I can't stop blabbing about the architecture and interiors, it seems!]

Chef Dawinder Kumar, who had been with the hotel since day 1, joined us to tell us what he would be serving us. It was a sampling menu with small portions, named "Degustation". What followed afterwards was an interesting stream of dishes served in an unique way - the dishes would come pre-arranged in a plate, and once you have eaten it, a new dish in a new plate would replace it. The opening item was an Asparagus Cappuccino - weird it may sound, but was nice: hot at the top, cold at the bottom, served in an ice-cold glass cup, to be consumed in one shot. That's your appetizer. Next comes something named a Deconstructed Samosa: the constituents of a samosa served in a plate. A twin flavoured chicken tikka followed, and a prawn dipped in tangy sauce and basil leaves. The vegeterians got their equivalents in paneer and brocolli. A basa fish preparation and a chicken dish came next. Some lovely white and red wine was served alongside these dishes. Now, as we had finished the first round, we were offered a sorbet with a unique mix of lemon and ginger that cleansed our taste buds and prepared us for the upcoming Biriyani. It was baked in a bowl covered with atta, so the smell was retained till we opened it. We were quite full by then, and most of us could not do justice to the lovely preparation.
Magandeep Singh, a well known wine enthusiast, had cropped up midway between our meal, and he served us a wine called "Desert Wine", which is completely different from the usual wines we have. We were also served some award winning coffee (that's rated best among all Le Meridien hotels). A deconstructed Dosa had come, but we did not taste it, as we were too full. A sorbet came next, this time with an acidic taste of pomegranate and a hint of guava. The desert, titled "Discovery" came next which was an assortment of mango soufle, chocolate and coconut. What I must admire here is that apart from the great food, their presentation plays a key role to the experience of dining at Le Meridien.

Our enjoyment continued as we were taken to the 20th floor to take a look below, and indeed, the paving pattern of the atrium, surrounded by the red carpetted floors was an unique view. We also ventured around to catch a glimpse of the Rashtrapati Bhawan, North and South Blocks. On our way back, we were gifted a box of chocolate and a pot of wheat grass as a souvenir of this lovely afternoon.

Do be at Le Meridien whenever you can for an experience you would cherish and thank me. The experience shall continue even in the washrooms! An insider tip for you is that do not have anything lined up after this; for you would enjoy being there so much that your timelines are bound to get stretched!

This was organized by Team Blogathon.
Photocredits: Sushmita, Myself.

23 comments:

My Unfinished Life said...

yes..the toilets were cool...thanks for adding that..i left them out..coz felt it was out of plc with my piece :)

ashok said...

wah!

Anupama K. Mazumder said...

@Star,
I was so impressed that my post felt incomplete without mentioning them.

@Ashok,
More reason for you to visit Delhi!

@Krishna,
Indeed it was a 'wow' experience!

Szasz Sebes Paul said...

Nice post and blog. Thank you for visting my blog

Panchali said...

amazing pics...nice write up, Anupama

Szasz Sebes Paul said...

http://paulszaszsebes.blogspot.ro/ this is my blog and i want to do link exchange with other bloggers

Kovács Miklós said...

Very interesting post and foods. It's another world for me. I stay in luxus hotels very rarely.
Thanks for your visiting on my blog. You can find a translater window on the right corner. I hope it will help you to understand my sentences :)
Have a great week
Greetings, Miklos from Hungary

Anupama K. Mazumder said...

@Paul,
This is the beginning of that process, isnt it?

@Panchali,
I somehow like the way these photographs seem to jut out from the post!

@Milkos,
We rarely get such opportunities. When we do, we must enjoy it!

Szasz Sebes Paul said...

Yes it is

Julie G. said...

Wonderful review! My mouth watered from your wonderful photographs and descriptions of the cuisine.

An appreciative thank you for visiting my blog. A joy to stop by yours!

Haddock said...

The ambiance in the 5 stars make the difference I suppose.
But frankly speaking as for the food, I enjoy them in our small eateries :-)

Anupama K. Mazumder said...

@Paul,
Good to be connected!

@Julie,
Think about us who experienced it first hand!

@Haddock,
Both have their own charms. In 5 stars, they make your food an object of awe, so much attention they pay to presentation.

vasrao@gmail.com said...

An experience of a Lifetime ! Stunning pictures too !

Anupama K. Mazumder said...

@Vasu,
Indeed it was. Thanks!

Unknown said...

Wow.I can imagine the ambience of Hotel Meridian on a hot and sultry afternoon of Delhi'Your description has added more colour and beauty to the sprawling Hotel Meridian.

Unknown said...

Wow.The description of the sprawling Mereidian Hotel and its cuisine, is superb.The ambience of the Hotel and a courteous behaviour of the staff deserve to be appreciated.Very well written post.

Anupama K. Mazumder said...

@Madam Usha,
Thanks for all the appreciation!

Saru Singhal said...

I have been there but going as a blogger is simply awesome. I wish I could also attend such a event. I saw the pictures on some other blog. Lucky you :)

Anupama K. Mazumder said...

@Saru,
When were you there? The hotel has been redone; and the new look is just great!!

Ruplun said...

amazing description ...will surely make a point to visit Le Meridien soon

Anupama K. Mazumder said...

@Som,
Lets go together.

usha menon20 said...

Awesome description. It makes the reader that he/she has reached fairyland. Photographs are superb!!

Anupama K. Mazumder said...

@Usha Ma'm

Thanks for dropping in and all your appreciation!