M Cafe, the restaurant at Bengaluru Marriott has organized a ‘street food festival – The Streats‘ for the food lovers in Bangalore. The event which started on Aug 19, 2013 will continue till Aug 31st.
When we talk of street food, several things come to mind. On one hand you think of mouth watering gol gappas, bhel puri, dosa, pav bhaji, vada paav and on the other hand we would be worried about the quality of oil and other ingredients used by the hawkers. The idea behind Marriott’s street food fest is to provide the same street food with authentic taste but with the quality and hygienic environment of an international hotel.
As soon as you enter the hotel premises, you get a warm welcome by the ever courteous Marriott’s staff. We were personally received by the GM Mr. Matthew Cooper, a veteran in the hospitality industry. After a brief introduction, Matthew spoke about Indian street food, New Delhi in particular; giving a vivid explanation of his experiences with the streets of New Delhi. Being a foodie himself, Matthew spoke at length about the various Indian foods he’s loved all these years and how they have tried to bring the same to Marriott as part of this food festival and entertain the taste buds of Bangalore’s foodies.
The street food stalls were set up in the open lounge area.
The first stall was Gola Counter. The stall had its front area designed to give a touch of the dhaba. The posterior of a truck was nicely painted on the counter with the memorable words ‘Horn – ok’ Please giving you the highway feel. The stall had various colored bottles nicely placed in line with matkas on either side. Ice golas are a hot favorite with kids and adults alike and anybody who has had it in their childhood will remember the good old days licking on a icy cool gola from a street hawker. And when was the last time you had a perfectly healthy ice gola made using mineral water?
The next stall was named Sharma ji ke aloo tikki.
Freshly cooked Aloo tikki mixed with chole was an instant hit among the present crowd and it received very good reviews by then present journalists and bloggers.
The next stall had kathi rolls. Delicious veg and non veg kathi rolls freshly prepared and served hot. The kathi roll stall had a cutout of an auto rickshaw with Bollywood film Heroine poster on it.
Next in line was the Chat Station. It was named Pappu golgappe wala. Chat station served Gol gappe, Bhel puri, Sev Puri and other chaats. The chaats were in huge demand among the guests and the attendant staff had a tough time catching up with the beeline of people waiting for some chaat. One of the hotel staff was actually moving across the hotel lounge on a bicycle with a huge sack carrying ingredients for chaat.
The last counter was Satya Sai dosa center. Real South Indian style Masala Dosa, Uttappam, Mysore Dosa and several other dosas served fresh and hot.
The cuisines were street style but the chef had tweaked the taste a bit and added their own touch to it. Extreme care was taken to ensure the food was not too spicy or unhealthy. The hotel staff was extremely warm and on toes to ensure none of the guests felt unattended.
If you are missing the street food and are afraid to eat outside this monsoon, Marriot Whitefield is the place you should be. This event is a must visit so miss it at your own risk!
Watch the videos here
The Streats: street food festival at Bengaluru Marriott, Whitefield
Bengaluru Marriott Whitefield Chef Vikram Gakkan Interview
Happy eating dear foodies.