A tricolour sundae on display at Mama Mia, Picture by Rashbehari Das

What: Independence Day celebrations.

Where: Mama Mia Gelato outlets at Ballygunge Circular Road, New Alipore, Forum and City Centre.

When: Between August 13 and 15.

Big bite: The special Tricolour sundaes in delicious flavours promise to fill this I-Day with sweet memories. The three distinct flavours for the celebration are Tangerine, Sicily Lemon and Green Apple Gelato, topped with juicy chunks of mango and kiwi fruit, with an option of whipped cream. Other flavours on the platter are Passion Fruit, Choco Orange, Tropical Fruit, Coffee Mocha and Oreo Cookies. Don’t miss the Crackling Cones — waffle cones covered with French vanilla and crunchy bits of chocolate.

Then you have a host of new sundaes — Chunky Cookie Sundae, Fruity Gelato Tart and Crepes with Gelato — to choose from. Another addition to the menu is the Fererro Rocher Gelato Cake made with Fererro Rocher Gelato and Hazelnut Gelato, combined with layers of sponge cake and covered with a rich coat of chocolate.

Pocket pinch: While the Tricolour Sundae is priced at Rs 140, a pound of Fererro Rocher Gelato cake comes for Rs 300.

Voiceover: “No celebration in India is complete without sweets. Through this offering, we aim to provide a new variant of desserts to celebrate Independence Day,” smiles proprietor Natasha Aggarwal.

The Christmas cake marination ceremony at Baan Thai. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

Cake mix

What: Christmas cake marination ceremony.

Where: The Baan Thai kitchen at The Oberoi Grand.

When: Wednesday afternoon.

Festive spirit: Four months before Santa packs his bag of goodies and mounts his reindeer, the star Chowringhee address has already begun preparing for the big event. No Christmas is complete without the traditional fruit cake and this year the start of the traditional Xmas cake preparation was done in the presence of the general manager, chefs, staff members and models Jessica and Pooja.

The enthusiastic party wasted no time in grabbing jugs of brandy and rum to pour over the 450 kg of chopped dry fruits. Apricots, candied peels, black currants, almonds, cashewnuts and prunes were only some of the ingredients that went into the making of the giant cake. Marinated for four months at 4O C, the cake acquires a rich taste when the batter is finally sent into the kitchen ovens. Come December, the baked stocks will be set to hit the shelves.

Voiceover: “In a traditional western home, the father of the house would pour the first portion of any popular liquid into the vessel of dry fruits, followed by other members of the family. Here, at The Oberoi Grand, we are one big family,” smiled general manager Amitabh Rai.

A chef shows off the Kebabeer buffet at Peshawri, Picture by Rashbehari Das

Grilled grub

What: Kebabeer.

Where: Peshawri at ITC Sonar Bangla Sheraton & Towers.

When: Weekend lunches only.

The spread: Choose your favourite kebab from a wide array on offer. On the vegetarian platter, you can enjoy Tandoori Aloo, Tandoori Phul (cauliflower), Paneer Tikka or Tandoori Shimla Mirch along with Tandoori Salad. You can dig into the Peshawri Kebab, Seekh Kebab, Murgh Malai Kebab, Murgh Makhani or Sikandri Raan in the non-vegetarian spread.

Besides the kebabs, there is an assortment of Indian breads like Tandoori Roti, Naan and Pudina Paratha as well as Dal Bukhara. For dessert, you can choose from Phirni, Gulab Jamun and Kulfi. But the best thing about the a-la-carte lunch? The unlimited pints of chilled beer to wash down your meal.

Pocket pinch: The vegetarian buffet is priced at Rs 700 plus taxes, while the non-vegetarian buffet is priced at Rs 800-plus.

Voiceover: “The bucolic ambience and succulent kebabs at Peshawri have always been a great treat. It is quite fascinating to see the talented chefs handling the skewers in the open kitchen behind a glass partition,” says Samir Pandita, F&B manager, ITC Sonar Bangla.

Models Nicola and Ishika at the kebab and paratha festival at Charcoal. Picture by Rashbehari Das

Kebab platter

What: Festival of Kebab and Paratha.

Where: Charcoal at 66/2B Purna Das Road.

When: For two weeks starting August 9.

The spread: The speciality North-West Frontier restaurant will serve up 50 kinds of sizzling kebabs. For the readers of GoodLife, the chef specially recommends Murg Kerala, Murg Kalmi, Pahari Kebab, Gosht Gilafi Kebab (minced mutton with green, red and yellow capsicum), Gilawat Machhi, and Aatish-e-Machhi in the non-vegetarian section.

Vegetarians may start off with Dehekte Paneer, Surang ki Galawti (a gourd potato preparation), and Dahi ke Seekh (prepared with hung curd). Enjoy the dishes with stuffed parathas like Badshahi Paratha (filled with dry fruits) and Mughal--ke-Pasand (stuffed with keema, eggs, green chillies and coriander leaves). End on a sweet note with Firni, Gulab Jamun or Zarda Pulao.

Pocket pinch: The average price of a plate of chicken kebab would range from Rs 160 for vegetarians to Rs 320 for prawn. Special platters with three choices (two pieces each) and two parathas come for Rs 550 (non-veg) and Rs 375 (veg).

Voiceover: “Not available otherwise on our regular menu, the festival spread hopes to pamper the taste-buds of our regular customers as well as tempt foodies from all over Calcutta, for both lunch and dinner,” says restaurant director Subrata Ghose Chaudhuri.