What: Road to Rio, a food festival at Vedic Village Spa Resort

Where: Yagna, Agnee and V Den

When: All day at Yagna, 11am to 11pm at Agnee and V Den

On the menu: All roads lead to Rio but if that’s too far, Vedic Village is an alternative. The wellness resort is hosting a food festival coinciding with the 31st Olympic Games. Serving up beverages, light bites and big plates, the menu features picks from various countries. Think Thai Pot Rice from Thailand, Mushroom Ragout from Italy, Murgh Pangkhri Kebab from India. While the festival menu has many main course dishes as well, the main focus is on nibbles that can be enjoyed with drinks and shared with friends and family, with an eye on the action in Rio.

“Vedic Village is a wellness retreat and we focus on health and well-being. The Olympic Games is a great sporting event and we thought this is a good time to host the food festival and cheer on the Indian contingent at the same time,” said Suparna Sarkar, general manager, Vedic Village Spa Resort. 

Pocket pinch: Rs 600-plus for two.

Prawn Olivette: Simple yet delicious. This Italian dish consists of blanched prawn, skewered with olives. The basil oil emulsion is a great accompaniment with the dish.

Slow Roasted Lamb Croquette: The lamb is slow-roasted with herbs and spices and pulled to form the filling of the croquette, which is then crumbed and shallow-fried. What’s interesting is that it’s served with slices of steamed chicken mousse, which has a different texture than the croquettes. Served on a bed of green pea pate, the dish comes with harissa mayo and potato crisps.

Chocolate Volcano: One word to describe this one: sinful! Cut open this classic French dessert and watch the river of chocolate flow out. It’s therapeutic to just watch!

Stuffed Mushroom Cap: Deep-fried balls of deliciousness that are stuffed with Cheddar and mushrooms. Served with  fresh tomato and coriander salsa, you can’t stop popping them into your mouth!

Provolone and Mushroom Grilled Chicken: A fulfilling meal. The mushrooms and the provolone cheese (soft and smoky) help keep the chicken nice and juicy. The dish is served with either Parsley Rice or Mediterranean Kabsa Rice, made with chicken stock and tomatoes.

Vedic Village kicked off the Olympian food festival with members of the city cycling group Discover on Wheels hitting the road on their two-wheelers. The 24 cyclists had loads of fun while riding all the way from Science City to the resort, covering a distance of 38-odd kilometres. “We are happy to be a part of Road to Rio and we’ll be following the Olympic Games very closely,” said Nishant Maheshwari (below), founder of Discover on Wheels.

 

Text: Deborima Ganguly
Pictures: Shuvo Roychaudhury