Raima Sen digs in at the new buffet at Eden Pavilion. Picture by Rashbehari Das

A word of warning: The new buffet at ITC Sonar Bangla’s Eden Pavilion is not for the indecisive.

A total of 657 dishes will work a five-day cycle at the hotel’s coffee shop. A dish once featured will not be repeated for the next five days, at least.

Every meal includes eight non-vegetarian dishes, 18 vegetarian selections, a pasta counter, two soups, a salad bar, rice station, chaat counter and a sumptuous dessert spread.

“Usually, when a group is going out, everybody is in the mood for a different kind of food. They can’t all be satiated at most restaurants. That is the gap we are trying to fill,” explains Ranvir Bhandari, general manager, ITC Sonar Bangla, at the launch of the revamped buffet on Thursday. There is wide variety even amongst the Indian choices, covering Bengali, south and north Indian cuisine. There is a sizeable Pan Asian selection, with a noodle counter, and a limited continental range as well.

A bustling “action station” is reassuring for those convinced that food served on a buffet is always stale. Pasta and noodles are prepared on the spot, as is the innovative Paneer Shawarma (a west Asian pita roll usually made with meat or chicken). Salads, too, come ready or tossed.

There are enough desserts to keep any sweet tooth happy. A sundae counter is an addition just in time for the sultry summer. The Indian sweets include the mandatory mishti doi (“a hot favourite for visitors to the city”, according to junior sous chef Shivneet Pohoja) and a sandesh platter, but the rest is variable. A separate section is devoted to options from further west, like a French pastry platter, mousse, crumble and pie.

The menu is expected to change every three months or so, to include seasonal specialities.

Actor Shakti Anand in the city on Thursday. Picture by Pabitra Das

Space savvy

Knock-down furniture that won’t knock out your bank balance. Sounds good, if only you knew what that was...

To find out, head for The Inside Outside Mega Show at Netaji Indoor Stadium. From the big buys — like designer furnishings — to the small detailing — textured wall paints, indoor plant gels in red, yellow and blue — home décor never looked so good, or so easy. Over 50 companies from across the country are participating in this four-day mart, alongside Eurothai Interfurnit Co. Ltd from Thailand and Valpaint SRL from Italy.

Innovative, new-age furniture and finishes are the pop flavour of the fair. “People have a higher disposable income today and don’t mind splurging on things like designer furnishings,” says Sachin Dawda, part of the organising team. “Widespread use of materials like wrought iron and fibreglass has caught on as they are cheap and sturdy,” he adds.

Eurothai’s package furniture offer for Rs 65,000, including a double bed, side tables, wardrobe, TV stand and shoe cabinet, is the hottest draw at the fair. The “knock-down” set — modular furniture that can be dismantled and reassembled to fit your space — allows optimal use of floor and wall area, which is at a premium in most urban homes. Marble wall textures from Valpaint is drawing quite a crowd as well. Also worth checking out are light modular beds, priced at around Rs 5,000, which fold up into divans and sofas with just a twist and a twirl. Of the host of accessories at hand, the washable plant gels in a variety of colours stand out. Made of synthetic polymers, they are supposed to keep a plant healthy for up to three years.

Hands up!

The best part of the Crime Patrol team — famous for tracking down and rounding up fugitives — is now walking the city streets. Shakti Anand, who helps bust crime with an iron fist, was in town on Thursday to promote the TV show.

Aired on Friday nights at 10 pm on Sony, the show has been revamped and relaunched with Shakti playing narrator (taking over since February 27 from Diwakar Pundir), presenting sensational real-life crimes as they happen.

The Crime Patrol cell works with the Mumbai police pursuing criminals, offering suggestions, all the while catching it on tape. Viewers are encouraged to come forward with tip-offs that could help nab the culprits, and the phone calls and anonymous letters pour in.

The 28-year-old Shakti “likes the challenge”, admitting that the hardest part of his job is just being himself before the camera. The unassuming man, who has had significant parts in Kyunki Saas… (Hemant Virani), Saara Akash (Flt-Lt Vikram Kochhar), Sambhav Asambhav and Sansaar, keeps close tabs on the crime going down in Mumbai through newspapers, which, he feels are “unfortunately filled with almost 90 per cent crime”.

A happier role in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi was Shakti’s launch-pad, though living the same character for the past four years has become a little monotonous, he confesses. Having moved with ease from theatre to modelling to television, films, he hopes, will soon follow.

Food court

The feel: homely Rajasthani. The fare: straight from mother’s kitchen. The flavour: tastes right, feels light.

At Aangan, the latest vegetarian restaurant to hit town, the emphasis is on food cooked with “the purest of ingredients” (mineral water in the kitchen and all) to make sure that it tastes as close to home as possible.

The decor at Virendra More’s debut restaurant has been fashioned to resemble a typical Rajasthani home. Adding to the ambience are courteous bearers in traditional Rajasthani attire.

The menu at the 70-seater eatery opposite Mahajati Sadan, ranges from beverages to breads, snacks to soups, salads to sweets — and, of course, the rare Rajasthani delicacies.

The beverages include kesaria tea, lassi and jal jeera, with tit-bits like paneer pakora, dal bara, kalmi bara and paneer kebab or a whole range of chatpatas tossed in to whet the appetite. So, there’s Banarsi Kofta and Palak Paneer, Stuffed Tikia and Jodhpuri Mircha, Chhena Capsicum Chilla and Raj Kachori and Paw Bhaji.

Rajasthani specials like Gatte ki Sabji, Sangri, Pakori ki Kadi, bajre ki roti, bajre ki khichdi, Sada Bati, Churma, Bundi Raita and Dal Puran Puri have the right portions of ghee and right mix of masala.

Another must-try is the range of breads from plain naan to Amritsari kulcha and lachha paratha churned out by the three chefs. And to top it all there’s rabri and the gulab jamun.

The right side of the menu card is designed not to draw a frown, with affordability being a big bonus. The price spectrum: from Rs 10 for papad to Rs 50 for a bowl of churma.