(From top) Pallavi Chatterjee at China Bistro; a spread of Thai delicacies at Baan Thai. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

China Bistro, at 119A Muzaffar Ahmed Street, is hosting a month-long pasta festival that started on April 15. At the cool eatery off Free School Street, non-vegetarians can dig into Fettucine Bolognaise (flat pasta with mince chicken or mutton), Fussilli Napolitana (spiral pasta with shredded chicken, mushroom and broccoli in tomato sauce), Penne Arabitta (pasta with shredded lamb, mushroom and onion in spicy sauce), Farfalle Grande (ribbon-shaped pasta with chicken ham, chicken sausage, broccoli, babycorn and mushroom in cheese sauce) and Lasagne. The pocket pinch for the non-vegetarian dishes is between Rs 165 and Rs 175.

Vegetarians should not lose heart. They, in fact, would be spoilt for choice. Farfalle Grande (ribbon-shaped pasta with brocolli, mushrooms olives and vegetables in tomato sauce and baked mozzarella), Cannelloni Florentine (pasta tubes filled with spinach and cheese sauce baked in mozzarella), Fussilli Marina (spiral pasta with fresh tomato, olives and vegetarian in tomato sauce baked in mozzarella), Penne Formaggi (pasta with lots of cheese sauce), Fettucini Al Aglio (flat pasta sauteed with olive oil, garlic and red chilli flakes)? Be prepared to dole out anything between Rs 145 and Rs 165 for the vegetarian items.

Spice fest

New Year celebrations in Thailand started on April 13, with the festival of Songkran. Baan Thai at The Oberoi Grand brings to you the magic of this festival through gastronomic delights laid out in a special menu.

Among appetisers, one can start off with a Khao Phod Hor Bai Toey (red curry mousse of American corn wrapped in panadana leaf and deep fried), Kalam Plee Hor Kai (steamed minced chicken stuffed in Chinese cabbage) or Yam Sam Krob (crisp fried chicken, squid and fish salad with spring onion, green chilli and tomato dressing), to name a few. For soups, the Tom Kha Thalay (mixed seafood soup in coconut milk topped with dried small chilli) promises to be a treat.

For the main course, vegetarians can dig into anything from potatoes, bamboo shoots, asparagus, Shiitake mushrooms, babycorn and Pak Choi to sweet corn, water chestnuts and snow peas. Non-vegetarians can pick and choose from seafood (crab, bekti, lobster, prawn), lamb, tenderloin, pork, duck or chicken. What?s more, you can either go for curry or stir-fried preparations.

To end your meal on a sweet note, indulge in the Chocolate Kao Gap Strawberry Sod (white chocolate and strawberry parfait with caramel sabayon) or Polla Mai Ruam (fruit platter with cream or vanilla ice cream).