I have been staying in Bangalore since 13 years and one of the icons of Bangalore city for me always has been The Gateway Hotel on Residency Road near MG road. I used to always admire the quaint little hotel with amazing restaurants and would wonder how many years it has served Bangalore and it’s patrons. I was pleasantly surprised to know recently that it’s been in Bangalore for 25 years now! I was invited along with family and friends for a sit-down Chef’s Special dinner on 10th October 2014.
Our evening started at the lounge bar at The Gateway hotel which is called Sphyre. We were served some amazing starters along with delectable cocktails. My favorite was the Northern Gate Kakori Kebab which was rich, succulent lamb mince which is named after a hamlet near Lucknow. This would just melt in mouth as we were having it!
Another favorite was crunchy fried prawn nest. It had the right amount of bite and kick to it which is required for starters to go along with great drinks. One more interesting starter was the maddur vade which was served which had a unique Bangalore touch to it. This was deep fried flat patties made of rice flour, semolina, maida, sliced onion, curry leaves, grated coconut and asafoetida and named after a sleepy town between Bangalore and Mysore.
We were treated to some tantalizing Merry Me Cocktails which were made especially for the 25 years celebration. I especially liked the version of Long Island Iced Tea which was made at Sphyre at The Gateway Hotel, Residency Road. Not many bartenders can make this drink perfectly but I was glad that these guys got it right!
We interacted with Naren Thimmaiah who is the Executive Chef of The Gateway Hotel Residency Road Bangalore and his energetic and passionate team. He said that for a property that has grown with the city of Bangalore, it has been integral for them to serve dishes which are traditional yet innovative, and they are proud that the hotel has become a landmark for regional cuisine with restaurants like Karavalli. He said his team and he are delighted to showcase a special menu which is a perfect union of the past and the present.
After starters and cocktails at Sphyre, we moved to all day dining restaurant GAD (Gateway All Day) where we had a perfect dinner which featured dishes from the good old days of The Peacock Garden and Northern Gate (old restaurants at The Gateway hotel) such as Peacock Garden Lasooni Bhuna Palak with Kulcha and Northern Gate Kakori Kebab and the more contemporary fare available at GAD today like The Original Steak with Potato Mash.
My favorite in Non-Vegetarian main course was Active fillet of fish which was herb crusted oven baked fish with sautéed greens, roasted baby potato and grain mustard sauce. I would say this was perfectly cooked fish with the right amount of seasoning and yummy taste. We also tried Peacock Garden butter chicken with butter naan which was Chicken tikkas cooked in gravy of tomatoes and flavoured with fenugreek and garam masala and finished with cream and enne badnekai which was brinjal cooked in peanut and roasted coconut masala.
The highlight of the evening were when we were served an assortment of desserts like potluck café dark chocolate mousse, stir caramel custard, saffron rasmalai (cottage dumpling soaked in saffron syrup and chilled to perfection), jamun tart with rabri (gulab jamun served with a difference) and pannacota (Served sugar free with fresh fruits). What a perfect ending to the silver jubilee celebrations!
We had a great time with friends and family. Looking forward to the Golden jubilee celebrations of The Gateway Hotel Residency Road Bangalore in the next quater of a century! As most of you know, The Gateway Hotels & Resorts is a full service upscale hospitality brand in the South Asia region and a part of the Taj Group of Hotels. Designed for the modern nomad, Gateway provides consistent, courteous and crisp service for business and leisure travellers seeking contemporary and refreshing experiences. Keeping in mind those looking for comfort, familiarity and flexibility, the hotels & resorts are divided into 8 zones – Enter, Stay, Hangout, Meet, Work, Workout, Unwind and Explore. 24/7 services such as 24/7 breakfast, 24/7 ‘active studio’ and 24/7 laundry are all designed to cater to guests round-the-clock.