5 Reasons To Fall In Love With Marriott's Vintage Asia

Cocktails that pack a sucker punch and food that simply stops all conversation, this is Marriott’s hidden gem.

The decor will draw you in with its clean, minimalistic, modern lines and rustic textured wooden touches. The art deco style with modern Oriental touches gives it a luxurious yet cosy feel, perfect for relaxing in after a hard day’s work. You can watch the chefs rustle up mouthwatering Asian dishes at the two show kitchens.

You should try to get a seat at the Chef’s Studio which is crafted for exclusive private dining {there are Oriental-style panels separating it from the rest of the restaurant}. Vintage Asia has two expat chefs — Chef Tan and Chef Ninja, who specialise in Chinese and Thai cuisine. A long table with dim lighting and its own little decor shelf, it’s perfect for a celebratory dinner away from the crowd of the restaurant.

You can head over to the bar and have a seat while you watch the bartender mix his magic. The absolute must-try here is the Tom Yum Siam — with basil-infused sugar syrup, and the powerful flavor of kaffir lime and Thai red chili, it will wake up all your tastebuds with a kick!

Start your meal with a long spout personalised tea service — the Chinese tea ceremony will help cleanse your palate before the meal.

The dishes here are a finely-tuned balance of the sweetness of unrefined sugar, sourness of limes, the heat of bird’s eye chillies, the freshness and tang of kaffir lime leaves, galangal and lemongrass. They have a seasonal menu featuring fresh, local produce. In fact, JW Marriott has its own garden of herbs and micro-greens that the property hopes to build upon in time to come.

The must-try from Vintage Asia menu’s Steam section is the Beijing vegetable dumpling with celery and mushroom, sesame sauce and the Chicken, Shitake Siumai. They come with a selection of dips and some with pickled daikon, and a smear of satay and a few other things besides. The soupy dumplings are fabulous — they deliver up a clear warm broth in your mouth as you bite into it. It’s one of those items that makes you feel like a better person simply for having the smarts to eat it!

From the Wok section, comprising of the stir-fries, what really stands out is the Wild Mushroom & Shimeji Mushroom — it had tones of  earthiness and forest depths and winter darkness all in one mouthful! Also try the Wok-seared Pork Belly and Pineapple in Chef Tan’s brown sauce and the Phad Thai — flat noodle with tamarind and chili.

The Crispy Taro Ring with Silken Tofu & Peppers was a thing of beauty — the taro shell almost like a crumbly, pastry puff.

A Thai meal is not complete without the curries — the Thai green fish curry comes with broccoli, pea aubergine and is loaded with some intense flavors.

End your meal with Tub Tim Krob — chilled and jellied water chestnut in a bed of sweetened coconut cream, it’s comfort food in a glass and had an eye-widening freshness. This is the single best dessert available right now in Kolkata that manages to combine the luscious with both precision and finesse.

The Mango, Coconut, Creme Brûlée with a Palm Sugar Caramel & Sesame Tuile is a rainbow of colors and tastes, a delicate balance of mango and coconut with the perfect golden-crust brûlée. At INR 425, both are enough for two people.