Lahori food fest tickles Delhiites' taste buds

      New Delhi: An eight-day food festival promoting the culinary delights of Lahore is currently attracting Delhi's foodies to the Baluchi Intercontinental. Inaugurated by Pakistan High Commissioner Aziz Ahmed Khan on Monday, the signature element of the food fest is that the chefs have been especially flown in from Lahore. "We've got chefs flown in from the Holiday Inn, Lahore.We've also created a theme, which is all white and green, the national colours of Pakistan.We also have Sufi recordings from Pakistan and ghazal singers to create an ambience of being in Pakistan," said Nikhil Vahi, General Manager (Food and Beverages), Intercontinental, Delhi. Special dishes like Chapali Kebab, Peshawari mutton, Kasoori Gosht etc.; have had customers asking for more of the fare. "I can enjoy Pakistani food in India.Its a great oppurtunity for me," said Li Peng, customer from Singapore. "The food is very nice, very different from Indian cuisine. It has its own nature of Pakistani taste," said Chang Lee, another Singaporean customer. The food festival is being seen as an effort to bridge the existing gap between both countries. It is being applauded by people in the hotel business from both sides. "Things were getting better as seen in the past two or three years and we wanted to do some food festival and reciprocate by inviting some Indians and we got in touch with Intercontinental and they offered us to come and hold a food festival.It began in January this year and has got materialised now,"said Kanwar Asif Maksoor,General Manager, Food and Beverages, Intercontinental Holiday Inn, Pakistan. "People are enjoying the festival and the food.We feel like making better foodstuff when people appreciate our efforts," said Rehan Rasses, a chef from Lahore. People from all over the world seem to be enjoying the special cuisines along with the Sufi music being played. Special decor and music have been designed to go with the food, in order to create an ambience here to give the customers a feel of Pakistan.
- Mar 21, 2006