DESSERT MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER!

Desserts area the fairy tales of the kitchen, a happily ever after.... 

Top 5 popular sweets eaten in various parts of the world 

PAKHLAVA IN SHEKI, AZERBAIJAN

Pakhlava has some distinctions in diverse regions grounded on the materials and baking methods. Sheki is one of the most ancient cities in Azerbaijan and extremely popular for its sweets. This sweet is shaped like a diamond (symbolizing fire) pastry made of rice flour, tastes sweet and spicy and is moistened with butter and generously soaked in syrup. A layer is rolled out from the pastry with thickness of minimum 2 mm, put into baking tray, oiled and extravagantly filled with a filling of nuts. This procedure is continued, until about 10 layers are achieved, some even make 14. The nuts that beautify the top of each piece represent the star that illuminates up the commencement of a new life.

CHOCOLATES IN BROC, SWITZERLAND

With outstanding quality of raw material procured from numerous parts of the world, chocolates here are distinct owing to their thoroughness and exquisiteness. Just a few minutes by train, outside of Gruyere, is Broc; Maison Cailler, the only milk chocolate factory of Cailler-Nestle in the world which seems like a fantasy wonderland. The voyage over the factory depicts the record of the finding of the cocoa beans and finally, discovery of Cailler chocolate. The crusade paints a picture of cocoa beans which has been categorised inversely in diverse eras. You can see how the good quality of milk from the La Gruyere region is used in the chocolate. Each chocolate is prepared with devotion and exactitude to pass the difficult test of perfection. Did I mention that the tour, with plenty of chocolate tasting, is free?

KOUIGAMANN IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

There’s nothing quite like the ecstasy of biting into a sweet savoury Kouigamann as a breakfast treat or a late night snack with a cup of coffee. It is a sort of cake, made with copious amount of butter, so much so that the dough is puffed up by its cooking that it looks more like a pastry. In fact it’s similar to a croissant – though additional buttery and sugary one. It is known to originate from the Brittany region of France but Kouign Amann Day became an official day in 2015, submitted by San Francisco bakery b. patisserie. The best ones to have are at the Bloom Chocolate Salon inside Dandelion factory on 16th Street.

STICKY DATE PUDDING IN DUBAI, UAE

Dubai loves its dates and these the soft and sticky ones have the power to make any dessert slightly more comforting. For a sweet date treat with Morrocan flair, try the one at Shangri-La’s coffee shop, sticky date pudding – a warm sponge with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. Bateel Cafe is equally famed for its dates and the pudding. And a place you definitely cannot miss eating this gooey middle eastern delight is at Ayamna at Atlantis The Palm, hands down No 1 in Dubai.

MANGO STICKY RICE IN BANGKOK, THAILAND

This humble sweet savoury combination of coconut flavoured sweet sticky rice with ripe yellow mangoes is the most popular in Thailand. This is best eaten warm and is frequently completed with a trickle of sweet coconut cream and topped with a smidgeon of roasted sesame seeds or mung beans. This can be found from various street food stalls to most old-style Thai restaurants and even as part of the high end magnificent Sunday brunches offered by some of Bangkok’s top hotels. Saffron at the Banyan Tree being one of the favourites.

My story first published in ET Travel

THE CONCIERGE THAT STOLE MY HEART

There must be something about Marriott and absolutely brilliant Concierge services. My first encounter was at the Renaissance Powai in Mumbai with Anthony Arockinadan, the Navigation Desk Manager a few years ago who’s also won an Award for his excellent service and we even covered him on our YouTube Channel ‘EatStayChill’ ( you can later go on to the link and watch the video).

And recently during my stay at the Marriott Marquis in Bangkok I had another chance example of an unforgettable customer service win.

Please be warned…. this service story will tug at your heartstrings.

So my daughter Akanksha and I wanted to go to a store which sold chef coats and aprons, the address of which we had found online and later in the evening to dine at Suhring. We went to the concierge desk and this girl called ‘Super’ with the most gorgeous smile in the world took out google maps for us, best way to reach etc to save maximum time and finally called for a taxi to take us to our first stop, as she was explaining the way to our cab driver, she heard thunderstorms and immediately got us two umbrellas, just in case it began to pour.

We bid her a bye and happily drove past; a few seconds later, it started raining cats and dogs and we decided to change our plan, got off the cab and went in for a foot massage instead. When the rain stopped, we got back to the hotel and bump into ‘Super’ and she was like ‘How are you guys? Hope all well? I called at the store to check if you both had reached and I was really worried for you when they told me you haven’t’ (We were not carrying phones that worked or she would have called us). We told her the scenario and went back to the room to dress and change for our dinner at Suhring.

The moment Super saw we were at the lobby and ready to go, she suggested ‘Being traffic time, the best suggestion is by the Sky train’ and she had a step by step map ready in English and Thai (in her beautiful handwriting) just in case we lost our way. And as we left, she said, ‘You are checking out late afternoon, give the store another try in the morning’.

We reached Suhring so easily thanks to Super, and guess what when we reached our Hotel room that night, there was a map to the store from Super and a message reading ‘Give it another try’ with a smiley. And of course we decided to give the store another try the next morning.

Post breakfast with the map in our hand as we moved towards the lobby, Super with her infectious smile greeted us and boarded us in a cab. We reached rather quickly as there was hardly any traffic at that time. Moments later as we were selecting, we heard the store manager receive a call from Super to know we had reached all fine.

And as we left the hotel that afternoon and bid Super and her colleague Oak a goodbye, it was like leaving behind a part of the family.Truly People want to deal with other people and we seek human to human engagement. Our engagement with Super was such a personalized experience. Super could have easily given us directions or just a city map and circled places on it like most hotel concierge do, but she went the extra mile. It’s rare to come across people who do their work out of passion. With Super it was a relationship that extended beyond expectations and one that has led to such a memorable experience. ..Super you are Super! Kudos!!

CHECK IT OUT

WHERE: Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park, 199 Sukhumvit Soi 22, Klong Ton, Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110, Thailand

bangkokmarriottmarquis.com

TEL: +66 (0) 2 059 5999

WEB:  www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bkkqp

THE GOJI KITCHEN & BAR AT THE LARGEST HOTEL IN BANGKOK GOES WORLDWIDE ON CUISINE AND GRANDIOSE ON ITS SELECTION – THIS IS NO ORDINARY BUFFET!

It’s always a virtuous sign when you just can’t decide what to order. It’s a shared problem here, where breakfast is a cut above.

Marriott Marquis …the first in Asia Pacific and the largest in Bangkok. This fresh milestone in the heart of the Thai Capital takes its inspiration from the Thai Queen’s passion that ‘the cultural heritage of Thailand resides within its people’ and this hotel mergers fabulous Thai hospitality with the ‘Travel Brilliantly’ values of the Marriott brand. It is a portrayal of urbane luxury, a favoured among those seeking vital easing collective with an elegant ambience. It brags wide-ranging facilities, including over 1,300 rooms and suites, over 5,000m² of function space across 37 venues, two swimming pools, the Quan Spa which is a calm oasis and a collection of restaurants and bars…one of which is home to the focus of my visit that morning…aka Breakfast at the Goji Kitchen & Bar! A hotel buffet does not have to mean queuing up for lukewarm titbits, uncertain hotpots and gelatinous eggs. There is a glorious thing happening out here and the daughter and I are excited to dive in.

AMBIENCE

Attentive staff takes your order for tea or coffee as soon as you take your seat. Overlooking Bangkok’s Benjasiri Park, Bright and welcoming, Goji can seat 240 diners. Views of verdant greens echo in the cuisine itself, which is environmentally-friendly organic and sourced locally. There are also private dining rooms in case you are a larger group or celebrating!

WHAT’S ON OFFER?

Think a bounty of authentic, modern Asian cuisine, a glut of top quality ocean fresh seafood, an old-style roast carvery, sashimi and sushi station, Indian selection, Hainese chicken rice corner with its own expert chef, South American Parrilla Grill, handmade Chinese steamed buns, Dimsums galore, make your own salad bar, a huge Bagel selection (I encrusted mine with dill cream cheese and superbly grated cooked beetroot sharp with a wee bit of horseradish, the perfect bite, creamy and fresh all at once), fruits, juices, finest cheeses, cold cuts, breads, yogurts , eggs to order, pancakes, waffles …replete with live dramatic cooking stations, and an eye-popping milk bar to make any milk lover pinch themselves in disbelief. Oh, and did I mention they have got a fresh Sugar cane press? Anticipate sushi and sashimi, steamed dumplings and buns, noodle and rice dishes cooked to order, and the freshest seafood.

Come hungry. So kudos to lead chefs, Itthi Nitayaporn of Thailand, Jasvir Sanghera of Thailand and Watanabe Masayuki of Japan, who obviously know a thing or three about excellent, slightly off-piste textures and flavours and maintaining the perfect taste. Textures rule in dishes such the scramble egg, opt for one that gets chunky with salmon and covered in bonito flakes that wave in the heat. 

And then at the end see if you still have some room for dessert, and ask for the bill, and leave beaming promising to return very, very soon.

CHECK IT OUT

WHERE: Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park, 199 Sukhumvit Soi 22, Klong Ton, Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110, Thailand

bangkokmarriottmarquis.com

TEL: +66 (0) 2 059 5999

WEB:  www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bkkqp

EMAIL: restaurant-reservations.bkkqp@marriotthotels.com

VERDICT: I only tried the breakfast buffet out here, but from stylish breakfasts to high-flying lunches, exciting evening buffets to memorable family brunches, Goji Kitchen & Bar has something to suit all tastes and every occasion.

INTERNATIONAL GOURMET BUFFET PRICE

Breakfast buffet: THB 850++

Lunch buffet: THB 790++

Dinner buffet (Sunday – Thursday): THB 1,200++

Dinner buffet (Friday – Saturday): THB 1,800++

Sunday Brunch buffet (Sunday): THB 1,800++

BEVERAGE PACKAGE

Free flow fruit juices and soft drinks: THB 99++

Free flow fruit juices, soft drinks and beers: THB 499++

Free flow fruit juices, soft drinks and alcoholic beverage exclude champagne: THB 950++

JUST THE TWO OF US AT KOH SAMUI

This amazing coconut island of Thailand is fast becoming a tourist hotspot. What with the perfect white sandy beaches, turquoise waters, amazing local hospitality and exotic locales…it certainly is no surprise

To be greeted by the most beautiful airport in the world, it was indeed a good start for our second honeymoon. The airport is essentially entirely outdoors with the departure lounge being a nice little street of quaint shops and bars. And trust me tome is of little importance at Koh Samui from the moment you arrive at the terminal and breathe the frangipani-scented tropical air, you feel yourself slow down and relaxed, which is one of the best things about the island. There is an overriding tranquility that transforms tourists from stress-merchants into serene smiling beings and there is much to do in this natural wonderland. Set on the beautiful and unspoiled beach of Choeng Mon on the northeast coast of Samui was our Hotel Imperial Boathouse. Our every whim was catered by the very friendly and obliging staff, and with so many dining options we were spoiled for choice. One can never get bored here with a host of activities ranging from just cycling around the island, Pre-arranging a romantic candlelight barbeque in front of the sea at leisure; one can wine and dine with the sounds of the ocean under the moonlit sky. For the ultimate indulgence one can retire to one’s sun beds for dessert and coffee and saver the true evening sky.

TOUR AROUND THE ISLAND

We decided that we couldn’t just relax by the pool and on the beach every day so we agreed to take a tour together around the island.  I found the first stop a bit strange, though these bunch of rocks look really cool, by the sea. What's weird is that one rock formation resembles the make genitalia and a crevice in another looks like the female genitalia, hence it is named Grandpa and Grandma Rocks. Basically these are rock formations and if you use just a bit of imagination they look like the male and female genitals.  One of the stories about this place being two star crossed lovers who jumped off the cliff there and the only thing remaining were these organs.

Next stop was a temple monastery (Wat Khunaram) where a revered monk's mummified body is kept in a glass case in a meditative position. He has been believed to give up his body during meditation, having predicted his own time of death. It seems like it is not just a tourist attraction but also a shrine for locals. Interestingly there was also a pair of sunglasses put on the monks face. 

We also visited a coconut plantation where trained monkeys climb trees and pick the right coconuts. We then moved on to the  Elephant ride park and hiked on a  hilly trail that  ended at a water fall , where we also indulged in some local street food consisting of Som Tam and grilled duck….mama mia!

That last evening we just chilled in our boat house and ordered room service and I thought to myself “with spectacular views all across, there’s no better place than this to chill out and relax, enjoying the hospitality and tropical ambience of this friendly paradise”. Despite the island’s luxury trend, Samui still has something for every type of traveller on offer. There are bikini-clad, oil-slicked tourists, crowded beach areas where teenage boys peddle mangoes and coconuts, and noisy jet-skiers churning up whitewash on the clear waters.Koh Sumai sure is a melting pot where the past and the present are smoothly blended together, offers a rare beauty that will compel you to return to its shores time and time again….

TRAVEL PLANNER

Getting there: Fly Thai airways from Delhi to Bangkok, then either fly Bangkok Airways or Thai.

Visa Wise: You require a valid passport and Visa is available on arrival too.

Best Time to visit: It is an all year destination.

Currency:  Thai Baht. 1Thai Baht is equal to 1.55 INR

Wear Wise: Loose cotton clothes are essential.

Must Do: learn Thai cooking, Water activities, Elephant Trekking, Visit the snake farm,