A buffet is always a safe bet for group outings though holidays at resorts or cruises with buffet tables groaning with similar looking and tasting food is beyond depressing. So it was with mixed feelings I headed to CUR8 at Four Seasons Hotel in Hebbal, where there are buffets for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as an expansive Sunday brunch buffet.
We visited CUR8 for dinner after watching a lovely musical. Would the high after the musical be tamped down or soar higher after the meal at CUR8? The name is supposed to echo a curated meal and 8 is for the address of the hotel — 8 Bellary Road, yes another address-themed name.
One of the fun things about CUR8 are the different islands for live stations. It makes a nice change from rows of platters with glass lids kept on warmers with gravy-slick ladles on the side. After ogling at the custom-designed charcoal grill pit, the ginormous pizza oven and the bakery counter, we get down to the serious business of negotiating this land of milk and honey.
Menus that run into many pages are intimidating. Ditto for buffets with a zillion choices. We are, however, helped by the smiling wait staff. We start as always with salad. Since I am in a quinoa frame of mind, I go for the quinoa salad and old favourite tomato and feta. There is also sea bass and prawn on the salad counter, which my companion enjoys.
Starters include tandoori pomfret, chicken, paneer and vegetable tikki — all of which deliver on their promise. The pizza deserves a special mention. The oven with wooden logs stacked around it, reminded me of a mystery novel (must have been an Agatha Christie) where the will or some crucial piece of evidence is hidden in the wood pile — one of the logs is hollow.
Instead of the all-important clue, I chose a Margherita and was quite happy with my decision — who wants to solve a whodunnit when one can indulge in a wonderful pizza. Tomato, buffalo mozzarella and basil leaves on a crisp, thin crust was as much fun as a demonstration of Sherlock Holmes’ display of preternatural intelligence in solving the riddle of the dancing men or orange pips. Incidentally there is also a sourdough option for the pizza.
- No. 8, Bellary Rd, Dena Bank Colony, Ganganagar
- 45222222
- Hits: Pizza, steak, dal CUR8
- Meal for one: ₹1,250 (breakfast), ₹1,350 (lunch) ₹1,650 (dinner)
For the main course, my companion had already decided he wanted to have a steak and so steak it was from the grill section. Well done, the charcoal grill added that irresistible smoky flavour to the crisp and juicy steak, which stood up to the Cypher test. Remember the traitor in The Matrix who chooses the simulation of a juicy steak to Morpheus’ portentous mumbling?
We tried the tiniest portions of Indian dishes, including the usual suspects of paneer labadar, subz meloni, soya mattar and many rotis and naans. Dal CUR8 was brilliant as was the raita with burnt cumin seeds. Desserts were competent and included chocolate mousse, Paris donut, berry tart and my super favourite lemon tart.
Pleasantly full we staggered out, with the high from the musical soaring on the gentle swell of good taste.
