UC Show Banglore 2011

The UpperCrust Show Rocks Bangalore

Moving from Bombay’s heat to Bangalore’s perfect weather was how it all began for UpperCrust as it embarked on its second journey to the Garden city for another glorious show.

None other than the UpperCrust Food & Wine Show. Sunny mornings and wintry evenings created the right atmosphere to present a tableau which took Bangalore by storm. The show, a tremendous success, proved to be just the thing to make the weekend an eventful one for the Bangaloreans; food lovers, ever more so.

Once again, the beautiful expanse of The Lalit Ashok, the ever-so gracious host, worked as centre-stage for the three-day event, from 23rd-25th September. Having already experienced the vibrancy of an UpperCrust event, the hotel, under the guidance of General Manager, Amit Samson and the much-loved Executive Chef, Nimish Bhatia, was all geared up, as also the regular patrons, who were excitedly awaiting the next three days. The media coverage, largely owing to partners, 92.7 FM, Time Out Bengaluru and Tulleeho Wine Academy had already stirred a pulsating air, which ultimately came to define the Bangalore show; a pleasant mix of calm and an easy flow of visitors, an infectious smile on each of their faces. This time, the advent of dogs & more, our prized dog magazine rendered the new touch and was an instant hit. Who knew there was a dog lover in most foodies!

To set us in motion, the super stylish chief guests, fashion gurus, Sanchita Ajjampur, Manoviraj Khosla and Prasad Bidapa lit the ceremonial lamp. As they entered the expo centre, our celebrities were taken around by Farzana Contractor while exhibitors put on their best show. Big names in the hospitality industry, from food suppliers to vintners, equipment manufacturers and of course, the customary UpperCrust stalls, also inclusive of Fine Foods merged to create a visitor’s delight.

Guests went about sampling several goodies and left with bags full, some confident of making it all the three days. And who could blame them! If not for the exhibition, then guests were most certainly to return for the delicious spread courtesy the

UpperCrust food court set up on the lawns, from which tantalising aromas would waft throughout. Those responsible for the said aromas were Lalit’s very own Oko and Baluchi, which produces the most succulent Reshmi kebabs, Zuri’s Incanto and Sake, Copper Chimney and in true UpperCrust style, a wine stall by Nine Hills. If one wished to cool off, golas and innovative chaats by Gangotree were the best option. Then again, if guests were looking for something a little more on the entertainment side, then the UpperCrust cookery demonstrations were obviously scheduled for them. This time’s line-up saw a myriad of very talented chefs dole out their specialities. There was in-house Chef Mani Pathak with Healthy Eating, Chef Zahir Khan of Punjab

Grill, with North Indian cuisine, Chefs Mohit Bhargava and Thom Thong, from the Leela Palace on Pan-Asian cuisine, a sinful demo on pastries by Chef Anurag Barthwal of Oberoi, one on Italian cuisine by Chef Giovanni Battista of Zuri, South Indian cuisine by Chef George Jayasurya of ITC, Windsor, the delightful Cheese Delights demo by Chef Mako Ravindran of Go, Weber’s ‘License to Grill’ by the admired Chef Abhijit Saha of Caperberry, and Chef Sandeep Biswas of Ista delivered one on Modern Indian cuisine. Now this is what we call learning the fun way!

There’s just something about the show that gets the food lover’s senses all heightened and an air of anticipation runs through. Yes, it’s none other than the Celebrity Chefs Mystery Basket Cookery Contest, where the participants have no clue what they’ll be working with (Cambay Tiger Prawns was the secret this year) and yet produce some of the finest dishes at the end of it all. Amidst the tension and excitement, coming more from the hyped-up audience, the chefs, geared up to start a fire. The crowd cheered on and placed their bets, choosing from the gifted

chefs – Sanjay Tyagi, Jaydeep Patil, Rana Gomes, Yu Hing Tham and Subodh Goyal. The esteemed judges – last year’s winner, Chef Abhijit Saha, Chef Nimish Bhatia, Bangalore’s culinary renowned, Suresh Hinduja and Farzana Contractor were presented the dishes, and they put their tastebuds into action only to realise what a difficult task they had ahead of them. But a winner must be chosen! And the prize goes to…Chef Yu Hing Tham of Republic of Noodles with his claim to fame, Barbecued Prawns with soy and mustard honey, glazed crispy onion and garlic with chocolate. And the lucky chef got a chance to treat his family to three blissful days at ITC Mughal, Agra.

As always, the best is reserved for last. The Grape Crushing festival, this time by Nine Hills was enjoyment exemplified. With the latest tunes being belted out, guests, especially the saree-clad ones, were stomping away to glory. Three vats were full of happy faces, laughter, and loads of rich red grapes being squished.

Bangalore beckoned and UpperCrust went running! Three days of elaborate detail, fun and delicious food and wine and another year of success. All that’s left to do now is savour the moment and get ready for a hat trick.