For business and leisure travellers on a visit to the city and in quest of personalized experience along with a memorable culinary journey, Sarovar Portico Kolkata Rajarhat – the city’s newest four-star property is the ideal choice. The food court, Golpo showcases the culinary heritage of Bengal and Kolkata that is quite diverse with Chinese, Mughal, British and Marwari flavours.
Swaati Chaudhury
For travel buffs and gourmet lovers looking ahead for a novel culinary experience in a dose of serenity along with cosy comfort, there’s Sarovar Portico Kolkata Rajarhat, Tucked away in the Central Business District (CBD) of New Town-Rajarhat area, the upscale, 15-storied hospitality set-up opened its doors sometime on November 24, last year. Owned by the Jain Group and managed by Sarovar Hotels, the property is emerging popular among travellers and diners since inception.
It was a rare privilege for me to receive 24-hour staycation at this newly-opened property in early June, this year. The luxury hospitality provider is well-geared with 128 keys. After stepping into the property, I checked into one of those suites offered to me on the 10th floor. Equipped with two bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen, the suites are quite spacious and cosy. The upscale property is spread over 70,000 sq. ft area and has a banquet occupying an area of over 800 sq. ft. There’s Golpo, the all-day dining food outlet that implies conversation over food and guests gather to interact sharing anecdotes. The 100-seater cheery outlet has a refreshing ambience and offers a vibrant culinary experience that remains etched in the minds of diners.
It was past 2 PM and we began to feel our hunger pangs. Soon we came down on the ground floor and took our seats at Golpo for a sumptuous a la carte lunch. I began with a refreshing drink- Gondhoraj Ghol or buttermilk flavoured with “King of Lemons”. To begin with there were starters like Spring Rolls, Lotus Stem and Kolkata Cutlet that were served with condiments. For non-vegetarians, Prawn Cutlet and Diamond Fish Fry Burger were served. The main course had Kaju Kismis Pulau to be savoured with Baingan Sundari and Jhuri Aloo Bhaja. There were innumerable platters including Sona Moong Dal, Aloo Posta, Dhokar Dalna or Dhokla and chef’s signature dish- Paneer Paturi that certainly deserves mention. A festive Bengali delicacy, Paneer Paturi is cooked in banana leaf covering with a thick mustard paste. To round off the meal, we had Baked Rasgulla. The lunch served at Golpo captures the essence of Bengali cuisine in every bite. Hence one gets to explore Bengali cuisine through iconic dishes. Lunch is on from 12.00 PM to 3.00 PM. and soon we made our way into our room for the evening nap.
After dozing off for a couple of hours, I geared up for dinner. The buffet dinner spread out at Golpo comprised an indulgent selection of dishes like appetisers and desserts. The salad section was quite extensive with dishes like green salad, fruit salad, Papri Chaat, Khimchi, Devil Egg Salad and Raita. I started off with Cream of Spinach Soup and savoured Vegetable Spring Roll and the spicy Rajma Tikka that was quite unique. I preferred to have Punjabi dishes in the main course with Masala Kulcha that goes down well with Achari Baingan, Paneer Lababdar and Aloo Methi. Having said this, there was Vegetarian Mongolian Noodles. Most of the dishes were appetising. At the end, I gave in to the temptation for having desserts like Gulab Jamun, Chocolate Pastry and Vanilla Pastry.
Dinner is from 7.30 PM to 10.30 PM and the buffet charges are Rs 1,199 for an adult exclusive of taxes.
The next day early morning, I captured some good views of the property and geared up for the buffet breakfast that is on from 7.30 AM to 10.30 AM. The buffet breakfast was quite comprehensive with both South Indian and North Indian platters dominating the table. As usual, I decided to sample Idli and Masala Dosa with Sambhar and Chutney. Add to these, there were other delights like Medu Vada and Vermicelli Upma. Diners also had the choice to pick up Daliya, Poori with Aloo Methi ki Subzi and the Rajasthani Khasta Kachori and Phirni. The beverage and bakery section had Croissants, tea cakes and Muffins. Besides, there were other options like juice section, fruits and flavoured yogurt. Hence it is a novel experience for diners. The breakfast is pegged at Rs 499 per person plus taxes.
According to Kenneth Scott, General Manager, Sarovar Portico Kolkata, “Our property is incidentally the third venture of Sarovar Hotels in the Eastern region next to Siliguri and Ranchi. Our hotel is in the midst of CBD and is at a proximal distance from the Information Technology hub and Fin Tech. It is at a distance of 11 km from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. The New Town area has emerged as a corporate hub in Kolkata. Being an upscale business hotel, our strategy lies in attracting the business class of travellers. Very soon, we will roll out our gym sometime in June, this year. We are planning to come up with a bar in the next six months. We are also looking ahead to set up a banquet hall spanning 2,200 sq. ft area within a period of six months.” As of now, Sarovar Hotels has 140 operational hotels in the mid-market, budget and five-star category across the country. The key feeder markets of the hospitality player are New Delhi- NCR, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.
The hospitality giant is spread over 85 destinations in India, Nepal and Africa. Scott explained, “During pre-pandemic times, Sarovar Hotels had a tie-up with Peerless Inn Group. The tie-up period came to an end in 2017 and since Sarovar Hotels intended to venture out in the city once again, it teamed up with Jain Group. Our remarkable feature forms our location and our hotel is at a distance of 2 km from Biswa Bangla Convention Centre. The Coffee House menu on offer at Golpo entices the younger generation. Our hotel is at a proximal distance to the multitude of sights like Eco Town, Rabindra Tirtha, Nazrul Tirtha, Vivek Tirtha or Ramakrishna Mission Centre for Human Excellence and Social Sciences and Mother’s Wax Museum. With generations X, Y and Z preferring sustainability, our hotel prides in its sustainability factor.”
The property is committed to sustainability and responsible hospitality. “We strive to reduce our environmental impact making use of energy-efficient systems, eco-friendly amenities and thoughtful resource management. Our journey towards sustainability is a continuous process and we are actively exploring novel ways to enhance our green initiatives like integration of solar energy, advanced waste segregation and recycling and use of biodegradable products in our hotel. Plans are on to minimise single-use plastic materials and increase digital solutions in order to reduce paper usage,” informed Scott.
So where does the property stand in the hospitality scene of the city two years down the line. “Our property will be more established and the business hub will prosper with other hotels coming up two years on. We are eyeing occupancy of 58 per cent in the first year and our occupancy level would cross 70 per cent in the next couple of years,” quipped Kenneth Scott.
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