Home Ground

In the midst of that extrinsic horde of the IT capital, there is a ‘Grand’ filled with abode-like peace. Isn’t that the feeling a rusher would always chase? Located in the Malleswaram-Rajajinagar area of Bengaluru, Sheraton Grand at Brigade Gateway recently celebrated its one year anniversary of being entitled as the Grand. ‘I remember I was happy for 2-3 days when we won the title as I have seen the hotel grow since it came into existence’, says Mr Saurabh Bakshi, General Manager of Sheraton Grand Bangalore.

DNA TO DOERS

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The foremost calibre of a home is that it never allows you to feel incomplete from any viewpoint. The team at Sheraton Grand Bangalore efficiently takes care of those minute details for you. ‘When we opened, we successfully stood by our DNA which was warm, connected and community but recently Sheraton as a brand has been given a lot of emphasis as the focus of Starwood and the words have changed to action, empowerment and inspiration’, Mr Bakshi shares as he describes the fundamentals of their triumphant beginnings. From their beautifully sized presidential suites to the aptly faceted private suites, the interiors are creatively elemented and accessorized keeping in touch with the client’s needs and perspective. It holds together 230 guest rooms and suites, Shine spa for Sheraton, Feast, Sheraton Fitness at pool-side, Club Lounge at sixteenth floor, Bene, board rooms, 21,000 square feet of banqueting space capable of catering for up to a thousand people and is backed by the latest in technology, and much more. Along with their pool view rooms and lavish ambience, there exists a ‘hidden fourth floor’ that usually visitors tend to skip because of their tight schedule but while contemplating the Persian terrace, we wondered how can anybody afford to miss the view, the feel, as they say, ‘what was hidden and what was missed, was the beauty designed to be cherished.’

When it comes to the alluring treat for both taste buds and eyes, the kitchens at Sheraton Grand might become your ideal hub for food. You can effortlessly afford to dedicate your entire day to these palettes and you still won’t get tired of admiring the artistic love of chefs for their creations. An early breakfast at Feast is taken care by Chef Saravanan Subramani and Chef Arnab while Mr Shibu Jacob, Restaurant Manager walks you through the pre-eminent quality of what is being served. It doesn’t matter from which side of the world you are because chef has already made the spices blend as per your tongue, be it something as fancy as customised pizza or as homely as homemade pickles like garlic and tomato pickle, homemade lemon pickle. Nothing ever could bring us as close to quinoa as chef’s roasted flax seeds and quinoa chat with mixed greens. While you are at it, you might want to give a try to their Tawa fish with garlic spinach with green papaya chutney, mini tiffin, mini South Indian thali and much more but the dessert you can’t miss, coconut and chocolate lava cake is from another land as the texture and the smoothness accented by coconut will not let you get over the taste for a while.

You might prefer to take a stroll before your champagne brunch at club lounge because we don’t think you would agree on missing anything out of the menu. A not-so-regular listing of dishes are only open to the club members on request. Ever thought of adding champagne to your bowl of fruits, coalesce of champagne stewed exotic fruits; frozen Greek yogurt with granola crunch will wake you up real nice. If you enjoy vegetarian, spinach and corn roulade with ricotta sauce might come an interesting choice to continue with. You might decide to miss the rest if chef brings out his granny smith and mint sorbet because this cold apple and mint based dessert melts in mouth like a frozen cotton candy.

Beyond that after taste of champagne, there lies a Bene for lunch. Chef Giuseppe Lioce will never give you a reason to pass by. While you enjoy those Italian flavours in your plate, you won’t only be feeling the mix of everything but also the individual taste of most of the ingredients. Being one of the most experimental and passionate chef in the hotel, Chef Lioce makes you fall in love with the soul of food he introduces. From the vintage Italian kitchen of the chef, you are not relishing on the regular Italian goat cheese, breads and olive oil, it’s a tasteful combination of naturally fermented bread with the 20 years old olive oil. The herbs coming to your table are not out of the fridge, they are straight out of the Bene garden right outside Bene. You begin with the Risotto fritter, stuffed with seasonal vegetables, Mediterranean herbs; papa al pomodoro finished with fresh burrata foam and crispy Italian bread, and end it with one of the fleshiest dessert ever–Vanilla sponge flavoured with orange rum, stuffed with ricotta cheese and Belgium chocolate, covered with plastic sugar and served with amaretto liquors ice cream.

Remember that hidden floor we talked about? That’s where you’ll encounter Arabian Desert safari along with the smoking cocktails. Supper in a private kabanah with the perfection of goat cheese crumbed with roasted quinoa, Meigoo Kebab-prawns marinated in zesty saffron paste accompanied by champagne pearl smoking cocktail might be enthralling enough for you to skip the main course but if you manage to go through the entire meal, you’ll experience the authenticity of the Persian grills in the palettes presented.

Turning long hours into a happening night, HIGH Ultra Lounge is a prime choice to seize the day. Chef Myo Aung’s amalgamation of food with mesmerising cocktails like Unfinished Business with tequila, coffee liquor and sweet vermouth as its ingredients, will keep you hooked on to the next mix. And even when you are not interested in drinks, the lights and the view of Bengaluru from thirty-first floor of the building are strong enough to help you feel tipsy. If you are a fan of that bittersweet concoction, as you head back to your comfy bed don’t forget to savour the gripping mixture of coffee, amarula with milk and cream as your sleeping pill.

CLOSET FULL OF COMFORTS

It doesn’t count if you are a yoga person or not but when it is planned by the pool-side with Mr Mahesh Lal, it’s a yes for everyone. Followed by the signature spa at Shine–Shine massage enhanced by the scent of Lavender essential oil, the pressure is carefully watched according to the client preference and coherently executed. A covered bridge connecting the hotel to the mall makes it comfortable for the visitors to shop.

HEART OF THE HOUSE

‘There’s a backhouse, we call it the ‘heart of the house’, that’s where our heart lies, that’s where I maintain everything from because if you don’t have a beautiful heart of the house, it makes no point of having a luxurious front of the house’, apprises Mr Bakshi as he walks us through the back of the hotel. With an exquisite collection of the team’s memories weaved together over the years, the area covered various departments and hygienic kitchens leading up to the Feast.

‘The pressure is to maintain the empowerment of The Grand where change plays an important role. And the beauty in all of it is, if somebody else asks you to accept the change, you might end up defining it as pressure. But if you yourself try to welcome the evolution, it won’t be painful anymore, you’ll fall in love with it’, Mr Bakshi concludes as he signs off.