Two Kolkata restaurants are part of the massive culinary contingent serving food at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s pre-wedding celebrations in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
The Blue Poppy and Sienna, both awarded three stars at Culinary Culture’s ‘Ultimate Restaurant Ratings’ last month, will showcase Bengal’s flavours at the after-party in Reliance Greens on Sunday, March 3.
Sienna, known for telling the story of Bengal through its food and craft, will highlight the diverse flavours of Bengal, both traditional and contemporary. The Blue Poppy will serve Tibetan delicacies, including momos.
The guest list for the three-day high-profile pre-wedding celebrations include celebrities and personalities like Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Rihanna, Ivanka Trump, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, among others.
“We received a call about a month ago and were invited to prepare Tibetan delicacies, including momos, for the event. They requested us to put up seven counters,” said Doma Wang, on the phone from Jamnagar. Wang and her team of seven, including son Sachiko Seth and business head Manisha Sangma, were busy prepping on Saturday.
Doma Wang and the Blue Poppy team at the Kolkata airport
According to sources, around 1,200 guests are expected at the after-party of the wedding of billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s son. To cater to the numbers, five tents housing large makeshift kitchens have been set up, with one tent alone having chefs cooking around 9-10 cuisines. There are chefs from London, Sri Lanka and Dubai among other countries.
Gracing the counters will not only be momos but also shaphaley, Sadeko Wai Wai “for something crunchy and chatpata”, TBP’s famous fried prawn balls – Doma’s father’s recipe – alongside Kolkata-style chowmein and chilli chicken, and prawn chips from Sing Cheung in Kolkata’s Tiretti Bazar.
There’s a special entry too! “We’ve added ema datshi and red rice to the menu, which is Deepika Padukone’s favourite dish. It’s our homage to her, as well as the King and Queen of Bhutan, who will be attending. We hope that they will try it!” said Doma. Out of the kitchen team’s total 110kg of luggage, which included ingredients, sauces, steamers, knives and more, approximately 20kg was red rice sourced from Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.
‘We’ve added ema datshi and red rice to the menu, which is Deepika Padukone’s favourite dish. It’s our homage to her, as well as the King and Queen of Bhutan,’ said Wang
ShutterstockWith so many chefs under one roof, it’s a great opportunity to learn from each other. “Representing Kolkata, and Tibetan cuisine, at this wedding fills Team Blue Poppy with pride. Personally, I’m thrilled at the prospect of celebrities enjoying my food. I used to jokingly ask my friend at Anamika Khanna’s store to let me know if Sonam Kapoor ever visited so I could surprise her with my momos. Now, the idea of cooking for her feels surreal!” said Sachiko.
While the internet has been abuzz with Rihanna’s performance at the pre-wedding function in Jamnagar, the chefs, like silent guardians, have remained steadfastly focused on their culinary duties. “We haven’t had a chance to step outside; it’s been busy non-stop,” Sachiko noted.
In the spirit of Rihanna’s famous song, it’s been all about work, work, work, work, work!
