The Taj hotels in the city are always decked up for the season. And when it’s Valentine’s Day, the hotels are primed and ready for love.
The Vivanta by Taj on MG Road features specials in all their main restaurants, Cafe Mozaic and the fine dining restaurants Memories of China and the plush Graze.
Café Mozaic features musicians who will serenade diners by the pool, who are served up Valentine-special cocktails. Live cooking stations feature chefs displaying their culinary skills, live. The spread includes grilled vegetables or meat, pastas and risotto or a selection of Indian curries. The meal is priced at a reasonable Rs.5,000 per couple and is open from 7.30 pm to 11.30 pm.
Graze, the tony Euro restaurant with the Italian bias, is best known for its foie gras and lobster bisque, (which incidentally is fresh lobster, tobiko, mascarpone and cognac, slow cooked over 48 hours). In a tribute to true spirit of the day, the restaurant will serve a 5-course aphrodisiac menu Graze offers a great ambience and a meal for two is priced at Rs. 6,000.
From the populace of mass love, Memories of China serves an oriental dining extravaganza with live cooking stations, with the chefs performing behind the giant wok cooking dishes like tossed scallops with homemade XO sauce, dimsums like deep fried shrimp roll, Chicken in Tong Sauce, peking duck and the thankfully obligatory glutinous rice desserts or deep fried sesame dumpling with Ferrero Rocher chocolate.
And down the lobby across from “Memories of…” is Sugar & Spice. Right from the 5th (and up to the 14th) this patisserie has been serving up heart shaped cakes, chocolates, cookies and gift hampers, chilli chocolates, macarons and “Viennoiseries” like muffins, Danish pastries… even masala croissants.
Resource: Vivanta by Taj, +91-80-6660-4444
Valentine’s Day Out At The West End
There’s something about this oldest of all hotels, and the example of luxury hospitality. It’s a destination - once you visit, there’s little reason to leave. And that’s probably why the hotel celebrates Valentine’s Day as, well, a day. They have laid out a plan for the entire day.
The day begins with “Breakfast under the Raintree”; at a 150-year old café overlooks Reginae, the oldest Block in the premises. What’s new however are the freshly squeezed fruit juice, sliced fruit and an assortment of muffins, pastries & doughnuts.
And after the breakfast is the possibility of a couples’ massage at the renowned spa -Jiva Grande, and they will administer an aromatic footbath with Sushupti, which a massage which massages the scalp and the mind. And just as Cleopatra did there’s a bath in nourishing raw milk, enhanced with rose essence and rose petals. And although the hotel is set in a horticultural paradise, there are no asps.
But there’s a walking tour of this 20-acre landscaped gardens and they call it “A Walk to Remember”, and it includes a showcase of the hotels’ colonial heritage of 125 years. And there’s champagne.
But in the ultimate romance there’s “Dinner under the Stars” set amidst in the lawns of Mynt. Beneath the deep blue starlit sky the hotel features a bespoke menu. The hotel says that this setting is the place to propose. The dinner is priced at Rs.15,000 per couple.
Resource: The Taj West End, +91-80-6660-5660
At The Gateway, You Can Be The Chef
They say that a way to a man’s heart is through this stomach and the woman’s heart is by doing the dishes, but The Gateway on Residency Road offers wooing couples the opportunity to do the dish. At the all-day diner, one (or both) of the romancing couples can join the chef in cooking their meal. There’s libation - wine and bubbly. Rs.2999 per couple does not seem unreasonable.
But the hotel understand the entire day is special and rather than balefully muck about a mall all day, couples can spend the day at the hotel in a luxurious room. As part of the package they will throw in an entry to a bash at Sphyre with DJ music unlimited drinks and a dinner buffet. The day package costs Rs. 11,750
The hotel says Sphyre features a masquerade party and features international DJ Breger, Co-Founder of Beat plantation Music festival in Essen, Germany and Resident DJ of Elektrotribe & Tonkind Party in Berlin.
Resource: The Gateway Hotel Residency Road: +91-80-6660 4545
And off the city centre are two other Vivanta by Taj hotels - out east in Whitefield and out west in Yeshwantpur. And both are Valentine’s-ready.
Vivanta by Taj Whitefield
Latitude has become a popular Whitefield destination for Sunday brunch. They’re whipping up a cupid theme in setting overlooking the pool, with a three course menu and it includes a glass of wine for each person. It’s priced at INR 4,000 per couple.
And there’s the Love In The Air set at the Skywalk, al fresco deep under the stars. The menu is curated by the hotel chefs and the evening costs Rs 12,000.
Resource: Vivanta by Taj Whitefield: +91-80 6693 3333
Vivanta by Taj Yeshwantpur
There’s a romantic experience under one of the oldest banyan trees in Bangalore. Lovers (on Valentine’s Day, everyone is a lover) wlll be welcomed with red roses, chocolates and a glass of champagne. The evening features a degustation menu by Chef Uddipan Chakravarthy. Priced at Rs 7, 999 per couple, couples can win spa treatments and hotel-wide discounts.
The restuarant Azure features a candlelit dinnerwith a special menu that includes Lebanese, Mediterranean and Italian flavors. The evening is priced at Rs.4000 per couple.
And there’s the party. Shimmer offers a DJ performance and selected array of drinks. The hotel says they welcome singles. They say Cupid might do this thing on you. One never knows. Singles Night is priced at 1299 per head.
Resource: Vivanta by Taj Yeshwantpur: +91 80 6690 0111.