Chenaab: The scam festival @ Zaman, Ista, Bangalore.

The fancy north Indian restuarant Zaman, in Ista, Bangalore - recently announced a "Punjabi Food Festival" called Chenaab. This has been running since 18th or 19th of April to 26th April '08.

It has been one of the heavily publicised food festivals in recent times. Notice that I say - publicised and not advertised. I can't recall seeing even one advertisement for the event. But Times Of India has been carrying news and listing of the food festival every single day - starting 2 days prior to the start of the festival.

There have been nice page 3 news items on how the Bangalore Page 3 regulars met there and danced to Punjabi tunes and really enjoyed a great Punjabi meal and so on. There was even a write up with quotes from a manager of the hotel on how they had quite a cool thing going on.

Well, I bit the bait.

And went there yesterday - April 24 2008. For dinner.

And boy, if there ever was a scam of a food festival - this was one. It was an expensive, stupid and anonymous north Indian meal. Thats it. No flavours of Punjab anywhere.

They had a measly food menu with not more that 6 starters listed - including all categories - vegetarian, red meat, chicken and fish! It was the same for the rest of the menu. The special Punjabi menu of Zaman did NOT have tandoori rotis in their menu.

Food Festival - so where was the food? Where was the introduction these festivals normally make to a whole exciting world of flavours and tastes of a cuisine? The food menu was so small and boring that the average Punjabi restuarant around town would have come out a winner in a comparison!

The food preparation, serving style was all boring and same old same old. And of course, no new gastronomic experience to be had - so sublime or exciting trip to the taste buds here.

No attempt to create any mood of the festival - that was so heavily talked about to the press.

OK - the lilting Punjabi music? The zesty bhangra tunes? Nopes.. no such luck! There was a bad bad speaker sound system - which was set so that the songs sung would sound like they were coming from the next building! And there was some singers - local no doubt - who sang some really bad ghazals. And they tried their hand at a couple of Punjabi songs and quickly gave up!

Decor? Nothing - it was the same old same old Zaman.

So where was the festival? It was not there in the food, sound, sights or smells! Least of all in the service. Such good looking waiters - all hiding boredom and robotic in their movements.

What a scam Chenaab was! Why did Ista even bother with this?

Get a lot of press and not live up to the built expectation? Where do they think their money will come from? The Page 3 regulars and the Times Of India - or the greater numbers of Bangalore Janata which is willing to pay a lot for a paisa vasool dining experience?

Don't they realize they have more custom to lose than gain with such half hearted attempts? Bangalore - has so much of food choices - how many will come back to get fleeced at a place like that - which can't deliver what it promises?

I have been to so many food festivals in Bangalore for the past 10 years and this festival "Chenaab" in Zaman, Ista has been by far the worst.

One of the best in the business of fine dining is F&B's Bouquet. Their food selection is amazing, fantastic service. Zaman is not even half as classy as Bouquet. Bouquet right now has undergone a subtle makeover in sync with the season - summer colors, different menu and generally a lighter and more fun atmosphere.. without missing a step and losing a drop of their class. Zaman could pick a lesson from them!