Onboard Maharajas’ Express, Executive Chefs Savour Indian Food

JAIPUR:
Finally, they got the ‘Maharaja’ treatment they so richly deserved. Working in the relative obscurity of kitchens in heavily guarded palaces and mansions of kings, prime ministers and presidents, top executive chefs from across the globe were treated as royal guests onboard the Maharajas’ Express, a stellar product of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) having the brand image of the world’s most luxurious train.
The cuisine powerhouses — chefs to the high and the mighty like US President Barack Obama, British Queen Elizabeth II, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, French President François Hollande, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, among others — had a whale of a time onboard the train, known for its regal opulence, elegant tapestries, great cuisines, and unmatched hospitality.
Seventeen of the 24 executive chefs, who are grouped in Paris-based ‘Le Club des Chefs des Chefs’ (CCC), are in India for the 39th annual general assembly of the most exclusive gastronomical club comprising chefs to Heads of State across the world. The lunch on the train was part of their week-long sojourn to the country.
“We are extremely proud and privileged to host the celebrated executive chefs onboard the Maharajas’ Express, which is swathed in history and where luxury is at your command. Our foremost objective is to treat them to multi-cuisine flavours of India and also a slice of India’s imperial history showcased in the train,” said Dr. A K Manocha, Chairman and Managing Director, IRCTC.
“It needs some dexterity to cook international standard dishes in the moving train as it trundles through its journey of some of the finest tourist destinations in the country. The chefs on the train have just been doing that immaculately,” he added.
The menu for the guests included chilled honey and chicken salad, Bruschetta with Greek salad and soup for appetizer. For the main course, there were Irish lamb stew with Pilaf rice, Pasta Con Zucchini, Chicken Tikka Masala and Bharwan Paneer Kofta Curry. As for the dessert, they had the option of Double Ka Meetha (Indian version of bread and butter pudding), mango Mousse and ice cream with toppings.
The chefs were unanimously effusive in their praise of food. “We have had food in top hotels in the world, but the food in this train beats them all. The cuisines we had onboard the Maharajas’ Express was the right mix of what it should be,” they said.
They also thanked the staff and chefs of the train ‘for serving to the world’s best chefs from different places of the world in the most incredible way of India.’ “Thank you is a small word for the team members of the Maharajas’ Express. You are the pride of the country. You are incredible. You are my pride,” they wrote in the Visitors’ Book.
Mark Flanagan, Chef to the Queen of the United Kingdom, was floored by the train’s grandeur
. He said he would impress upon the royal members to have a ride on the Maharajas’ Express.
Equally impressed with the train was Christian Garcia, Chef to Prince Albert II of Monaco. “The royal family is travelling to India in December and I will make it a point to tell them to enjoy its ride,” he said.
“There was a lot of excitement and merriment as the executive chefs soaked themselves in the royal ambience of the train. And they did enjoy the cuisines prepared by the experienced chefs of the train, which boasts of a state of the art kitchen car,” said the General Manager on board the Maharajas’ Express who accompanied the guests.
The train has a state-of-the-art kitchen car and is equipped to prepare a variety of Indian and international cuisines, including Rajasthani, Mughlai, Chinese, North Indian and continental. The kitchen has a staff strength of nine, headed by Executive Chef John Stone. The cuisines served on board include lactose- and gluten-free meals, Kosher meal, Jain meal, non-vegetarian and vegetarian meals and vegan meal.
The 23-coach Maharajas’ Express currently runs on five routes with choices of 7 Nights/8 Days and 3 Nights/4 Days itineraries. The trips cover destinations like Agra, Jaipur, Ranthambore, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Balasinor, Ajanta, Gwalior, Khajuraho, Varanasi and Lucknow.
The train, which began its inaugural journey in 2010, is a winner of the Leading Luxury Train of the World Award for four years on the trot. It has state of the art features with in-room temperature control, on-board water filtration plant, spacious cabin sizes, two bar-cum-lounges, two restaurants and an onboard team to cater to expectations of guests from across the world.
The Presidential Suite, elegantly furnished with two attached baths, a living cum dining room and two bedrooms, costs USD23,700 per person for an eight-night seven-day journey.
The visiting chefs are in India on the invitation of Chef Mont
u Saini, Executive Chef to President Pranab Mukherjee, and also a member of the elite club. Among them are Ms Cristeta Comerford, chef of the US President; Neil Dhawan, chef of the Prime Minister of Canada; Mark Flanagan, Chef to the Queen of the United Kingdom; Bernard Vaussion, Chef to the French President; and Ulrich Kerz, Chef to the German Chancellor.
It is the group’s first meeting in India since its inception in 1977 in Paris by French chef Gilles Bragard.