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Indo Pak
Halal Food &Tandoori Opening Cermony at Crowne Plaza Norwest Sydney
(Coverage
By: Syed Zafar Hussain, Editor-in-Chief Sada-e-Watan Sydney)
Crowne Plaza Nowest Sydney, 26th March –
Tandoori Tables at Whispers was inaugurated at a gala opening ceremony here at
Crowne Plaza, Norwest in the final hours to sunset. To celebrate the
inauguration of the special section of the renowned in-house restaurant, Crowne
Plaza’s Whispers, eminent members of the society descended at the magnificent
venue to join the celebrations. Mr. Amit Dasgupta, Consul General of India, Mr.
Hamid Asghar Consul of Pakistan and legendary singer Gurdas Mann were chief
guests at the august occasion.
The Tandoori Tables section of the restaurant was decorated by Taj Mahal
Interiors. The decor truly was a reflection of an exquisite culture. With the
wall bearing a crafty sketch of the iconic Taj Mahal, the get-up added to the
inimitable Indian dining experience. The duo of Mr. and Mrs. Tahir were
responsible for the embellishment of the section. Mr. Tahir explained, “It took
us two weeks just to weave the arch to the section out of pearls. We wanted the
interiors to be elegant and graceful.” Specifically, these were the very words
which could be overheard amongst the busy chatter of the excited attendees
describing their first impressions.
The arriving guests were welcomed in the courtyard with canapés and drinks.
The smell of nascence still wafting in the air along with floating aroma of the
cuisines served also appetizers for the awaiting guests. With prompt service, it
was warm hospitality and punctuality at its absolute best, as the serving staff
appeared and disappeared from and into the double doors of the kitchen which
concealed the place where the expert chefs conjured up their specialties.
Like clockwork the Mr Dasgupta arrived sharp at six thirty and was followed by a
string of dignitaries. Mr Gurdas Mann, who came in from an earlier commitment,
arrived in the nick of time. At 1915 hrs with blinding flashes from cameras, the
chief guests severed the red ribbon to declare the Tandoori Tables at Whispers
officially open.
Once the guests settled down, Dr Shaukat Javed welcomed and acknowledged
all the VIPs who took out time from their busy schedules, with special mentions
to Counselor of Pakistan
Consulate Sydney Mr. Hamid Asghar, Consul General of India
Mr. Dasgupta, Mr and Mrs Gurdas Maan, Mr. Jeffries, Shire Councilor and his wife
Amanda, Mr and Mrs Tuggart and Mr. Nash Patel.
Mr Dasgupta had to leave shortly after this because of his prior commitments,
but before he left he was generous enough to spare a few words. When asked what
his favourite cuisine was, he promptly replied, “Bengali”. “I love to eat and
love to have people over every now and then”, he said, when asked to express his
love for food.
Entrées which consisted a range of special Indian snacks, were served shortly
after. This was followed by beautiful dance sequence by Junita and Jennie on a
medley of hit bollywood numbers and the girls from the Nupur Dance School held
the audience captive with their mesmerising performance.
After the performance, Dr Shaukat Javed introduced the Norwest Crowne Plaza’s
Managing Director, Mr. Minhas Zulfiqar, and his abettor, General Manager, Mr
Brian McHenry. Described as a man of great compassion, Mr Zulfiqar upheld the
Tandoori Tables at Whispers as his dream. Mr Zulfiqar then introduced Mr Jim
Taggart. Mr Taggart, owner of The Taggart Group Pty Ltd, is a man of great
credentials and the list of his achievements run into multiple pages. Mr
Zulfiqar and Mr McHenry acknowledged Mr Taggart’s contribution in helping
Tandoori Tables become a reality with a gift of precious marble as a token of
appreciation.
This was followed by melodious hindi melodies before the guests were finally
instructed to ‘attack’ the buffet dinner by Mr. Zulfiqar. On the buffet table
were variety of salads, pastas, along with mouth watering preparations with the
likes of Kashmiri Mixed Vegetable Korma, Vegetable Biryani, Naans which shared
the space with all time favourites like Dal Makhni and Butter Chicken. Mango
Kulfi and cream was served as the dessert of the evening much to the delight of
the guests.
So how was the dining experience? “It was a fabulous experience. I am truly
honoured to be here in such august company. I enjoyed every bit of it!” said Mr.
Gurdas Mann. “Top notch premium quality food and a cosy atmosphere!” exclaimed
Mr Hamid Asghar. “Freshness in every bite, a refreshing experience!” excitedly
replied John Hafesjee, Owner, Sonar Enterprises. Robin Baird, an honoured guest,
said,”The evening was truly an out of the world experience in an exotic
atmosphere.” Top boss of The Good Guys, Castle Hill, Mr Nash Patel, gave his
thumbs up as he summed it up and said, “The experience deserves every bit of its
four and a half star rating, no restaurant in Sydney can match this Indian
dining experience.”
