A Taste of Brazil with Timecity Gourmet Week at Wildfire & a Giveaway!!

Calling all foodies to prepare their palate for perfection for the tastiest time of the year!! Timescity announces its first ever Gourmet Week which is going on in three cities- Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore from July 15-21, 2013. This is a great opportunity for all the food enthusiasts to indulge themselves in a week full of gastronomic delights where the creme-de-la-creme, Times Food award 2013 winning restaurants will be serving uniquely crafted pre-fixed menus at attractive prices with variety of cuisine.
 Foodies just need to log onto TimesCity.com, choose from a list of participating restaurants in their city, select a time and date, pay Rs. 100 as a token booking amount and the balance after the meal at the restaurant - as simple as that!!

As part of the TimesCity Gourmet week, I had the opportunity to visit the 4 times award winning restaurant, Wildfire at  the Crowne Plaza hotel, Gurgaon which I believe is the only Brazilian churrascaria restaurant in the whole of North India. FIY, a Churrascaria(pronounced as shoo-rah-scah-ree-ah) is the name used to describe the place that serves meat the GUANCHO way mostly grilled, that originated in the south of Brazil in the early 1800s. In Wildfire too, the concept is to serve a wide variety of different cuts of exclusive imported meats like venison, tenderloin, lobster, duck, vensions, prawn, pork, lamb, chicken etc in succession to each diner individually right at their table. 
For a meat lover like me, it seemed like an absolute paradise.

On entering the restaurant, the first thing that strikes you is a tantalizing waft of amazing aromas emanating from freshly barbecued meats being grilled, immediately arousing your appetite in anticipation of what lay ahead. In keeping with the theme, there were rows of massive pots placed just outside the huge glass windows breathing out fire creating an almost ethereal effect. Believe me, nothing can be more beautiful and romantic than eating your food while watching the flames doing a wild dance in the wind. 

As soon as we were seated, a freshly baked basket of bread was placed in front of us that you could actually see being baked right there inside the restaurant. Served with herbed butter and crushed olives the breads were addictive!! We were also given a choice of mocktails and I chose to have a Kiwi cooler which was essentially fresh kiwis whizzed with pineapple juice. Fresh and chilled, it was just what was needed to start off the evening.

A little later, we moved towards the salad bar which had an extensive selection of cold cuts and salads complemented with freshly baked breads and a platter with a selection of a variety of cheese like Brie, Smoked Gouda, Cheddar. The menu includes unlimited trips to the salad station. Though it is really inviting, I suggest you go a little easy on the salads to ensure that you save some stomach space to really enjoy the meal later on. 

The salad spread had some delectable choices like the parma ham with melon, smoked salmon with mustard cress and fried capers, mustard and potato with chicken, apple and broccoli salad, beetroot and pineapple salad, brussel sprouts with artichoke and beans to name a few. Also, I was told that there is a different menu for each day of the week. 

Done with a hearty filling of the salads we started on our soup.There was a choice of Tomato seafood soup for the non-vegetarians and a Green pea soup for the vegetarians. I opted for the Tomato seafood soup which tasted quite like Minestrone soup. It was a thick soup with plenty of vegetables and seafood. It was wholesome and delicious and was polished off in no time.

What happened next was pure awesomesomeness!! For the next half an hour or so, I was utterly enthralled by what followed. It was truly incredible the way the chef got cuts of hot sizzling meat on skewers, resembling a huge sword, and carved them right on your table. The meats were grilled according to your choice and were served with an accompaniment of five sauces - mayonnaise, chimmichuri, rocket jalapenos, tomato vinaigrette and chilly pineapple. I was really impressed by the way the wait staff was quite knowledgeable about the food and guided you in pairing your meat with the correct sauce. 

The menu for the festival included a choice of four different kinds of meat : Coxa De Frango-chicken leg dusted with Chef Edmilson's special seasonings, Paleta De Cordeiro- New Zealand lamb leg with freshness of mint, Fraldinha- juicy tenderloin seasoned to perfection  and Basa De Peixe: Basa marinated with lime, olive oil and garlic. They were all perfectly marinated and the flavors were spot on. The chicken legs were superb, crispy and grilled to perfection. The lamb had a lovely flavor of mint and was delicious.The tenderloin was juicy and succulent and was an absolute standout. Looking around at the other guests I could make out it was highly popular. My least favorite dish was the Basa fish. Somehow the marination did nothing to its flavor. It was bland and devoid of taste. Maybe a salmon or prawns would have been a better choice for the grill.  

Along with the grilled meats we were also served a Tomato and red bean pilaf and roasted baby tomatoes.

For dessert we had Abacaxi Asaado - a grilled pineapple dusted with honey and cinnamon. Hot off the grill with hints of cinnamon it was delicious. We were also served Chocolate bon bons in a cute igloo made out of ice. Small balls of chocolate filled with vanilla icecream this is one dessert which is sure to delight the kids

To sum it up, Wildfire was a great dining experience. I think it is great value for money where you have to pay a fixed price for the quality and quantity of food that's been offered to you. 

I recommend this place for all those who pride themselves in having a big appetite and are seeking a unique Brazilian experience, Wildfire is the place to head to.

So, enjoy this unique experience of stellar chefs, delicious menus and outstanding restaurants at an extremely affordable price.

There is also a surprise Gift Voucher worth Rs.1500 from Indiatimes and a surprise gift for one of the lucky readers. All you have to do is leave a comment below naming your favorite restaurant participating in the Timescity Gourmet Week and the reason why you would like to eat there.

For a full list of restaurants, prices and all the details, please visit  http://timescity.com/gourmetweek