Chronicle I: The Tea Lounge at Taj Palace, New Delhi- Artistic touch

Okay! So this took longer than I anticipated but so is work. Managing a blog is tougher than it appears :/

Anyway so this is officially the first chronicle in the hopefully thick volume of places I'm going to post about and fittingly, its a classy and unique place- The Tea Lounge at hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi.

Now, I'm sure most of have at least heard of the Taj group of hotels if not been there at some point of time or the other. Also, its likely that we are familiar the various famous restaurants at the Taj properties like Masala Art, Orient Express etc. However, the Tea Lounge situated near the main lobby area is a unique place that so far hasn't got the rave reviews it deserves- a fact that may be due to its relatively recent inception, but the place is an absolute joy to be at! I was shocked how I had missed it for so long, especially with the upcoming artist initiative they have going on; since I am also a lover of contemporary art.

Well, for those who're confused, let's talk about the initiative for a second- the Taj group has through Tea Lounge launched a social responsibility initiative where upcoming Indian artists are being invited to display their paintings for one week at the lounge and during this period those paintings can be bought by the hotel guests and other visitors who happen to be at the Tea Lounge at that time. I also did some casual chat with the staff and found that the guests in the hotel are send brochures of this venture and those who are art lovers take great interest in it. Therefore, the artists who are perhaps not so well settled to afford a gallery to sell their work get an AWESOME platform where there target clientele is very likely to be present. If you ask me, great initiative by Taj. Great, so now that we have a clearer picture, lets talk about my experience there

The artist on display when I visited the Tea Lounge was Sakti Burman, who is quite well known in the Indian circles gnow and I can see the reasoning behind this- Taj is inviting a well known name to display so that others in the art community take notice and don't dismiss this is a 'below par' platform. Again, good thinking... So, while I didn't really buy a painting while I was there I got to see some quality Indian contemporary art which I may buy later.

As for my order, since I was at the 'Tea' Lounge, I asked for a cup of interestingly titled First Invoice of the Year which when inquired, turned out to be a tea made from the first harvest of leaves in Darjeeling- A pretty good choice IMO ;). The tea was served with a very cool gadget known as a 'tea timer' which I had heard of but never seen. This is essentially a set of 3 sand timers that you set when your tea is served and based on how strong of light you like your tea, you choose one timer- Orange for Strong, White for medium and Green for light- Everyone should try it, its cool!

To go with the Tea I ordered a Palm-heart and Sun-dried-Tomato sandwich which was one of the most delicious sandwiches I have ever eaten in India or abroad. The tea itself had great aroma and taste. I had it with milk, but I guess those who prefer their tea black would enjoy it even more. Some other specialties worth trying as I was told are the Apricot fudge brownie form the wide range of bakery delicacies and the Onion and lamb strudel. For those who enjoy their champagne, the lounge serves the pearly after 7 PM everyday and their in house musician plays live piano during this time as well.

Other than that, the interiors are plush and attractive, there are various artifacts displayed on the walls and of course the wonderful paintings by the artists on display. The Taj staff, as expected is pleasant and impeccable in service.

Well, to sum it up, I am all praise for the Taj Tea Lounge- A unique and exquisite place with a noble venture to boot. Its all about class and good times, something Taj has come to become synonyms with. The only thing I would improve about the place would probably have it restructured and make it a bit more covered in terms of seclusion from the other wings of the hotel- A minor thing that could make the place even more classy if done right. Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention- those who like fresh air, the lounge also has an outer patio like sitting area as well which overseas the hotel lawns.. Very nice if you like to soak the sun.

Yudi's rating (I will provide a rating out of 5 stars to every place I post about at the end to give you a reccomendation to sort of say 'Try it' or 'Stay away!') - **** & 1/2 Which means Try it!

So that was it, let me know how you liked this first review and share your thoughts, own experiences, feedback please!

Till next time, its all about the tea!
Yudi