What does the name Threesixtythree signify? Look for the answer at the end. 

The words and whispers could be heard all around the grand white marbled corridors of The Oberoi Grand Kolkata for some time. With Le Terrace and Chowringhee Bar being closed, the anticipation and expectation had been sky high in anticipation of launch of the new outlet.

It is supposed to be one of its kind world cuisine destinations in Kolkata. In one of his recent interviews, the GM, Mr. Varun Chibber said that the biggest challenge was the impatience in opening the place as soon as possible.

The first Saturday of the opening, 3 of us walked in to experience Threesixtythree degrees at The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata. The entire family because the last week had been a week of chicken soup and ginger and honey tea and more, with all three of us being down with fever, cough and cold. We did need that break and enjoy some good food.

As we walked along the corridors, there was this anticipated excitement of what new is going to come up from the legendary Oberoi Grand Hospitality.

The first thing you notice as you enter the place is the positivity around, which almost calls out to have a seat and enjoy your food. The bright red and white colours with glistening gold, natural light sipping through the skylights as well as the French windows, sets it apart as an all day dining. One cannot ignore the paintings on the wall from the bygone British era, the teak floor paneling and the brass structures hanging from ceiling; all speaking volumes about the effort which has gone in.

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The elaborate and splendid buffet draws inspirations from various corners of the world which also includes a separate Sushi corner. Guess this is the first of its kind in the city of Kolkata by a master sushi Chef Rahul Borja, who erstwhile had headed Japanese restaurants in Japan, Canada, Turkey, UAE and many more countries. Live Varanasi chaat counter, a nice dessert counter and also the option of live wood fire oven Pizza just makes the experience wholesome.

The chefs are around almost at all the counters and like one of the experiences I had with salad counter, makes everything worthwhile. He explained in great details all the salads which were present and also the reason why the vegetarian options were more than the non vegetarian ones. Enjoyed the spicy thai fish salad and the smoked minced chicken salad. The Kosha Mangsho from the main course, one of my favourite dishes was clearly making its place in the top 3 kosha Mangsho in the city. The desserts were sensational and were a combination of western as well as local delicacies. The macaroon tower was pretty impressive just not in the looks as well as in the flavour and texture. However, as usual the Bengali sweets masterpieces. The rajbhog, beautifully spongy, the gurer roshogolla was soft and fragrant with nolen gur and the sandesh was also moist and flavoursome. 

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The buffet is available from Monday to Saturday for lunch at Rs 1450 plus taxes per head.

Although the buffet is a superb deal in terms of the spread, the real deal is the a la carte menu. A second visit is on the cards just to try some of the new dishes in the a la carte menu. They do have their signature dishes like the Grand Chicken curry, Lobster thermidor, shrimp cocktail, home smoked hilsa and many more. However, its the new segments which excite me. There is a separate gluten free section in the menu containing dishes like Grilled Asian Sea Bass which is highly recommended by the chef. As a tribute to Kolkata, they have a segment in the menu dedicated to the Hakka Chinese cuisine brought is by the Chinese immigrants and settlers. It is called ‘An ode to China Town’ and one can try from hakka chow to stir fried pork with chilis and black bean to Sichuan chicken dry and so on.  For health freaks, there is the option of a completely different ‘Eat Healthy at Oberoi’ menu. Having tried the Bengali food at The Grand before, I can safely vouch that it is splendid. So go for the machher jhal or the kosha mangsho or paturi and you would not be disappointed

The Bar was earlier a separate entity but now its in an adjoining area under the leadership Ian Sedwell, who heads the three section of the bars – the wine story, the cocktails and also the largest collection of the single malts. Ian has been working in Soho House Berlin and wants to create a warm and engaging atmosphere for the guests here too. Expect classic cocktails as well as some overwhelmingly impressive work of art in the form of cocktails as well as non alcoholic beverages.

When the food and experience synchronize with each other and the overall experience gets two notches higher, then it becomes threesixtythree degrees Oberoi Grand Kolkata. There was Three Sixty Degrees in Oberoi, New Delhi, Three Sixty One degrees in Oberoi Gurgaon and now the experience goes up couple of notches higher . Its threesixtythree degrees Oberoi Grand Kolkata.