Imagine yourself in an open-air restaurant serenaded by nature, forests sounds and exotic dishes from the jungles. Jungle Grill at The Golden Tusk is all about this and a lot more. A delightful jungle trail through impressive flavors creates an eclectic experience, one that you wouldn’t want to miss.
When we are travelling, we often love to pick a restaurant that serves great food because that’s what holidays are meant to be for, to explore, to relax and to eat like a king. Its always fulfilling to indulge into something special and delicious. Anyone who loves food will be able to relate to the fact that good food means good mood. Vacations are all about rejuvenation along with fun food-inspired experiences. In fact, there are many travelers who plan their trips around the most amazing and authentic things to eat at that particular place. Also, some of them are crazy about the theme restaurants around the world. Culinary vacations are in vogue and they are super fun. I can vouch for them because I am a foodie too. Whenever I have an opportunity, I do not shy away from making food the central attraction of my travels. This time, I was super excited to return to the Corbett region to indulge at the newly opened Jungle Grill restaurant. It is the latest offering from the coveted resort, The Golden Tusk, located 5 minutes short of Jhirna and Dhela region in Corbett National Park. It was a pleasure to return to one of my favorite nature and family resort after a gap of few years. And what I really liked about them was that they have undergone enormous growth for the good. From 25 rooms resort to 60 well-suited rooms now, they have flourished into a nature’s haven. They have built a new swimming pool, so they have two big ones now. The campus is adorned with much more greenery. Varieties of plants and trees have turned every corner exotic and oh-so-picturesque! And last but not the least, the most latest addition has been their jungle themed restaurant – Jungle Grill. Golden Tusk works in harmony with nature and that is why it is high on my recommendation list.
Do you remember my dining in swimming pool experience from last visit there? It had garnered a lot of buzz.
How do we reach Jungle Grill at The Golden Tusk?
Corbett National Park is a favorite getaway for the Delhiites. It is easy to get to Ramnagar by road or by train. Even if you are travelling from other states, you just have to reach Delhi. Take a train from Old Delhi Railway Station ( 15035 – Uttaranchal Sampark Kranti Express)or hit the road. Both the transportation modes are super convenient. There is enough parking space for your vehicle. If you have a booking and are coming by train, you can always intimate the staff at the resort and request them for a pickup. The Golden Tusk is situated, very close to the Dhela and Jhirna regions of the Corbett. The jungle vibes are unending in here. Jungle Grill is inside the premises of the resort.
Jungle Grill turned out to be one of the most defining experience of my recent trip to ‘The Golden Tusk’. Let us find out why.
What is Jungle Grill?
It is one-of-its-kind, dining experience that takes you around the ‘Jungles of the World’. With its alluring names, jungle-like ambiance and mouth watering food, Jungle Grill transports you to the forests of The Amazon in South America, Serengeti in Africa, Burma in Asia, Gir in the Western India, Pench, Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Tadoba in the Central, Kaziranga in the East, Periyar in the South and Corbett and Rajaji in the North! I have never heard of or experienced a theme setup like this. You can’t be there without talking about your experiences at the different jungles and that is the best part about it. When I saw bunny chow on the menu, I couldn’t stop talking about my safari in South Africa.
Every dish on the menu has a very contemporary outlook and has been carefully planned to remind you of a special ingredient of a particular jungle and its surroundings. The team and the chefs on board have taken inspiration from local dishes of various places and curated the dishes after lots of research and brainstorming. Some dishes are all about reliving sweet memories. For instance, the Mashobra Apple Salad will immediately remind you of the very famous apple orchards a few kilometers off Shimla in the Himachal Hills and the Anamalai Podi Aloo with its use of the spicy ‘millagai’ podi gunpowder will take you on a virtual ride to the jungles of the South India.
Open for all
The restaurant is open to everyone, even though you may not be the in-house guests of the resort. The prices are decent and affordable.
Some of my favorite dishes on the Menu!
Before relishing the food at the Jungle Grill, I bet you will love to read the names of the dishes and the lovely tidbits about National parks, animals, jungles, spices used in the areas, etc. It is a refreshing change from the run-of-the-mill places. The setup is very unique too with huge trees on the sides, sounds of a forests and a three-tiered machaan-like setup.
PUG MARK SALADS
Did you know that Tigers can imitate the call of other animals!
They use it as a hunting tactic to ambush prey.
Some of the dishes that I personally loved at the Jungle Grill were Panchaadhara Mirci Cha Thetcha Peanuts, Wilderness Cranberry Pull Apart Bread with Bhang ki chutney, Moroccan Chickpea Bunny Chow, The pugmark salads, The Tigger Nibble platter, etc.
Periyar ki Pasand, Rainforest Sanghai Bowl, Corbett Dak Bungalow Stew, Redwood Waffles and the choices from the ‘Forests of Naples’ are just some of the dishes that will make your curious for sure. And when the food comes on the table, it is certainly a different experience. A lot of inspiration has been taken from different places but everything that you eat is from the local garden or market.
The Accommodation- Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
If you are selective as well as fussy about your room size, amenities and the views, these 9 styles of rooms at the Golden Tusk will spoil you. The 60 rooms are divided into 14 nature view suites, 10 garden suites, 2 luxury tents, 14 pool view suites, 8 villas, 2 Villa Grande, 4 Corbett Suites, 2 tusk Suites and 4 Tiger suites. Make your choice depending on the number of family members and the kind of holiday that you have been itching for.
I was in one of the villas which had a beautiful name, ‘Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Are you curious why is it named that way? Well you must be. When I asked about it, I learned that there is a flowering plant called Brunfelsia pauciflora, from the family of Solanaceae, the nightshades. It is endemic to Brazil, and it is grown in cultivation, and commonly called yesterday-today-and-tomorrow. It is named aptly because the flowers have a life of 3 days and they change colours during their lifecycle.
The flowers open as purple, then turn pale lavender on the 2nd day and finally they turn white.
As you can see from the picture, my room was very spacious and was equipped with all the amenities. It comes with a big washroom roo. You have a small sitting area ahead of the main room, then there is a study table corner and last but most essential, a dressing room kind of corner as well. I quite like huge rooms. There was a private garden and a sitting area, right in front of my room. And the swimming pool was located a few steps away.
Pebble Painting!
Holidays are supposed to be stress busters and what could be better than indulging in activities that you love. Well, I am extremely passionate about painting and upcycling. Thus, when I had this opportunity to sit down, play with colours and paint some broken mugs and pebbles along with my friends, I couldn’t resist the offer. It was fun, relaxing and much more.
Golden Tusk offers many outdoor activities. They also have a activity room dedicated to recreational activities and I bet both kids and adults will love to make the most of it.
Bird Watching, Nature Walks and Jungle Safari
A trip to the jungle automatically translates into bird/butterfly watching, nature walk and jungle safari. One of these is a must to indulge in the beauty of Corbett but if you are in for all the three, it couldn’t be a better jungle getaway. I love safaris with or without the sighting of the big cat. The sheer joy of encountering the animals in their natural habitat and venturing into animal kingdom makes jungle safaris thrilling any day. The Corbett National Park is one of my favorite parks in India and I love its landscape. I have spotted maximum number of birds inside Corbett during my safaris.
Sighting of an Asian Elephant in the Corbett National Park
We saw 50 elephants at Hurula Eco Park in Sri Lanka
Lovely Dining Experiences, close to the jungle
If you want to make your partner feel special, take them here. If you want your family to have an exclusive experience, plan a holiday here. Golden Tusk always impresses me with the curations and dinner setups that they do to make your event extra special. One has to mention it and leave the rest to them. Their swimming pool deck up remains to be my all time favorite. And now Jungle Grill is definitely a new favorite.
Happy Travelling.
Do share your experience in the comments section whenever you are there!
