Ball Players

At Mist,the coffee shop at the Park hotel,Parliament Street,chefs will serve buffet meals created with special dishes from seven of the participating nations over the course of the World Cup,besides the ubiquitous Indian buffet. With an endless supply of domestic beer for Rs 1,000 during the match,you can take your pick from Italian,German,British,French,Mexican or Spanish cuisine for the buffet (Rs 1,500 per person without taxes).

Meanwhile,Aqua,the bar will offer a discount of 35 per cent on bottles of selected liquor brands. Debjeet Banerjee,associate director,food and beverages,says,“We will open bookings for the matches from today.” For a beer kick,the

InterContinental Eros,Nehru Place,is offering a Budweiser beer bucket for Rs 950 per person during the tournament.

At the Buzz in Saket you can toast your favourite players with sporty cocktails like the Ronaldo Strawberry Margarita made from tequilla and cointreau or a Messi Watermelon Martini with vodka and dry vermouth. The Thierry Henry Melon Cucumber with mint leaves and watermelon makes for a soothing mocktail. There are also innovative beer cocktails like Red Anchor with red wine and freshly brewed beer and a beer and sambuca cocktail at Howzaat,the pub-brewery at Galaxy Hotel,Gurgaon. “We will serve unlimited food and beverage packages for a group of 20 people. The cocktails,aimed mostly at the female clientele,will be charged extra,” says Deepak Punia,assistant beverage manager,Howzaat.

Park Plaza,Noida has a line up of sumptuous combos with appetisers and meals at The Great Kebab Factory and the coffee shop New Town Cafe and Lounge. The hotel is offering three packages ingenuously named Penalty Shootout,Extra Time and Booked. The first comprises imported liquor and a six-course meal at The Great Kebab Factory at Rs 1,399,while Penalty Shootout will get you limited appetisers and beverages at Rs 1,199 at the Cafe. “There will a giant wall-mounted screen at the coffee shop and two plasma TVs at the Kebab Factory,so that you can enjoy the match while you eat,” says Pradeep Dutta,manager,food and beverages.

Likewise,Sanchos at Connaught Place has come up with a set of non-veg and vegetarian FIFA platters,priced between Rs 599 and Rs 499 respectively. Each platter comes with a complimentary gazpacho soup,while for the finals they will be giving out free tee-shirts. Watch out for some thrilling flair bartending after every goal. Shangri-La on Ashoka Road too has opted for creative platters named after a few participating countries,including Argentina,Italy,Brazil,France and Germany,in which they offer a selection of dishes unique to that country. Tuck in and score.