Chefs busy preparing dinner for champions

Musical welcome, special cake, customised dinner will await World Champions at Taj; however, no garlands will welcome victorious team, for security reasons

Chefs busy preparing dinner for champions

Musical welcome, special cake, customised dinner will await World Champions at Taj; however, no garlands will welcome victorious team, for security reasons

While the nation is hanging on the edge about the outcome of the World Cup final today, the chefs at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel are busy rustling up delicacies for the winning team.

Sachin was spotted enjoying a meal of sushi at the Wasabi restaurant with wife Anjali yesterday at the Taj, where the players of the rival teams have been put up

From drinks of champagne to to-die-for delicacies for dinner, the management of the hotel the cricketers are staying at has planned a special celebration for the victors.

According to a source from the hotel, a musical welcome, with a special cake, awaits the team that takes the Cup home tonight, followed by a grand dinner, which will include Indian and continental dishes, to pamper the palette of each cricketer individually.

"A special welcome has been planned for the winning team. The female staff of the hotel will be dressed in special Banarasi sarees to greet the team, with music apt for the occasion.

But the hotel is worried that the cricketers may have prior engagements, in which case, all its plans will have to be called off," said the source.

No garlands

Sources also revealed that due to security reasons, hotel management had to do away with greeting the cricketers with garlands.
u00a0
"Even when the team arrived, no garlands were used due to security reasons. And these things will be avoided even when they come back to the hotel," said the source.

On arrival though, the hotel had sent a special note to the cricketers of both the teams in their rooms, congratulating them for making it to the finals and wishing them success for today.
u00a0
Preparing dinner for the teams was easy for the chefs as both the Sri Lankan and Indian teams having similar taste buds, the source said. The menu for yesterday's dinner included chicken and mutton curry, with rice and roti.

Sachin at Wasabi

The source revealed that Sachin Tendulkar was seen dining at the award-winning Wasabi at the Taj, that offers a variety of Japanese delicacies with an array of mouthwatering sushi preparations, Sachin's favorite food. "Sachin was spotted at Wasabi with his wife Anjali on Thursday night.

They had dinner there."
Many other players were seen at the poolside restaurants of the hotel (see box).

"The best thing is that most cricketers are friendly. But since few walk-ins are allowed, the hotel had to restrict entry of cricket-crazy fans dying to meet their icons."

Full house
Some government functionaries flooded the city's hotels with last minute requests for bookings.
According to Kamlesh Barot, president of Hotel and Restaurant Association -Western India (HRA-WI), "Many government officials had called in for last-minute bookings. But the hotels were unable to accommodate them all. We received calls from various hotels, asking if there were vacancies for a few VVIPs, but not all demands were met," he said.

Sportsmen spotted

Yuvraj Singh was seen at Souk, the restaurant known for its eastern various dishes.

S Sreesanth was spotted at Masala Kraft, a traditional Indian restaurant.

Yusuf Pathan was seen at Sea Lounge, which overlooks the Gateway of India.