Missing in Action!
Backed by Sony Pictures Entertainment, AXN is a 24 hour cable and satellite TV channel in Asia exclusively dedicated to action and adventure programming. It is one of the leading English general entertainment channel that delivers four distinctive types of programming - new global hit series, action movie blockbusters, new seasons of adventure-reality and lifestyle sports programs and AXN original productions.
The latest from them is a cooking reality show, Top Chef Texas, soon to be aired on AXN is in the ninth season and is hosted by Padma Laxmi and ‘head’ judge Tom Colicchio along with Gail Simmons from Food & Wine magazine. To celebrate the launch of the show, AXN, along with Courtyard by Marriot, Gurgaon, hosted the Top Chef Open Kitchen Night! Intended to be a platform for AXN viewers and fans to come and attend an evening with the Executive chef, cook along and connect with the channel, it was sad to see a very poor turnout. The attendees were supposed to come via an FB contest but sadly none of them landed up. However, the new Executive Chef at Courtyard by Marriot, Gurgaon kept the few of us fairly entertained. He cooked up a batch of very well done scallops and a few other Italian dishes.
The buffet served by the hotel was multi-cuisine, out of which I really wished the Mexican was more authentic though the Indian was good, thankfully. I also expected the bar to be better stocked and managed, for a property that has a fabulous location, Courtyard by Marriot let a lot of things slip that time. The food wasn’t memorable but the poolside ambiance and the warm culinary team did try and make up for the absence of adequate entertainment and general revelry. I also hoped to see a trailer of the said show on an AV maybe but we settled for Chef’s 30 minute long demo. The essence of neither the show nor the hotel really stood out. The invite ought to have mentioned that the venue was outdoors because the weather was less than kind that night. All in all, its time events got a bit more spiffy and not just ‘for-the-heck-of-it’!