Very few people have actually heard of Nihar Ranjan
Majumdar’s 'Paradise sherbet shop'. But when I start talking about Paramount
Sherbets everyone will surely be able to recognize this legend. Name has
changed but the place still remains the same, and definitely the quality
remains as it is. This legendary sherbet and juice bar still retains the old
world charm and teleports you several decades back when you step right in.
Location ---- Located at Kolkata's 'boi para', this place is
next to the Mahabodhi Society (opposite College Square) and the place is infact
quite close to the Putiram sweet shop.
Beverages ---- On my last visit (infact I was at Collge
street with one of my foodie friends just to spend some time at Paramount!) I
tried my favourite below two drinks:
a) Dub Sarbat: It is a refreshing concoction made of sweet
soothing coconut-water, the pulp of the tender coconut, crushed ice and some
secret syrup. It is a pure joy to try out this drink and I generally take less
than one minute to finish off the first glass of Dub Sarbat on a hot summer day!
As a matter of fact, this drink was famous even in 1918 when the shop just
started operating. Back then the summer coolers (specially the Dub Sarbats) were
served to the public and in the backgound something big was actually going on
since this place was a hideout for freedom fighters and I have heard that there
was one secret room for them at this place! Infact it is said that recipe for
this dub sherbet was actually then prepared by the famous scientist Acharya
Prafulla Chandra Ray!
b) Green Mango: This is the best refreshing drink I have
ever tried. It is made from mango extract, some essence, sugar, salt and
crushed ice. If you are here at Paramount then surely do try one glass of Green
Mango, it'll be a crime if you don't; infact that is true for the Dub Sarbat as
well :)
Ambiance ---- The humble settings, old furnitures, high
ceiling fans and old wall hangings give that warm feeling and makes you feel
blessed and nostalgic at the same time. It is a small shop and the place is
naturally quite cramped up, but when you are here you are actually in a time
warp and the thrill is enough to ignore all these petty issues.
Hygiene ---- Though you may feel that it is not safe to have
road-side sarbats, etc on hot summer days, but this is Paramount and things are
quite different here. They don’t use synthetic materials in their beverages and
the ingredients are primarily derived from fruit extracts, infact the ice used
is being sourced from the same supplier all thoughout these 97 years! The table
tops where the drinks are served are made of white marble and are generally
kept clean.
Price and Service ---- Nothing much to say, the price at
this place has always been very reasonable and it's truly worth every penny. There
are no additional taxes charged. The service is very prompt and orders are
readily taken and served almost in proper sequence.
Overall ---- The common meeting place for revolutionaries
involved in the Swadeshi Movement like Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Pulin Bihari
Das, Satin Sen, etc is still standing tall today with all its rich heritage
serving those signature beverages and summer coolers to all the die-hard fans, some
of them are again legends like Satyajit Ray, Uttam Kumar, Suchitra Sen, Bikash
Ray, Shibram Chakraborty, Balaichand Mukhopadhyay, S.D. Burman, and so on. As
of today the place highly depends on word-of-mouth advertising and is still
going strong even after nearly 100 years! We hope and pray that this Beverage
Museum goes strong for the coming 100 years... and more. Long live the legend!
Cheers!
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