First of all, I was floored by the invitation that I had
received through post from Bakstage. It was an invitation to attend the
Bloggers Meet at their place over some great food and beverages. The invite
contained a vintage Vinyl record which I’ll cherish for the rest of my life and
an amazing CD with evergreen numbers like Hotel California, Coming back to
life, Summer of ’69, etc. So, after receiving this invite I was certain that
the meet is going to be great especially with so many bloggers being invited
under a roof. And my prediction was perfectly on target.
I had been to Bakstage numerous times previously, since it
is in the heart of the techie alleys of Kolkata (i.e. Salt lake Sector-5) where
I have been spending a major part of my life for professional reasons. This
place surely has got the x-factor to bring people back, especially at the pub
with the longest bar counter in Kolkata. The ambiance is amazing with some of
the best rock numbers being played all the time, things are bit shady with a
dimly lit surroundings which somewhat helps you to unwind real fast. You will
find lovely posters and framed pictures related to rock music on the walls.
Also the walls adorn some musical instruments and accessories like vinyl
records (like the one that I had received), guitars, violins, etc. Also you
will notice a lush green pool table in front of the projector screen playing
some television channel round the clock.
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| Amazing name card on my table! |
Also you will be amazed if you
sometime get to see this long bar counter being lighted up with flames; well,
we had planned for it but never really got the chance to stay back and enjoy
that sight. Also there is an outdoor smoking area attached with lovely JD
themed ashtrays and comfy couches in that balcony overlooking the busy traffic
of Electronic complex.
Now let’s come straight to the food that I had tried from
the Bloggers Meet special Menu which was set for us. I had ordered for –
STARTER
a) Sharabi kababi – This starter had a nice filling with mix
of cheese in it, but most of the the chicken breast piece which was used to
prepare these kababs were bit too tough which marred the relishing factor in
this lovely dish.
b) Beer battered fish finger – These were nice and crispy,
and the fish used inside was tender and fresh. The fish fingers were presented
in a conical paper cone, and it came along with typical tartar sauce and finely
cut salad.
c) C4 – This is quite a fancy named veg starter that has
four elements starting with the letter ‘C’. It has got corn, crumb, cheese and
coin. These are medium sized fried flatted balls. The filling was overtly
cheesy, mushy and enjoyable while the skin had a mild crunch to it.
d) Rocking and smocking fish soola – This was surely the
best starter that we had ordered that evening. When it was served it was set
ablaze and then when it was served we found the fish inside couldn’t have been
more tender, it was amazingly fresh as well! It was flavorful and mildly spicy.
I will order it again when I’ll be back at Bakstage.
e) Nazza – If I am not wrong, this term ‘nazza’ actually
means Naan Pizza, and is one of the signature dishes of Bakstage and quite
innovative. It is very desi where Punjab meets Italy :) It has a crispy Naan
base with two types of toppings, one is dal makhani and the other half has
juicy chicken tikka pieces and cheese toppings. It absolutely tastes great and will
leave you quite glued to it with its simplicity and innovation. It actually
seemed to be quite close to the thin-crust chicken pizza but had even more to
offer!
COCKTAIL
a) Sangria – The sangria was prepared with white wine as per
our preference. It was sparkling and tasted bit fruity. Had some fresh and
juicy tropical fruits in it to give that ultimate relaxing experience. But it
was not served in a typical wine glass which I regretted.
b) Beer margarita – This was the best beverage of the
evening according to me. The presentation was awesome as well with an inverted
bottle of Kingfisher beer in the glass with so many lemon wedges floating. The
proportion of tequila, lime and beer was perfect and very well blended; had a
lovely mild tang with impressed me the most. Must try for sure if you are at
Bakstage!
c) Akhir an Nahr – This is sort of a Lebanese cocktail and
the term actually means ‘end of the river’. This drink is quite uncommon in
Kolkata. But it tasted bit like a mocktail since it was quite sweet and fruity,
and didn’t really taste like an alcoholic drink. It is actually a strawberry
mojito with a hint of mint in it that is responsible for that rather pleasant
and sweet flavor.
d) Long Island Ice Tea – This LIIT tube was really huge.
This is an extremely powerful drink with mix of five white spirits, like vodka,
light rum, tequila, gin, and triple sec; then it got a splash of cola to bring
that amber hue! The drink was presented in a beaker like long container with
measurement markings by its side. Overall it was quite strong, mildly fruity
and leaves you pretty high!
MAINS
a) Half roast chicken with Jack Daniel BBQ sauce – I had
tried this dish previously at Bakstage, it’s one of their signature dishes. If
you are here at Bakstage you should actually try this. And this time also I
absolutely loved it. The mildly sweet BBQ sauce does the trick along with the juicy
chicken pieces. This dish has roasted chicken full legs along with sautéed
veggies, mashed potatoes and finally garnished with some parsley. The chicken
piece was literally drenched in the dark JD BBQ sauce that casts the magical
spell when you bite into it.
b) Thai green curry with steamed rice – I often tend to
order this classic and traditional Thai dish at various places which claim to
serve authentic Thai cuisine. Also since I can cook this dish from scratch I
know if the proportions of the ingredients are going wrong or otherwise. Here,
there was evidently loads of lemongrass, but the basic aroma of sweet basil
leave was somewhat missing, the mix of kaafir lime, galangal, coriander roots,
lemon grass and sweet basil seemed not to be very perfect. It was not very
aromatic and bit less flavorful than what I would have loved it to be. But yes,
it was still very soothing which actually pleased me.
DESSERT
Melting Bak-lava – To start with this dessert looked yum but
very difficult to me. It had several layers of complexity which literally
unfolded to reveal the inner gem. The presentation was a key part of this
dessert. A igloo shaped chocolate dome was placed on the table and then the
chef poured a liquid on the chocolate dome and to our amusement the thin
spherical chocolate layer melted to reveal the inner core which consisted of
the real Baklava dessert cubes. The stuff was nutty, bit sticky, sort of
buttery and covered with the molten chocolate on top. Overall it was not
overtly sweet and I liked it, though I would have loved a less difficult
dessert to finish off the meal :) If you are here with a large group of
friends, then surely order this for its lovely presentation and yummy flavored
dessert inside.
And thus we finished off our meal and we were super
satisfied in the end. This place surely does well when it comes to the food and
beverages. The service was bit slow when I was here the last time, but this
time I didn’t feel so; hope it has improved now. The ambiance is one of the
best that you will get in the Saltlake area, so yes this is your place to be if
you are looking for some gastro-pub kind of a place, where you will get great
food along with your favorite spirits. By the way, when we were leaving we were
handed over some hamper which left us overwhelmed which had some awesome gooey
spherical chocolate balls, specially crafted for us! Just loved them :)
Overall, I will rate this place bit over 8 out of 10, which
is really awesome. This place is improving every day it seems, since I have
been here several times in the past, I can measure the improvement, which first
timers won’t be able to gauge. So people, hit the pub for your weekly unwind
sessions and order for the stuffs I have mentioned here which I have
recommended, you will surely love them all!
Cheers!
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