Bloggers Meet over a Food Tasting session at Wall Street Bar, Kolkata

The city is changing every day and with every passing day it keeps amazing us with its latest offerings. Last Saturday I was invited to a Bloggers Meet over Food Tasting session at Wall Street Bar, Shakespeare Sarani and I was so excited to be at the new Gastro-Pub which is now becoming a landmark for great beverages, food, hookah and entertainment. It is serving some amazing Chinese, Continental, Italian, and Burmese dishes and they claim to have specialization in Italian and Burmese, well I truly agree with that since my Khow Suey was really nice! :)

I would say in the summers this is one really cool place to chill out especially if you are close to Theatre Road area. As a matter of fact I have heard that this six months old joint used to dish out only vegetarian dishes couple of months back but recently they have introduced Non-veg items as well and infact we were there to sample these newly introduced non-veg items and few other newly introduced items in their refurbished menu. This place has got a well-stocked bar and they are gaining popularity in preparing some power-packed cocktails.

LOCATION - - - - - The place is very easy to locate and it is there right on the main road, just try to locate the address 10A Shakespeare Sarani. It is there on the 1^st floor of the Shagun Mall. You need to take the stairs and you will be guided to this place on the 1^st floor. Since the place is quite dimly lit so if you are coming in straight from the sun, you will find it difficult to adjust your vision for a while. While you step inside the restaurant you will pass though an alley with nice colorful gift items displayed on the wall shelves.

AMBIANCE - - - - - This is one of the great features of this place. The ambiance is pretty chilled out with loud music and a DJ churning out some awesome stuff to keep you glued. As already said the place is pretty dimly lit, that sets the mood right and helps you unwind pretty fast. The seating arrangements are nicely planned and are quite spaced out. 

The lights over the bar counter are somehow lovely since you find the filaments have been placed in the Absolut vodka bottles which looks great! The wooden finish flooring makes the place looks classy and the comfy high chairs along the strategically illuminated bar counter (with glowing WSB logo on the wall) makes thing even more gorgeous! We were seated on the normal couches by the side of the bar counter and they were very comfortable and you have the television right there by your side where you can enjoy sports and the live telecasts, if any. The walls are adorned with catchy taglines neatly framed and there are couple of walls showing the New York skyline. 

Wall Street, historically is known as the center of New York's financial district and the WSB is themed on that. It is also surrounded with corporates in the heart of the city so you get to see office goers by the end of the day loosening up and chatting over few drinks. The 50 seater dining zone is spread across 2,000sq ft where people meet to dine and drink. The wooden décor gives this pub the urbane feel along with the signature Harbour View on the walls. The DJ is placed at one of the corners with US flag in the background, and overall - the place is sure to attract the young generation and hope the décor and ambiance stays like this over the years.  

FOOD - - - - - We tried several food items and we feel this place truly puts loads of stress on food although it is a pub, this is one such odd pub which also scores high when it comes to food – maybe that’s why we call it a Gastropub since in a Gastropub you should expect great food items and meals besides pub grubs. But a gastropub is expected to serve high-end beer as well, which was not included in our list of beverages. Here you get great meals for your lunch or dinner besides lip smacking finger food. We tried a few snacks, some cocktails and couple of complete meals. Overall the food was really nice, they kept the flavors and aroma like the way it should be to maintain authenticity keeping in mind the use of fresh ingredients. We had in our menu – Gondhoraj mojito, Grilled and baked mushrooms, Chicken ginger strips, Bekti Cupcakes, Khow Suey, Bhuna Masala chicken wings with burnt garlic rice, and Cheese Fondue. I loved the –

a)  Baked mushrooms – They were extremely well prepared with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. These were well marinated mushrooms stuffed and baked with ricotta. And it is served with a three cheese medley.

b) Ginger chicken strips – This was served with tartar sauce and the chicken strips were perfectly crispy on the outside and well marinated and prepared inside. It’s worth a try.

c) Cheese Fondue – The dish looked stunning with a flame keeping the thyme flavored cheese fondue warm, it was served with sautéed veggies and crunchy bread cubes. Overall the dish tasted good.

d) Bhuna Masala chicken wings with Burnt garlic rice – I loved the burnt garlic rice served in this dish in quite a good quantity, the Bhuna masala chicken was served with some salad. The dish had a single piece of chicken wing which was very well prepared, was a bit tangy and bit spicy, it went good with the wok tossed rice, nice option to try out!

e) Khow Suey – This was the best dish that I tried at this place. It was soul satisfying and pretty filling. As we know it is a soup and noodle based Burmese dish and here it was pretty authentic, aromatic and very flavorful. The aroma of coconut milk and the squeeze of lemon spelled its magic and kept me glued to it till the last nibble! Add the rice noodles and condiments provided alongside and take the taste to the next level. This is one dish you should try if you are here at this place!

f) The Rocket launcher – It was an awesome cocktail with a mix of five spirits that can leave you tipsy! It was served in a big glass bottle and is surely for four or five to share!

g) Bellini – It is one of the classic cocktails which is a bubble-peach flavored sparkling wine based drink and it was truly smooth and awesome!  

h) Wall Street special – This is the house special cocktail. This was served in a long glass with cranberry and orangey flavor and on my request the spirit levels were kept a bit low. It was served with thing apple slices and a cherry on top, perfect!

Besides the great food and beverages, WSB has designed special nights like –

a)      Karaoke Nights on Wednesdays,

b)      Live Band on Thursdays,

c)      Ladies night Out on Fridays,

d)     Switch Night underground music on Saturdays,

e)      Stand-up comedy nights on Sundays.

The scenario is further enhanced with Bollywood, Hip Hop, House Music, Unplugged, and Deep House music. The eatery offers Happy Hours from Sunday to Friday from 3pm to 8pm.

SERVICE - - - - - After the great section about food we come to the not so great section where we discuss about the service. The servers/waiters are polite but they need to be trained a bit. I was not served couple of items which was disappointing; it was not served even after asked for. One such item was the Bhetki Cupcake that everyone had and they appreciated. After requesting for several times the Bar menu was then handed over to me! And after these, my Wall Street special cocktail was unintentionally dropped on me while serving another food item, but I am really very grateful to Mr. Aayush Karel, the co-owner of this place who immediately came over to me and helped me out to recover and took my phone to get it dried!

Anyway, it was nice to meet the chef-in-charge Mr. Deepak Kr Majumdar. He came to us, took a seat and had a chat with us answering our queries, he is truly a very humble and soft-spoken person and we learnt that he had started his career with The Park and Flury’s in Kolkata before settling down at Mumbai.

SUMMARY - - - - - If I am asked to rate this place I will give it 3.7 out of 5 points. It could’ve scored higher if the service would’ve been a bit better. I really loved the food items which were served to me. The cocktails were amazing as well. I have already discussed about the ambiance and it is just right for a gastro-pub. Food is one of the major focus here and it clearly shows. WSB is best known for its well stocked bar and the house cocktails, its Burmese and continental food and also for its range of pub grubs. The Switch Saturdays which promote underground music with alternative DJs every week makes this place more attractive on the grounds of clubbing.

Finally, Mr. Aayush, the co-owner is extremely polite, dynamic and friendly, we had wished him all the best and I would again like to wish him the very best for WSB and for all his future ventures.

Cheers!

Food tasting at Lokaahar – Poila Boishakh special menu!

There are sudden turns and spots that you come across in your life where you can smell your lost innocence and the essence of your roots that you have somehow left behind in this mad rat race or in the quest to achieve something that brings quantified satisfaction. We are forgetting how to stare at nature or at the playing kittens, how to pluck an aromatic flower or to play with the leaves while humming a Rabindrasangeet. All these thoughts suddenly rushed back into my otherwise confused and pre-occupied head and teleported me couple of decades back when I was a little kid and used to make clay idols and spend afternoons reading Bengali ghost stories! Lokahaar takes you back to your roots – that’s the definition of this eatery to me! I have never seen a restaurant so homely, so much grounded. There is honesty sculpted in every brick of this peaceful and serene ‘Bangali’ restaurant. 

There are no flashy stuffs, no marketing gimmicks, no strategically served dishes (in lesser quantity) and no indifferent servers (forget about the owner) like you get in most renowned eateries across the city, or maybe across the country. Here the owner Mr. Basudev Ghatak is one exceptionally humble and gem of a person who loves cooking and gets immense satisfaction if his guests like the food that has been served.

Frankly speaking I was touched since no where in the city I experienced such personal care and homely treatment in a restaurant, maybe because this place is way more than just another restaurant. It stresses on the lost glory and cultural traits that we disregard these days. 

It tries to unify Lok-Krishti, Lok-Shilpo, Lok-Sanskriti and finally Lok-Ahaar. This means it tries to bring together various aspects of our rural life - like the daily work of a farmer, the regular art and craft work that is being produced at various rural areas, the different cultural events that are still going strong in the remote villages all across Bengal or maybe in the neighboring states, and finally the food - that has got its origin in rural undivided Bengal – here comes the term Lokaahar that signifies the age-old dishes which maybe our grand parents or great grand parents used to have regularly but very rapidly they are vanishing from our plates and from our kitchens. But before they vanish from our minds or memories of our tastebuds, Lokaahar tries to step forward to save this amazing dishes and old rural cultures and art forms. This is an effort which first needs to be applauded. And then we can delve deep into the details of the interior décor and other elements that build this place.

The place is located in a serene para (locality) of Jodhpur Park and if you are near South City Mall then you can take the alley beside the Leder land shop (opposite South City) to reach this place. It is infact the ground floor of a typical south Kolkata house that has been converted to this eatery with utmost care. The iron gate has welded art forms that depicts the four aspects (Lok-Krishti, Lok-Shilpo, Lok-Sanskriti and Lok-Ahaar) which has been discussed above. We find the fourth aspect ‘Lokahaar’ is further depicted in details when we step inside the eatery. The hand painted figurines (poto-chitro) and floral designs on the walls along the framework of the door will surely grab your attention. The paintings have been done by a rural painter couple who came down to Kolkata only for this purpose. 

The paintings depict various stages of a countryside Bengali marriage and how it used to be, it shows the shikaar porbo or the hunting activity, the celebrations and processions, the paalki ride, and then the ‘paat pere khawa dawa porbo’ or the feasting episode where everyone is enjoying the food that is being served at the wedding ceremony where everyone is seated on the floor in a line like it used to be at rural weddings years back; the servers are serving with buckets in their hand that contain the food - maybe dal, curry or rice. 

All these pictures make me feel so pleased deep inside, they are so calm, so peaceful, and so much rooted. The walls are painted in a typical clay color with two shades that give this place the perfect feel along with those wall paintings. Them comes the tables where you dine and the chairs along with it. Both have been curved from solid and heavy wood and have been prepared by skilled artisans from Burdwan. It just can’t get more authentic! But the glass top with these finely crafted tables somehow goes really well but I guess typical wooden top with more paintings on it could have been more interesting, though that might have been bit difficult to maintain and clean. The entrance has more interesting elements that interest me - like the colored glass walls or the Tulsi plant that’s near the gate. The dining area is basically divided into two rooms including the living room portion.

There is one room which is basically an office but it is a treasure trove for a collector who is interested in collecting rural decorative items and food items from distant villages, etc. But this section is basically to promote the artists and talents from far-away villages who have produced such gems, and there is almost no margin to make profit from this section. The owner Mr. Ghatak also said that they wish to go to the distant villages and record local folk or baul songs and bring the recordings back to play them in his restaurant, this is such an innovative idea and I hope I will be back soon and then this amazing background music will be playing.

Now let us discuss a bit about the food which is surely the showstopper at this place. It gives you reasons to come back to this place again and again. I was invited with couple of my Panch phoron team members to taste the Poila Boishakh dishes. The place has got nearly 100 food items on its regular menu, out of which they have carefully selected 40 items for Poila Boishakh. And we were served few of these items from the special menu. Here are the items we tried –

• Aam porar Shorbot – This is not a new drink to us, but the preparation here spelled magic with the first sip. The mild refreshing appetizing drink had solid mango pulps and pieces in it that was great to have besides sipping the optimally dense juice. Perfect one to order for if you are in on a hot summer day, the correct mix of spices in there will build your appetite and overall it will cool you down and help you settle down real fast.
• Bhaat (steamed rice) – Mr. Ghatak had already informed us that he stocks different varieties of rice from various parts of the state and beyond (including black rice from Manipur) which are also for sale and these go out of stock real fast. That really speaks volume about the premium quality of rice we were served, the quantity of rice served was more than sufficient, which were perfectly prepared to go with Bengali curries and dal. 
• Shuktoh – Truly speaking I stay away from shukto since I do not like a bitter tasting dish, I know it’s my weird personal opinion and many do love shukto which is perfectly fine. But here I was pleasantly surprised to taste it, it was bit bitter but the strong aroma of ghee and other ingredients eclipsed the notion that I had with shuktos, in general. It was surprisingly very flavorful and I was blown away with the first morsel, Mr.Ghatak was extremely pleased when he found a satisfied smile on my face after tasting this dish! The generous amount of veggies, ghee and posto in there made it taste heavenly. This is a must try dish!

• Narkoler Daal – Again a flavorful basic Bengali dish that had no flaw in it, the proportion of grated coconut in it was just perfect, the aroma was perfect, the density was perfect, everything was amazing! And yes, I ate one full plate of rice with this dal, so you can well imagine its taste now!
• Aloo Bhaja – And yes, the one plate of rice with dal was aptly accompanied by thinly sliced fried potato or as we call it, jhhur jhhure aloo bhaja. It was very crisp and tasty and there was a sprinkle of chaat masala on it making it exponentially flavorful.

• Echorer Dalna – Oh boy I loved this, I know I am repeating the same words but seriously I can’t help myself. All the dishes were cooked so well. The jackfruits were well cooked and cut into small pieces, the gravy was bit rich and spicy, but not too oily or soggy. The proportion of garam masala was just right and I felt like tasting some chicken or mutton dish, just too good!
• Dhokar Dalna – This dish was served specially for my vegetarian friend but I tasted a bit of this and found the dhoka was extremely fresh and soft, the gravy was again tasty and had sipped well inside the pieces of dhoka. Nice option for vegetarians.

• Bori diye Pabda Maachh er jhol – The big piece of fresh pabda fish was awaiting for my first bite when I realized this is another gem of a preparation! The well cooked gravy with well soaked bori was dense and packed with flavors, since the fishes are bought daily so they were found to be very fresh and the garnishing with coriander leaves and overall presentation was also top notch.

• Aam-er Chatni – It was served in a cute little bowl. The chutney was not too runny and neither too thick, just the perfect density to be honest. The piece of mango was tangy and fleshy and the dish was sweet and sour, it had just the right amount of sweetness according to my old-school tastebuds!

• Kaalo Chaal er Paayesh – This was an out-of-the-box dish to add some punch to the whole meal. I had never tasted this before, it is prepared by cooking black Manipuri rice (which is soaked in water overnight) with milk and sugar in it, The milk is boiled again and again so that it thickens and forms a semi liquid substance with the boiled black rice in it. We could still feel the rice when we had this dish, it was still not over-boiled. Overall the taste is subtle, not overtly sweet with a nice aroma and taste. Really an innovative sweet dish. You should try it if you visit Lokahaar.

 

But one thing is for sure, it is better to book your table and menu by calling them an hour ago, or even better if you can call a day ahead your visit. All the dishes are cooked after you place the order. The vegetables, meat and fish are bought everyday in the morning, so if you do not book in beforehand you might feel annoyed finding your favorite item is not available.  

As I said above, apart from these few items there are many items there for the Poila Boishakh menu, also there is INR 649 all inclusive buffet menu (available from 14^th till 24^th April), here are the items –

Aam Panna, Sada bhaat, Polao, Lal Shaak, Kumro fuler bora, Narkol koraishutir mug dal, Alur dom, Potol bhaja, Echor dalna, Bhetki Bhapa, Chicken/Mutton Kosha, Chutney, Papad, Mishti Doi/Kalo Chaler payesh, Dorbesh/Mihidana.

Overall, at Lokahaar it is recognized that it’s not only the taste that matters but it is also the ingredients that go in to those recipes making them more memorable. The team takes pride in carefully selecting each of these ingredients from the wholesale market to give you the fresh taste and the genuine experience of authentic Bengali cuisine! For people coming first time to Kolkata and looking for a great joint to taste the local Bengali food, this is your place to be, you will straight-away be introduced to the basic age-old dishes of Bengal, the dishes, the food which were shown in the old Bengali movies. People of this generation haven’t even tasted everything which our grandfathers used to relish in their meal. Remember the scene where Tenida was gorging on Bengali dishes in the movie Charmurti? The sheer innocence and love for food displayed in those few minutes portrays the true love for food still present in a Bengali and with these basic age-old dishes vanishing from our menu it’s really concerning, to say the least. 

Hopefully Lokahaar can stop this golden elements of Bengal and these golden dishes of Bengal from fading away. I wish Mr.Ghatak and the entire team of Lokahaar the very best and I am sure soon people will realize the essence of Lokahaar and the authenticity of the dishes it offers!

I wish everyone happy dining at Lokahaar, try their Poila Boishakh menu and try their various interesting dishes and stunning flavors that will amaze you everytime, hope you keep on hogging like Tenida at this place! Surely no one wants to be like Pyalaram who is left only with ‘potol diye singhi maacher jhol’ and ‘bashok patar rosh’!! :)

Cheers!    

 

Food tasting at XII Zodiac for Bengali Food Festival 2016 (on Poila Boishakh)

I was invited to the Poila Boishakh food tasting event held at ‘Twelve Zodiac’ multi-cuisine restaurant housed in the Fern Residency Hotel at Rajarhat, Newtown. The ‘Twelve Zodiac’ is Kolkata’s first Sun-sign based restaurant and it has lined up an array of delicious and authentic Bengali dishes to tickle your ‘bangali’ taste buds on the occasion of this Poila Baisakh, and this occasion is a very special one for all the Bengalis across the globe. 

Though we celebrate the English New Year but Poila Boishakh remains very close to our heart, it is the time to unite with your entire family, spend some quality time with them and also it is the time to celebrate with our loved ones. And having a scrumptious Poila Boishakh lunch or dinner is almost compulsory for us :) So we have a great option here, the Bengali Food Festival at The Fern will offer the Bengali delicacies from April 14th to April 16^th this year. At this event we could taste the dishes that will be offered during this period.

Location - - - - - The Fern Residency Hotel is located very close to Chinar park crossing ar Rajarhat, if you are approaching it from City Centre 2 then it will come to your left hand side before you reach the Pipal Tree Hotel, it is just beside the Yokohama showroom. You can park your car inside the hotel premises.

Ambiance - - - - - The hotel has a very classy and urbane interior décor and the Twelve Zodiac restaurant is located there on the 2^nd floor. The restaurant has a partition in between, not sure if that can be removed. The furniture is very elegant and the ambiance is pretty relaxed and calm, it takes a lot less time to settle down if you are at a place like this. The colors that dominate the place are blue, white and grey with wooden-finish walls. On this occasion the dishes were all put on display at one side of the restaurant which was very well lit.   

Food - - - - - Age old delicacies from the kitchens of villages of undivided Bengal will be on the menu during the 3-day long Bengali Food Festival. As I’ve said above people loves to unite with their family and loved ones, or rather with their roots during this time, and these items on the menu will surely help them revisit those roots somehow or the other. 

The spread is really awesome and savoring so many authentic Bengali dishes at one shot is a great feeling and indeed very much filling as well :)

So let me just run through the featured dishes – Kumro Fuler Bora, Bok Fuler Bora, Murshidabadi Murgi, Begun Pora, Macher Matha Diye Jhuro, Dhakaiya Murgir Kebab, Pabda Mach Bhaja, Eachor Chingri, Dinaj Purer Kosha Mangso, Macher Matha Diye Muri Ghanto, Basanti Pulao, and many more.

The Bengali Food Festival spread will have loads more than these few featured dishes. On this food tasting event we had the privilege to preview few special items from this huge Food Festival menu. I tired their Mirpuri Badami Sarbat, and Aam Pora Sharbat  among the mocktails, both were very refreshing, if you like your thirst quencher to be bit diluted then you will love these. I have also tried their Bhaja Muger Dal with rice and it tasted good, I could smell the fresh ingredients used in that dal which was thick as expected and very much Bengali to its core, I finished it off even without the rice! 

The Aloo Posto was nice but it was not dry, it had some semi-thickish gravy and tasted good but when I found some onions in it and when I spoke to the Chef they informed they have added some tadka to the Aloo Posto which was bit unconventional according to me. The Chhanar Dalna was fresh and bit tangy with a thick gravy, Executive Chef Mr.Roy informed it just had onion and tomato paste in it that does all the trick. I also tried the Basanti Polao which had subtle flavors and aroma to it, nothing too rich. 

Next I tried the Rajbanshi Murgi which is basically a dish from the Rongpur district and quite spicy to suit the North Bengal palate, it is a chicken curry with garlic, turmeric, ginger and potatoes in that thick stew. The Parshe Maachh er Jhal was nice and fresh, the dry and bit spicy curry was going good with that fresh fish. The gravy was made by grinding fresh mustard and chillies, Chef said the dish had all the flavors from these two ingredients and from their correct proportions. Overall all the dishes tried were good and with a much more extended menu you can surely guarantee a great feast.

Also just wanted to mention that this Poila Boisakh menu launch event was graced by the presence of admired personalities like Tollywood actress Suchanda Vaaniya, and Painter Wasim Kapoor.

Service - - - - - The place has got really prompt and friendly staff. They are courteous and very flexible, the Executive Chef took out the time and was standing there beside me while I had my meal explaining every dish that I was having, really I am thankful for these insight and support. Service plays a very vital part in this industry and I am sure they will do well in this department. 

Overall - - - - - You should try out this new place and specially if you are near/at Rajarhat Newtown area. The business hotel with its urbane décor, and relaxed elegant ambiance of the restaurant will surely make your experience a pleasant one. A great addition to the culinary map of Newtown Rajarhat area. So let’s make this Poila Boishakh really special with the choicest delicacies of Bengal. 

You will get these Lunch and Dinner buffet at INR 899 plus taxes on these three days starting from 14^th April. Come and enjoy this lavish spread of delicacies at XII Zodiac, Kolkata’s first Sun-sign themed restaurant where food is served according to one’s sun-sign.

Cheers!

 

Food Tasting at Benjarong – Bangkok Street Food Festival 2016!

Thai food has always been very close to my heart ever since I started visiting yesteryear’s Siam or rather Thailand (as it is known today)! So, when I was invited for Food Tasting at Benjarong, I was more than excited to cover the event. I have always wondered what is holding back restaurateurs in Kolkata to open up a full fledged stand-alone Thai restaurant in the city of joy, and surely Benjarong has been the answer. So, being a Thai food lover this place is also very close to my heart. And it has added new dimensions in the food map of the city and helped people get accustomed to the pristine flavors of lemongrass, galangal, kaafir lime, sweet basil leaves. For me, I am even in mad love with the so-called pungent smelling Fish Sauce which is used so rampantly in Thai dishes.

Definitely Benjarong has taken the step forward, an initiative to experiment with the taste buds of Kolkatans who were already not familiar with Thai cuisine before they got introduced to the same at this restaurant. And kudos to the team for showing the courage to experiment with the food habits of this rather conventional Chinese cuisine loving population, who sometimes try Thai dishes expecting the same Chinese flavors from them! But saying so, there are genuine Thai food lovers in the city these days and also there are people who love to explore new cuisines, this place is surely a piece of heaven for them.

Now coming to the Bangkok Street food Festival tasting event, I was there at this amazing fine dine restaurant (under the umbrella of Oriental Cuisines Pvt Ltd) along with other Panch phoron members. The spread was amazing but before delving deep into the food let’s check out some other basic pointers that will enable you to enjoy this food even better. First the location - It’s pretty easy to reach this place, you need to come to South City Mall on Prince Anwar Shah Road and go to the food Court level, where you can spot the Benjarong restaurant along with other restaurants like Mainland China, etc on the same floor. A sleeping Buddha and loads of certificates and accolades welcome you to this place; the décor is very apt and classy. Nothing has been overdone and there is nothing flashy, the place somehow exudes warmth and essence of the Thai culture which has been shaped by many influences, including Lao, Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese and Indian. The presence of traditional Thai Ram dance headdress crown in paintings and statues, and figurines makes you feel your flight has just landed in Bangkok and you are all surrounded by performers and dancers. Actually this pointed crown is typical of Thailand and it can be found in the structure of the Stupas at Ayutthaya which were all burnt and destroyed during the dreadful Burmese–Siamese War centuries back. There is more such history behind and cultural richness stuffed in this place, but one thing is for sure – Thailand or rather Bangkok is not even half complete if you do not taste the authentic local Thai food. The awesome punch of taste and aroma will make you go weak at the knees. And personally I love the Thai street food and you can locate me mostly at street food stalls when I’m there at Bangkok. But at Kolkata I never thought the authentic delicacies of Thai street food can be served, that too in such a comfy and urbane environment.

This food festival will run till April 24^th. And now this is the right time to discuss about the food that you can get to taste at this festival –

<< Mocktails >>

a). Chaa yen – This is one of the most refreshing mocktails (or rather welcome drink) I have had in a long time that too presented so beautifully with purple Thai orchid on top, this orangish drink is basically a Thai iced tea.

b). Bangkok breeze – This had loads of Thai ingredients in it that make it taste so good, bit on the sweeter side which I really loved. Again a refreshing drink, perfect to beat the scorching Kolkata heat, it is basically a blend of carrot, orange along with crushed lemon grass.

c). Summer cooler – It is basically a mocktail presented as a whole coconut with lemon slice and cherry topping. It is  with tender coconut water and combined with lemon juice, fresh mint leaves, and a dash of honey.

d). Lychee mojito – It was stuffed with lychee pulps which was so amazing and it is basically a mocktail version of mojito, with loads of lychee in it.

<< Cocktail >>

a). Thai twist – Though I did not taste the cocktails but we were informed that this drink has got lemon grass, galangal, lemon and kafer lime leaves in it with vodka and lemonade.

b). Water melon and basil Martini – This red colored water melon based drink was presented in a martini glass and had gin , of course water melon, basil and crushed ice in it.

<< Appetizers >>

Coming to the best part of the meal:

a). Gai ping – This was the star dish for sure. These are basically marinated chicken skewers grilled to perfection and served with an awesome tangy spicy dip. The texture, aroma and flavor were simply out of the world. Must try!

b). Lookchin pla yang – Again another star dish but this had subtle flavors and an amazing texture to it with that firm skin, these were the grilled fish dumplings on skewers and served with chef’s special dip.

c). Sai krok Isan – These were bit too spicy and was basically the Thai Isan chicken sausages grilled on skewers and served. Typical food that you will find on streets of Bangkok! Great if you can bite some ginger along with it.

d). Goong tod chatuchak – This was the most innovative dish of the evening. These are the panco crumbled prawns coated with the layer of minced chicken paste and deep fried. These were served with sweet chilli sauce, which is a delicacy from the Chatuchak weekend market which is the largest market in Thailand.

e). Thung nung  goong & Thung nung je – These were two varieties of dimsums which we felt could have been better, they are served with basil sauce which can be kept but there needs to be a super spicy red chilli paste, also the skin of the momo should be thinner. Thung nung  goong is a steamed dimsums with prawn fillings. And Thung nung je is a steamed Thai dimsum with  tofu and water chests nut in it..

f). Hed ruam prik khi noo – Another amazing veg dish. These are just wok tossed assorted mushrooms with garlic, bird eye chillies and kaffir lime leaves.

<< Main course >>

a). Hormok talay – This steamed sea food mousse was a star item according to me. It was served in small bowls and you can savor it with some aromatic jasmine rice.

b). Poo pahd pong kari – It looked amazing and tasted awesome! These are hard shelled crabs cooked with celery in Thai red curry. The gravy is bit dried up and that intensifies the flavors. Must try!

c). Bamee pahd gratiem prik daeng haeng gai – As the name suggests this is wok tossed soft noodles with chicken in it and loads of garlic and dry red chilies.

d). Bamee pahd gratiem prik daeng haeng je – Similar to last item but this is the veg variant. It is wok tossed soft noodles with exotic veggies, garlic and dry red chilies.

e). Lard na gai – These are some awesome Thai flat noodle tossed with sesame, garlic, soya sauce and chicken pieces. The flat noodles could have been made separated from each other which could have made the dish even more enjoyable.

f) Lard na je – Similar to the last one, this is the veg version with loads of exotic veggies in it, the Thai flat noodle are tossed with sesame, garlic, and soya sauce.

<< Dessert >>

a) Khao niew dahm polamai – I tasted this for the first time, it is a sweetened black sticky rice topped with coconut cream and loads of tropical fruits, this whole combination took the sticky rice to another level.

Overall, this was an awesome experience and over the years the consistency that Benjarong has shown is simply amazing. Loads of honest efforts can only yield such fine results, but not to forget the imported ingredients which are very vital to get that authentic taste and aroma. But use of these imported ingredients result in prices of the dishes to go up, but then this is the price you can pay for the quality and authenticity. So you can always be here at this place to taste authentic Thai dishes sitting right here in Kolkata, and if you are new to the city then this is surely a place you won’t like to miss. I wish the team all the best and hope they are able to spread the flavors of Thailand to other parts of the city as well!

Cheers!

  

Poila Baisakh at Blu, Aauris - Bengali New Year lunch and dinner Buffet tasting!

It is time of the year when every Bengali gets a reason to rejoice and celebrate! To a Bengali this has got more importance maybe more than the English New Year which is celebrated worldwide; yes it’s time to celebrate the Bengali New Year! Poila Baishakh is one such day when you get all decked up and look out for some awesome place to savor some amazing Bengali cuisine! But look no further since here is one great destination for you to settle down and enjoy your Poila Baishakh meal – it is at Blu at Hotel Aauris.

The place in itself is spectacular; Hotel Aauris which houses this restaurant called Blu is a luxurious hospitality destination located at 4 Robinson Street (Theatre Road) having some lovely urbane and classy design, lavishing ambiance and serene comfort. The peaceful ambiance of Blu is sure to keep you glued to this place till your last nibble. 

Now coming to the Poila Baishak food tasting for which I was invited, let us discuss about the menu. The place has got to offer you both lunch and dinner buffet. In the soup, you will get Murgh Yakhni Shorba and Tomato Dhania Shorba to start with. The salads consist of Chola Shidho, Boil Potato Chaat, Garden Green Salad and Live Puchka Counter to make you go weak at the knees. In the starters you get Narkeler Chop, Dimer Devil, Maccher Chop, Dhoney Patar Bora and Sim Charchari. Along with these you get the fried items like Begun Bhaaja, Jhuri Aloo Bhaaja, Kumro Bhaaja, Pepyey Bhaaja, Bari Bhaaja, and Laal Saag Bori Deeye. To go with your meal there are several aachars or pickles like Dhaney Patar Chutney, Mishti Tamator Chutney, Anaras Chutney, Aamer Achar, Lebur Achar and Mixed Achar. Among Non-Veg Main course you will be treated to Lau Chingri, Mangsher Jhol, Dhoneypata Bata Murgi and Rui Maachher Kalia. For vegetarians, you get Cholaar Daal Narkel Diye, Banda Kopir Ghonto, Palang Begun Bori and Karai Sutir Dhokar Dalna in the main course. Along with these sides you will have Luchi, Assorted Indian Breads, Ghee Bhaat, Veg Pulao and Fried Papad. Isn’t that appetizing!  There is still more left to it, you will end your meal with Channar Payesh, Jafrani Ladoo, Lady Keny, Malpua, Misti Doi and Rosogolla. That’s some sort of a royal treat for sure!

To wrap things up, I must say this awesome menu deserves one round of tasting. This menu that they are serving is to die for.  So if you want to try them out you need to be there at 24*7 multi-cuisine restaurant called BLU at Hotel Aauris on 14th April. The Lunch time is: 12.30 to 3.30 pm and Dinner time is: 7.30 to 11.30pm. I guess after collecting all these mouth watering information you can only end up at this place on 14th April for some delectable Bengali cuisine at reasonable prices :)

Cheers!

Bakstage - The Wine Room - now serving great lunch buffet!

On a sunny Friday afternoon my office colleagues decided to break the monotony of a drab office lunch and we made a quick plan to visit Bakstage Wine Room for their new buffet lunch that comes at a very reasonable price inclusive of all taxes. Sometimes they say, decisions taken by your instinct are better than the ones that come to you after loads of brainstorming, and here also it turned out to be an overall pleasant experience though we were skeptical in the beginning about visiting this place, after hearing some really poor recent reviews about its upstairs pub. Anyway, let us delve deep into this personal experience of mine about their newly introduced buffet lunch, its pros and cons.

Location - - - - - It is quite convenient to locate this place once you reach Saltlake Sector-5, it is right on the main road at the ‘Webel more’. Once you reach this crossing you can well spot this place on your left hand side at the crossing if you are approaching from SDF crossing. This place is mostly frequented by techies, travelers and young entrepreneurs! :)

Ambiance - - - - - Maybe this is the best part of this place. The interiors are very well done and help you settle down real fast, the seating arrangements are very comfortable and well planned and placed, though I would say when the buffet is on offer the number of seating arrangements are real less. But then for this reason it is not so cramped up. The wooden finish flooring with high ceilings, wine cellars, ornate wooden book-shelves and glass walls comes together to produce an amazing urbane décor and sunlight dining experience if you are here for lunch. The live pasta and pizza counters are very close to your seats and you can see your food getting prepared! The vintage looking wooden decanter themed tables with comfortable high chairs add more glam to this place, and not to forget the white scooter at the entrance that adds to the bit quirky quotient of the place. Overall the classy interiors of the ground floor is to give you a leisure dining experience, maybe with some wine in the evening. The wooden stairs that goes to the first floor pub is also there at this place but that sadly eats up some dining area space at the ground floor Wine room. But as a whole, I really loved the warm and elegant ambiance this place has got.     

Food - - - - - The food is real good at this place, to start with. I was not aware of their INR 499 all inclusive buffet offer which one friend of mine let me know. We opted for this buffet and I would say the price charged is more than reasonable. 

I did not find this buffet related information on their Zomato page though, but I was quite pleased to have discovered it. The buffet spread is quite big if not huge like in few other places around the city. But whatever items they offer are real good and enough to satiate the hunger of any foodie with a big appetite. They serve all the starters along with pasta and pizza from the live counters on the table and you need to help yourselves with the main course and the dessert. But I would say, they should add some provision for mocktails which was badly missing from the buffet menu. If the mocktails are there this buffet menu (along with this classy ambiance), it can surely make this offer more than irresistible.

We started off with cheese and corn stuffed veg starters which were simply heavenly, I am not sure how many pieces I gobbled up! The classic panner tikka, chicken tikka, dry chilli chicken, chilli baby corn were all good, served in quantity and served repeatedly. But the chilli chicken was not boneless which was a bit of let down. But there was one butter fried fish starter with tarter sauce dip that was just amazing, the flavors were subtle and the fish in there was just so fresh! After this we were asked for pizza and pasta from live counters and we ordered for one chicken pizza and one penne in white sauce with mushroom, chicken and other ingredients. 

The pasta was just amazing and very soul-satisfying; the pizza was equally good with a thing crust and toppings of chicken, sweet corn, onion, bell peppers, etc but I would suggest them to offer some oregano and chilli flakes along with this pizza. As the starters came to an end we were still feeling the need for some great mocktail which was missing, I guess some soft drinks would have also done!  

The mains were good but I was a touch disappointed with the mains after having those amazing veg and non-veg starters. To start with, I did not spot any soup out there. Maybe some simple lemon coriander soup could have done wonders. Then there were assorted ingredients kept for DIY chaats and salads, which were pretty good but could have been fresher, maybe they were lying there for a long time and were bit dried up. There were again options for pasta in the main course along with veg noodles and schezwan chicken (again the chicken was not boneless), rest of the items were mainly Indian. Notable items were - lovely aromatic veg biriyani (which I simply loved), steamed rice with masala fish and chicken tikka butter masala. The fish was again very fresh and flavorful, the dals were tasty. The desserts were nice and had options for caramel custard, chocolate pudding, chocolate cake and fresh fruits (pineapple, apple, cherry, kiwi, etc). Again I felt atleast one option for vanilla icecream could have done wonders here which was not there. But anyway after the lunch was over, we were overstuffed, overwhelmed with the food options which were there!

Service - - - - - The service was good, they were good order takers but somehow lacked warmth I felt. After we had finished we were asked to please sit on the high chairs since another group was waiting for the buffet lunch, that was okay but I guess asking someone to sit aside is not the perfect thing to do, if such problem persists you need to increase your seating arrangements rather than asking guests to sit on another table, we were anyway not going to sit there for more than a minute or two since we had already finished.

Summary - - - - - Here are my granular ratings:

Food quantity: 3.8/5

Food quality: 4/5

Food presentation: 3.5/5

Value for money: 3.8/5

Ambiance: 4/5

Service: 3/5

My overall rating comes to 3.7 out of 5, which will be rounded off to 3.5 out of 5 in Zomato.

Overall I felt - keeping less food options on buffet menu, not keeping provisions for mocktails, icecream, soups and introducing more veg items (like veg biriyani instead of chicken biriyani) have helped them to maintain the INR 499 price tag for this buffet lunch which was overall nice only for the flavors which were very honest and intense, thumbs up for that. I guess you can go try it out for yourself, not sure how long they will continue this offer :) 

And yes, you can enjoy live cricket and all day sports at this place on the television which is strategically placed at the centre atop a book shelf! The place is now all decked up with elements pertaining to the ongoing cricket T20 World Cup 2016.  

But anyway, I guess I need to visit this place again, not for the buffet lunch but for some wine at this Wine Room which was badly missing in this outing! But finding out reasons to come back again to this place give me more joy and satisfaction now while I am here to wrap up this review of mine. I wish they keep serving great food and beverages in the coming days!

Cheers!