Here's a reason why it's fun to think about food fish, in particular than the collapsing world economy
Here's a reason why it's fun to think about food fish, in particular than the collapsing world economy
Elegant interiors and walls full of posters of Calcutta (not Kolkata) welcome you to Esplanade.
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Bengali feast: Esplanade turns out fabulous fish preparations |
The area, not the restaurant, was the heart of colonial Calcutta and hosted popular restaurants and the famous trinity of New Empire, Lighthouse and Metro movie theatres.u00a0
Closer home, Esplanade, the restaurant, in Koramangala, offers several pleasant surprises like a menu with culinary quotes by connoisseurs.
Sample this: "Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French; sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek; soy sauce makes it Chinese; love and divinity make it Bengali." The man who said it being none other than sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar!u00a0
"We offer food that graced the tables of the colonial sahibs," says Subhankar Dhar, chef and owner.u00a0u00a0
The mocktails sport interesting names. We tried Ampora, a refreshing drink made with raw mango, and Whiteway Winger, which had lots of strawberry pulp. For starters, I chose Creole fish fingers and was more than pleased to discover that the fish was not standard seer fillets but juicy, fresh bhekti.
Fish roll, another Bengali delicacy, was made with fish pauppietes and stuffed with a spicy shrimp mixture.
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My vegetarian companion chose the corn and mushroom pie and pronounced it delicious.u00a0u00a0u00a0
The main course was echorer kofta, raw jackfruit dumplings simmered in tomato gravy. We ate it with flaky luchis (puris) and aloo karaishutir nimano (baby potatoes in a piquant green peas paste). We're told that fish tops the menu at Esplanade. Rui (rohu) machher jhol, bhekti machher paturi, rui tomato jhal and hilsa in mustard gravy have seafood buffs coming back for more. Eaten with steamed rice, it constitutes a soul-satisfying meal.u00a0For fowl folks, there's deshi murgir jhol a spicy preparation of free-range chicken, Anglo India Chicken Curry boneless chicken cooked with whole spices, murgir dhonepatar rassa boneless chicken in a spicy and tangy coriander paste.u00a0
Skip the mishti do-rossomalai-rossogolla routine for dessert. Opt instead for natun gurer ice cream, which uses palm jaggery in magical ways.u00a0u00a0
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Where: The Esplanade, 151 KHB Colony, 5th Block, Koramangala. Ph: 4092 7878/7888.
Wallet factor: The weekday lunch buffet is priced at Rs 215 (inclusive of taxes).
Meal for two, excluding beverages: Rs 850.
What's On tip: Don't miss sampling the amshotwer (sweet mango) chutney. You'll be tempted to polish off a whole bowl of rice with just this.
