Mancherji’s Parsi Food – Kolkata

 

If you’re in Kolkata, the options of having Parsi cuisine is very limited.

There is Manackjee Rustomjee Parsi Dharamshala at Bow Barracks and we saw the opening of Sodabottleopenerwala at South City Mall. Dharamshala is now taken care of by another family and is still oeprating.

There is one more place which is not known to many. This place is called Mancherji’s which is run by a very humble and sweet lady known as Supriya Mancherji. She runs this place single-handedly and you can find the location out here. Supriya Mancherji is basically a Bengali who got married to a Parsi family and from there, she got the expertise.

If you drop down at Park Street Metro and walk towards Indian Museum, you will find the branch of Paradise Biryani on the right. Cross that, take the first right and walk for 1 minute until you see the bright signboard saying Mancherji’s on your left.

From outside, this place will look like any other street-side hotel (better to say, ভাতের হোটেল!) but it’s one of the hidden gems of the city. They do serve Bengali food too and you will see a lot of people coming here during the afternoon to have their regular Bengali Thali and also for some Rolls and Chow Mein during the evening. They are operating since last 12 years.

Here, the Parsi food menu has two parts. One part will give you a list of the Parsi food that you will get everyday and the other part, you need to pre-order (24 hours in advance) because those are special items. Check the menu here :

I tried their regular menu and the items that I tried are :

• Chicken Farcha and Mutton Patties for starters
• Chicken Dhansak and Sali Chicken for main course
• Lagan Nu Custard for dessert

Coming to the food, all the items were authentic in taste and the proper way of Parsi-style cooking is followed here. Generally, I do not have mutton or any red meat as such, but I liked the Mutton Patties. Unlike other patties that we’re used to, this one is soft, the outer layer is thin and minced mutton is used inside. The Chicken Farcha is huge in size with a huge piece of marinated chicken inside while the outer coating is of egg and it is soft. Two great starters within 100 INR/piece.

Next, it is time to have my favorite Chicken Dhansak. For those, who are thinking of Mutton Dhansak, you need to pre-order. The rice which is served here is yellow, caramelized rice with fried onions (Beresta) and along with that, you will get a bowl-full of Parsi-style chicken and lentil curry along with Kachumber. Dhansak is itself a meal. The Sali Chicken has less gravy, as usual and it goes really well with Roti or Paratha. The fried matchstick potatoes as toppings were plenty. For dessert, the must-have is Lagan Nu Custard which comes at 60 INR/plate. Lagan Nu is a must during any Parsi wedding and the name means ‘wedding custard’. Here, the usage of milk, eggs and cardamoms is done properly and hence, I had one of the best custards in recent times.

In case, you are thinking if I tried their Akuri or Patra Ni Machhi, I had no space left in my stomach. I kept these for the next time along with few other dishes which will also include Khichri Sas.

Few things to note down :

1. The place remains open from 12.30 PM to 9 PM
2. You need to pre-order few items which you can check from the menu card and there is a minimum quantity that you need to order. Pre-order is also suggested for bulk orders.
3. Usually, the stock of Patra Ni Machhi is very limited and there is a tendency that this items runs out of stock early.
4. If there is a bigger gang, it is better to inform the owner in advance so that you get the best of the service and there is less waiting time.
5. The updated phone number is : 9051355254 & 9830671220
6. The starters/appetizers has just one piece in a plate. So, if there are 5 people and if you want to have Chicken Farcha, take 5 plates. Same goes with Sali Chicken.

Here is the menu card which has all the regular items listed, included Bengali Food and snacks.

I would not think twice to say that Mancherji’s is the best place in Kolkata to have Parsi food. Be it in terms of taste or value for money, they take care of both. If you go to Manackjee Rustomjee Parsi Dharamshala at Bow Barracks, whatever you eat, it has to be pre-ordered and the bill would easily be around 2000 INR for a gang of 6 people. SBOW at South City is costly too but the variety is more, no doubt about that.

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