Park Street Tales by Foodie Dibyajit

 When we talk about Park Street at Kolkata, we immediately could see pictures of a busy street, one-way traffic and a stretch full of life. Just like Anjan Dutt mentioned in one of his songs - এ কলকাতা ১৬ আনার - এ কলকাতা ১৬ আমার! It is a known fact that Park Street was once a place, the only place in India which provided earnings to 1000 plus people from various professions - be it a Cabaret dancer, a magician, a waiter, a saxophonist, a prostitute, a waiter : a place for all. 

That Park Street has lost it's charm. Though, you will still find one of the best coffee shops here, one of the best places to have Continental dishes, a stretch full of restaurants and bars on both side of the road, neon signs, a busy traffic police and all. There are places which are still operational but submerged in nostalgia and emotion without any value for money and there are places which has remained their charm and quality intact.

In this blog, I will write about those places which are either too good till date or has downgraded like anything. In one word, a true picture of all the iconic restaurants on this street. The blog will be updated often.

𝗣 𝗔 𝗥 𝗞 𝗦 𝗧 𝗥 𝗘 𝗘 𝗧 𝗧 𝗔 𝗟 𝗘 𝗦 : 𝗣 𝗔 𝗥 𝗧 𝟭

Oly Pub is perhaps the most overhyped places on Park Street. I have read numerous articles here and there stating that Oly Pub is perhaps one of the cheapest bars of the town. Well, either they don’t know other bars or they don’t have any research or they are habituated to pay more than 2000 INR for nothing.

The drinks here are not at all cheap, in fact almost similar to other places around. It’s fine if you just want to have a quick drink or two and leave! Coming to the food, I am not really sure where to start from. People talk about their 𝑩𝒆𝒆𝒇 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒌 a lot but it’s simply buffalo meat and it’s not even a steak. Period. I find the 𝑨𝒍𝒂 𝑲𝒊𝒆𝒗 to be better but no other food is worthy. Most of the dishes are served cold and without salt. For the first time in my life, I saw a 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒉𝒎𝒊 𝑲𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒃 to be brown in color. I asked them if they gave the correct order and they replied "𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙝𝙢𝙞 𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙚𝙝!". Even the 𝑪𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒍 𝑺𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔 seems to be of low quality. The 𝑴𝒊𝒙𝒆𝒅 𝑮𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 was not up to the mark in terms of taste. All these are not an example of a bad day at the kitchen but the same story, everyday. Neither, they take feedback or they try to improve.

I generally avoid going there to eat or to drink. A quick pint of beer or a peg is fine, nothing more than that. The kitchen has no hygiene at all. The behaviour of all the waiters here are just too rude. There is a catch! If you tip them well (as per their demand), you will be served well. Their expectation is high just like the expectation of the gatekeeper. You need to keep a separate budget just for tips, that’s one specialty I find about Oly Pub.

God only knows why people of Kolkata are so much obsessed with this bar!

𝗣 𝗔 𝗥 𝗞 𝗦 𝗧 𝗥 𝗘 𝗘 𝗧 𝗧 𝗔 𝗟 𝗘 𝗦 : 𝗣 𝗔 𝗥 𝗧 𝟮

Whenever people talk about Peter Cat, Park Street, it is to highlight the vintage feel and the 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒐 𝑲𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒃 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓. Since last many years, their signature dish has degraded drastically. Infact, being a food blogger, I found 𝑻𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒂𝒔 making better Chelo Kebab than Peter Cat. Or, you may say that the platter of Peter Cat remained the same but Trincas came out to be better. Now, people really do not know Trincas for their Chelo Kebab. The kebabs given in the platter are dry, at Peter Cat.

I like the fact that they serve beer in a copper-silver mug. It really gives a vintage feel. The "𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘯𝘢" (Mixture from Raja Bazaar) is all the same all across Park Street. But, the 𝑰𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒊 𝑲𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒃 of Peter Cat will get .5 points more than any other places on Park Street. They make it perfect.

Therefore, I will go to Peter Cat to try some other dishes but definitely not for the Chelo Kebab that other people go for.

𝗣 𝗔 𝗥 𝗞 𝗦 𝗧 𝗥 𝗘 𝗘 𝗧 𝗧 𝗔 𝗟 𝗘 𝗦 : 𝗣 𝗔 𝗥 𝗧 𝟯

One Step Up at Park Street is known to serve top-notch Continental offerings however, this place serves many other cuisines starting from Chinese to Mughlai.

Few days back, I visited this place with a friend to try something different. Before that, our local gang visited this place for a dinner during last year's Durga Puja. The snap of the 𝐌𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

was taken during that time.

Before this visit, I was having Continental food very often and hence decided to settle down with a warm bowl of 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐊𝐡𝐚𝐨 𝐒𝐮𝐞𝐲 for myself after gorging on some 𝐅𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐌𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐢è𝐫𝐞 with 𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐫. There was this plate of 𝐌𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐒𝐮𝐞𝐲 too.

The Fish Meunière is perhaps one of the bests, I tasted in Kolkata. Anyone visiting this place for a lunch/dinner must try this dish. The fish was fresh, the sauce was prepared perfectly with brown butter, parsley, lemon, garlic, etc along with a generous amount of mushroom in it. 𝐓𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐋!

The Burmese Khao Suey on the other hand was decent. Not like the traditional one that we get at 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂'𝒔 𝑲𝒉𝒂𝒖𝒌𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒚 but a decent, comforting bowl served with all the condiments. The Chop Suey was also very good, loaded with meat and prawns and eggs.

Don’t make the same mistake like us by ordering a single dish for one person. Here, the quantity is huge and can easily be shared by two. Though, I managed to complete the Khao Suey all alone, my friend had to pack most of the Chop Suey.

What I like about One Step Up is the politeness of the staffs. They listen to your preferences. On most of the occasions, you will get a seat as soon as you arrive because this place, god knows for what reason, remains not-so-crowded. The Bar Menu is vast and most of the drinks are available.

These places are not at all unknown to the foodies of Kolkata however, 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐔𝐩 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝!

𝗣 𝗔 𝗥 𝗞 𝗦 𝗧 𝗥 𝗘 𝗘 𝗧 𝗧 𝗔 𝗟 𝗘 𝗦 : 𝗣 𝗔 𝗥 𝗧 𝟒

Mocambo has always been my one-stop place for 𝑫𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝑪𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒔, and 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒔 and few other continental dishes like Chicken Ala Kiev, Cordon Bleu, etc. Not sure, if this was one off day or not, but the last time I went there, the Devilled Crabs were up to the mark. There was no crab meat at all! A very small quantity of crab meat, too much of shell which was covered with cheese & mustard sauce, topped with boiled eggs which was not even fresh. Did the quality seriously go down?

On the other hand, the 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒌 was nice. The pepper-garlic sauce was nicely prepared. The 𝑰𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒆𝒆𝒇 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒌 was the best of the lot. I opted for medium and the meat was of brilliant quality. Paired the Steaks with some 𝑩𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑹𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒔 & 𝒃𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 to make it a meal and the lunch was done. The starter could have been much better though!

I prefer Sizzlers at Trincas nowadays and hence, no Sizzlers here. Sorry, if you are a fan of Mocambo’s Sizzlers! Lastly, the Bar menu is huge here but the stocks are less. Most of the drinks are not available most of the time and finding a good wine at Mocambo is like finding water amidst a desert. They should think about this!

PS : The 𝑴𝒊𝒙𝒆𝒅 𝑴𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝑹𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒐 is still the best in Kolkata, I bet!

To be continued....

Kolkata Rolls

This blog will be short. A close friend suddenly told me that I am yet to write a blog on Kolkata Rolls. She was right, this thing did not even come to my mind. 

When it is about Kolkata Rolls, I have few preferences and I am not really a fan of all those places which tops the list of most of the Kolkata-people. For example : Nizam's. I am sure Nizam was the best at one point but not anymore. I am not a kind of person who would go to Nizam's for a Kati Roll. The kebabs are still good but not the roll, which is drenched in oil. If I am paying for a roll, I would not pay it for Nizam's and I am sick and tired of listening to stories of nostalgia and hearing that everything that was good during 1970-1980 's is still the best. Visiting these kind of places once in a while is still fine but calling it to be the best during 2023, is foolishness.

Coming to the point, there are places of mine for a roll.
Kusum's and Hot Kati Rolls on Park Street, Kolkata are my favorites. These two are known to all. However, I would write about these two in a different way.

If you're someone who likes the paratha to be on the softer side,  Hot Kati Rolls will make it for you. Kusum's, on the other hand, make the paratha a bit flaky, a bit on the harder side since it is purely a Lachha paratha. I am someone on a softer-side and that is why you would find me visiting Hot Kati Rolls more than Kusum's. The kebabs that are used at Hot Kati Rolls is smaller in size than that of Kusum's. The variety is more at Kusum's definitely. People go to Hot Kati Rolls if they want a simple Egg Roll, Egg Chicken Roll or a Chicken Roll. But, at Kusum's, rolls with mutton liver, cheese versions and all are also available beside the regular ones. I am not a fan of adding everything and anything in a roll, hence Hot Kati Rolls serves my purpose.

If I have to rate a simple Egg-Chicken Roll, I would give Hot Kati Rolls a rating of 4/5 because I like the paratha to be soft. For Kusum's, it is 3.5/5. This is a personal preference of any individual and it does not go as per the traditional recipe and process of making a roll. 

A simple Egg-Chicken Roll at Hot Kati Rolls comes with the paratha softly fried with an egg, small but 6 pieces of chicken kebabs, onions, chilies, lemon and a masala topping. Sauce is added only if you want. 

In Frame :  Egg - Chicken Roll from Hot Kati Rolls and Kusum's

Coming to other favorites and not an option from Park Street, I simply adore a Chicken Tikia Roll from Bedouin at Gariahat. This is my childhood favorite and anyone who is from South Point School, will be able to relate to this.

This Chicken Tikia Roll is prepared with fried tikia chops which is crushed and put into the roll, added with chopped onions, capsicums and chilies, a masala sprinkled on the top, a bit of lemon is squeezed also and handed over to the customer. Not really a fan of the other rolls from here but definitely try the Chicken Tikia Roll every time. Here, the paratha is much like Kusum's, a typical lachha one but a drier one. But again, the size is huge and one is enough for a quick evening snack. Just at 40 INR.

People do try other varieties here like the Fish Roll and all however, the best-selling item is the Tikia Roll and they do end up preparing more than 500 rolls in a day. Of course, then comes the Egg Roll or the Chicken Roll.

I do remember getting a treat from my mother from this place if I get good marks in any exam during the school days. Of course, getting good marks was a very rare thing for me and hence, the rolls too.
It was not because of my studies but because my father used to like their Tikia Rolls, we used to have it once we are done with the shopping from Gariahat. I remember, the rolls used to less than 20 INR during that time.

SPECIAL MENTIONS :

I generally do not like Rolls which are not the "usual" ones.
However, I found out another type of Roll called "Murgh Pahari Tikka Roll" from Imarat, a Biryani shop on Lake Road. This specific roll is prepared with a Tandoori Roti and not with a Paratha. Inside, you will find chunks of soft Chicken Tikka, topped with onions and their special green chutney. The roll is soft and it tastes heaven. The person who asked me to write this specific blog  from Kolkata tasted the roll and was immediately blown away. You can check out my small review on this roll here. This is a must-try if you are willing to try a different kind of roll. 

Another roll which I must write about is the one that Gopal Da prepares. Gopal Da or Gopal Da'r Dokan is our local shop at Golf Club Road and perhaps, the first snacks bar of our local gang.
If you know Atalanta Club at Tollygunge, you can go and ask anyone and he/she will let you know where this snack shop is. You will not find it on Google Maps or anywhere but the roll is a mighty one.
I still stick to the plain and simple Egg Roll or an Egg-Chicken one, but Rahul would come down to Kolkata and will have a "customized" one which will have egg-chicken-mutton and what not! This type is not even mentioned on the menu but we get a special treatment. It won't be a sin if I mention this Roll as "Rahul's Roll". It is a mandatory to gorge on this Roll every year during the Durga Puja. That roll is a gem, trust me. I am sure each and every locality or para of Kolkata will have their special "dokan" or "shop" for all these items. Gopal Da is such!

Note : Another shop which I love is Anamika Roll Center at New Alipore, however it is been long that I haven't visited this place and I am not sure how the quality is, nowadays. The last time I had a roll from Anamika was during 2017. This is also a similar kind of shop like Gopal Da's, a small cart-like, local snacks bar but famous for the rolls. You can check out the location here. I will visit soon and update this blog with a review and a snap.

What is your favorite place to have a roll? Let me know in the comment section. This is one street-food which makes Kolkata look like "Kolkata" and I can gorge on one or two at any time. 

Coming back real soon with a new blog!

In the interim, you might be interested to follow my Instagram handle or my Facebook Profile. Feel free to leave a honest feedback too, it will take less than a minute!

Note : 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘/𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒏𝒂𝒑𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕.

Email - foodiedibyajit@gmail.com

Blog and Image Courtesy : Foodie Dibyajit

The King of Egg Devils

Nowadays, I am exploring the Cabins of Kolkata. I am trying to cover all of them, one by one. In this journey, I happened to visit Niranjan Agar which is also known as The King of Egg Devils.

How to go?

If you are taking Metro as your mode of transport, get down at Girish Park and exit through gate number 2, on your left you will find Niranjan Agar.

You can check the Google Map here

History of Niranjan Agar :

If you follow my blogs, you must know that I love to dig into history. Especially, if it is an old eatery or restaurant or a cabin.

Niranjan Agar was not at all a big shop when it was started by Niranjan Hazra. He started selling chops and cutlets during 1922 and his regular customers were officers and businessmen who wanted to take a quick snack with their evening tea before going home. It is from this very place, the egg devils gathered much fame.

The small shop became a large one. Now, there are two parts of Niranjan Agar – one side got renovated, plastic chairs and tables came in, a television found it’s place too and the old fans were replaced by new ones. The other part will bring you the feel of the old with wooden benches and tables, a low ceiling and a big fan above your head which we could easily see in trams few years back. I love this part.

I went to Niranjan Agar on a Thursday. Now, the menu changes on a Thursday and it is different from the rest of the days. Earlier in Kolkata (when it was Calcutta!), it was tradition that mutton would not be sold on Thursdays. Since then, Niranjan Agar also do not keep any mutton items on their menu on Thursdays. Check out the menu below :

I do not have mutton if it is not minced and I avoid any kind of red meat. So, the unavailability of mutton items was not an issue to me. I ordered one Fowl Cutlet and the same was fulfilled within 5 minutes. A great Fowl Cutlet with some salad and a home-made mustard sauce which is super strong to smell and taste. Kolkata Sen rates the Fowl Cutlet – 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Once I am done with Fowl Cutlet, I took a glance on the menu card and ordered a Fish Fry. If you’re visiting a cabin of Kolkata and not having a Fish Fry, it is a sin. This also came on the table within 5 minutes along with the salad and the kasundi. Oh wow, the Bhetki fillet is well-marinated, the taste is brilliant though the size is not huge. If the size is huge, 90 out of 100 times, there is a chance that fillers are more than the fish or the chicken. Again, a 4 out of 5 stars!

I was a bit upset when I heard that their egg items are over. On Thursdays, they do not serve Egg Devils since it is prepared using minced mutton however, they do serve Egg Chops. All the egg items at Niranjan Agar is prepared using duck eggs and yes, you will get an egg- I mean, a full one!

Egg Chops and Egg Curry was over though I entered the shop within one and half hours of the starting of business hours. Such is the demand of the egg items of this place and by now, I know why people love the egg items of this place.

Well, there is always a next time and when I go to this place again, my picks from the menu will be Egg Curry with Toasts, Vegetable Chop and Egg Devils.

While I was gorging on the Fish Fry, an old man entered and sat just opposite to me. He learnt that I write about food and I like history and therefore, he gave me few suggestions and told me some stories.

He mentioned that :

If you are coming to Niranjan Agar on any days except Thursdays, you must try the Mutton Liver Curry and the Mutton Kofta. I used to work at Raj Bhavan of Kolkata and Niranjan Agar used to be the only cabin which was allowed to send food items and snacks for the officials of Raj Bhavan without any prior permission. This was back in 1980s. I have seen Uttam Kumar and many other celebrities coming to Niranjan Agar for their Egg Devils or Egg Curry and Roti.

This place has been standing there and serving their customers since last 100 years, to be exact. Needless to say, they got many recognitions and awards for their service, however the one below is a prestigious one, indeed.

Timing :

This place remains open from 4 PM to 9 PM on all days. However, the earlier you go, the chances of getting the best-selling items is more. 

Coming back real soon with a new blog!

In the interim, you might be interested to follow my Instagram handle or my Facebook Profile. Feel free to leave a honest feedback too, it will take less than a minute!

Note : 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘/𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒏𝒂𝒑𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕.

Email - foodiedibyajit@gmail.com

Blog and Image Courtesy : Foodie Dibyajit