The DSSC Wordsmiths Series brings to you the thoughts of some of our amazing members as they share their opinion, sentiment, perspective on food, tipples, the city and life.
Calcutta the city is all I have when I sit down to translate my dreams on paper, and therefore, as a subject it’s closest to my heart. It’s all I’ve known; it’s all I’ve ever wanted to write about. My closest associations, school friends, extended family, waiters at the clubs and my grandparents – they all lead me to Calcutta. Some of them still call me baba, an affectionate term associated with a little boy. As you might or might not know – I am neither little nor a boy anymore.
The soul of the city is still intact, regardless of what people say. It’s the city that still sheds a tear for the dead, it’s the city that still burns effigies when we fail at an international cricket tournament (we’re a little too passionate, sorry) and it’s the city that still serves the best continental (blame it on the colonial hangover), Indian-Chinese, Biryani and Fish Fry in the world. You could contest me on the first two points made above – could be anywhere in India but the last comment – well, we’ll see. Am I biased? Perhaps! But it was the only thing I knew till I was eighteen years old. My taste buds knew no more than what was a short drive away from home, my wonder years spent in Ballygunge.
The walk to CCFC for Fish Fingers or Cheese Balls, the football and rugby matches incomplete without the Steak Kebab with a generous serving of baked beans and homemade potato chips (none of these frozen French fries one gets at departmental stores), and how could anyone forget the Chilly Cheese Toast? Remember this was before pizzas made their way into our lives. And, once the pizzas did make their way into our lives – Calcutta had Little Sicily and Don Giovanni’s and the likes! Fantastic. They’d call back on our landlines to make sure we were genuinely ordering all that food and it wasn’t a hoax. Yes, the ‘landline years’ also meant no call tracing or mobile phones existed back then and lots of prank calls were made to the delivery joints! Not saying that I was party to any of that!
The club culture that Calcutta boasts of, very few other cities in the world could come close to. I often hear of people speaking of Bombay in the same breath but in reality it doesn’t even come close. The clubs have maintained their standards, improved on their facilities and have paid close attention to – food. A lot of which rides on nostalgia. The Chinese fare at Bengal Club, the Christmas lunches at any of the clubs, the Ham and Cheese Toasted Sandwich at Tollygunge Club, the Plum Cake at Calcutta Club, the Chicken Sizzler at Saturday Club …the list is endless! When you’re in Calcutta next, make sure you stay at one of the clubs and not a hotel. You’ll thank me later.
A visit to Park Street is a must. I make sure I visit Peter Cat or Mocambo on every visit to the city. The establishment has been owned and run by the same family, over all these years. Sid Kothari, who is often found at either of the restaurants, is a friend and foodie. On my last visit, I carefully observed how important it was for him, as an owner, but more importantly as a foodie, to make sure nostalgia is served with the right amounts of curry and rice. If you’d like to follow my recommendations on what to eat at these places, feel free to write to me and I will tell you what to order! Or else, reach out to any of the managers, many of whom have been working there for years – they’ll lead you to happiness. Kwality is another Calcutta classic! Paneer Butter Masala, Chicken Reshmi Kebab, Channa and Kulcha, Pineapple Raita and those little onions in vinegar – standard order since the early 1980s- Winning, all the way!
Park Street also boasts of Bar-b-q, which has a drinking section in the ground floor. For bachelors or large groups of men, as they say. Enjoy Old Monk with Chilli Chicken and Fried Rice. Flavours of China is next to Bar-b-q and can give you what you wouldn’t find elsewhere – Calcutta Chinese. The next article on Calcutta focuses on Bengali, Chinese and Mughlai – more on that later.
Picture Credit: Migrationology.com
Finally – the Kathi Roll! Listen, all those who make rolls with roomali roti and naan, look away. The original and only way to eat a Kathi Roll is:
- Fried Paratha
- 1 or 2 eggs beaten to form a layer on the paratha
- Pieces of chicken/mutton (no gravy!) from the Tandoor
- Raw onions
- Finely chopped green chili
- Masala
- Chopped lemon, squashed right at the end
(Some people prefer to put in tomato ketchup or chili sauce – acceptable!)
The best rolls I ever tasted were where my parents took me – Frosty. Sadly, it closed when I was still in Middle School. But, there’s Nizam’s, Zeeshan Snack Corner, Kusum’s Roll Corner where I still find the roll I want!
And, no trip to Calcutta is complete without a trip to Kookie Jar. Some prefer going to Flurry’s for dessert but Flurry’s for me is more for afternoon tea and sandwiches. Kookie Jar gives me my Chocolate Boat, Black Forest Pastry, Lemon Tart, Nut Corners… ok, I’ll stop.
Do stay tuned – next part of Calcutta, you wouldn’t want to miss.
You can reach me at ArjunPuriMail@Gmail.com. Happy to include you in my food walks or date nights. Just saying!
A true explorer, Arjun has always been a great source of facts, lore and let’s not forget humour! The closeted writer and out & out gastronome relies on his travels across the globe to build his bank of knowledge. Most days though, he’s in OP Jindal Global University inspiring the students of Law & Liberal Arts.
Cover Picture: Prasad Gori
