Kolkata Street Food Festival at Monkey Bar

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It's that time of the year when Bengali's world over travel back to India to reunite with their loved ones and celebrate the Kolkata's biggest festival - Durga Pujo. The grandeur and the extravaganza of the pandals and the celebrations are spoken about world over and is a festival looked forward to not just by Bengali's but people of different religions and castes as well. Like all festivities, people flock to the pedals not just for worship but also to experience the Bengali gastronomy which is really sought after. 

While Pedals are known to have food stalls set up with some of the traditional bengali delicacies on offer; this year around; Monkey Bar decides to take us on a gastronomic trip down the iconic lanes of Kolkata. 'Next Stop Kolkata' is a special menu curated by Kolkata based home chef 'Its Misra' and Monkey Bar's head chef 'Deeraj Varma' will be available across Monkey Bar outlets in Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai all day from October 4th to 21st, 2018. 

What's different about this food festival is that Money Bar honestly attempts to showcase the classic and traditional street food available in the streets of Kolkata which became available as way back in it's time as immigrants from different parts of the country and world started to make Kolkata its base. It can be said that the Kolkata street food is not the local street food but an inspiration / ode to the global immigrants who have made Kolkata their home.

The menu's got the Chinese inspired prawn dumplings widely available at the Tiretti Bazaar area; Pork momo's widely available at the many Tibetan joints at Elgin Road; Kolkata-Style North-Indian Chaat of Moong Daal Pakodi from Vardaan Market ; Beadon Street Fish Roll and many more. Each dish available on the menu has a Monkey Bar twist to it and it does uplift the preparation for an enjoyable experience. 

During the preview, I tried a few dishes from the menu which includes the lovely deep fried fish fillet breaded on the outside and stuffed with a mince curried shrimp filling called 'Beadon Street Fish Roll' made popular by Mitra Cafe; 'Vivekanand Park Ghooghni' a dish of curried white peas topped with potato sali; normally served with Pav but here was served with a wonderful masala brioche bread.

Continuing the lunch, the Moong Daal Pakodi was served as a chaat topped with khatta-meetha chutney, yoghurt, boondi, sev and crisp fried curry leaves; a Monkey Bar take to the traditional Moong Daal Pakodi served on the streets at Kolkata. 'Esplanade Mughlai Porota' is served in 2 variants - stuffed with egg or with spicy mutton Keema filling. We tried the one with egg and it came served along with Paanch phoron baby potato. 

My top picks for the day were these next 2 dishes:

- 'Girish Park-er Shoitan Deem' aka Egg Devil - This was boiled egg encased in a Shammi Kebab mince instead of the minced potato encasing as available on the streets near Girish Park. Well, another great example of how Monkey does a twist.

- Chitpur Road Chicken Rezala - It's a mildly spiced and flavoured white chicken curry; silky texture getting its subtle flavours from cashew and poppy seed paste comes served with the triangle porota known widely in Kolkata as 'Teen Kona Porota'.

Then; Monkey's got to do cocktails too and so we have 3 cocktails inspired from the flavors experienced and time chef Dheeraj spent on the streets of Kolkata - 'Piara Peara' - Tequila based cocktail with Guava juice spiked with tobacco; 'Puchka Paani Capriojka' - Vodka, Gondhoraj lime, mint and puchka Paani (Pani puri water) and then the 'Thaanda Cha' - Vodka, chillied spices infused Darjeeling Tea.

I'm going back here for some of the above dishes and a round of keema stuffed mughlai porota. When are you headed here?  

Oh! You got to know this; if you hold an original driving licence from Kolkata each day you are in for a treat; courtesy Monkey Bar. 

Bon Appetit!

Address: #610, 12th Main Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Near Crosswords, Indiranagar, Bangalore

Phone Number: +91 80 4411 4455

Note: This visit to Monkey Bar was on invitation but the opinions expressed are solely mine and are absolutely unbiased nor influenced by the brand in any way.
Pictures Courtesy: Monkey Bar

New Menu @ Kebabs & Kurries - ITC Hotels Gardenia, Bengaluru

Twitter: @nkandhari     Facebook: Review Of Restaurants     Instagram: Review Of Restaurants 

Pic Credit: ITC Gardenia

ITC Hotels, in my opinion has given us 2 of the finest restaurants in the form of ‘Dum Pukht’ and ‘Bukhara’. One introduces the dum pukht style of cooking from the region of Awadh and the other serves the royal repast of the North-West Frontier. They have a legacy of their own and have been serving up an enriching experience time and again. With the legacy comes traditions based on which food from one restaurant will not be served in another. While we speak of this, I have to make a mention that I was recently invited to ITC Hotel Gardenia to try out a menu that had some classics and some new introductions to the menu Kebabs & Kurries a very elegant restaurant nestled within the luxury property.

One look at the classics and my question was, "What is the difference between the classics here and the ones at Dum Pukht and Bukhara?" The immediate response was, “'Kebabs & Kurries’ caters to the best of both worlds and not just this; it also has some dishes which are legendary on its own.” The response was clear and convincing. I now looked forward not just to the new introductions but also some of the existing items from the menu I have always loved. It was a table of non-vegetarians and so that we could do justice to our vegetarian friends and readers, we requested for a few vegetarian dishes to be served in smaller portion so that we could give them a try as well.

We started sipping on our welcome drink and in a short while food started flowing in with the non-vegetarians starters making its way. ‘Gilawat ke Kebab’; a finely mince lamb kebab rich in flavor of cloves and cinnamon was served around and the aroma clearly set the tone for the goodness that was in store for the rest of the afternoon. This kebab was a fine melt in mouth preparation with the flavors of the lamb and spices well married. Ignore the folk and knife on this one because you don’t even need teeth to enjoy this dish. 

‘Murgh Kali Mirch’ Kebab is a signature dish at Kebab & Kurries. This one is a creamy chicken malai tikka spiked with freshly milled black peppercorn. If there is one dish that can set benchmark then it has got to be this juicy, succulent and delicious chicken dish. To say the list, eating this was a delightful experience. ‘Jhinga Ajwaini’ was jumbo prawns marinated in an “ajwain” flavored mixture of yoghurt and other spices skewered and roasted over charcoal fire. Like any other experience at ITC Hotels, the prawns were perfectly cooked made for a delectable eat. I was in awe of the chicken and the prawn dish and wished to ask for more but resisted for there was still a long way to go that afternoon. And guess what? It was the right thing to do.

What arrived next, blew our minds to the extent that the whole table was at awestruck for a moment and then the next moment was this exchange of appreciation for this vegetarian dish called ‘Lagbeer’. This was the vegetarian version of the ‘Gilawat ke Kebab’ pan grilled with butter for a crispy outer crust and made with fresh beetroot stuffed with a mixture of green chilies, mint, cashew and cheese flavored with cardamom. Still mid-way through our lunch, this dish was a declared winner on my mind for this afternoon. You’ve got to eat it to know what I’m trying to rave about. Another vegetarian dish that we were really impressed with was ‘Nadru Ki Chaamp’; crispy golden fried cake of minced lotus stem enhanced with flavors of onion, green chilies, pounded coriander seeds and red chilies.

Moving on to the mains, were the Kurries both vegetarian and non-vegetarian which were served in the company of assorted Indian breads of which I really enjoyed the warqi paratha and the khamiri naan. Most of the dishes followed in quick succession which included ‘Mahi Qaliya’ seer fish in a rich gravy of fish stock, soured with dry mango and enhanced with fenugreek seeds; ‘Nehari’ Succulent flavourful lamb preparation simmered overnight with green herbs and traditional spices, served with crisp onions, coriander, mint, green chillies; ‘Murgh Khushk Purdah’ in non-vegetarian and famed ‘Dal Bukhara’ among many of the vegetarian dishes. I really enjoyed the ‘Dal Bukhara’ which is a signature dish at ITC hotels and the ‘Mahi Qaliya’; but what really had me hooked on to from the mains was the Nehari. This was an Awadhi preparation and was packed with flavor and way different from the ones you normally are served at most restaurants which do it the old Delhi way. I’ll do a separate post on the ‘Nehari’. Stay Tuned.

This was followed by the Awadhi ‘Dum Pukht Gosht Biryani’ which comes served in a handi that is sealed before it is set on dum for cooking. The seal is usually broken at the table right before serving. The rice grains are well flavored and the biryani was fragrant and flavorful made with basmati rice and succulent lamb.

For dessert there was the ‘K&K Platter’ that comes plated with Kulfi, Shahi Tukda and Shaan-e-aam and also tried the 'Khubani Chenna'. I’m not high on desserts and usually enjoy a really small serving a bite into it to finish off a meal. Here’s a picture of the dessert platter and 'Khubani Chenna'

Indian portions are known to be sharing portions and a meal for two at Kebab & Kurries will cost an average of Rs. 3500 plus taxes and charges. 

My best bets from this menu new and classic are 'Lagbeer', Nadru Ki Chaamp', 'Daal Bukhara' (Classic) from the vegetarian menu and the 'Jhinga Ajwaini', 'Murg Kali Mirch' Kebab, 'Nehari' and the 'Mahi Qaliya' from the non-vegetarian menu. After all this, I had to meet the chef behind this culinary delight and here's a picture with the Sr. Master Chef himself who was visiting from ITC Maratha, Mumbai.

I'm signing off by saying, "Go give it a try to experience the elegance our Indian Culinary has to offer." This menu is available for both Lunch and dinner; all days of the week.

Will you come back and tell me what you loved?

Address: No. 1, Residency Road, Bengaluru - 560025

Phone Number: +91 80 2211 9898


Note: This visit to ITC Gardenia Hotel, Bengaluru was on invitation but the opinions expressed are solely mine and are absolutely unbiased nor influenced by the brand in any way.

Monkey's Coastal Adventure @ Monkey Bar, Bangalore

Twitter: @nkandhari     Facebook: Review Of Restaurants     Instagram: Review Of Restaurants 

Culture of India is known for its diversity; be it languages, dance, music, architecture or even food. There is diversity across length and breadth of this nation and as you move from one place to another or one region to another, this diversity comes across in full rhythm. Keeping our focus on food, this can be experienced at Monkey Bar as it takes us through a delicious journey across the coast of Kerala through Karnataka for the reminder of this month of June. 

This gastropub is known to give a fine twist aka the 'Monkey twist' as it may be aptly called. So when monkey traveled the coast, his adventures led to creation of a menu of food and beverages called 'Monkey's Coastal Adventures' and like always the Monkey Twist' was evident and was consistently good. I set out to experience the Monkey's coastal adventure menu and here's what I relished enroute - 

Not creating a trail, I savored was Kuttari Salad, KP Tacos, Batak dosa, Prawn Ghee Roast, Mandeli fried fish and Ode To Molly. What's a journey without a few drinks to accompany, so from the drinks it was Soulful Khadi, Chilli Puli, Vanakam Panakam. The menu further offered an interesting array of dishes which include clam sukka, Monkee Eggs and Coast to Coast to name a few unfortunately which I couldn't try.

So let's begin this journey with an introduction to Soulful Khadi which was a concoction of Gin, kokum syrup, tender coconut, leaves and lime cordial for that perfect balance. The drink was well balanced and leaned towards the sweeter side and I quite liked the flavor profile. If you are the one who likes your drink to lean towards the sweeter side than the tangy side; this one is definitely for you. 

Soulful Khadi

What did not work so much for was this other cocktail called Chilli Puli which was a tequila based drink with tamarind paste and green chili to lend a flavor to the concoction. This for my taste buds was an overkill in terms of flavor and is good as a pass around drink just for the kicks of it. 

Chili Puli

What really had me wanting for more this afternoon was 'Vanakam Panakam' a whiskey-based cocktail which by the name of it was mixed with Panakam - a drink made usually made with jaggery, cardamom, black pepper and is known to be a cooling agent with a lot of health benefits. For the time being, let's forget the health benefits for this Panakam with whiskey had me clearly wanting more of it.

Vanakam Panakam

In food, we started light with a really refreshing salad of baby spinach, raw mango slivers, shaved coconut, peanuts, curd chilis and at its heart the Kerala boiled rice called the Kuttari Salad. This Salad was a big hit on my table and from what I hear has been receiving some raving response during this festival. The prawn ghee roast on the other had was stir fried in with spices and ghee in typical Kundapur style. The prawns were perfectly cooked in Kundapur spices with ghee and was served up with really crunchy garlic toasts. It wasn't long before this dish was cleaned up among the two of us.

Kuttari Salad

Prawn Ghee Roast

Batak dosa was Kerala style duck confit on bite sized set dosa topped with shaved onions and chutney. The meat was succulent and flavorful on soft and fluffy dosa (uttapam). The onion slivers gave a nice crunch to this preparation and complimented well with the flavor of the duck meat. Mandeli Fried Fish was white anchovies rava fried and served with an accompaniment of baby onion salan puree and plantain chips. Nice and comforting but not something to look forward to from the kitchen of Monkey Bar.

Batak Dosa

Mandeli Fish Fry

'KP' in 'KP Tacos' stands for Kerala Paratha which held Chettinad style pulled chicken with black lichen, baby onion salan, garlic pickle and finally topped with white radish slaw. Bang on flavors for a coastal Indian twist to a classic Mexican dish. We had no space left for mains but the bar had to be raised and so it was 'Ode to Molly' a dish with subtle flavors served as fillets of spice marinated seabass sitting on a bed of fragrant lemon rice surrounded by avial inspired vegetables and a turmeric-coconut milk sauce. This was quite a twist to the Kerala classic Meen Moilee and surely a good one with different textures and varied but subtle flavors to tickle the palate.

KP Tacos

Ode To Molly

I wish my stomach had more room for food to try out the Monkee Eggs a makeover of the popular egg puffs available across the smallest of the bakeries and the Monkey's version of a south Indian thali called Coast to Coast. Nevertheless, it was indeed a Sunday afternoon very well spent catching up with a friend over some delicious food, drinks and conversation.

The festival is on till the 30th of June and is available for lunch and dinner at Monkey Bar Bangalore and Delhi. An average meal for 2 without drinks will cost approx. Rs. 1200 ++ and with a drink each will cost around Rs. 1900++; definitely not heavy on the wallet.

Quick Tips:

I love Monkey Bar and it's a known fact. However, they're offering a really good twist to the classics from this region. There's enough for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. Beverages have cocktails on offer as a part of the special menu. 

From what I've tried, go here for the Kuttari Salad, Prawn ghee roast, KP tacos and Ode to Molly in food and 'Vanakam Panakam' and 'Soulful Kadhi' in cocktails. 

Bon Appetit!

Address: #610, 12th Main Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Near Crosswords, Indiranagar, Bangalore

Phone Number: +91 80 4411 4455

Note: This visit to The Fatty Bao was on invitation but the opinions expressed are solely mine and are absolutely unbiased nor influenced by the brand in any way.

An Ode to Summer @ The Fatty Bao - It's a Summer Special Menu

Twitter: @nkandhari     Facebook: Review Of Restaurants     Instagram: Review Of Restaurants 

It's been really really long since I wrote about a restaurant in Bangalore and when I heard about the Summer Collection menu at The Fatty Bao; I was really excited and looked forward to it. 

Paying an ode to the summer that's going by leading to the monsoons; The Fatty Bao has sketched out an interesting Asian Summer collection menu of food and cocktails that are refreshing for the summers, fantastic on the palate and easy on the stomach. 

We started with the international sensation Thai Summer Salad which exuded freshness coming from ingredients like fresh watermelon, radish herbs and the fragrant and flavourful dressing of Sriracha, honey, lime, salt and pepper. Very classy, very summery (Is it even a word?) and a perfect start to wet the appetite for the courses to come.

The joy of eating sushi is incomparable and since I love Sushi, it had to be on the table. On this menu was caterpillar sushi. Don't go be the name, it's just the  form of presentation. The sushi roll within contained tempura prawns and was topped with poached shrimp and a dressing of black, wasabi and Chili mayo. This was fresh and the balance of flavours perfect. 

There are a few drinks specially concocted to ease the summer time madness. Our pick was the cucumber cooler, Sunny Margarita and litchi fizz. The cucumber cooler is a gin based drink with cucumber juice and fresh lime which hit the right notes to kick start the afternoon. 

There was a sunny Margharita; a tribute to the king of fruits mango. This was made with tequila, fresh mango, passion fruit syrup and fresh lime. Being a huge fan of mangoes, I was happy to see it on the menu and my pick was made easy. A lovely drink but I'd have preferred the flavor of the mango to be more upfront. The drink looked lovely and through the afternoon it was clear that this was the crowd favourite.  

The rice paper roll came next with a Thai sweet Chili sauce. Dip the roll in the sauce and dig into it; Viola! The balance was perfect, texture crunchy and light on the palate. The sweetness of the Thai sweet Chili sauce to begin with and the spicy notes to finish really elevated the joy of eating a summer roll. For starters, we also had the Korean Fried chicken which did not really appeal to either of us. I thought the breadcrumb casing was either too thick or the chicken within the casing was too little. The flavour profile too was nothing exceptional and something I'll really not recommend you to venture into for the menu has a whole lot of other offering that is fantastic and an experience in terms of flavours and textures.

The third drink was litchi Fizz. I was hesitant to get one for litchi cocktail can many a times be really sweet. This was unlike what I imagined; it was aromatic thanks to the star anise. The favouring was perfect; not so sweet, not really sour and the star anise crept in as though the wells infused with it. 

For the mains, we were pre-decided from the start. It had to be chicken rice which was 'The Fatty Bao's' take on Singapore's famous Chicken Hainanese Rice. This came plated with a salad, two sauces - Hoisin and red chili-garlic sauce, a lovely chicken broth to go along and of course the chicken and rice. Eat just the chicken and rice or with a drizzle of the two sauces, the flavors were bang on and only got more enjoyable as I continued to relish this food. It was a celebration on flavors and it spoke why Chicken Hainanese Rice is considered one of the national dishes of Singapore and the reason for it being among the 50 delicious foods in the world.

Next up was the Malacca Asam Pedas aka 'Hot & Sour Malaysian curry with pomfret and vegetables'. The gravy was rich in consistency, spicy (well, not so spicy) and sour to taste; is best enjoyed with rice. Adding to the flavors and textures were accompaniments like fried onion slivers, peanuts and fries. 

I'm not really a dessert person but I did look forward to trying the rainbow cake only to witness the gorgeous presentation and plating of the desserts usually seen at 'The Fatty Bao'. This was nothing short of expectations. Needless to say, going by the name the cake was colourful, placed on a bed of pistachio and cinnamon crumble and candy floss spread around. In this case, I really enjoyed the dessert as much as I did witnessing the presentation. Why so? Because, it was riot of not just flavors but also textures. The cake was basically layers of flavoured sponge and ice cream. The crumble added a lovely crunch and enhanced the experience of enjoying this plated delight. 

A meal for two with two starters, two mains and a dessert each will cost around Rs. 1800 plus taxes and charges. Add a round of drinks each and you will shell out around Rs. 2500++ which is absolutely fair for a lovely weekend dinner or a pleasant and relaxed Sunday lunch. 

Verdict:

We really enjoyed almost everything we had for lunch that afternoon and I highly recommend you visit 'The Fatty Bao' to try out this special edition Summer Collection Menu that is on for the next 2 days (hoping it gets extended) till 29th May for lunch and dinner. Go there to try out the food that uses seasonal ingredients in a setting perfect for either lunch or dinner. The cocktails are lovely too and do try the limited listing of concoctions created specially to celebrate summer. 

Overall, it was a perfect ode to summer and trust me you'll love it.  

Address: #610, 3rd Floor, 12th Main Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Opp. State Bank of India, Indiranagar, Bangalore

Phone Number: +91 80 4411 4499

Note: This visit to The Fatty Bao was on invitation but the opinions expressed are solely mine and are absolutely unbiased nor influenced by the brand in any way.