(P.S. A Work In Progress)
Clockwise from top left: Entrance to 6, Ballygunge Place restaurant,
Interior of restaurant,
Eldeco center
In September 2022, I visited Calcutta for the very first time, for one night and one proper meal … a friend of mine had invited me to join him on what was essentially a work trip for him, and quick introduction to the ‘City of Joy’ for me, punctuated by a night-time excursion to view the famous and altogether formidable ‘Durga Puja Pandals’ that might rival the work of some of the greatest installation artists in the world …
… Like many a foreigner (I am of course Indian but having lived a large part of my life outside India, tend to view things with an anglo saxon eye and otherwise European sensibility), I was at once captivated, and over the course of my 18 hours there, gradually seduced by the city, one in which both the quality of conversation and gastronomy are equal to those in France, where nothing takes precedence over ‘L’art de Vivre’, aka the art of living …
… All except for an evolved taste in interior décor and design, which tragically remains the Achilles heel of most stand-alone Indian restaurants, 6 Ballygunge Place, New Delhi, an unwitting observer of, rather than exception to the rule; in its attempt to be ‘design forward’, it has failed miserably, but fortunately the sheer perfectionism of its culinary repertoire triumphs over any and all shortcomings … moreover, it is housed in a very handsome building, the Eldeco Centre located in Saket.
For want of a vast knowledge & experience by trial and error of Bengali food, I ordered the same dishes I had eaten at the Calcutta outpost, with only one addition as prelude to the meal, and that was what is called ‘Mourala Machher Peyaji’, i.e. deep fried whitebait in a uniquely and very discreetly spicy red batter, served with a pure kasundi dip … a veritable ‘tour de force’ of textures (crisp and tender) and flavours (sweet, spicy, peppery and sour) that has altogether unseated my love for its’ Mediterranean equivalent.
Above: Mourala Machher Peyaji
Next up, were two renowned Bengali specialities served simultaneously, upon the advice of the maitre d’, which will never grow old or stale; the ‘Daab Chingri’ – a coconut milk based prawn curry that is ever so slightly sweet and even more imprecisely sharp – in consort with the steamed boneless ‘Bhapa Illish’ – a dexterously steamed hilsa fish that flakes at the touch of a knife & thereafter dissolves on the palate, covered with a gravy of kasundi in all its untamed glory – could not have been a more stunning gustatory duet, brilliantly liaised by a serving of steamed rice.
Top Row: Daab Chingri
Bottom Row: Boneless Bhapa Illish
And finally, one of the most iconic dishes of Bengali cuisine, the Mutton Kosha Mangsho, slow cooked to a brilliant dark glaze of caramelized onions & a whole host of exotic spices, the meat giving way from the bone without the slightest resistance, at once submitting to being gathered up by a masterfully executed ‘luchi’, i.e. deep fried, featherweight Bengali specialty bread …
Above: Mutton Kosha Mangsho
… and on that soft & succulent note, do stay tuned for round 2.