Kolkata Callin’, a Bengali fine dining restaurant, opened its first restaurant at Sher-E-Punjab in Andheri (East), Mumbai recently. Its spread ranges from appetisers to main course to desserts. The eatery is open between noon and 3:30pm, and from 6pm to 11:30pm on all days. A meal would cost a couple approximately Rs 1,000, and the restaurant undertakes home delivery within a 2-3km radius.
It serves an array of chicken, mutton and prawn gravies, such as Kosha Mangsho (a spicy Bengali mutton curry); Dak Bangla Curry (a meat dish garnished with freshly-ground spices and eaten with rice/Indian breads and vegetables); Daab Chingri [prawns cooked with Panch Phoron (Bengali spices) and served in a tender coconut shell], and Prawn Malai Curry (prawn/shrimp cooked in creamy coconut gravy and eaten with rice).
The fish used to prepare such dishes as Tel Koi (which is cooked in mustard oil and tempered with kalo jeera, green chillies and hints of ginger and cumin); Ilish Paturi (Hilsa flavoured with charred banana leaves) and Shorshe Ilish (a Hilsa dish cooked in mustard sauce) arrive from Kolkata. The menu comprises a host of vegetarian and non-vegetarian starters.
Other dishes on it include Kolkata-style biryanis; a variety of street food snacks like rolls, cutlets, chops and mughlais; desserts such as paayesh (Bengali kheer), and Kolkata-style vegetarian preparations. There is also a chef’s special menu. Besdies Bengali cuisine, the restaurant serves other Indian, tandoori and select Chinese dishes. Sanjay Mukherjee is the owner of Kolkata Callin’.
“Bengalis living outside Kolkata miss their hometown’s culture and food. Adda is a Bengali activity involving groups of people getting together for a chat and a meal. We have attempted to bring this slice of the city’s life to Mumbai. We, at the restaurant, assure our patrons that there would be something new in store every season, be it the New Year or any other occasion,” he said.
