Beautiful British style houses flanked the streets as I walked around the city of Kolkatta, some alive and some abandoned, small and old dilapidated factories amidst residential colonies, reminiscent of the tattered structure left behind post the colonial era, tiny rickety kirana shops, selling groceries and confectionary, Halwai corner shops selling Samosa/Kachori with Jalebi Rabri and Rosogulla, the all-pervasive aroma of mustard fish being cooked in home kitchens in every street, the calm in the air, as opposed to the hustle-bustle of any metro, and the warmth that meets the eye when you talk to a roadside bicycle rider, asking for directions. Beautiful!
I visited Kolkatta for a friend’s wedding celebrations and here was my chance to make it a trip, so we decided to sneak away to close-by Sundarbans, after a couple of days of site-seeing in the city and hogging delicious food at the wedding ceremonies. We hired a cab to go around the city and went to some of the popular destinations including the Victoria Memorial, New Market, crossed the Howrah bridge, which rattled a little, ate delicious sweets and drank Kesar Tea at the famous Sharma Tea House.
I would love to visit and spend more time in this amazing city, lots of trivia to explore and a dash of history everywhere.
Site-seeing was followed by a couple of days of frenzy with the many ceremonies and it came of course with yummy scrumptious meals, that were cooked with a lot of love. The caterer was a family friend and we got the tastiest food one could ask for. The wedding was a lot of fun, we are friends with both the bride and the groom, but the warmth of the bride’s family that hosted us was remarkable. It felt like being at home. There was a lot of chit-chat with close friends and cousins, late night talking and singing.
Soon after the wedding celebrations were over, we snuck away to the Sundarbans for a three-day wildlife tour. There is an unsettling calm in the mangroves, serene, yet spooky.
It was refreshing to spend time in the dead calm of the mangroves, we stayed at a wildlife resort at the bank of the river. The smell of the damp forest after the monsoon, was endearing.
These memories are etched in my mind, and I remember the beautiful, busy city and the street aroma, time and again. My visit to ‘Kitchen of Joy’ stirred up the scent of Kolkatta in my memories, as this beautiful aroma engulfed me when I entered the tiny eatery. A small and a bit inconspicuous place, you would miss it if you are driving by, tiny tables squeezed into a small space to seat as many hungry souls as possible. I took one of the two-seater tables and gazed at the menu. The menu is friendly for small eaters like me, there are combos that you could pick if you don’t have a big appetite or you are by yourself. I ordered a Chicken Kosha with a single Parantha and allowed myself some space to bite into a samosa and a fish cutlet as well.
The Samosa was small, and freshly fried. It’s a good Bengali Samosa, and I will eat it again. Not too oily or spicy, a nice flaky pastry cover and a well-balanced spicy potato filling. I finished it before I knew it. The fish cutlet was also decent, nice flavor. The Chicken Kosha arrived soon with a Parantha, and I devoured it as I was quite hungry. The gravy was flavorful, and the Chicken was well cooked, not the best Kosha I have tasted, but pretty darn good for Bangalore availability. I finished my meal with a Rosogulla, which is traditional. A Bengali meal is not complete without a Rosogulla. It was soft and melt-in-mouth, a tad bit sweet, but that’s ok. Satisfied without burning a hole in my pocket, I drove back home.
The eatery is run by a lady, who was personally there to oversee the operations. I personally know that, after running a café myself for a few years. A restaurant is like a watched pot, it can boil over if not managed personally. So, kudos to her for being able to serve humble Bengali food unvarnished, in a busy commercial hub like Indira Nagar, which boasts of some of the biggest brands and restaurants in the city. Amidst this gaggle of eateries, Kitchen of Joy shines like a beacon for the hungry and the modest. I wish I was close-by to hop into your Kitchen with Joy, every now and then!
#Value for Money:- 5/5 #Taste :- 4/5 #Ambience :- 3/5
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