Since it was a weekday, we decided it was the perfect day to finally try out a place we had been wanting to visit forever. Both the name and the location had intrigued us. Raj’s Spanish Café —the name itself might make one a little suspicious about the authenticity of the Continental cuisine on the menu, but its location on Sudder Street made us curious. Sudder Street is, after all, Kolkata’s famous foreign backpacker and tourist hub. So if a Spanish café had been sitting here for years, catering largely to an international crowd, surely there had to be a reason for its longevity! Getting to the centre of the city is not exactly one of my favourite things, particularly when parking is involved. Somehow, though, we managed to park in front of Jamuna Banquets. From there, it was a short walk through a narrow lane that brought us onto Sudder Street, with Raj’s Spanish Café just around the corner. Our first impression was… interesting. The café had an outdoor seating area, and while ...
We had been waiting for this lunch for a long time. One of our annual gastronomic traditions is the Hilsa Festival at The Tollygunge Club in Kolkata —and, as always, it promised to be a celebration of our favourite fish, Ilish. This year's feast began with a few starters and a beverage, but we all knew where the real excitement lay. What followed was quite possibly the biggest spread of Hilsa imaginable. There was Hilsa Bhaja, Hilsa Bhapa, Hilsa Jhol, Hilsa Tok and Hilsa Murighoto , accompanied by all the Bengali essentials—steaming Bhaat, Bhaja Moonger Dal, Begun Bhaja, Alu Bhaja, Green Salad, Gondhoraj Lebu, Papad and Pineapple Chutney . Course after course arrived, and every preparation brought its own character to the table. Crispy, steamed, rich, tangy, spicy and comforting—there seemed to be no end to the ways in which Ilish could be transformed into something delicious. And then came dessert. Nolen Gurer Ice Cream, Rajbhog and Mishti Paan brought this magnificent feast to...