TURQUOISE CHILL: Awadhi Cuisine Dished Out With Class

Sunday, July 03, 2016

Awadhi Cuisine Dished Out With Class

Our usual plans of driving out to some nearby locale had been put on hold for the weekend as we had some other stuff to do. But knowing us, a Sunday without doing something was not going to happen. by mid morning my wife suddenly suggested we go try this Restaurant which was serving 'Haleem' as a Ramadan Special. Oh! and we do like Haleem and especially during this time.

So we headed out to Kidderpore, a place on the map not particularly savoury for most of us South Kolkatan's. Well it's home to the famous India Restaurant.

India Restaurant is probably 18-20 years old and one of the most popular eateries in the locality. The new A/C sections on the 1st & 2nd Floors was launched during the Durga Puja Festival of 2015 to cater to a more upwardly mobile gentry with ambiance and decor that will put some of the more established Restaurants to shame.

Once seated we straight away ordered the Haleem, but were told that Haleem would only be available after 2pm and could take a bit longer too. No worries, it was around 1:30pm so we could wait.

Meanwhile we ordered their signature starters; Chicken Cheese Kebab. The Mint Sauce that came with it should also be highlighted. I asked for a second bowl of it.

For mains we ordered another of their Signature dishes; Awadhi Biryani. Brought in a Handi and opened at the table, the moment the lid comes off and you see the steam and draw of a whiff of those aromatic flavours, you just cant wait to dig in. Let me just say it's probably the best Biryani I've had.

Well having devoured that Biryani, and washed own the meal with a Thums up. We were eagerly awaiting our Haleem. We realised that the two we had ordered might be a bit much after this. So we scaled it down a bit to only one. But we were not leaving without having that Haleem.

the clock kept ticking and 2 became 2:15 and 2:30 and then 2:45 but we were firm with our resolve! and it also gave us time for that Biryani to settle.

Finally at 3pm the Haleem was served and was it worth the wait? Definitely. We shared one Haleem and while we really wanted to order the second one, better sense prevailed.

So for those of you who might want to taste this delicacy, there's a few days before Eid and you still might get a chance to taste some Haleem. Else just for some awesome Awadhi Cuisine, its definitely worth a visit.

Having gone through the menu, I know I'm definitely going back there to try out some of their other specialities.

A meal for two would cost approx Rs. 750-900