[sayakc]

The Calcutta Food Walk

The sound of the screeching tires of the yellow-red coloured mini bus announces its abrupt stop at the traffic light.

Close your eyes for a while and stand in the crowd of thousands, a million sounds will whip up the brain. Honking of a hundred types, chatter and commotion, vendors, hawkers, balloon sellers. To someone who is new, this appears to be madness. Sheer madness. But for those who know the city, there is a rhythm in this chaos, the essential belly of the city, its core and a part of upbringing in the city.

And we are presently at Dharmotolla - Calcutta’s nerve centre in chief for years, from where a walk of 10 mins in the sweltering heat under a heavily pregnant sky takes us to Dacres Lane. Walking past a few road side outlets selling typical office goer lunch paraphernalia we reach a hole in the wall shop. An illuminated blue box hangs from its ceiling with “Chitto Babur Dokan” inscribed and underneath the box sits a man in his forties on a high stool rattling off orders at a breathless pace “Dimer Debhil (Devilled Eggs)– 1 plate, 1 chicken stew, 2 cups of tea, Fried rice and chili chicken..” a list that’s varied, fast paced almost impossible to recollect as I note them in my diary. Its erstwhile owner may have departed years ago but his business continues along the blood line of his extended family.

Our efforts, till then,hadn't paid off, for its patrons had kept swelling till that point. Noticing that, the proprietor beckoned and after listening to our story, not only arranged for a photo shoot but was gracious enough to offer us a cup of tea and a slice of the outlet's history.

The ever iconic Chitto Babur Dokan.


Mutton Stew at Chitto Babur Dokan.




Chicken Stew.


Piles of bread that will be finished in a day.


The Dimer "Debhil" Curry.

As we walk away from Dacres Lane, shops selling Lassi, Mango Shakes litter the pathway. Office goers in little chairs, sometimes on benches sitting in dingy shops under shades. Here traditional stuff like Toasted breads with omelettes, poached egg, Ghugni, Cutlet jostle for space with their new age cousins, Momos, Chowmein and Biryani.

Vadas being sold near Dharmatolla.


Egg Rolls




Chole being sold near Gariahat.




Mango Shakes, near K C Das Sweet Shop near Dharmatolla.

In a street corner, is a Nameless "Pice hotel". A few burning tube lights adorn its walls and its menus are scribbled across a black board. The prices and menu are updated daily. A thin, dark skinned boy with oily hair in his teens walks across to our table. We order two plates of Chicken Thali. In no time he returns from the food counter carrying two compartmentalized steel plates and places them with aplomb. With hunger bellowing in our stomachs, we finish up his produce in no time, ignoring its greasy surface. The bill comes to a meagre thirty-five rupees each.

As we exit this restaurant, the skies start to hammer down the city inundating its lanes. Streams of water jet past the sidewalks towards
the manholes. And as we wait under the plastic shed we watch the fruit sellers slicing up guavas and tempering it generously with black salt
before handing it over to the eagerly waiting client; the Roll sellers turn out eggs and chicken rolls with furious rapidity, Dosas are spun off at lightning speeds and consumed even faster. In short, it is a foodie’s delight.

Kulfi.


Pakodas, near New Market

It takes almost an hour for the rain to subside and with beads of sweat running down from the temple almost as hard as the rains we walk
to our next destination - One of Calcutta’s oldest "Moglai Parota" institutions - Anadi Cabin. The entrance is accompanied by a small booth where Moghlai Paranthas of numerous varieties are conjured and served. When the Moghlai was delivered and we started photographing it, the septuagenarian waiter asked whether we were students of hotel management. By then, stating our mission of photography was well rehearsed and summarized. After hearing us, he brought in the pots of salt and pepper; placed the knife and fork strategically over the plate, added a dollop of tomato ketchup, looked at me, smiled and said “Now, bhai , you may take a photograph”!

With our bellies full we were reluctant to sample the Mutton Moghlai that we had just photographed. But when the knife sliced through the heart of the Moghlai almost like cutting through butter, we could hardly resist the urge to take a bite.

Moghlai Parantha at Anadi Cabin.

The next Sunday we went out hunting for breakfast - exactly Aloo Paranthas. Next to the Bhawanipore Gurdwara on Harish Mukherjee Road is Balwant Singh’s Eating House – a vegetarian outlet that has been running the show for the past ninety years. Ramu, known to us for
a while now takes our order of two Tandoori Aloo Paranthas and Big Kesar Tea. The Tea arrives in ‘bhnar’ and we sip and look at the
patrons, most of whom have arrived here after a walk at the Victoria Memorial. Ramu then arrives with the Aloo Paranthas – with a layer
of melted butter that overflows its surface - accompanied with curd. The Paranthas awaken the olfactory senses – supreme gastronomic satisfaction at Balwant’s is guaranteed.

Tea at Balwant Singh's Eating house.




Aloo Paranthas, drizzled with butter.

One afternoon, we walk into Nizam at New Market and order plates of Mutton Biryani. Biryani remains the epitome of Indian cuisine. Much has been said and written about it - its history, legacy, types et al, but the point I am trying to make is - nothing on earth can beat a well-cooked Dum Biryani. And Nizam’s Biryani, with its fragrant smell and ‘fall of the bone’ mutton is too good to resist.

And..To Top it all, Biryani from Nizam's.

Over the next few days we sample quite a few other outlets of the city. The Kochuri-Subzi-Jilipi-Tea combination at Maharaja’s in Sarat Bose Road stands out. Sundays are super busy and placing an order takes a while to be processed.

"Kochuri" from Maharaja's near Deshapriya Park


Phuchka at Vivekananda Park.


Laccha Parantha at Zeeshan


Tea being made at a stall.

The Ice Gola near Vardaan market corner is too good to resist. Standing under the shade of a mango tree, this road side stall serves Ice Gola, Soda Shikanjis, Masala Cold Drinks. Its cousin shop, the one just beside it serves Paw Bhaji – greasy with dollops of butter. Rolls from Zeeshan; Phuchka from Vivekananda Park; the nightly jaunts to Dhabas – Bachan’s Dhaba at Rash Behari crossing, Jai Hind Dhaba on Sarat Bose Road, Sharma Dhaba at Ballygunge Circular road – the city has it all.

Calcutta’s food scene is vibrant, versatile and kaleidoscopic. Our journeys took us to one of the minuscule parts of the city and it left us yearning for more as we look forward to take the street yet again!

[sayakc]

Zakaria Street During Eid

For a long time, I had heard about the buzz around Zakaria Street area of Kolkata during Eid. The area, which has envolved around the mosque, is famous for its bazaars, eateries and food joints, acquires a unique vibe during the festival of Eid.

So during Eid 2019, one Sunday evening, when most of Kolkata was in hibernation, preparing for the next day's grind, I started on my motorcycle towards Zakaria street. As you cross Lal Bazaar, the Kolkata Police Headquarters, past shuttered down shops wearing a ghostly look, the din becomes audible from a distance. A tram line appears - trams don't ply - or so thats what I was told- so parked the motorcycle adjacent to the tram track.











I found several photographers, like me, patrolling the streets amongst teeming hundreds and thousands who were breaking their fast. As you enter the bylanes you will see vintage shops selling Itar. There were many shops selling Sewai. Orange and Red coloured glasses of juices. Bakery products: buns, breads, biscuits and off course there was Haleem peppered with Onion and Green chillies.








June is one hot month in Calcutta, and profusely sweating, I made my way to Bombay Hotel located almost adjacent to the Nakhoda Masjid. Sutli Kebabs were being roasted in the tandoors. "Mahi Akbari" was being fried. Plates of Biryanis were served to queues of patrons. And laccha paranthas were being rolled up and toasted in big woks. In the bargain, I exchanged the experience with a plate of Biryani and Sutli Kebabs that cost 20 bucks.















The whole place was like a carnival. And as I was walking away from the crowd, a prayer call erupted from the the Nakhoda Masjid, whose minarets I could see now standing tall in the sky. And then it was kick on the Bullet and I was on my way home.

[BlackPearl]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing sayakc!

What a mouthwatering thread! Loved the narration and the pictures.

[Samba]

Awesome! What a thread! A much needed food guide for people visiting Kolkata or even for people staying in Kolkata. Many of my friends living in other states of India or in other parts of Bengal asks me on what to do, when they visit Kolkata. Now i will forward them this thread! Am sure they will be busy for at-least 2 days, if not more.
The awesome pics make this thread look more yummy! Rated 5*

Just to add-on, do try out the Fish Kabiraji, Fish Fry & Egg Mutton Devil from Apanjan near Kalighat!

[boniver]

Lovely thread, thanks for sharing! I'm a huge foodie and I too indulge in the occasional street food. I'd suggest everyone to try out my favourite food at my favourite food joint in town: Chicken Bharta and Tandoori Roti at Jai Hind Dhaba. Thankfully, it's just beside my college so a huge chunk of my monthly expenditure is incurred at that very place

[Carpainter]

Excellent thread!!! Even better street photography.
I'm a foodie too and the dacres lane is a paradise for office goers at Dharmotala/Esplanade area. Some other Kolkata street foods worth trying are:-

* Balwant Singh dhaba at Bhawanipore for its famous tea and other snacks. Most important of all, it remains open all night long.

* Bhel puri/Papdi Chat at Southern Avenue near Lake Kali Bari.

[ChiragM]

Mouthwatering thread indeed, and lovely writing. Excellent pictures as well. Kolkata has a lot of history and culture to explore, and hence has always been in my list of cities to visit. Even though I am not a big foodie, I'll make it a point to visit this place when I am there.

[PrideRed]

Being a vegetarian two things remind me of Calcutta, dirt cheap pricing and the sweet meat shops! During my week long stay in Calcutta , I think I survived only on Rasgulla and Sandesh! While my non-vegetarian friends had a great time relishing the great food, I found vegetarian food so-so. That said the sweet shops kept me happy and would definitely like to visit city for sweet offerings alone.

[AJ-got-BHP]

What a deliciously awesome thread SayakC !! Something similar has been in my assembly line for over a year or so now, but somehow have not been able to compile it properly. However, seeing your pictures, I will let my thread rest.

Kolkata is a foodie's paradise to be true and the whole world knows about it. This thread will give people an insight to it definitely.

[mallumowgli]

In spite of spending 4 years in Kolkatta, have not tried even 10% of what city has to offer. A trip needs to be planned for the food as well as for nostalgia

Thanks for the wonderful and unique thread

[Urban_Nomad]

Amazing thread; amazing timing too (for me)

I will be in Calcutta for a wedding around mid Jan and should have a couple of days to loiter. Am making a list from this thread and will try and hit as many as I can

Thanks everyone for their suggestions / contributions

[roadrunner_nv]

I strongly object to such posts. They only serve to make a hungry person hungrier.
Jokes apart, Kolkata is surely one fantastic place for anyone with good taste buds. Been a sweet lover all my life and coverage of the traditional Bengali sweets would make the thread tastier...
*"Drool"*

[Miyata]

Great thread. Have not found good tea in Kolkata, will try your suggestion when I'm there next.

in street food, one place I recall is Bedouin Kathi Rolls at Gariahat. Hope I got the shop name right. It is a very small place. Just 5/6 chairs placed right outside in the open. Opposite to this place is a fabric printing store that does not look very functional.

Good rolls at this place. Fairly fast service too.

[bblost]

An absolute treat to read this beautiful thread.

Thanks a lot for sharing. Had to read it in the second pass because I was just scanning the pics the first time.

[Abhinav V]

The photos literally had me drooling over. Nothing beats the taste of street food.
We got to read about a typical day in the life of Kolkata's office-goers and street vendors.
Brilliant is the way you really have described vividly along with photos that can make any one drool from literally any corner of the world. You have done a very commendable job. It's not an easy task curating all the images and organizing them in sync with the stalls after multiple trips.
Can't wait to visit Kolkata.