If there's any region that captures the nuanced subtleties of Indian spices at their best, Bengal's name features right at the top. This obsession with flavours and food has made the experimental Bengalis embrace others' culinary practices and meld them with their own, giving birth to such gems as fish fry, egg devil, a variety of chops, Kolkata biryani, and rolls among others. It’s this very desire to offer the gastronomes a taste of the best from both sides of Bengal that led home chef cum restaurateur Moumita Ghosh to start Epare Bangla in Siliguri four years back. After two successful outlets there, she dived into the city's gourmet scene with Epare Bangla’s third near Lake Market. 

As we waited at a corner table for the starters with a very refreshing Gondhoraj lime-infused Mojito, we observed this 42-seater outlet could be a good choice for anyone who wanted to celebrate special days in a true-blue Bengali style. A glance through their menu gave us a hint of the rare dishes they serve and as they arrived at our table, we were stumped by their taste. We especially loved their Loityar cutlet, a very difficult dish to render. It was shorn of any foul smell and was neither over-fried nor soggy. For those who are tired of the same old renditions of Chitol peti and muithya, the hot kathi kebabs made out of chitol fish are a big surprise.

There's a whole section in the menu curated by popular Bangladeshi chef Nayana Afroz to bring you some authentic flavours from the other side of Bengal. We loved Dal Chingri Bhorta -- boiled lentils and shrimp mash blended to perfection with onions and chillies among other spices and Beguner Korma which had eggplants simmered in a spicy yoghurt gravy.

Tired of stuffing ourselves with Kolkata Biryani, we shifted loyalty for a while to Manghser Pakki Biryani and relished every bit of the mildly spiced succulent morsels of mutton. You can pair it with Narkel Doodh e Khashi which has slow-cooked mutton in coconut cream. It's not even remotely close to the South Indian versions in terms of taste and preparation. 

From the mains, we settled for the traditional Pabda Sorshe, Daab Chingri (prawns cooked in coconut gravy and served inside a coconut shell) and Bhapa Sorshe Ilish (mustard-coated steamed hilsa), all of which were cooked to perfection. If you need that sugar rush at the end of it all, do try the Daab er Payash for a happy ending.

44B Raja Basanta Roy Road.

Meal for two: Rs 1,000 approx.