Over the past five-six years, Salt Lake has woken up to a burst of flavours from across the globe and boasts of many an interesting experiential dining option worth exploring. The newest feather on the cap is House of Royals, reminiscent of the typical family restaurants that we visited along with our families during our childhood days.
Before the festive fervour gripped us, we paid a casual visit to the address in one of the quiet bylanes of Sector III. The quaint dining spot, minimally done up in hues of white and blue, also offers a dainty open space to celebrate special occasions like birthdays and get-togethers.
"Kolkata is famed for its love of biryani, and kebabs and we offer an affordable and immersive experience of North Indian and Mughlai food. In the coming 3 years, we plan to open at least three more outlets around the city and the suburbs," tells Subhanjoy Brota Roy, owner of House of Royals.
But what primarily drew us to review the place was the lure of tasting some authentic Bengali fries that are so hard to get in that area. Naturally, smoking plates of Bekti Fish Orly and Fish Fries were the first ones to arrive at our table. The well-marinated soft slices of the sought-after fish didn't require any of the accompanying condiments to enhance the flavourful experience.
For the mains, we tasted Chicken Biryani and we must say, it was well-cooked with chunky pieces of meat and replete with the much-in-demand potato and an egg. Try it with Purani Dilli Butter Chicken if you need some gravy on the sides.
We also relished every bit of the Kosha Manghso that came with luchis. But we felt they needed some work to prevent the Bengali fluffy luchis from turning into mini bhaturas. The Kosha Mangsho though had the right mix of spices and can be had with other bread alternatives like kulchas and naans.
Among the variety of kebab and curry entrees, you can check out Lasooni Prawns, Chandigarh Chicken Tikka, Dahi Ke Kebab, Keema Pao with Poached Egg, Chicken Cutlet, Reshmi Malai Kebab, and Golden Fried Prawns. For the green crusaders too, the options are interesting with such offbeat items as Makai Ka Shorba, a delectably creamy North Indian corn soup, Veg Rumali Kathi Roll, Dahi stuffed Cheese Samosa and Bharwan Tandoori Aloo besides a host of other predictable numbers.
What we loved about the place is that it has retained the defining characteristics of a typical family restaurant by keeping the portions filling and the pricing affordable--- a remarkably fair deal, we say.
Meal for two: Rs 650. From 12 noon to 10 pm