When restaurateurs Ananta Shayan Kanoria and Prium Kanoria opened the first outlet of multi-cuisine vegetarian diner Kurry Patta in 2016, at Hungerford Street, they were overwhelmed by the warm response of the city’s gastronomes, who loved the simple yet tasty versions of the familiar Indian household dishes. Goaded by the demand, the husband-wife duo branched out on Lake Road last September and were all set to venture into the catering business in 2020.
But the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown relegated their plans to the backburner. Like many others in the food business, much to their reluctance, the Kanorias had to close the sit-down services at both the outlets temporarily and are currently delivering food from their Lake Road address to keep things going. “Right now, we are delivering dishes from a truncated lockdown-special menu comprising the popular South Indian delicacies through online food aggregators,” tells Ananta.
Reviewing ubiquitous South Indian dishes is indeed a tough call, especially for hardcore carnivores. But, we were indeed bowled over by the quality and freshness of the food delivered to us for review. The carefully rolled Gunpowder Dosas with a balanced spattering of the Molgapodi powder were crisp, to say the least. The accompanying masala potato mash was lightly spiced but retained and melded each note of black mustard seeds, tomatoes, curry leaves and chillies in perfect unison. The soft and aromatic Mixed Utthapam too was flavoursome yet very low on oil, which is no mean feat either.
“We have always tried to replicate the authentic flavour of the food with minimal use of spices and oil. Offering a taste of homemade food to our customers has always been our priority. The balanced flavour in all our dishes is the culmination of several permutations and combinations,” adds Prium.
Though the dosa and the soft wholesome idlis almost satiated our appetite, we couldn’t just rein in our greed and tried the house special dishes — Upma and Pav Bhaji. You can’t chance upon a better bhaji in Kolkata than the one they serve. Over the years, sampling bhajis (which is essentially a street food) from almost every popular roadside stall has left us convinced that balancing the tanginess of the dish is no easy job. When we dug into the bhaji, we realised why they call it a house special. The spices were so well-balanced that the sour taste was not the only distinct flavour to hit our palate. The pav or buns were supple with a hint of butter.
The pristine white Upma too lived up to all our expectations. And before we forget to mention, the house-made gooey chocolate fudge is a must-order dessert that can be simply had on its own or poured over the vanilla ice-cream to enjoy till it lasts.
Rs400 for two. For placing orders call between 7 am and 8.30 pm on 6289858563 / 3379613497
sharmishtha.g@new indianexpress.com
@sharmidas