THIS DURGA PUJA, add a dash of Aaheliana to your Bangaliana. Aaheli, the fine-dining Bengali
restaurant at The Peerless Inn has rolled out its new menu, and we were there to relish the fusion of traditional Bengali cuisine with new flavours whipped up by Executive Chef Debdip Ghatak.
We were informed that this year, there will be a buffet for four days, apart from the thali and à la carte menu. Debasree Roy Sarkar, president corporate development added, “We have around 15 new items this time, on the menu. Every year, we change the menu twice. This menu will be served until Poila Baisakh.” The festival, which starts today, surprised us with its unique twist to traditional recipes, a trait that the iconic Bengali restaurant is known for. The Bhuri Bhoj Thali had around 15 items on the king-size thali that instantly gave us a feeling of royalty. We took a first bite of the much raved-about sweetmeat — patishapta, but with a savoury twist. Served as an appetiser, the flavourful paste of yellow lentils wrapped in a soft crepe gave us our first glimpse of the chef ’s fusion creations, and it was mighty impressive.
Talking about their unique patishapta, available in both amish and niramish variants (veg and non-veg) the chef explains, “It’s one of our signature dishes that has been improved upon for years. When we introduced it years back, people who were initially sceptical at first started offering suggestions, and now we have fillings of bhetki, chingri maach (prawn) and even mutton and chicken. For vegetarians, there’s daal, chhena and mocha patishapta.” For prawn lovers, the Chingrir Chalchitra is a must-try as the chef has brought five types of prawn in one dish. The burnt notes of the slices of cabbage, tossed in rice with prawns, is perfect for those who crave seafood. For mutton lovers, there’s a Monihari Mangsher Thali, with more meat options. We sampled the Palong Mangsho, a dry and spicy mutton preparation that went well with the steamed gobindobhog rice. Taking a cue from the traditional Daab Chingri, the chef gives ilish a twist. Smothered with daab malai (green coconut cream), the queen of fish adorned a creamy look with sweet notes that are worth relishing this season.
Coming to dessert, a must-try is the Posto Cutlet. Yes, the humble cutlet, an appetiser, gets a sweet twist here, and what makes it a winner is the coating of poppy seeds. The spongy and juicy dessert, with a crispy posto twist, is finger-licking good!
Meal for two: Rs 3,000+;
buffet at Rs,895 +