Kolkata has been a haven for European cookery for decades now, but we’ve often had to give unimpressive, store-bought pies a chance as the city lacked a dedicated bakehouse readily serving fresh-made pies. Golf Green’s The Pie House should sort this conundrum out for us. The eatery which is just three months old, has been conceived as a boulangerie/cafe for pure European classics, with a special focus on a range of fresh crust pies.
“I had an incredible shepherd’s pie somewhere and that make me think if I could do something around it. I originally wanted to focus on the shepherd’s pie only, but that would have narrowed things down quite a bit. I also wanted to work with something small, but interesting so I could make my brand a household name. My menu is entirely European except a couple of exceptions like the apple pie, which is obviously American. And I think people love European cooking because it’s way subtler and balanced, the herbs are distinct. In our shepherd’s pie for instance, we’re mixing thyme with chicken and lamb with mint, and basil with seafood, and you can tell the difference in its entirety,” says founder Preetam Chatterjee, who is a self-taught chef and baker, and co-owns the joint with his friend Purbali Chattterjee.
“Besides the good ol’ shepherd’s pie, The Pie House’s menu curates some of the most beloved European classics, quiche and single pot pies. We make the dough in-house, it’s all made from scratch. The quiche, for instance, is classic French cuisine and the layer of minced meat, topped with mashed potato, baked together works out great. We’ve also brought in some classic pastas, from arrabiata to bolognese,” Chatterjee tells us.
We had to test out the shepherd’s pie first, because a bona fide shepherd’s pie is the rarest commodity in the city. We settled for the traditional lamb one, which has a base of ground lamb meat, evenly mashed potatoes, cheese with hints of mint; the texture was exceptionally balanced, which lets you enjoy the dynamic between the crispy coating with the well-seasoned meat.
The corn and mushroom quiche was served to us oven-fresh, and we could taste the just-done quality in the crust’s texture; it’s surprisingly light, which is usually not the case with most quiches. The stuffing is not too overworked in flavour, which was ideal. But the piece de resistance from our table was definitely the Baked Fish in Lemon Butter Sauce which easily qualifies as one of the best baked fish entrees we’ve had this season.
The dish leans towards a complex, layered taste and the technique used is very different from the stripped-down baked seafood numbers. The butter sauce is what transforms the gravy and gives succulent fillets an elevated edge; it’s also an all-season number which you could always recommend to your seafood-loving peers. Our recommendations? Lamb Shepherds Pie, Chicken Wings (Dry Rub) Apple Ginger Pie, Caramel Custard. Price for two: Rs 350