April has been witnessing Bengaluru get cosmopolitan to its truest sense, with ethnicities — from Assamese to Malayalis — celebrating the Solar New Year. And since no celebrations are complete without indulging in food, restaurants in the city are bustling with traditional fares. The most recent addition to this is the week-long Bengali food festival Poila Baisakh Mahabhoj at The Square, the all-day dining restaurant at Novotel, which started from April 15.
We dropped by the restaurant for an exclusive preview on the evening before. As we entered, our hosts clad in traditional Bengali clothes — men in white dhuti-punjabi and women in red-and-white sarees — welcomed us in. We marvelled at the place that had been wonderfully decorated, be it with traditional clay plates or ornate pieces of kulo. After taking a stroll across the extensive counters, we decided to go with Luchi (deep-fried flatbread), Narkel Diye Cholar Dal (split Bengal-gram lentils with shredded coconut), and Begun Bhaja (fried eggplant). Any Bengali-food enthusiast would know why this trio is a popular choice. The pristine luchi, the sweet-and-savoury dal and the crisp-yet-creamy eggplant gave way to a scrumptious beginning and got us excited for what was next to follow.
Putting an end to the myth that Bengali food is all about non-vegetarian food, the restaurant boasted an array of vegetarian dishes. We started with steamed rice and a huge dollop of Posto Bata (poppy seed paste), Shuktoni (vegetables cooked in a creamy milk-curry), Aloo Posto (potato in poppy seed-gravy) Mochar Ghonto (banana blossom curry), and Dhokar Dalna (lentil-cake curry). Despite being a familiar favourite, Posto Bata failed to make a good impression on us. But the buttery Shuktoni was appetising; Mochar Ghonto and Dhokar Dalna were also on point. Our best pick was, however, Aloo Posto. The mild use of spice and keeping the curry dry made the dish simple yet so delectable that we reached out for more.
The non-vegetarian section of the buffet was also extensive. We decided to try Muri Ghonto (a mishmash cooked with fish head and rice), Chingri Malai Curry (prawns in coconut milk gravy), Gondhoraj Doi Murgi (makrut-flavoured chicken in curd-based gravy), Gobindo Bhoger Basanti Pulao, and Kolkata Chicken Biryani. We had Muri Ghonto and Chingri Malai Curry with steamed rice and our vote went to the Malai Curry, courtesy its perfect blend of savoury spices and creamy coconut milk. The Pulao paired with the chicken was another combination we could not have enough of. With an enticing aroma and the zest lemon brings to any dish, the makrut-flavoured chicken won us over in no time. The potato-adored biryani was impressive as well.
How can one finish a Bengali meal without desserts? The menu had a diverse assortment of sweets such as Gurer Payesh, Lobongo Latika, Malai Chumchum, Rasmalai, and Rosogolla. While Lobongo Latika, Malai Chumchum, Rasmalai did not quite match the goodwill Bengali sweets have, Rosogolla and Gurer Payesh effaced our disappointment. Despite its popularity, it’s hard to find well-made Rosogollas outside the Bengal belt but what we had here was the result of a job well done. And with the smoky notes of jaggery and the nutty flavour of coconut cooked in milk had a moderate sugar level and was so tasty that we helped ourselves to several servings of it.
Available for lunch and dinner, the buffet also features a Bhaja (fritters) counter, a Kolkata Roll counter, a Malpua counter, and even a Phuchka counter! Though we missed out on a lot of such treats and a range of fish dishes, Indulge suggests you to try out all these and more as the menu will be available till this Sunday.
INR 1,599 per person. Till April 23. At Novotel, Outer Ring Road. Details: +91 8066705000 / +91 89519 99102
Email: prattusa@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @MallikPrattusa