Indulge checks out the new chess-themed café in Kolkata

A step inside the newly opened Check n Mate Café by Trisha Paul made us feel like ‘Shatranj Ke Khiladi’. The black and white flooring with chess pieces on the walls gave an exciting ambiance to the cosy setting. The two things that made the interiors very instagrammable were the overhead monkey lamps and the Chess King and Queen showpieces. A small performance nook is also tucked away in the café making it wholesome in its appearance. And surely, if we wanted to sit down over a game of chess, there would be provisions for the board games being handed over to the tables.

We kicked off lunch with a hearty and thick-textured Banana Smoothie complete with choco-stick and colourful sprinkles. The dripping caramel sauce on the sides blended with the banana mix gave a mild sweet flavour to the drink. This was followed by Semolina Crispy Fried Chicken for starters. These roughly cut triangular chicken fries with a semolina coating gave the perfect crunch to the dish. The succulent chicken fillets inside were aptly cooked and tasted well when combined with a chilli-mayo sauce. This was our sit-at-leisure-and-bite-to-pleasure-dish!

Up next was the Herb Chicken Pinwheel. This ground chicken roll with freshly infused cilantro sauce was a delight. The marination was well-done and it gave the chicken the much–needed cilantro flavouring. This non-spicy dish was served with roasted baby potatoes which helped us retain the crunch in the otherwise melt-in-the-mouth chicken dish. The Grilled Chicken Pizza which came next was a specialty of the café. These thin-crust pizzas with extra cheese melt on the top, bell-peppers, onion,  and spiced paprika, were crunchy, savoury, and emitted a spicy zing, all at once.

Taking a break from the starters we sipped on to the refreshing Paan Mojito. The subtle aroma of Paan leaves wafted in the air as soon as the glass reached our table. We loved this recreation of the sweet and traditional mukhwas in a glass. We definitely recommend not leaving the café without tasting this.

For the mains we moved on to the Penne Pasta in White Sauce, This warm bowl of vegetarian comfort food was laden with cheese, bell peppers, broccoli, and black olives and served with the crunchy garlic bread which transported us, for a short span, to Italy. The last course of the day was the Chicken Stroganoff. Its presentation scores an extra point with the rice layering filled with chicken gravy in a circular cavity in the centre. The dish itself was a full meal and the herby-ness of the item made it delectable.  

Location: 114 FC Block, Salt Lake Sector III

Opening Time: 12 pm – 11 pm

Price for two (approx.): Rs 700+