Relive your childhood memories with this monsoon food festival in this Kolkata diner

As we sipped a hot cup of freshly made ginger-elaichi tea at Mythh, over -looking the swimming pool at Hotel Hindusthan International, it felt as if the carefree days of yore, when you stole a moment from your busy schedules to chit-chat with friends over tea and fries, were back. Executive chef Prabal Pramanik captured that very essence in the freshly curated monsoon menu called Chai pe Charcha, and we give you an exclusive glimpse of the same.

We started with the Assorted veg pakoda comprising onion and capsicum rings and brinjal fries. The crispy texture of the veggies savoured with myriad sauces hit the right notes from the very start. A staple favourite, the piyaji or onion fritter was next. Rough-cut pieces of onion dipped in gram flour batter and deep-fried till golden brown with a tinge of mildly spicy mint chutney would tingle anyone's taste buds. The mushroom on toast was a cheese lover’s delight with its gooey warm melted cheese with chunks of umami-flavoured mushroom.

Next was a Cheese blast chicken fried mini sandwich. The name startled us at first, but one bite in and we knew the secret. Soft and meaty chicken filling stuffed between two thick pieces of bread that were cut into cubes was fried on the whole to make the dish. The Daler fuluri is the desi version of the meaty popcorn available. Pop one of them in along with a spicy chutney or kasundi, and let the flavours of the lentil melt in your mouth.

Talking about the festival, the chef mentioned, “ Everyone loves chai, chops, and pakoras in this weather. So we curated some traditional ones and some innovative dishes like Cheese blast sandwiches and wantons.”

Moving on to the non-vegetarian items, the Dimer chop, a fried boiled egg with spicy filling caught our attention with the well-balanced spicy and savoury notes. Finely cut cubes of chicken held together with a zingy batter and deep–fried was what made the Chicken tikka pakoras perfect. when we went beyond the crunchy outer layer, the succulent fried chicken greeted us.

Mutton lovers can indulge themselves in the Mutton keema pakora while fish lovers get to choose from various dishes, including the freshly made Basa macher chop. And you get a nice complimentary serving of Jhaal-muri complete in a brown paper thonga with any dish.

The menu is simple, wholesome, enjoyable, and does wonders for all the health-conscious eaters with its limited use of oil in dishes packed with flavours. With a variety of teas ranging from regular ones like darjeeling and green tea to luxurious ones like peach and chamomile being brewed on the live counter and served in Bhaanr or cutting-chai glasses with jeera biscuits and chanachur, this is a not-to-miss experience.