INSPIRATION can come from anywhere. But from Kolkata’s unnerving traffic? That’s right. Traffic Gastropub was conceived while three friends and now business partners Sekhar Chatterjee, Siddharth Gupta and Swastik Nag were stuck in a bad traffic jam in the city. “We were looking for a theme for our gastropub and suddenly the theme of traffic struck us while we were stuck in traffic. Also, since this theme had not been used by any other eatery in the city, it encouraged us further to take up the challenge to turn a blank space into one of the busy streets in Kolkata,” said Nag.
We took a swift stroll down the busy ‘road’ of the gastropub to check out their new Summer menu. The dimly-lit hot spot at City Centre 2 Rajarhat was teeming with a young crowd who were grooving to the mixes of the DJ and relishing their bites and sips and hookah. The No Refuse Menu (based on the frequently defied No Refusal rule by yellow cabs in the city) keeps the customers happy, we were informed. It certainly has great deals.
The interiors look like a narrow road with traffic lights above, and zebra crossing on the ground, and there are seating arrangements on either side giving an impression of a street with downed shutters, street lights and quirky spray paint. We noted that the original menu has some fun names inspired by street food. Names like Dhoper Chop, (an informal tag used to refer someone who talks nonsense), Long Drive (stuffed pani puri with vodka shots), 3A Bus Stand (Kolkata style egg devil), Signal Sandwich, Jaguar on the Road (lamb/pork cooked in demi-glaze sauce) and others — that had us engaged with the wordplay. As we sipped on the refreshing Lemongrass Ice Tea, Pulse Chicken Tikka arrived with a Pulse candy and #stuckintraffic written with mayonnaise.
From the menu, that boasts of fusion food we sampled Chingri Malaikari Pizza, a delectable blend of the classic Italian and Bengali dish. The thin crust pizza with toppings of shrimp was surprisingly tasty and we devoured one slice after anoth er. The Thelawala Noodles, inspired by local roadside chowmein, came in a mini cart. The best thing about it is, you don’t need an accompaniment. The summer menu also includes a Mint Cooler, Raw Mango and Jalapeno Martini, Blue Sky and more. From the bites section, you can try Parmesan Crusted Fish, Jhakkas Wings and more.
Their dessert was worth the wait and we loved Yoghurt Mousse with Chilli Rosogulla. The fusion of the classic doi with mousse, topped with a chilli flavoured rosogulla was sinful. Chef Sourav Ghosh’s curated Tea Stall Cheese Cake, is a mix of Bapuji cake, Parle G biscuit and laddu, topped with a cherry and we highly recommend it. As the ‘traffic’ increased, we left with the promise of coming back again