After a successful stint at Rajkrishna Chatterjee Road, Forkfull has opened its doors at Ballygunge Place, a bustling residential area also known to be home to some famous schools of the city. A brief walk through Mandeville Gardens led us to this humble bistro on one of these autumnal evenings and we must say it led to some insightful gastronomic conversations with the owner brothers Samrat & Sampad Mukherjee and their concept, interior and menu consultants Sudipta Saha & Puspendu Kayal.
“The Ballygunge Place outlet isn’t just bigger in area but has some new introductions in terms of food as well. Our spread mainly consists of continental offerings with a fusion touch and we hope to introduce an entire range of tea brews in the coming months. Khachapuri, a traditional Georgian cheese filled bread is the show stopper from our latest introductions, alongside Deshi Poutine consisting Kosha Mangsho, masala omelettes, cheese & fries, and Chicken Kosha Pancake wrapped in steamed tortillas,” shares Samrat. All of these dishes are brought to life by ace chef Sahadat.
As we settled over some piping hot and aromatic Darjeeling green tea served in a tea pot portion sufficient for three, a look around the outlet revealed its simplistic yet warm and ambient vibe. White washed walls in contrast to the dark, ebony furnishing looked classy under the amber hued lighting. Herb Garlic Multigrain Bread soon filled the air with the freshly sautéed butter garlic aroma. Unlike most other places, Forkfull’s take on the classic garlic bread isn’t about garlic flavoured butter smeared on toasted bread but fine garlic slices browned in butter topped on the crunchy slices of multigrain bread.
“We always keep a check on the way we are presenting the dishes to our patrons. Our specialty is not just in giving the regular Kolkata palate an elevated experience within a budget, but also in how we bring it to the tables,” adds Sudipta.
His words soon reflected in their Peri Peri Chicken Satay, where each of the sesame sprinkled Satay sticks were served in separate shot glasses with a bed of mayonnaise with a thin layer of home-made peri peri oil. The presentation didn’t just make the dish less messy, but also gave us bountiful portions of dips with each bite. Nachos with Salsa and Sour Cream Dips too arrived on the table in a martini glass and sat comfortably on our palates.
For a sweet conclusion we suggest you scoop through their Coffee Panna Cotta served with milkmaid, honey and praline or White Chocolate Brownie with white chocolate drizzle and chocolate ice cream. Forkfull has also curated an elaborate breakfast menu boasting of three different sets that can be paired with caffeinated beverages for the early birds out on a jog or on their way to office.
Price for two: Rs. 800++