Today's video is a gastronomic treat for it brings you a medley of popular traditional Bengali delicacies from some of the renowned and even legendary eateries across the city of Kolkata. In this discovery of some of the flavors of Bengali cuisine, we are glad to be accompanied by our young and gracious host Pamela Das who guided us with useful insights regarding the same. So let begin this super gratifying culinary journey featuring an interesting lineup of eateries and dishes.
We started the food tour from a very special place called Suruchi self-help restaurant. It's the city's oldest Bengali restaurant and is completely owned and operated by women. And these women are a league of Bravehearts who have battled grave adversities and have emerged as strong and resilient. They are the inmates of shelters run by All Bengal Women's Union, an NGO that works with disadvantaged women and girls. Due to their hard work and talent, Suruchi has earned a name amongst the masses with its easy-on-the-pocket homestyle food. Here we tried a basic combination of steamed rice with dimer jhol followed by a couple of Pithe with payesh. Though the egg curry was thin, light on palette yet it was extremely delicious. Among the desserts, we loved the cardamom-flavored Patishapthas. Meeting the resilient womenfolk in the kitchen and hearing about their stories of struggle and success was a surreal experience.
From there we went on to try a massive Bengali spread at the iconic pice hotels named Swadhin Bharat Hindu Hotel whose origin dates back to British rule. Situated near College street, it was frequented by legends and stalwarts from different fields. Pice hotels are humble eateries that serve traditional Bengali cuisine at affordable rates. They have a pretty extensive lineup of traditional fish-based dishes. We ordered 11 items including rice, dal, fish curries, and chutneys. The food was fresh and delicious. We loved eating it on the banana leaves.
After that heavy meal, we headed to have some classic sweets from the legendary Bhim Chandra Nag which is the birthplace of the popular Bengali sweet Ladekeni. As per the legends, these sweets were created as a tribute to the sweet and charming lady Canning who was the lovely wife of Lord Canning. We tried the ledikeni, sitabhog and misti doi. Everything, especially the ledikeni, was outstanding.
After that sweet rush, we went to Princep Ghat, which is one of the oldest recreational spots in the city. Watching the magnificent structures like the Vidyasagar Setu and the Palladium Porch at Princep Ghat over a cup of invigorating lebu cha and ghoti gorom was a comforting experience. We spent some time on the banks of the Hooghly admiring its majesty.
After that leisurely break, we reached our final destination for the day i.e Golbari in Shyambazar. It is one Kolkata's legendary eateries. And we were here to try the iconic mutton kosha with porota. The dark brown, slow-cooked rich mutton gravy with oil floating on the top was heavenly. It lived up to its reputation through the amount of oil that might scare away the health freaks. This journey was a special one for we got to try the real flavors of Bengal.