Chitpur is one of the oldest localities in Kolkata. And nestled here near the Nakhoda Masjid is one of the famous food destinations in the city named Zakaria Street. During Ramzan, this place comes alive with various foods prepared for Iftar. On other days too it's a haven for biryani, kebabs, haleem, halwa, etc. In this episode, we are on a walking tour of the place along with our gracious host Pamela Das.
Our first destination here was the Bombay Hotel. As we reached there we were welcomed by a lively crowd of happy customers and an enticing aroma of the curries and breads. Our pick was the spicy and wholesome Dal Gosht and Khamiri roti. It was quite flavourful and easy on the pocket as well.
The second stop was Dilli 6, an eatery specializing in delicacies from Old Delhi. The cook here was very well informed about the eating scene in Delhi. After a hearty chat, we went on to try their famous Chicken Afghani. This creamy buttery grilled chicken-based dish was pure indulgence.
From there we went to the third destination named Taskeen. It is an institution when it comes to fried chicken. Their Murg Changezi which was essentially double-fried chicken-based appetizer was phenomenal. The genial owner informed us that the marinade used in the dish has 51 different ingredients. It was a mind-blowing revelation indeed. We also tried some Kesariya falooda which was rich and distinctly luscious.
The fourth stop was a vendor selling anrasa or deep-fried sweet rice flour dumpling. This was quite a popular snack with labourers from Bihar who reside in this area. Soon after a tea break, we checked in to our fifth destination Baba tea stall. It was super crowded. People were joyfully chatting over endless cups of tea that were served in bhars or clay cups. The tea was quite good.
After that invigorating sip, we headed on to try the fabled suta kebab from Adams kebab. But in between, we did sneak in some appetite for a small piece of fresh kalakand and patti samosa.
On reaching Adam' s we were deeply fascinated to witness the preparation of the suta kebab. The mutton kebab here was a piece of art. The final product was a meaty granular stuff that was phenomenal.
Our final destination of the gastronomic tour was the century-old Haji Allauddin sweet shop. Their sweets, especially halwas, are too renowned. It was a joyful opportunity to listen to the young owner Hamd who zealously acquainted us with some of their hot-selling fares. Their signature Batissa halwa just blew our mind with its unusually luscious taste and textures. We also finished off some mava ladoo, akhrot halwa, and dahi balushahi.