BENGALURU: Winter has always been synonymous with Nolen Gur (date palm jaggery), steamed and grilled items for Bengalis. What better way to satiate these cravings than to visit a restaurant named Esplanade in Indiranagar, that serves exactly these. We sat in the beautifully-lit, vintage decor of the restaurant and started with an Aam Sarbat to soak in the look and feel of the setup.
For starters, we were served Aam Kasundi Bhapa Pomfret. Here the fish is marinated with mango mustard pickle and is steamed in a plantain leaf. Lanka Achar Bhapa Murgi was next on the menu. The homemade piquant chilli pickle that is steamed with the chicken gives it a unique taste. The Galda Chingri Shalmi, stuffed prawn crumb fried with Kasundi, is the perfect way to kick- start a grand spread of fish delicacies that follow.
For the main course, there was the quintessential Bengali steamed white rice, Aloo Bhaji and Dal, served with a variety of grilled and steamed vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. For vegetarians, we had Shim, Palanger Bhapa, a unique blend of spinach and flat beans, with a hint of mustard. Made to perfection, the vegetarian Shim, Palanger Bhapa was more impressive than the non-vegetarian version of it – Kankra, Chingri Palanger Bhapa, made of crab meat, prawns and spinach. The other vegetarian dish on this menu is the Chhanar Paturi, made of roasted poppy seeds with cottage cheese, mustard and coconut paste.
A Malayali would find a dash of familiarity in this, since it is close to the coconut-based dishes in Kerala. The Chingri Narkel Pora and Bhapa Chingri would also strike a chord with Malayalis. In the Chingri Pora, the prawn is marinated with roasted coconut and mustard. And in the Bhapa Chingri, prawn is steamed with coconut milk and served with Gandharaj Lime.
Without stopping to take a break, we moved on to the other fish dishes on the menu. The Bhapa Pona, steamed fish with onion, curd, mustard and fresh chillies, when had with a dash of Gandharaj Lime, blends perfectly well. To end the grandiose meal on an even grander note, Chalkumro Lanka Achar Bhapa was served to us. Hilsa – a delicacy in Bengal – and this dish served in pumpkin leaf lived up to its repute.
To end the meal on a sweet note, we gorged on Bhapa Sandesh, Natun Gurer Pora Sandesh and Notun Gurer Baked Rosogolla. The Notun Gurer Baked Rosogolla deserves a special mention, a bite into this soft rosogolla will transport you to Bengal. You won’t want to spoil your tastebuds with anything more after this.