BENGALURU: For Bengalis around the world, monsoons and Hilsa have a nice, delicious ring to it. For the ‘Very Mach Bangali’ Festival, The Creek at The Den, Whitefield, is beautifully lit up and showcases all kinds of spices, sweets, chaats, etc at different corners.
What’s more, the restaurant has also kept live fish on display, and the many different posters of Bengali films that have been put up, bring out the true essence of West Bengal.
Before walking in, make sure you have starved yourself enough to try out multiple authentic dishes that are popular only in a true Bengali household.
And since it’s a buffet, help yourselves with a second or third helping of the items that you like.
We were served a welcome drink, Daab Sarbat. The coconut water-infused drink felt quite refreshing.
Starters –peyaji (onion bhajji), tomator chop (tomato bhajji), Mourala mach er peyaji (onion bhajji with Mourala fish), mutton chop, egg devil – were nicely fried and occupied almost one-fourth of our ‘tummy capacity’.
Like any hardcore Bong, we couldn’t miss Kolkata-style phuchka.
The water was freshly made with tamarind and coriander and had the right amount of spice and sweetness in it. One can also choose to add ingredients from a spread of variations lined up at the counter.
Without further ado, we took potol posto (pointed gourd with poppy seeds), korola bhaja (bitter gourd fry), chingri malai curry (prawn with flavoured spices), Ilish sorshe (Hilsa cooked in mustard gravy) along with basanti pulao.
The locally sourced Hilsa fish was the winner in this course, which was carefully marinated and the gravy gave out the perfect aroma and taste to fill our senses with satisfaction.
The Bengali-style prawn, complete with its scales and tail, was sumptuous, with soft meat oozing out of its structure, ready to be eaten.
The next course was all about mutton and chicken biryani (Kolkata-style, with the much-talked-about aloo in it), Katla maccher kalia (Katla fish delicacy), and mutton gravy.
We also tried a few homely dishes like echor ghonto (jackfruit dish), mochar ghonto (banana flower dish), and some steamed rice along with it was enough to remind us of maa-ke-haath-ka-khana. The fish was succulent with all kinds of spices.
The mutton gravy, however, was a little low on flavour, but makes up if you have it with the hot biryani.
We still had the desserts left, and Chef Sarmistha Mitra insisted that we have their freshly made rosogolla and Tipsy pudding.
The former melted in our mouths. The latter is an inspiration from Sovabazar Rajbari and the bakers have done a good job in curating a three-layered fruity pudding.
Other sweets included ledikeni, gulab jamun, malpua, malai chom chom, Rosh bora and more. The menu is rotational, i.e., the food items keep changing every day.
The Very Mach Bangali festival is on till July 27, 7.30-11pm. Cost for two is Rs 3,000 (approx).