HYDERABAD: Opposite Indira Park in Domalguda and just next to Ramakrishna Math a two-storeyed building houses Hyderabad Bangalee Samity, the oldest Bengali association in Hyderabad. Every weekend during lunch and dinner, you will find quite a crowd assembled waiting to enjoy a hearty Bengali meal at Amantran, the Bengali restaurant on the ground floor. For economical home-style Bengali food, this is my go-to place.
There are three branches of no-frill Bengali restaurant in the twin cities, at Domalguda, Somajiguda and Raj Bhavan Road. The owners Amit Kumar Ghosh and Debasree Ghosh used to own a Udupi restaurant, they opened the first Bengali cuisine outlet near Indira Park in 2010. All the three branches open at 10 am, serving Bengali style breakfast like luchi-tarkari and roti-tarkari for people leaving for offices. Even the vegetarian Bengali thhali for lunch which has dal, couple of sabjis and papad apart from rice is available pretty early in the day.
The fish items come into the menu as the day progresses. Rohu, Pabda, Telapiya, and Bhetki are some of the popular choices, while curries of chicken, mutton and egg are also in demand. Seasonal vegetable dishes like mocha (banana flower) and echor (raw jackfruit) often feature prominently on a board displaying special items of the day.
In the evening, the snacks served at Amantran are major draws. Apart from the Bengali style samosa (known as shingara), other options include the Kolkata rolls, fish cutlets and vegetarian delicacies like Mochar Chop. Moghlai Paratha, is one of the sought-after street foods. Aamantran has limited numbers of sweet on their menu, the most common being the rosogolla, with a nolen gur version in the winter.
In the last few years, the owners have also started guest houses for this segment in the vicinity of restaurants. Arrangements for early lunch and late dinners are made for those customers who need to rush to the hospitals in the morning. Recently after Amit Ghosh died in an accident, Debasree took complete charge.
The food at Amantran is quite economical with the vegetarian thali being priced as low as Rs 60. The a-la-carte fish dishes start from Rs 55. With the variety in their menu and quick service, Amantran provides a sumptuous Bengali meal which doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket.
Sabyasachi is a food enthusiast and blogs at www.foodaholix.in