There is no love sincerer than the love of food.
- - - George Bernard Shaw
Well, I completely agree to that. I have been a sucker
for food… Good food to be specific. The Best comes from Mom’s Kitchen and the
rest that is good ,from restaurants world over. Last weekend I decided to give
Bengali cuisine a try. I have wanted to do so for quite some time, and
thankfully I found my wish materializing when a friend of mine asked me to
accompany him, to one the most popular Bengali restaurants in the City. Now this
friend of mine was so smitten by a bong at work that he decided to plunge into
the depths of Bengali culture to impress her, and somehow, assumed the best way
to learn about a culture is to start with their food. Well I just needed an
excuse to eat, and this worked perfectly fine
So where do we land up for lunch?
The BayLeaf
–Gopalapuram- Chennai
Situated right behind Gangotree, this Bengali restaurant
is a little off the main road. Now that brings us to a major problem. There’s
very little parking space for four wheelers. To the most you can squeeze in
three cars and the rest need to battle out for space on a narrow road that
supports two way traffic . Once inside , you get to settle down on comfortable
couches, with a pillow or two on your lap and tap your feet to the Bengali and
Hindi hits played while the waiters politely attend to your requests. To begin
with, we were given a complimentary packet of Sukha Bhel . In my dictionary anything complimentary is
a definite plus one. Now for starters we decided to stick to a bowl of soup,
and pick one munchy crunchy non vegetarian dish. So we ordered the all too
famous Dal shorba for soup and for the appetizer we decided to go with Murgh
Tikka Mirza Hasnu (this was the only dish with the longest name in the starter
category)which the menu described as Chicken thighs marinated in hung
yogurt, garam masala, and cheddar cheese. Served quick enough, the starter was
definitely worth the effort (in pronouncing its long name). The thighs were
tender , and well cooked and a plate served just the right proportion-Six pieces to
be exact. Dal shorba was good, a little spicier but good.
For the main course we ordered a bowl of rice and then picked
Koraishutir Dhokar Dalna . Now this actually is a stew that contains dumplings made
of dal paste and green peas. The rectangular shaped dumplings –are known as Dhoka.
The gravy was thick but a little sweet. So
if you happen to be a Non Bengali and are looking for an accompaniment for rice;
and if you happen to be one of those who do not appreciate a sweet dal or a
sweet gravy to go with it, this dish is not for you. We also ordered a Chittagong ferry
chicken. Apparently this dish is a part
of the traditional East Bengal cuisine and was developed by ferry workers of
the Gwaland ferry service plying between the then Calcutta and Chittagong.Well
kudos to them for having invented this recipe and to the chef at Bayleaf for
replicating it. Loved every portion of it.
Now when you are into Bengali cuisine how can you leave out one of the most staple foods of their diet. So next on the list was fish. I ordered the Chef's special for the day ‘Pomfret Fry’. Now this turned out to be a disappointment because the fish was not adequately fried and the marinating paste sticking on to the fish was raw and uncooked.
Now when you are into Bengali cuisine how can you leave out one of the most staple foods of their diet. So next on the list was fish. I ordered the Chef's special for the day ‘Pomfret Fry’. Now this turned out to be a disappointment because the fish was not adequately fried and the marinating paste sticking on to the fish was raw and uncooked.
Moving on to the desserts, we
ordered two of the most popular and well known Bengali dishes not wanting to
choose between them. We settled for a bowl of Mishti Doi –the traditional
Bengali Sweet yoghurt and a plate of Malpua – Pancakes dipped and soaked in
Sugar syrups. These were just an out of the world experience. And NO , I do not
have a sweet tooth, but I would still love to go back there and order these
again and again.
To sum it up, I would present a
Rocky and Mayur style report, Not that I compare myself to them, but I have
been watching their show day in and day out and this is just a reflection.
Report Card :
| Category | Score | Comments |
| Ambience | 6/10 | |
| Service | 8/10 | |
| Taste | 7/10 | +1 for the desserts |
| Value for Money | 6/10 | Expensive |
| Music and bengali chatter | FREEEE |
Approx cost for 2- Rs1500
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