Topshe: Hello, what are you doing?

Me: Answering your phone call, what else.

Both of us had a hearty laugh and then on a more serious note he said, “Tomorrow is Saturday, how about meeting for lunch?” The idea suited me as Deepika will be out attending some conference at Taj Palace Hotel. “Let’s add the other two as well and decide the venue.” I told him though I knew the response of Gora and Pulki, both are most adjustable souls and would agree to whatever is decided.

Anyways, both came online and much deliberations, we decided to meet at the gate number 2 of Malviya Nagar Metro Station and visit 6, Ballygaunge Place, a newly opened fine dining restaurant specialising in Bengali cuisine.

Once I got the confirmation from Gora that all three of them are together and their metro just crossed AIIMS, I called up the restaurant and booked a table for four. It was a Saturday lunch time, knowing the appetite of Delhiites, it would be full, I guessed and I was right.

I walked down the 1.2 km stretch from my home to the metro station and joined the other three and went to the next door Eldeco Centre, a business hub with a variety of restaurants at the ground floor level viz. Indy, The Piano Man, The Mission Bay besides 6 Ballygaunge Place.

There was a sizeable crowd waiting to be seated, having booked our table, we were ushered in and offered a table that could sit six but did not complain. The ambiance is quite relaxing with décor of vintage Bengal. The spacing of the table is sufficient to make you relax and talk to your fellow diners without any bother. The menu was quite exhaustive, the main course is divided in sections as per the main ingredient such as Prawns, Ilish, Bhetki, Chitol, Chicken, Mangsho, Rice Prep. It also had Starter, Sweets and Beverages. From the starter section, we ordered one portion each of Prawn cutlet, Hansher Dimer Devil and Chhana Motorshutir Chop. We also asked for Fresh Lime Soda which the restaurant has named as Noti Binodini, after the famous actress of the Bengali theatre of the 19^th/ early 20^th century. As we were waiting for our food and beverage, a gentleman in casual clothing approached us and introduced himself as Angshuman Dutta, helping out his friend (the Chef) with PR/ Marketing for the restaurant. He further stated that he is from Delhi but now settled in Kolkata and his school happened to be our Alma Mater, Raisina Bengali School, Mandir Marg, New Delhi. He is a 1990 batch, a clear ten years junior to us. He was delighted to have 4 of his seniors in the restaurant and we were immediately marked for special treatment… the beverages were made complimentary, a thousand bucks discount on the bill !!

The starters arrived in one go and was served by the steward… we dived into our plates as all of us were hungry and the aroma from the food was too enticing. The prawn cutlets, the devil and chhanar chop, all were crisp on the outside but soft inside and melted in the mouth. They had the hint of spices but not sharp, easily digestible.

We asked for the menu to decide on the main course… this section was quite large divided into sub-sections based on the main ingredients. We placed order for Posto-Narkel Bora, Chholar Dal and Dhokar Dalna, with Loochi, all vegetarian dishes because Bengali vegetarian dishes are as exquisite as are the no-veg items. Then we asked for Bhetki & Ilish Paturi, Chitol Machher Muitha and Dhakai Kalo Bhuna Mangsho with Basanti Pulao and Chingri Pulao.

My cosmopolitan palate (taste), found the curried items a bit on the sweeter side but overall very tasty and the quantities were sufficient to fill our tummy. Amongst the main course we ordered, I was particularly interested in the Chitol Machher Muitha having heard about it so much from my friends and relatives living in Kolkata. The preparation of this item is quite tedious and only a seasoned chef can bring out the flavours correctly. The one we had was excellent and calls for another visit to relish it again. I had opted for the Bhetki Paturi even though the Ilish Paturi was boneless as well but smelly for my liking. I had it with Chingri Pulao but it would have tasted better with plain boiled rice. The Dhakai Kalo Bhuna Mangsho is quite similar to the Bhuna Mutton with more caramelisation of the meat making it almost black but it tasted awesome with Basanti Pulao.

We were done with food having filled ourselves upto the neck when the steward brought 4 portions of the Nolen Gurer Ice Cream and said that it was complementary from the management. Who are we to protest such generosity, in no time, the ice cream was gone… in our tummy.

The bill came along with a bowl of Kolkata Dry Paan.  As per our norm, Gora paid the bill and we transferred our individual share to him through Google Pay once we were out.

I hung the carrot of TwentyNine (a card game) in front of the three which they could not refuse and we all walked back to my home. Topshe and Gora became partners while Pulki joined me as partner. We played for about 2 hours with neither side winning conclusively.

They left after I had served them Kashmiri Kahwa Tea that I had bought from Palampur Tea Estate, with Cake Rusk from Defence Bakery, Delhi.