Daarun Hoeche Ranna

Last week on the occasion of my birthday a bunch of my friends took me out for Dinner to Esplanade in Indiranagar Bangalore.

The Chef and Owner of the Esplanade Subhankar Dhar, came near us when he saw friends wishing me a happy birthday, He said he is from Kolkata but has been living in Bangalore for the last 4 years. When asked what is the thinking behind planning out the Menu.  He said I wanted to  was to burst the 3 myths that seem to surround Bengali Cuisine, 1)That its only about fish, 2) the food is always sweet, and 3) we can only cook in mustard oil.

We took our seats and were served with Aam panna, along with the Menu card.

Ghee and Pickel

I ordered the Veg meal on offer, a friend ordered non veg food. In front of us were an array of awesome dishes in earthen bowls.  The mixed veg curry ‘bati chorchori’ needs a special mention; juciliscious chunks of vegetable sautéed perfectly with the right ingredients. After such an awesome lunch still had space in my tummy to fill the sweet 'mishti' doi and maal pua.

Vegetable Meal

Hrish Thota Enjoying the Non-Veg meal

The courses are served like a home-cooked meal. So you start with bitter, followed by salt then there is sour, chutney, to cleanse the palate to make way for the sweet.” And so we had the chutney and indulged in the desserts. As the last scoop of the velveteen doi went down, we revelled in the memory of a great meal with the promise of many more to come.

Tip :- The Earthen pot can be replaced with terracotta as the pot can observe water from the dishes and it will be difficult for people to mix the gravy with rice and eat!

All in all it was a wonderful experience the authentic bengali food at affordable prices in Bangalore.