Mee Fung, a Chinese dish

Siliguri, Oct. 6: Special menus that hit the tables on Saptami are here to stay till bhai phonta, restaurant owners here have assured those who fear that they may lose out on the delicacies because they are out of town.

Aaheli on Bidhan Road is perhaps the only restaurant that is offering traditional Bengali food in a suitably Bengali ambience. From fish items to tandoor and vegetarian dishes, the restaurant has listed its special fare in Puja menu card, complete with a radiant picture of Goddess Durga.

“A complete meal will consist of ghee with Gobindobhog or Basmati rice, green chillies and alu postho, followed by shukto, chholar dal, bhapa Ilish and Sunderban Chingri (Tiger prawn),” said Sabyasachi Dass, the general manager of Hotel Dolly Inn, of which the restaurant is a unit.

Dab chingri

Emphasising that the menu had a distinct bangal (read east Bengal) flavour, Dass claimed that their’s was the only place in town that made authentic chitol machher muitha, a typical Bangladeshi delicacy painstakingly carved out boneless from the fish tail and made into boras (lightly-fried pakoras). “A full meal would come to about Rs 400 per head,” he said.

“We also have exclusive tamar handi biryani, made in a huge copper container procured from the Jama Masjid area here,” Dass said. For vegetarians, Aaheli offers Paneer tikka malai, specially made with capsicum and cream. The chef, Dhiren Burman, has been experimenting with Bengali fare for over the past 28 years.

For a taste of global fare, The Orchid in Uttorayon’s Central Park is offering flavours from central America: Mexican rice and Mexican chicken. “This is an original recipe made with jalapino and bell pepper. Red and yellow capsicum adds to visual senses as it does to the palate,” said Shivnandan Mehta, the unit head.

“We have also prepared a special Puja menu with dishes like alishan kebab (made with mixed vegetables and cheese and deep-fried to a golden hue), alujira pudina (a dry mix served with subz pulao sans garlic and onion, meant for Navratri devotees), and a surprise non-veg item.” Mehta refused to say what it was, only hinting that it was a long time demand of the restaurants’ clients.

Gur payesh

From the eastern parts of the world comes Nasigoraeng, a rice-based Indonesian dish that Tropicana, the restaurant at Blue Mountain Country Club, is offering. “It can be either veg or non-veg and is a complete meal by itself,” explained Dhiren Ghimirey, the club’s manager.

The vegetarian version comprises soya nuggets and an assortment of vegetables seasoned with Indonesian herbs. “The rice in the non-veg dish is cooked with chicken stalk and seasoned with pepper, salt and a bit of aginamoto.” The restaurant also has a few Thai and Italian dishes, including pastas and spaghettis in red sauce and Risotto, another rice-based meal, but less spicy.

Rainbow Diner has two reasons to offer special gourmet delights: one the festive season and two, it is the only restaurant in town that opened its doors during Pujas (on Saptami).

Situated in Cosmos Mega Mall, the 106-seater restaurant has two wings — Oriental Delight (for Chinese, Thai and southeast Asian) and Chakde India (for all types of Indian food), said Rahul Gandhi, a director of the Rainbow group that recently opened a similar restaurant in Darjeeling.

Paneer tikka malai

The kitchen-in-charge, Abhijit Roy, said there would be several new items. “Dab chingri is one of them.” Large-sized prawns will be served in green coconut shells, the gravy made with coconut water and a bit of milk, and flavoured with black pepper and mustard.

“For the first time in Siliguri, chelo kebab will be made available,” he said.

Roy also suggested fusion dishes like Sun La, a Chinese-Indian fare made with crispy chicken tossed in tangy sauce and topped with button mushrooms.

The restaurant has introduced a sweet dish as well — gur payesh.

Made from nolen gur (molasses) and Gobindobhog rice, the restaurant owners hope this will be a big draw, appealing to the Bengali weakness for sweet dishes.