A little piece of Awadh in Salt lake, with t2

The doorman at Oudh 1590, off Deshapriya Park, has a giant moustache. So apart from the chefs and kitchen staff, the decor and the crockery, and obviously the food, a man with a similarly impressive moustache had to be in place for the restaurant’s second outlet in town to throw open its doors.

“It took seven months for Sunil to grow such a moustache. Till then we waited. Only after he was ready, we opened our Salt Lake address,” said Shiladitya Chaudhury, partner of the period-dining restaurant known for its Awadhi cuisine.
Yes, Oudh 1590 is now in Salt Lake, near City Centre (Plot 86, Block CD, Sector I). It’s way bigger and more striking in its decor than the south Calcutta outlet, and the food is just as good. 

This outlet will primarily cater to the food lovers of Salt Lake, Rajarhat and north Calcutta, as “there were requests galore to open Oudh 1590 on this side of the city”.

To recreate the essence of the old-world Lucknow or Awadh, as it was known then, this 72-seater address was handed over to art director Nitish Roy (of Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Salaam Bombay! and Fanaa fame) to conceptualise the interiors. 
The result is for you to see. From murals and floor tiles to chandeliers, dining tables, and bronze-plated crockery — everything reflects the grandeur of the bygone era.

Add to that the thumris playing in the background, the period costume of the service team, the mustachioed man at the door and the delicacies cooked in dum pukht style — you are set for an experience rekindling the romance of a shaam-e-Awadh.

Did you know?

• The most popular dish at Oudh 1590 is Brain Masala. “That’s the first thing we run out of on any given day,” said the kitchen staff.
• Seven different cuts of meat reach the kitchen every day for all that the menu offers.
• Mutton, fish, chicken, vegetarian, prawns — that’s the order of demand among Oudh loyalists.
• Nehari Khaas, one of the Oudh specialities, starts getting cooked the day before it is served.
• The earthen handis used to serve biryani are tailor-made from Kumartuli potuapara, while the crockery comes from Moradabad.

• Both Kakori and Galawati kebabs (in picture) need boneless meat. But the meat for Galawati should be without fat, while Kakori needs a little fat for the meat to stick to the grills.
• The karigars (they don’t call themselves cooks or chefs) who have been brought from Lucknow are actually Bengali Muslims from Malda, who have been settled in Lucknow for three generations now.
• The Chaurasia paan shop outside the Deshapriya Park outlet, run by a Benaras boy, had to be replicated outside the Salt Lake outlet too, on popular demand.

Sibendu Das
Pictures: B. Halder

THE SCOOP ON SCOOP! 

The idea of an Iftar menu at Scoop occured to young owner Johanne Mantosh (in picture right) when she saw many of her staff members breaking their fast with iftar. “I thought, why not introduce it for my customers too. A lot of New Market shoppers who observe the fast have to be home by 6pm to break it. Here, they can continue shopping after the Iftar meal,” said the Loreto House alumnus. 

The small and specific menu has everything to make you feel at home  — Onion Pakoda, Paneer Pakoda, Aloo Chop, Chana Masala and bowls of freshly-chopped fruit and dates. There’s also a Sharbat to wash it down with. 

If you’re looking to fill up some more, there’s Mango Feluda, Reshmi Butter Masala, Mutton Haleem, Chicken Chaap with Small Naan and Bhuna Gosht. 

Pocket pinch: The spread in the picture above is priced at Rs 310 (for two), Rs 570 (for four) and Rs 950 (for seven). 

Scoop has a new neighbour. It looked pretty fancy from the outside so t2 dropped in to have a look. We found out that the 64-seater restaurant from the makers of Scoop is called Spice (previously Oriental Plaza) and serves up tempting portions of Thai. 

We ordered a Sweet Corn Cakes starter (Rs 155), Spicy Fried Rice with Chicken and Basil (Rs 170), Chicken Cooked in Three Flavoured Sauce (Rs 175) and Pad Thai. The sweet corn fritters came with a mango dip that had diced red chillis. Sweet and hot, it made you wish there were bottles of it to take home. The traditional Pad Thai, that came covered with an omelette, was as good as what you’d get out of those delicious food carts in Bangkok for a bundle of baht. 

The decor was surprisingly stylish. The white drapes made proper use of the high ceiling found in the old New Empire building, and the red door added drama. It came as no surprise that Rapheal Mantosh [who was stylist for t2’s shoot with DJ Anish Sood], had put his style aesthetics at work here. 

Pssst: If your regular haunt is New Market, it might be worth your while to check out the New Empire bar, which has also got a facelift. The movie projector of yesteryear has been turned into an installation outside the bar. 

Karo Christine Kumar
Pictures: Anindya Shankar Ray

BARBEQUE NATION opens doors on PARK STREET

An eat-all-you-can buffet and the concept of unlimited starters with a live grill on the table had made Barbeque Nation a hit among foodies when it opened in Salt Lake in 2008. Seven summers later, they have brought that joy of grilling to Calcutta’s original food street.

Right at the Camac Street-Park Street junction, the large green signage welcomes you to a spacious seating area on the first floor of the Park Centre Building. 

Open from noon to 4pm for lunch and 6.30pm to 11pm for dinner, the restaurant offers two major eat options — Off the Grill and On the Buffet. The menu boasts a mix of Mediterranean, American, Oriental, Asian and Indian cuisines.
So, you will find a Lebanese Chicken and Kasturi Prawn share space with a Yezo Fish and Hone Chilli Soya under the grill menu. 

Vegetarian starters such as Paneer Mirch Masala and Cajun Spiced Potato are followed by Kofta Bukhara and Vegetable Dum Biryani in the main course. Sarson Bata Rohu, Handi Gosht and Murg Joshina are some of the popular non-veg dishes from the main course. A meal for two will cost around Rs 1,600.

The DIY live grill on the table has not yet started at the Park Street outlet. “It is expected to be operational in a few weeks,” said a kitchen staff.

Sibendu Das
Pictures: Pabitra Das