Codfather is an appropriate name for a restaurant where fish is a top priority, considering that the place is all about English and Continental food and that the cod, a close relative of other white, boned fish like haddock and hake, is one of the most important edible fishes in the world, especially in the parts of the world just mentioned.

Immaterial that if the restaurant is in Calcutta and won’t really serve cod, it’s still a cool name and the place lives up to it. The closest relative of cod we have here is of course bekti which has done us proud for generations and now we get basa from the Far East, which is also a white fish well suited to Continental cuisine.

Besides, Calcutta is arguably the best place to have a fish-oriented place, because even in terms of international cuisine, we have a heritage to reckon with, as the very bricks in the walls of Park Street and other parts of central Calcutta will vouch for. 

Not very long ago, I went to Gariahat market with a radio journalist from BBC London just to check out the fish. It wasn’t even the best time of the year for fish — in fact it was like right now — April, which is off-season, but we found 27 varieties, several of the live, fresh and swimming, like koi, chara pona, magur, shol and tilapia, and my companion went ballistic, got out his transmitter and went on air with a live interview/discussion on the merits of easily the best fish market of south Calcutta. The jumbo and tiger prawns also had him looking for his wallet. 

South Calcutta, when it comes to dining out, has over the last decade or so, become a place where virtually every style of cuisine we have grown up with and a few more as well, is available with genuine quality and value for money. Codfather is a serious case in point. Two to three visits and plenty of adda, and a large number of items tasted (just a couple of mouthfuls of each, I promise), and honestly, places of iconic reputation — even SkyRoom — came to mind. A totally no-compromise approach to every item, as true as imaginable to the genuine article, no worries that someone might say “It’s bland”, is what made me feel good. The only rider that should be known is that Codfather is fine, but they also do such a pleasantly surprising selection of poultry and meat!

The menu has a caption that reads “You crave, we indulge, the English way”. Fair enough, because if Shepherd’s Pie, Fish and Chips, Baked Whole Bekti and certain sauces and soups are on it, it surely does have a Brit feel to it. But in fact, without deviating from the traditions we know, it is Western International. 

If there’s Fish Florentine, Fish Portuguese, Mexican Fish with Rice and Salsa, American Pork Poulet, Grilled Moroccan Lamb Chops and a choice of pasta and pizzas, it is surely not only English. Although, I have a hunch that that there must have been some homework and research to produce even Moroccan or French in the way they like it in London!

What I really liked was the simplicity and the honesty of the food. You might need to be in a household in England to get a Shepherd’s Pie like they do in Codfather. Minced lamb with a layer of mashed potatoes on top and well baked, that Pie is worth a visit. With a soup before and a Prawn Cocktail, it’s hard to go wrong. Though I have to say, the mayonnaise base for the prawn cocktail, I felt, should be thicker, with the real home-grown (desi) eggs with the orange yolks used for it.
They have a good menu with variety and a good vegetarian selection as well, but things tried and to recommend go this way: For starters, Stuffed Potatoes with Bacon and/or Prawn Cocktail. Next, Codfather Special Soup (a clear fish soup), and for the main course, we need several visits to check out Grilled Fish with Lemon Butter Sauce, Baked Whole Bekti, Lamb Ragout with Rice, Prawn Nueberg, Grilled Pork Chops, Bar-b-cued Spare Ribs and Fish Fillet Mignon with Sour Cream Sauce.
All these items are served with French fries or rice or sauteed veggies and of course sauces, with mushrooms or cheese or cream.

I have to confess, as  already mentioned, that I still wouldn’t say they are on a par, but Codfather reminded me of SkyRoom.