Chai at Russel Punjabi Dhaba

With the clouds threatening to rain down, the weather was just right for a cup of chai at the Russel Punjabi Dhaba. “Daarji, who established this dhaba and when?” Jai asked the elderly Sardarji who mans the counter, as our teas arrived in little earthen pots. “It was started by my father in 1950,” said the man dressed in spotless white kurta-pyjama, stroking his long white beard. He introduced himself as Sukhdev Singh. Unlike some of the younger shop owners, Singh didn’t seem to mind a good chat and went on to talk about the days when the late MF Husain was a regular and also mentioned Jennifer Kendal, who visited for a month when she was shooting for 36 Chowringhee Lane in 1980-81. As we took a sip, he smiled and said: “The secret is in the masala we use and the tea leaves.”

“The chai you usually get at other places is either too watery or too milky and leaves a coating on your tongue. This chai has the right balance,” said Jai, a regular here for three years.

Price of a cup of chai: Rs 20

Malai Toast from Lyon’s Range near Writers’ Buildings

A slice of baker’s bread just off the tawa, smeared with generous portions of fresh cream and a sprinkling of sugar. Shankar Tea & Toast near the Share Market was “a must” on Jai’s food trail. “It’s even better than butter-toast! It’s the easiest thing to make at home but still never tastes as good as it does here,” he grinned, and then turned to chat with the man slowly stirring the milk ladle.
“How many litres do you boil in a day?”
“Around 30 litres.”
“And how much malai do you get?”
“Around 50g from a litre of milk.”
“How much of that malai is used on a toast?”
“Around 20g on one toast,” said the man, who had by then noticed the t2 camera and stopped stirring the ladle to hold a pose.

Price of Malai Toast: Rs 20 for a plate of two slices, each slice halved into two triangles

Fish Fry at Chittobabur Dokan in Dacres Lane

Dacres Lane, for those who don’t know it, is a narrow lane off Esplanade, where a variety of street food stalls and happy diners on haphazard benches can be found. Manoeuvring your way through Dacres Lane during lunch hour is like trying to reach the bar on a Saturday night at Nocturne. It is here that Sirish Chandra Roy set up his stall more than 65 years ago, now managed by his grandson, a young lad called Sandip Roy, fresh out of hotel management school. “In those days, there used to be many foreigners at Great Eastern  [now The Lalit Great Eastern] who would come in search of familiar food. So my forefathers adapted to their tastes and that’s how our famous Fish Fry and Chicken Stew was born,” said Sandip. Open from 6.30am to 9.30pm, Chittobabur Dokan used to be a weekly haunt for Jai two years ago. “Early mornings meant football on the Maidan and Fish Fry for lunch. Covered with crumbs, it was non-messy and surprisingly not oily… just enough to fill us up before we moved on to the Chinese stalls,” smiled Jai, as he ordered a plate.

Price of Fish Fry: Rs 65

Peyaji, Dimer Devil, Alu Chop, Chicken Cutlet from Kalika, off College Street

We reached a little past 3pm when the attendants were only just heating up the oil in the giant kadhai. One of the partners, Bablu Dutta, obliged us by getting a few items fried. “Our Fish Fry is the most famous,” he said. And if you’re wondering why it’s called Kalika, it’s because the store opened just in time for Kali Puja, way back in 1965.

Price chart: Fish Fry (Rs 30), Egg Chop (Rs 10), Chicken Cutlet (Rs 30)

Sandwichwallah on Free School Street

Open from 8am to 8.30pm, this sandwich shop named Maa Kali Stores at the corner of Lindsay Street and Free School Street is popular with New Market shoppers. Kallol, who has been a one-man-show for the last 20 years, can grill a neat Veg Cheese (Rs 55) and Veg Sandwich(Rs 40), which he says are the best-sellers. For Jai, this place has happy memories. “When I used to work in this area [Oberoi Grand], I would come here. The sandwiches are made on the spot, with fresh onions, tomatoes, capsicum and chicken, so you know it’s fresh. Also, most other sandwichwallahs add too much masala. Here, it’s very subtle so you get the taste of the chicken and all the ingredients,” said Jai, as he ordered a Chicken Sandwich.

Price of a sandwich: Rs 25 to Rs 75

Ice Cream Sandesh at Putiram, off College Street

A sandesh throw away from Kalika is Putiram. Here, the Ice Cream Sandesh, which is like a frozen sandesh that melts in your mouth, is a chilling end to a plate of kochuri and jilipi, also from Putiram. “The Ice Cream Sandesh is sold out by 6pm,” said Soumyajit Modak, the owner’s son at the 150-year-old College Street sweet shop. “Also famous is the Raj Bhog and Malai Ka Ladoo,” he said. “It’s interesting to see how the change of generation means introduction of new products,” said Jai, who picked this sweet stop for the food trail because of his many visits to College Street in Class XI and XII. “Even today, I come here to pick up books, like Sachin Tendulkar’s biography, for the hotel’s library,” said Jai. 

Price of an Ice Cream Sandesh: Rs 10

Chicken Roll from Parijat on Theatre Road

Squeezed between two large buildings at the crossing of Theatre Road and Chowringhee is this tiny roll shop. Few know that the restaurant is actually located on the first floor so if you’re looking for a quiet sit-down meal in this office area, with little to spend, this is a good choice. However, the takeaway downstairs is always the busier section after noon, which is when it opens. “What I like most about Parijat is that the paratha is thin. Not too much masala is added so things don’t fall apart when you take a bite!” laughed Jai. We asked for the owner and were pointed to the liquor store next door, where a gentleman then called upon one of the senior khansamas. “He’s been around for the longest time,” we were told. So Jawed Hassan, 68, took his hot spot behind the tawa and we attempted to grill him for a few minutes. “I’ve been here since the days the Chicken Roll sold for Rs 12, which was in... 1996,” laughed Hassan with his Man Friday Farooqh for company. ‘What else is there to say?” he trailed off.

Price of a Chicken Roll: Rs 28

Meethapatti Paan near Park Street-Camac Street crossing

“I’ve been fond of paan since the days of Khaike paan Benaraswala and Helen,” explained Jai, as we stopped the car at the paanwallah near the petrol pump on Park Street. The good thing about this shop compared to the paanwallah further down next to The Park is that there is hardly a queue, so you can stop your car for a minute without stopping traffic. Two pieces of meetha paan were wrapped for Jai as Sasaram, the paanwallah from Bihar, unravelled his story. “My grandfather started this business more than 100 years ago,” he said, pointing to three idols on the top shelf of his tiny shop, above the many neat rows of cigarette packets, each statue representing one generation. Have tastes changed over the years? “Youngsters like newer paans like the Chocolate Paan and Ice Paan,” he said, his hands working magic with the steel containers of betel nuts, gulkand and glazed cherries.

Price of a Meetha Paan: Rs 30

Pictures: Pabitra Das

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