Sweet-toothed Calcutta surrendered to the call of indulgence on the eve of Diwali, making a beeline for the best sweet stops in town.

Metro hit the sweet trail on Tuesday and picked four places that were different from the rest as much for the sweets they offered as for the crowds they drew and the volume of packets they seemed to be dishing out every minute.

Gangaur, Russell St

The mood: A variety of sweetmeats adorned the store but trays had to be refilled every few minutes because everything seemed to be flying off the shelves. Some were buying for home while others requested gift-wrapped goodies for relatives and friends.

"Gift wrapping will take some time," a man at the counter politely told a customer who was getting impatient.

Sita Agarwal was there with her mother and sister-in-law to buy an assortment of sweets for Diwali. "Be it a festival or otherwise, we have to come here for sweets. On Diwali, the sweets have to be special because we offer them as bhog," she said.

The mithais: The usual favourite, Badam Barfi, was again the bestseller. The sweet is priced at Rs 1,100 a kilo but very few customers even bothered to enquire about it before ordering the quantity of their choice. Then there was the all-weather Boondi Ladoo at Rs 500 a kilo.

The Badam Chandrapuli, packed with the goodness of seven varieties of dry fruits and priced at Rs 45 per piece, was the store's Diwali special. The Butterscotch Ball, containing butterscotch sauce with almonds and packed in white cellophane wraps, also sold well at Rs 40 per piece.

The traditional favourite was Dilkhushar, made of moong dal mixed with khowa and suji and cut into cubes. Price: Rs 540 a kilo.

An assortment of three kinds of savouries and as many kinds of sweets, priced between Rs 400 and Rs 600, was popular among those in a hurry to buy and exit.

The madness: Gangaur gets ready for the rush around a week before Diwali, when orders are mostly for combo packs that corporate houses want for their clients.

A couple of days ahead of Diwali, it's a rigorous schedule for the workers. Production didn't close on Monday night - sweet were being made until 3am on Tuesday - and the shop opened at 7 the next morning. Closing time was 10pm, two hours beyond the normal schedule.

Chhappan Bhog, Shakespeare Sarani 

The mood: By afternoon, the shelves were almost empty and fresh stocks kept arriving through the day from the factory on Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road. Demand peaked in the morning and again early in the evening, although customers kept coming through the day. “Sweets and Diwali are intricately linked. We buy for ourselves as well as friends,” said Raghuvir Goel, whose assortment included the ever-popular Dilkushar. 

The mithais: Butterscotch Crème Roll, a creation of chumchum dipped in butterscotch cream with toppings of chocolate flakes, was the bestseller at Rs 40 per piece.

The store’s Diwali special was Gur Crème Roll, priced at Rs 40 per piece, and Gur Channa Payesh, which sold for Rs 50 a cup and looked too attractive to be kept waiting. 

The traditional favourite was the Gur Bati, a jaggery sweetmeat shaped as a bowl with syrup filling, at Rs 50 per piece. 
For those looking for a combo pack, the store offered a platter of about 20 pieces of Pistachio Barfi and Badaam Barfi at Rs 1,800. The Pistachio Barfi is separately priced at Rs 3,500 a kilo. 

The madness: Orders had started coming after Durga Puja, peaking in the first week of November. Such was the volume of bulk orders that the store had to stop taking more.

“I am not restricted in terms of production but packaging, which is why I stopped taking bulk orders on November 2 itself. Right now, we are open only for walk-in customers,” said managing director Raghav Saraf. 

Gokul Sweets, Lord Sinha Road 

The mood: The men at the counter barely had time to catch their breath while the store manager paced up and down, talking to customers to find out not only what tickles their taste buds but also their choice of decorative boxes. 

P. Desai, accompanied by grandson Dhruv Shah, was there to place an order for Wednesday. “I always buy from Gokul because they serve fresh sweets and I just placed an order for Diwali. They are prompt in their service and will keep my packet ready on Wednesday at the said time,” said the resident of Sarat Bose Road.

While his grandmother was busy telling the salesman what she would like to buy and how she wanted it packed, Dhruv made the most of the waiting time with a bite of his favourite ladoo.

The mithais: The Gond Pak, made of fresh ghee and pistachio, was the bestseller at the store despite the steep price of Rs 1,500 a kilo. 

Gulab Dhalwa. made with peanuts and flavoured with rose petals, is the store’s Diwali special this year. The price? Rs 1,600 a kilo. 

When it comes to traditional favourites, nothing can beat Gokul’s signature ladoo, priced between Rs 440 and Rs 900 a kilo depending on the variety. A combo pack of Belgian chocolates, dates with fillings and dry fruits on a golden tray priced Rs 10,100 was also a Diwali hit. 

The madness: As in most sweet stops, production at Gokul had continued through the night on Monday. On Tuesday, the store timings were extended to meet the rush of customers. 

If there was one thing that didn’t change, it was Gokul’s promise of quality. “Even if its Diwali, we cater to individual taste when someone places an order,” said Tanushree Routh, the manager of the Lord Sinha Road store. 

The launch of every new sweet happens after a rigorous process. “The owner tastes it, then we give samples to some of our customers. Depending on the feedback, we launch the sweet,” Tanushree said. 

Balaram Mullick, Bhowanipore 

The mood: Getting to the counter of Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick’s flagship store was a challenge for most of Tuesday, as Binder Singh and Karamwant Kaur learnt. 

“The sweets here are soft, which we prefer. We also send some to our son in California. On Diwali, it is a must to buy from here because at our age sweets are more important than crackers,” smiled Karamwant. 

The mithais: The day’s bestseller was the Coconut Dry Fruit Ladoo at Rs 600 a kilo. The entire stock was sold out by
afternoon. 

The Diwali special, Chocolate Ganache Sandesh with a topping of raisin in chocolate, is priced at Rs 600 a kilo, and the Sitaphal Payesh made of custard apple is a creamy sweet delight at Rs 600 a kilo. 

The traditional favourites were, of course, the Baked Rosogolla and the Ice-cream Sandesh at Rs 15 a piece. 

The madness: The Bhowanipore landmark has been busy since Durga Puja and the rush is set to continue till Bhai Phonta.

The staff strength has been doubled but it’s still been difficult to cater to the demand.“Earlier, Durga Puja used to be the busiest time but now it is the same during Diwali,” said Sudip Mullick, one of the owners.