Amar Shonar Bangla

I am just back from a trip to Sree Annapurna of Calcutta (henceforth referred to as SAC) and the 1 hour journey to the place was worth every minute. I have to say that it has been one of the best experiences I’ve had in Chennai so far, and hence I figured it would be an injustice to wait too long to write a “Shonar” (Golden) review for the place.

The place has been at the back of my mind for a while especially after all the glowing reviews at burrp! and at the Chennai Food Guide community on Orkut. With the recession going on, no one is really in the mood to shell out hard earned money for a decent meal, we decided to forgo the air conditioning and some fake flowers for some cheap decent food. Hence, without a moments hesitation, the SAC trip was confirmed. The only tough bit is that we need to travel for about an hour by bus to Egmore to reach the place.

The reviews on burrp! and orkut had prepared us and we were expecting something on the lines of an Udupi restaurant. We weren’t misled. The furnishings are spare and basic. The cash counter nestles in a corner with a profusion of images of Gods and Goddesses. We arrived at about 8pm and we found almost every place taken. But this is more of a communal eatery than a regular restaurant and table sharing is apparently the norm. We politely requested a friendly Bengali couple if we could share their table, and they gladly agreed. There is no menu card, but the fare is displayed on a large white-board on the wall. Unfortunately for us, most of it was in Bengali. This isn’t a drawback for most customers as 99% of the clientele happen to be Bengali. We could see a few items written in English, and for a moment I wrongly assumed that they were translation of the Bengali phrases for the hapless few non-Bengalis who ventured there.

Bengalis, are generally peace loving people and have a heart made of 24 Carat Gold. This fact was re-established, when we naively asked the couple beside us if the English on the menu-board was a translation. The nice lady very patiently put this misconception to rest and pointed out a few items, and proceeded to suggest a few for us. She provided a brief description of each one, so that we could choose. She explained that the Kalia Fish Curry was a red sauce based dish and the Fish Pathuri was steamed fish covered with mustard paste. We were thankful for the short description and we proceeded to decide.

All the people in the restaurant seemed to be waiting for something and so were we. A few waiters could be seen, but none of them seemed to be taking any orders except for providing Mineral water & cold drinks. However, suddenly, as if on some unseen cue, they approached each table and took orders. There has to be a perfectly logical explanation for this behaviour, but unfortunately, I was not privy to it. Anyway, we were ravenous and were only too glad when the waiter came to our table. We decided not to dwell on mysteries of this type and proceeded to order. Based on the nice lady’s recommendations, we decided on Fish Kalia, Fish Pathuri (made with Bhetki fish) , Mutton Kasha (pronounced Kosha), Jhingdi Malai (Prawns) and Rotis. Our order arrived soon. Portions are quite small, but justify the price we pay for them.

We dug in with relish. The Kalia Fish tasted splendid. I believe it was lightly fried and then served with gravy. The Jhingdi Malai, which happened to be a prawn curry, was also very tasty. But the prawns were tossed in whole, unshelled. By the time we unshell them, there is little left to chew on. But the gravy is awesome. The Fish Pathuri came wrapped in a banana leaf, and we opened this little parcel with great expectations. Inside I found a kind of Chutney. My initial assumption was that the chutney had been made out of the fish. But as i tried to extract it from the banana leaf, I saw the steamed fish hidden under the chutney (I call it Chutney out of lack of a better word. Perhaps the Bengalis have a word for it). The chutney tasted very pungent and frankly I did not like it very much. But it seems to be a very popular dish as everyone seemed to be ordering it. The rotis were soft and though they weren’t phulkas, they did not have the south-indian signature of oil on them. The pick of the day was the Mutton Kasha. It was the most tastiest mutton dish I have ever tasted. 2 small but succulent pieces of mutton were floating in a rich gravy. The best part was that, it was cooked in such a way that the gravy had the flavour of mutton & vice versa. The gravy had a rich, buttery taste to it, which I attribute to the fat from the mutton. The gravy had been thickened using potato. This only reaffirms the fact that potato and mutton are the best of chums, especially when they go for a swim in some gravy.

The three rotis didn’t last very long, and soon we were licking our fingers waiting for the waiter so we could order some more. Unfortunately, the waiter who had taken our order seemed to have vanished. Finally I spotted him outside, making rotis, out of reach. I tried to signal another waiter, but even though I managed to grab their attention twice, they soon lost interest when they found out I was beckoning them for a second serving. I found this rather strange, but I think you have to order all that you need the first time they take your order. The waiters were bustling about taking other people’s first orders. I caught sight of a very large fried fish on another table, which apparently the nice lady had left out of her description. I wanted it badly, but when my second attempt to order it ended up futile, I threw in the towel since a bunch of young Bengalis were waiting for us to finish so they could have our seats, and we paid the bill. Apparently, you get to order just once.

The best part about this place is that the sense of camaraderie that all the patrons feel. Our table was shared by three different groups. Ourselves, the nice couple and another Bengali family – husband, wife and kid. I noticed that the couple immediately struck up a conversation with the family. The couple were also there for the first time, but since they were Bengali, they knew the dishes and helped us with the orders. There is a low hum of soft spoken Bengali in the place and a slow Bangla song- perhaps Rabindra Sangeet is piped over the music system. There is the occasional burst of laughter when some one cracks a joke. There is a sense a brotherhood, and of meeting others of your own race, in a place far away from home. The Bengalis don’t come here just to eat some food that reminds them of home. They also come here to bond. This is the quality that stuck me as the best thing about the place, the reason why I will rate its ambiance 5. Ambiance is not only just pretty flower arrangements and fancy tableware. There is a sense of being at home in this place. The owner and his wife take care of the bill. Luckily, everyone seems to know either English or Hindi. Otherwise we would’ve had a tough time, as orders are taken in Bengali.

Also, since the waiter realized we weren’t Bengali, he made it a point to label each dish when he placed it in front of us. This doesn’t happen at the other tables. The best part is that the prices are really cheap! A roti cost Rs 4. The cheapest roti I have come across in Chennai. Average cost of a dish is about Rs 35. Our total bill came to about Rs 165. Compared to the hundreds I’ve thrown about in other restaurants, this is a paltry sum. And there is a sense of satisfaction. Nothing can beat that.

There isn’t much fare for vegetarians, except a Veg Thali and a Pulao. The Bengalis live on fish, and fish occupies three fourths of the menu. There isn’t any dessert either. I had hoped for some Rasgulla, but with my waiter-calling debacle, I forgot about it. Rasgulla might have been one of the Bengali phrases on the menu, but I will have to go there again to find out. And go there again I will, since its cheap, the mutton is to die for, and I need to taste that big fried fish!

For the Rating,

Ambiance: 5
Food: 5
Value for Money : 5
Service : 3

Total : 4.5
Verdict : Must try even if you have to walk on red hot coals to get there.

If you ever pass by Pantheon road in Egmore in the evening, you might want to drop in to SAC for some simple Bengali fare. Shubha Bidhai.

Cheers!

PS: I ended the day with a Meetha Paan and an Ice cream soda. I also have some Chilly fish fry takeaway that I had packed on the way back (not from SAC). I intend to eat that now.