Oudh 1590 - a royal experience..

Biryani and Kolkata are synonymous in nature - they complement each other perfectly and the result of which the city of joy can boast of something which is known as the Kolkata Biryani.. There are two other cities which can boast of their own biryani - Lucknow and Hyderabad. However, it is Awadhi cuisine that relates to the oldest form of biryani known to Indian palate.. Three years ago, Oudh 1590 opened at Deshapriya Park (opposite Carmel school) which filled a void in the Kolkata food scenario - they provided us with an authentic period dining experience which became an instant hit. They opened a second outlet in Saltlake (CD - 86, behind City Centre 1) which is also doing great in terms of foot
fall and business. Hence, they opened their third and by far their biggest outlet beside Vivekananda Park, off Southern Avenue (P-562, Hemanta Mukhopadhyay Sarani, Kolkata - 700029 - opp. Kamala Girls School).

The mammoth 120 cover spread across two floors and designed by renowned art director - Mr. Nitish Roy actually provides you an enchanting period dining experience for the connoisseurs of good food. The restaurant boasts of a period look recreating the 16th century feel. The bronze plated crockery and cutlery along with the ghazals played via the intricately placed speakers adds to the overall royal Awadhi ambience. However, i strongly believe that no matter how good the look and feel of any restaurant is - what matters is the most important part of the whole ballgame - FOOD in terms of quality and variety. 

The vast repertoire of Awadhi delicacies served are reminiscent of it's illustrious gourmet nawabs like Asaf-ud-Daulah and Wajid Ali Shah - extensive use of spices like zafran, cinnamon, cardamom, dry fruits and herbs creates an unique taste but also helps retain it's authenticity.. 

MUTTON GALAWATI KABAB

My all time favourite kabab which i fondly call the king of all kababs and honestly speaking - nobody creates it better than Oudh 1590.. The Kababs simply melt in your mouth and leaves you with a lingering aftertaste - the ulte tawa ki parantha complements the kababs perfectly.. What better way to start a full course Awadhi dinner!! 

AWADHI SUGANDHI MAHI (FISH)

The fish tikka kababs were awesome as well - spicy and soft with an unique taste..

MURGH MUSSALLAM

Ahh!! Chicken can be so delectable as well - you have to taste this one to truly understand my feeling.. The cashewnut and walnut thick gravy makes a world of difference to the taste of this iconic dish.. 

MURGH PURDAH BIRYANI

Awadhi biryani is starkly different in terms of taste and texture from Kolkata biryani - the notable difference is the absence of aloo or potato which is otherwise an indispensable ingredient of Kolkata biryani. Murgh Purdah biryani is cooked in earthen pots covered with a covering or purdah made of broth - it is good but i will still be a little partial towards Kolkata Biryani..

RAAN BIRYANI

Now, this is where things go crazy taste wise - eating Rann (mutton) biryani out here is a heavenly experience for any carnivore like me.. The aroma, tender mutton, fine basmati rice, the ghee filled texture and aftertaste simply makes this dish stand out from the rest.. It is the best Rann Biryani available hands down anywhere in Kolkata and can compete with any other city in India if i may add..

SHAHI TUKDA

After such a hearty meal, one desperately looks for ending on a high note - what better dessert to have that than devouring this royal Shahi Tukda which tastes as good as it looks.. The kesar flavour adds to the whole feel and there is a measured sweetness to the dish which will be appreciated by a large section of the patrons..

As someone said somewhere, all well that ends well.. Walk in anytime to enjoy this epicurean experience and you won't regret a bit..

P.S: This was a food tasting session attended by invitation from Oudh 1590..


Verdict : STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.. 

Feel free to FOLLOW, COMMENT, LIKE and SHARE if you find the review worthwhile..

Happy eating friends,

Somek Choudhury..

You can reach me @ 9004490413 or somekc@gmail.com

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My Big Fat Belly - any carnivore's paradise..

It was a lazy Sunday evening and i had this sudden craving for gorging on some awesome non veg stuff.. I had visited My Big Fat Belly (22, Sarat Bose Road) once before and had loved the overall experience - hence, decided to give it one more shot.. It is an aesthetically designed cafe..

First on the hitlist were two thirst quenchers - Kiwi Frappe

It had a slight spicy and tangy tone to it which made the drink tastier but it didn't have much of a Kiwi flavour unfortunately..

Next in line was Brownie shake

The Brownie shake was outstanding to say the least - it had a distinct brownie flavour to it and was thick..

Done with the drinks - it was time for some meat hogging finally!!

The Juicy Lucy Burger

                                                                                
Juicy Lucy Burger is a very well known burger served in umpteen number of burger chains and cafes across the world and i have had the privilege of tasting the same at quite a few of those chains in India and abroad as well.. Having said that, the one served here certainly lives up to it's name and is the best that i have tasted in Kolkata till date in respect to burgers with the same nomenclature in other chains. The lamb patty is seriously juicy and the buns are soft. The fried eggs added to the overall taste and the french fries along with the coleslaw were perfect add ons to the burger. I just hope the onion rings served on top of the burger are a lot more crunchier in the future..

BRAISED LAMB SHANK

As someone has rightly said somewhere that one should save the best for the last - that is what happened with me on that night - the Braised Lamb Shank was undoubtedly the highlight of the dinner.. The garlic bread, mashed potato and that delicious gravy sauce was outstanding additions to the over all dish. The meat portion (quite a portion - i must say) was very tender and superb taste wise to say the least - a heavenly feeling for any carnivore like me.. 

Now, you must be thinking that if the food is that good - the pocket pinch might be proportionately on the higher end as well. Thankfully, that is not the case at this cafe because the food served is value for money and yet light on pocket.. 

                                                                            

Glimpses from an earlier visit:

The BACON BOMB

Well, as the name suggests - it is truly a bomb by all means filled with goodness of minced pork surrounded by a thick layer of Bacon.. You have to taste this one to feel the true effect on your pallet.. 

THE BIG BELLY CHALLENGER

This is one hell of a burger challenge with enticing rewards to say the least - please visit the cafe for more details if you are up for the challenge..

Verdict : STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.. 

Feel free to FOLLOW, COMMENT, LIKE and SHARE if you find the review worthwhile..

Happy eating friends,

Somek Choudhury..

You can reach me @ 9004490413 or somekc@gmail.com

Facebook: https://facebook.com/epicureancinetrotter/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/epicureancinetrotter/                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

JAB HARRY MET SEJAL - an European travelogue..

Well, this one is not actually a film but a travelogue across Europe soaked in romance alongwith bits and pieces of witty comedy spread here and there.. I won't talk about the storyline bcz i myself hate reading one before watching the movie - yes, don't walk in to the movie theatre expecting a solid script because the script is wafer thin and it has been tried and tested several times before - I had huge expectations from Imtiaz Ali but he seems to be going on a repeat mode unfortunately.. K.Mohannan has done a superb job with the cinematography and the music by Pritam is hummable with one or two songs standing out like Main banno teri Radha which will be played in parties for quite sometime now.. Editing could have been much more tighter especially in the first half.. The second half was much better but sadly had a cliched ending..

Now coming to the acting department and there is only the lead pair to talk about bcz everyone else plays a miss and blink role - Chandan Roy Sanyal stands out as Bangladeshi immigrant inspite of that.. Anushka Sharma - take a bow - she just killed it with her Gujrati accent and mannerisms and almost stole the show - she matched shoulder to shoulder with her enigmatic co-star.. She brings Sejal to life effortlessly..

SRK is just like old wine - he just seems to get better and better with age in regards to romance where he just kills it without blinking.. Plays Harry to the tee - looks dapper as a charming tour guide.. Eyes and expressions does most of the talking..

Ofcourse, this is certainly not the best film of SRK or ANUSHKA but it is definitely watchable and peeps who love the orginial Bollywood line of song, dance and romance will actually love the movie as well.. I just hope that the script was a lot more tighter - this movie is watchable only on the basis of the top notch performance dwlivered by the lead pair - no one else would have played Harry or Sejal better..

As they say, who cares about the tour when you have such a handsome tour guide and a ravishing tourist - forget about the flaws and simply enjoy the journey..

Verdict: Recommended..