A plateful of Bengali delicacies

From mustard fish to chilli chicken, ‘Bengali Mess’ — located on 6th Cross, Ejipura — offers a wide variety of dishes to foodies. The small eatery was started by Suresh, who wanted to offer the best of Bengali and Mughlai cuisine to Bangaloreans.

“There is a sizeable Bengali population in the City and there are many who want to try out dishes from the state — that was my inspiration. Recently, I introduced a few Chinese dishes as well. People visit my joint to sample all kinds of food,” says Suresh.

“Sweets like mishti doi, jalebi, sandesh and rasmalai are a big hit and people often order them in bulk and take them home, especially during the festive season. Many of the cooks who work in my eatery are from West Bengal. Hence, we make the sweets in the most authentic way. Sometimes, we get the sweets from Kolkata and sell them — but that is not feasible as the ingredients do not remain fresh,” he says.

The rasmalai is a must-have as it is made fresh once the order is placed. The soft rasgulla is delectable and one is tempted to have more of it. Other dishes like bhapa ilish, mochar chop, potoler dorma and chingri macher malai curry are popular with those who come to sample Bengali cuisine.

“The hilsa fish is not available all the time. But when it is in season, it is ordered by almost everyone who comes for lunch or dinner. Bhapa ilish is a favourite and we try to add all the flavours which go into its making,” adds Suresh.

The fish is wrapped in plantain leaf, along with ground mustard and other spices and then steamed. The result is a delicious portion with the aroma of mustard, served with mustard gravy. The dorma is equally interesting and the parwal is fried, stuffed with a mixture of fish and nuts and served with a rich gravy of various condiments and coconut.

“The Mughlai food is served during the evenings — except biryani, which is served throughout the day. We serve Mughlai chicken and mutton paratha, made by specialists from Kolkata. The paratha is a difficult dish — not everyone can make it,” informs Suresh.

This paratha is like a flattened roll. The dough is rolled out into the shape of a paratha and then layered with egg batter. It is then stuffed with a mixture of chicken and other vegetables.

The paratha is cut into cubes and served with chutney and some chopped onions. What makes this place unique is its freshness; the ingredients are not stale and the end result is satisfaction.

For details, contact Suresh on 8971812966.