Fragrant delights on a platter

Forgotten aroma

There is something about the eclectic flavours of Bengali cuisine which makes it the perfect option for a lavish lunch or dinner. And ‘Panch Phoron’, located in Koramangala, offers just that. It is the place to be for fish lovers.

One is spoilt for choice here since the list of dishes is quite varied. What makes this eatery stand out is the fact that some of these dishes look and taste like they’ve been made in a household kitchen. Rahul Dutta, who owns the eatery, says that he selects the fish carefully and gets them from West Bengal. “I have friends back home who supply fish to me. I select them carefully, based on which fish can be cooked best here. While some fish are easily available in the markets here, there are many — like rui, katla, chital, pabda and tengra — which are not available. Most of the fish lovers turn up during weekends, at which time the eatery is packed with people. The fish arrives during the weekend and it is cooked and served fresh,” he says.

Fish lovers can sample a host of dishes available on the menu like bhetki macher paturi, tel pabda, masala chital, Ilish paturi, bhapa ilish, chital macher kalia, tengrar jhal and chingrimacher malaicurry.

The USP of the eatery are the quintessential Bengali dishes, which are hardly prepared even in Bengali households now. The chefs at the eatery specialise in the art of bringing back forgotten flavours. Chef Vishwanath Bairgai, who has been at the eatery since the day it started, says that dishes like chital macher muitha and many others are not difficult to prepare and are quite in demand. “These are very traditional dishes of the state and are cooked on select occasions. The chital fish is fried in mustard oil along with cumin seeds, onions, tomatoes, ginger, turmeric, green chillies and chilli powder. Once it starts to turn golden, some water has to be added. Preparing the muitha can be a little complicated — the potatoes need to be boiled and mashed along with scooped fish, garam masala, a bit of salt and sugar. It then has to be boiled in the water. The gravy has to be prepared with cashew nuts, poppy seeds and onion. It can be served with coriander leaves,” he explains.

Though fish is the prime attraction here, there are other dishes which are equally alluring and appetising.

From the popular chicken kosha, chicken chap and chicken rezala to the unconventional doi potol, potol dorma and dhokar dalna, the range is huge. The meals available here are affordable and have a mix and match of everything.

The vegetarian, chicken, mutton and pomfret meals are fairly popular and those who wish to have a specific kind of fish can opt for the pabda meal, prawns meal or the tengra meal. The eatery is located at Koramangala, 7th Block near the HDFC bank. For details, call Rahul Dutta on 9738452639.