Hot from the oven

Tucked away in the calm and breezy lanes of RT Nagar is the two-month-old lounge bar ‘The Big Mataka’. Started by friends Bharat and Alok, the place focusses on offering quality food with beer being served in a ‘matka’. “That sums up for the unusual name,” say the two owners.

A rooftop restaurant with quirky wooden seating and a ‘mataka’ shaped bar, ‘The Big Mataka’ serves Chinese and Continental food. With various delicacies on their menu, they have a selection of salads, dumplings, starters and dishes served right out of the clay oven including the unusual ‘mataka’ burger. To start with, one can go for some munchies from the
wok like ‘crispy corn pops salt and pepper’.

With equal options for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians, the starters include ‘baby corn tai chin chili’, ‘lat mai kai’, ‘shredded chicken bell pepper’, ‘Shillong style chicken’ and a lot more with an extra hot touch. One can also opt for staple starters like ‘fries’, ‘wedges’, ‘cheese quesadillas’ and ‘chicken nuggets’.

“We cook and serve dishes in clay and copper pots with a ceramic coating inside, which gives the dishes a special taste,” says Bharat. There is also the thin crust, limited variety of pizza including ‘Margarita’, ‘pizza fiery chicken’ and the unusual ‘pizza flaky fish’.

The clay oven ‘kebabs’ and ‘paneer tikka’, ‘murgh malai tulsi kebab’ and the clay ‘pan-fried rolls’ make for a tasty meal with some ‘mataka’ cocktails.

Being one of the few places for a young crowd in RT Nagar, this place is frequented by corporate professionals and college-goers.

“Thin crust pizzas, Chinese starters and grilled chicken are sought-after here,” he says. Shambhavi, a loyal customer, says, “The starters are spicy and delicious. Their prices are also reasonable. No extra tax is levied on the food ordered.” The Big Mataka is located on 329, 3rd Main, Taralabalu Road, RT Nagar.