May 2, last year, marked the birth centenary of legendary film-maker Satyajit Ray. Keeping the celebrations subdued last year due to the ongoing pandemic, the Calcutta cuisine restaurant Oh! Calcutta has started a food festival this year on his birthday month with the launch of a special thali to pay homage to the iconic film-maker. “We had this idea since last year but could not do it because of this pandemic. Things were very uncertain whether restaurants would be open or not. People were not coming out to eat either. So, we postponed the celebration to this year. We spoke to Sandip Ray (Satyajit Ray’s son) regarding this food festival and found out about his food preferences. Meter jhaal (mutton liver curry) was his favourite, he did not like chicken,” said Debashish Ghosh, general manager, Oh! Calcutta.
The festival titled ‘Manikdar Rajbhoj’ presents a special thali consisting of 14 items, with two add-ons. The meal starts with Bengali’s favourite fried starters like Jhuri Aloo Bhaja, Begun Bhaja, Aamer Postor Bora, Luchi with Cholar Dal. “Aamer Postor Bora is our new addition in this segment, where the usual posto bora (poppy seed fritters) is cooked with a twist of green mango, grated and added to the paste of poppy seeds,” said chef Kingshuk Kundu, brand chef, Oh! Calcutta.
Moving on to the main course, guests can indulge in the Bengali favourite Shukto, Channar Dalna, Chingri Malai Curry, Bhetki Macher Paturi, Kosha Mangsho and Lal Lonkar Meter Jhaal as sides, with rice. “Some of these items were already a part of our menu. In this festival, we are presenting it in a combined manner, keeping his favourites in mind. The taste has been altered for some, maintaining his preference of spice level. Mutton liver was never a part of the menu, we introduced it specially in his honour. He loved his mutton slow-cooked to get the tender feeling of the meat in the mouth, we cooked in a similar process,” added chef Kingshuk.
The elaborate meal ends with the season’s favourite Kancha Aamer Chutney prepared with unpeeled mango, Mishti Doi and the in-house special Bhapa Sondesh. Golda Malai Curry and Ilish Bhaja come as add-ons with this thali.
“Oh! Calcutta did not have any thalis. We can continue this for a longer period post the food festival, if our patrons like it. Talking about the association between food and Ray’s movies, there are quite a lot of movies which have got food elements in it. Be it Agantuk or Shakha Proshakha, where there is a six-minute shot at the dining table of the entire family talking about food. There’s Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne and even in Joy Baba Felunath. His magazine’s name was also Sandesh. He is very much connected to food, so we thought of celebrating him through food,” added Debashish.
Pictures: Pabitra Das
What: Manikdar Rajbhoj
Where: Oh! Calcutta, Forum Mall (4th floor) and Silver Spring (3rd floor)
On till: May 30
Timings: 12.30pm to 3pm and 7pm to 11pm (thali order requires prior table reservation)
Pocket pinch: Rs 1,250-plus (add-ons available at per piece rate)
