What: Tiretti by Tak Heng Where: P-524 Raja Basanta Roy Road (near Thyagaraja Hall) When: 7am to 11am (except Mondays), noon to 11pm (every day) Meal for two: Rs 500-plus
TT Bureau
Published 16.05.17, 12:00 AM
If you’ve been to the Chinese breakfast at Poddar Court, chances are you’ve feasted on one of these baos. The spongy and soft Tiretti Pork Char Siu Bao is stuffed with barbecue-style pork and steamed.
Prawn Hargow: The skin of the Hargow is made with potato starch and tapioca starch, which makes it transparent enough to see the filling of a whole prawn, minced shrimps and shitake mushrooms tossed in a special sauce.
What: Tiretti by Tak Heng
Where: P-524 Raja Basanta Roy Road (near Thyagaraja Hall)
When: 7am to 11am (except Mondays), noon to 11pm (every day)
Meal for two: Rs 500-plus
There are a few things that make Calcutta, Calcutta. Like Flurys, phuchka and Chinese breakfast in Tiretta Bazaar. But if you can’t pull yourself out of bed on Sunday mornings to feast on the Chinese brekkie goodies, you can just head out to Southern Avenue’s Tiretti by Tak Heng any time of the day.
There are two kinds of baked baos on offer — Kao Bao, which are baked Hong Kong-style buns resembling a bun because of British influence in the area, and Siu Baos, which are also baked baos but with Jewish influence. This one is more crispy and almost like puff pastry. The baos are available with pork and chicken fillings.
The Hot Garlic Veg Gua Bao is almost like an Asian taco. These are soft, fermented buns stuffed with aubergine, onions and capsicum tossed in a spicy garlic sauce.
The 26-seater restaurant has baos, dim sums, soup, meatballs and more, focusing on the rustic, robust flavours that you’d associate with old school Chinese eateries in central Calcutta.
“Our team is entirely from the migrant Chinese community — born and brought up in central Calcutta. They’ve grown up eating that food, so the dishes on the menu are pretty authentic. We’re trying to present Tiretta Bazaar-type food in a hygienic and healthy way,” said Prithvish Chakravarti, proprietor of Tiretti by Tak Heng, who also owns Calcutta Stories, a restaurant serving “migrant food” in Keyatala.
Sweet and sticky are two words that best describe the Pork Spare Ribs in honey-chilli-soya sauce. Also available in handmade BBQ sauce. Tip: Use your hands for this!
Lo Mai Gai: If you’re a lover of rice just like us, don’t miss this steamed goodness of sticky rice with a side of chicken or pork, which is typically flavoured with oyster and chilli sauce. It is wrapped in many kinds of leaves like lotus or grape, but the one we tried had pumpkin, with the leaf lending a subtle flavour.
A common sight at the Tiretta breakfast, the Fish Ball Soup at the restaurant is a light broth flavoured with ham choi, pak choi and fish sauce. The big fish balls are made with mackerel as the meat binds itself well.
