Roni Mazumdar (third from left) tries his hand at skewering some kebabs at Dilshad Laziz Kebab on Bolai Dutta Street. In the city to collect his Bochorer Best award at Anandabazar Online’s annual felicitation of Bengali achievers, Roni took some time out to sample iftar dishes on Zakaria Street on April 20. The highlight of his food trail was meeting Dil Shad (second from left), who runs a small but famous kebab joint named after him, whom Roni dubbed a “superstar”. Roni was accompanied on his Zakaria food adventure by Iftekhar Ahsan (fourth from left), manager of Calcutta Bungalow and founder of Calcutta Walks, as well as Sukrit Sen (fifth from left), heritage and disaster management professional by day and musician by night
Sourav Nandy
Roni, who runs a company called Unapologetic Foods, comprising six Indian restaurants in New York, was visiting central Kolkata after decades. He kicked off his iftar itinerary with some Mutton Haleem at Aminia, just opposite the entrance of Nakhoda Masjid. “The richness of the flavours is incredible, probably the best Haleem I’ve had. It’s also a wholesome dish, which could easily fill up two people,” said Roni, who adjusted to the soaring heat in Kolkata rather seamlessly
Sourav Nandy
The first port of call after exiting Nakhoda Masjid was Bombay Hotel on Rajmohan Street, where the group was treated to a plate of succulent Beef Chaap. Marvelling at the technique and patience with which the dish was made, Roni observed how “slow cooking is the secret to making this work, something that just doesn’t happen with most Indian restaurants in the US”
Sourav Nandy
Next up was Adam’s Kabab Shop in Phears Lane, where Roni tasted different varieties of Galouti Kebab, including its mutton and beef versions. Iftekhar, who knows Zakaria Street and its specialities like the back of his hand, explained how the “taste of the kebabs varies during iftar, when a lot more people come to partake of these delicacies. The flavours are usually stronger and more intense during the rest of the year”
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After an onslaught of savoury courses, it was time for sweets, which is when Iftekhar guided Roni and Sukrit to the 125-year-old Haji Allauddin Sweets on Colootola Street. Apart from eating the store’s famous Gulab Jamun, Roni enjoyed the Batisi Halwa, which he labelled as an “exceptional item” because of its “texture and aftertaste”. Roni also spent some time talking to the store owners about their history and heritage
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The penultimate stop on the trail was the aforementioned Dilshad Lazeez Kebab, where Dil Shad himself made some Suta and Piri kebabs for Roni at Iftekhar’s request. Impressed by the subtlety of Dil Shad’s craft, Roni said: “He (Dil Shad) could easily scale this and serve more items at a more accessible location, but he knows it’ll compromise with the quality. He’s happy with being who he is, without changing himself or his cooking for the market. That’s what makes him an unapologetic Indian”
Sourav Nandy
The Zakaria food adventure wrapped up on Rabindra Sarani, where Roni had his first meal at the Royal Indian Hotel. “In terms of the biryani as well as the Mutton Chaap, Royal is still in a league of its own,” said Iftekhar. After a hearty dinner involving the same items as well as some much-needed air-conditioning, Roni concurred
Sourav Nandy
