A three-storied property has lit up the area adjacent to Greenfield Ambition and added variety to the scant eat-out options in Action Area IID by housing a café and a multicuisine restaurant.
There used to be a shopping plaza which shut down in March. “Most people were buying online since the pandemic, which is possibly why they could not sustain themselves. I had picked up the property during lockdown,” said Dr Tridibes Mandal, a urologist who stays in Ambition next door. His first plan was starting a diagnostic centre there but he later decided to lease it out for nine years.
The ground floor has a café, named Mysteries & Mocha, which is themed largely on Byomkesh Bakshi. There is a mural of Saradindu Bandyopadhyay’s bespectacled sleuth, alongside a typical old Calcutta street scene. While the sleuth who preferred to call himself a seeker of truth is present also in his screen avatars through posters of films, there are a few references to his more celebrated later-day peer Feluda through some of his famous quotes in Satyajit Ray’s films.
Given the connection between contemplation and a steaming cup, there are several options in coffee and tea, including some interesting ones like strawberry tea (priced Rs 199), mint lemon tea (Rs 179) and chilli tea (Rs 159). There are all-day vegetarian and non-vegetarian breakfast platters (priced Rs 399 and Rs 499 respectively) comprising garlic toast, butter rice, cottage cheese steak, vegetable cutlet, sautéed vegetables, French fries, grilled tomato, baked beans etc with tea or coffee. The non-vegetarian alternatives to cheese steak and cutlet are sausages and choice of egg preparation. Combination mini meals, combining chowmien-chilli chicken or burger-sauteed vegetables and soft drinks are also available at Rs 209 or Rs 159 respectively. Mocktails are priced Rs 149 to 299, with the costliest being the cafe’s special drink Shobuj Rohosyo, which is a Paan Cocktail with Mint.
Touch of terracotta
The floor above is the restaurant, Terracota Tales, which spells terracotta with a single t due to numerological reasons, the owners said. The name is reflected in the exquisite terracotta panels on the walls. The artist is from Barjora in Bankura. “We visited his studio in the village and ordered the 25 panels. We have chosen themes on both floors that have not been used elsewhere in Calcutta to our knowledge,” said Samaresh Das, one of the two partners.
The Bengali speciality restaurant offers, among other items, six kinds of pulao, priced from Rs 149 (for Pea Pulao) to Rs 279 (for Mangsher Pulao). The side dishes are varied, from Kankrar Jhal (Rs 499) to Kochi Pathar Jhol (Rs 469). Vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis are also available at Rs 549 and Rs 579 respectively, with the latter having three non-vegetarian specialities.
“Action Area II is a growing area. We will enjoy the early-mover advantage if we start now and build a customer base. The closest eatery hub at Chinar Park has parking problems. The few restaurants that are closer are geared towards a different clientele. We are expecting customers not just from the New Town housing estates close by, like Siddha Pines, Greenwood Elements and Sampurna, but also this side of Rajarhat,” said Biplab Roy, the other partner.
Both floors seat 80 each. There are also chairs outside on the ground floor for smokers. Roof-top sitting will start from next week. “We will offer menus of both the café and the restaurant on the roof-top,” Das said.
“We had no café nearby. It is good to have one right next door where they serve Chinese and Continental as also Bengali food upstairs. They have promised to deliver at home,” said Greenfield Ambition Owners’ Association secretary Pinaki Roy Chowdhury, who dropped by on the evening of the launch with other neighbours.
Home delivery will subsequently be offered for a radius of 5km. There are plans to start breakfast too at a later date. “We want to cater to morning walkers, serving them healthy south Indian snacks and sandwiches,” Roy said.