A Greek dish — Souvlaki — has lent its name to a restaurant that has opened in New Town.
“At Souvlakia India, we will be serving north Indian. But the star of our menu is the Souvlakia,” says Arunim Goswami, who runs the joint. Arunim is a hotel management graduate who has worked in the US and India before opening this restaurant on the ground floor of his BB Block house. It is while living abroad that he learnt about Souvlakia and felt it would be a hit with the Indian palate.
The Greek dish is a cousin of the shwarma in the sense that it is roasted meat wrapped in pita bread. “But besides a filling of chicken or mutton, we also add French Fries to make every bite crunchy,” Arunim says. Their pita bread is made in the tandoor instead of oven too. As for the sauce, one can opt for authentic yogurt-based tzatziki or homegrown smoky-flavoured tandori cheese sauce. “Both will have a dash of mint added.”
Besides having the ready-made wrap served, diners can also go for the DIY option to add a layer of fun to the food. Here all the ingredients — the bread, meat (vegetarians will get mushroom, grilled tomato, paneer, capsicum, jalapeno), dips and sauces — will be sent to the table and they would be able add and roll it up as per their taste. A Classic Chicken Souvlakia costs Rs 156.
The restaurant also serves Mughlai dishes and Arunim singles out Zafrani Pulao (Rs 131) for is wealth of fresh fruits like pomegranates, apples, pears and pineapples and Chicken Tangri Gulmohar (Rs 221), a starter item of chicken legs stuffed with bell pepper, minced meat and mozzarella. “Unlike most restaurants our veg biriyani isn’t just rice and potatoes. We add vegetables like cauliflowers and broccoli too.”
Arunim had initially thought of starting a cloud kitchen but Dulal Mondal, a BC Block neighbour in the hospitality industry advised him he would only be fulfiling 20 per cent of his potential. So he changed his mind.
The interiors of the restaurant have been handled by BA Block neighbour Nandini Ghosh’s Esthetic Interiors. “The restaurant has been built in what used to be the garage of this house,” she said. “It wasn’t too large but we created an illusion with mirrors and light shades to make it look spacious,” she said about the 26-seater space.
Inaugurating the joint were NKDA chairman Debashis Sen and wife Urmila Sen. “Bengalis love trying new cuisines and besides, after months of eating at home during the lockdown, people are now resorting to ‘revenge eating’ so such new restaurants are a good idea,” he said.