If you long for the authentic taste of north Kolkata’s chops and cutlets but abhor driving up all the way, fret no more. You can simply head to BG Block now and gorge on Fish Kabiraji from Mitra Cafe.
The heritage eatery, whose flagship outlet in Sovabazar is around since 1910, opened its first outlet in Salt Lake on February 18. “This is a franchise-owned company-run outlet and quality will be ensured as the food and staff will both be provided directly by us,” said Tapash Roy, whose grandfather had started the first cafe. “Contrary to popular belief, Mitra isn’t our family surname. We are Roys and my grandpa had named the cafe for friends (mitra).”
Here in Salt Lake, the franchise is being run by Gourav Samanta of CG Block. “I grew up in the Sovabazar area and missed the food there after moving to Salt Lake. Here we have no good snacking destination and I had been trying for long to bring Mitra Cafe here,” says Samanta, who also runs a Cakes franchise and spectacle store Eye Point on the same flank of the road slightly ahead and behind the new outlet.
Egg Mutton Devil
Fish Kabiraji
Prawn Cutlet
Diamond Dry
There is excitement ever since word spread about the opening. “I noticed the Mitra Cafe board atop the under-construction store and kept asking the labourers when it would open,” smiled Bikash Majumder, a resident of AH Block who became the first customer, buying Fish Fries to take for his family.
The new branch has a couple of chairs for customers but is mainly a take-away outlet. They sell all the iconic items the cafe is famous for —Fish Kabiraji (Rs 160), Fish Fry (Rs 120), Prawn Cutlet (Rs 190), Egg Mutton Devil (Rs 70) and Gandharaj Chicken Pakora (Rs 195).
There are Egg Rolls, Moghlai Parathas, Topse Fries as well as combo meals like Lachcha Paratha and Mutton Kosha or Luchi with Alur Dom and Chholar Dal. “To attract the youth, we have also introduced dishes like Fish & Chips and Fish Monohara, which is a take on fish roll,” said Soumyajyoti Sen, the branding in-charge, hinting at upcoming expansion plans across Salt Lake and Sector V.
