Delhi's popular Bengali restaurants

It’s ten in the night and business is just about hotting up for Oh! Calcutta in Nehru Place, the latest haunt for the city’s nostalgic Bengali populace. A garrulous crowd of middle-aged Bongs, as they’re affectionately called here, excitedly flick through the menu, slowly settling down to the comfortable and classy ambience. They have finally found a place that truly reminds them of home. One hour later, the meal is still on full swing. Smiling waiters know they’ve just hit bull’s eye.

One look at the monsoon-drenched landscape of Bengal and you know where Bengalis get their love of food from. Who could possibly resist the lure of hot luchis with alur dom on a cool rainy day, wet ocean breeze whetting your appetite? Bengalis love their food and take great pleasure in cooking it too. Pay a visit to any one of the Bengali restaurants in Delhi and you would know.

For those who think that Bengali food is all about rice and fish and more fish, Oh! Calcutta is an eye-opener. With an exhaustive menu, including both vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian food, this place gives every other fine-dining restaurant a run for its moolah. And if you are a neo-convert trying out fish prepared in Bengali style for the first time, there is the melt-in-the-mouth bhapa ilish or the tender dab chingri for a start. Finally there are the rosogollas and misti doi to round off your meal like a true-blue Bengali.

Oh! Calcutta may take the cake when it comes to dishing out authentic Bengali food to Delhiites, yet Baboo Moshai, the no-frills eatery in the Bengali-dominated neighbourhood of Chittaranjan Park, was the one that started it all. Many a weekend you’ll find working singles devouring a plate full of rui kalia, alu posto or chingri macher malaikari with relish. During Durga Puja this place takes on a delicious urgency as Bengalis all over the city make a beeline for flavours of Bengal.

Chowringee, at Patparganj, specialising in Calcutta Mughlai and Tangra Chinese, may not be impressive to the ambience seekers, but is definitely a haven for food lovers. It attracts a small but regular crowd who love gorging on chicken daak bunglow, mochar chop or fish fry.

Next time your mouth waters for Bengal, find it at your fingertips at one of these restaurants.