Asian plunge at The Fatty Bao, Kolkata on a rain-drenched afternoon
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The Fatty Bao, Kolkata. Pic by Sanjay Ramachandran |
We caught
the first day first show of Incredibles 2.
Bono and his mamma were simply enthralled by the action-packed narrative interspersed
by the comic high points. Yes, it was a good two hours spent. But, before the
film started Bao, a computer-animated
short film by Domee Shi, warmed the cockles of my heart. Depicting in brief the
emotional state of a Chinese mother going through empty nest syndrome, it was a
perfect way to whet my appetite for what followed. Also, now I think it was
prophetic.
The next afternoon
I found myself at The Fatty Bao for an Asian meal, comprising dimsums, sushis,
baos and ramens. I’ve been hearing about the many new eateries sprouting in Kolkata
and this place has been making some noise ever since it opened in December. Any
venture by the Olive group promises quality food amidst a classy ambience
considering the name behind them is AD Singh. After conquering foodie hearts in
Delhi and Mumbai, The Fatty Bao needed an outlet in City of joy to appease its discerning
food palate.
The
restaurant, sitting on the 8th floor of the Fort Knox building, gets
an aerial view of a large part of the city. Trying grabbing a table near the
window screen because the expanse of the sky meeting your eye as you sip on your
Sakura Sakura feels good. I was lucky that the sun was playing truant that day.
The overcast sky was even more comforting as I tried the green apple based
drink, one of its signatures. The restaurant has just launched its Monsoon
menu, a veritable selection of Ramen bowls, and the décor flaunted the theme
perfectly. Apart from the Oriental lanterns and the spurts of graphitti and
colour on the walls, white mini umbrellas suspended from the ceiling were symptomatic of the season of shower.
We started
off with a chicken and asparagus dimsum that were an interesting orange colour
and tasted just as any good dimsum should. Moist, aromatic and appetizing. The restaurant
follows the regular Fatty Bao format of flavours that is prevalent in all its
branches but the chef is willing to customize the spice level for you. We tried
the cream cheese, asparagus and roasted sesame sushi after that. I’m not a
sushi fan but I love asparagus. Piqued by how cream cheese would come together
with the Asian elements, I found the Asparagus tempura the overriding element
in the sushi, which I did not mind. The cream cheese is best kept for European delicacies
I guess.
Chef Sumit
Chaudhury recommended I try their best selling Char Su Bao and I must say it
deserves the acclaim. My pork bao was accompanied by wet tissues, a gesture
that took me a while to wrap my head around. But the moment I dug my teeth into
that juicy bun, I realized that the wet tissue is the perfect face-saver of an
adult gastronome. The pork was laced with a sweet and salty sauce that had
permeated into the roasted meat. It was luscious yet crispy and the bao was
light and fluffy. I could have this as a snack quite often, I decided.
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Waiting to devour the Char Su Bao... |
Being a
noodle fan can be a bummer when there are host of other exotic dishes
beckoning. But I’ve realized in all these years that one must do what makes one
happy. So, overriding all the other authentic and fancy items on the Asian menu,
I opted for a Chinese Chicken Mixian Ramen bowl as my main course. It also is
one of the eatery’s hot sellers and apparently this particular Ramen dish is
moving fast in the other metros, too.
When it landed in front of me, I could
sense why. The soft soupy Yunnan-inspired rice noodles was topped with cut
pieces of confit chicken, fried garlic, marinated wild mushrooms and spinach.
The chicken broth was bound together with a homemade chilli paste and a chilli
bean sauce while it also had the perfect umami aroma. The interplay of textures---the
succulent chicken, the soft noodles, the crunchy garlic, the squishy spinach
and mushrooms---made it the perfect bowl to dip into on a rain-drenched afternoon.
A winning choice, I must say.
I got luckier
after that. The amiable chef sent out two desserts. I must confess that my
heart beats really fast at the sound of sweet. And, at the sight of the Cocoa
Caramel and Zen Forest, it did skip a beat. Zen Forest was a beautifully plated
dish of black sesame sponge cake, yuzu parfait, sesame nougatine, beetroot and
black pepper sorbet, valrhona chocolate twigs and microgreens. It tasted
delicate and fresh too. But I was sold on the other dessert. Cocoa Caramel was
all about milk chocolate cream, hazelnut praline crisp, flourless chocolate
cake (that reminded me of my mother’s chocolate pudding), toasted meringue,
salted caramel gel and salted caramel ice cream. Orgasmic, for the want of a
better word!
Sharmi
ReplyDeleteyou inspire me evrye time
I do? Thank you!
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