Ramazan Food Walk through Zakaria Street in Kolkata

Today's post is more of my experience of exploring the nooks and corners of Kolkata! This food walk through Zakaria Street is my first experience of any such food walk in the city. So hope you enjoy reading through this. As always, feedback and suggestions are welcome :)

If you have known me personally, you would know that I am born and brought up in the beautiful steel city of Jamshedpur. Therefore, having spent some time in Kolkata, I still have loads to discover in the city of joy. Though I have always known Kolkata as a foodie's heaven, this food walk was still a surprise for me.

 When my colleague, Anushka, suggested that we should go for this food walk, I was very skeptical as I am allergic(if you may use this word to describe my mindset in this case) to crowded places :P . But I was almost adamant to explore the city! Located in a tiny pocket of north Kolkata near Chitpur, you almost have to push your way into the narrow alley. 

Kebabs at Zakaria Street

Once you enter the place, you know you have just stumbled upon a non-vegetarian's paradise. Kebabs, haleem, biryani, desserts, sewai, biscuits - you name it and you get it in Zakaria Street. You will find countless shops selling delicious kebabs, cooked right in front of your eyes. 

Kebabs at Zakaria Street

Be it malai/ noorani/ tikka/ hariyali kebabs or chicken 65, you get all of them at extremely affordable rates. :)  After sampling almost all, I loved chicken noorani kebabs the most. It had minced chicken with spices  and almost melted in the mouth. My parents loved them too :) Chicken 65, a south Indian delicacy with loads of spices and deep fried came a close second ! Hariyali also is a winner in itself. The shopkeepers were also very generous and encouraged us to try almost all kebabs with a generous helping of green chutney and salad while patiently explaining the cooking process

Chicken Noorani kebabs in the making

A close friend suggested that one should definitely taste chicken changezi when at Zakaria street. This is chicken marinated with spices and then deep fried. They are mostly sold in kilograms. Honestly, I had so much that there was no space for chicken changezi. 

The helpful shopkeeper at Zakaria Street

The haleem too was good. The meat was soft and was served in earthern pots which gave it a nice flavour. There are several shops and makeshift stalls selling haleem and biriyani. But as everyone knows, the biriyani at Aminia and Zeeshan is legendary. 

We also tried the firni at Zeeshan. Served in an earthen pot again, you can not really miss this when on this food walk. Roohafza or red sherbet is an integral part of this walk, though we gave it a miss as we could not risk having the water they were using :P .In case you are the adventurous soul with a strong immunity, you might want to give this is a try. But I would certainly not recommend this on my blog ! Contaminated water is a strict no -no !

Firni At Zeeshan, Zakaria Street - Kolkata

Not only did we gorge on all of these delicacies, we also packed a lot of things for home :)

Overall, this was a discovery in itself. I hope they were available all around the year so that I could easily satisfy my kebab cravings at unbelievable prices. 

I would like to share some tips for first timers like me:

1. Ramazan month is usually hot and humid in Kolkata. Remember to carry a bottle of water

2. Try and sample a little bit of each variety. 

3. Remember it is a narrow lane; hence keep yourself mentally prepared

4. Talk to the shopkeepers as much as possible, they give you the best nuggets of information about the custom and the dish

5. Its a long walk so remember to dress comfortably 

I would love to hear about your experiences of Zakaria street. If you are a Kolkatan, you might have a lot of suggestions and stories to tell me. I am very excited to hear/read about all of them :)

The new restopub in town - Bodega Cantina Y Bar at Park Street

Bodega Cantina Y Bar

Bodega Cantina Y Bar is the newest restopub in the heart of the city - Park Street. Located right opposite Allen Park, the restaurant impresses you by its interiors. A brainchild of Urvika Kanoi and Akash Jaiswal, the interiors are beautifully curated and hand picked during their trips all over the world.

The place is done up with quirky elements like the red container sheet which doubles up as a wall, the graffiti, the interesting cans, books and posters that adorn the wall shelves. Overall it adds a personal touch to the place.

The Bright and Quirky decor at Bodega

Interestingly, its the first place to introduce the community seating concept in Kolkata. Spread across an expansive area of 2700 sq feet, Bodega is divided into two levels- the ground floor houses the bar and instantly creates a fun and groovy setting. The furniture cannot go unnoticed with an interesting collection of warehouse chairs, décor tiles from Lebanon, Morocco and Turkey, and even the crockery is customized and unique. Exposed brick walls form a canvas showcasing the work of various Indian artists that are picturesque and meaningful.

Interesting coasters

The best part is that the place has a personal touch to it and all the little things tell a story, which adds to the charm of the place. If you happen to meet Urvika or Akash during one of your visits to the place, try asking them about the tiny showpieces on the wall shelves and you might just come across a great story.

Ground floor area of Bodega

The food spread is a modern take on all cuisines with special emphasis on Italian, Mexican and Asian Cuisine. From fritters to crostinis, you get a lot of variety here to satisfy all your cravings, The drinks are served in an interesting way, I especially liked the Bengal Mary and the Great Gatsby. The chicken crostinis and the veg spring rolls were quite good. The glass potatoes were also interesting ! But of course, there is scope for improvement when it comes to food. It will be unfair on my part to write too much on food because we sampled only a few items from their menu. Probably, will write more on that once I sample more from their menu.

Chicken Crostini

The Great Gatsby

Fritters (Pic courtesy: Indrajit Lahiri of  https://mohamushkil.wordpress.com/ )

What impressed me most was the thoughtfully designed invite. Very rarely do you find restaurants putting so much thought into invites and return gifts.Like the restaurant, the invites were something very warm :)

A lovely evening with fellow bloggers : Debjani, Devpurna and Indrajit

This is a good place if you are looking spend some quality time interacting with your friends. You might probably find yourself in an interesting discussion on food and travel. I had a lovely evening with fellow bloggers - Debjani di of kitchenofdebjani.com, Indrajit Da of https://mohamushkil.wordpress.com/ and Devpurna of https://bitechompgulp.com/ - full of gossip, laughter and of course food :)

P.S : I was invited to the launch party; honest views :)

4 "Healthier" Street Food Options Available In Kolkata

We don't really co-relate street food and health at all. But, unfortunately for us working professionals, there are days when we spend the entire day outside and it is not possible for us to carry lunch every day.Those are the days when we don't really have an option but to satisfy our hunger pangs by having street food :) 
Sometimes we just gorge on street food just to cater to the needs of our taste buds :P ;) 

However, there are a few "comparatively healthier" options available to us which makes us feel a little less guilty. These are the ones which satisfy our cravings yet are little less "Junk", hence the word "comparatively healthier" :P

Let's look at some options available to us Calcuttans :

1. The Humble Ghugni : Ghughni is a popular street snack in Kolkata. It is basically dried white peas cooked in gravy and is usually served hot. This is then served with onions, tomatoes and green chillies or with aloo tikki. While having it with tikki, just make sure to instruct the vendor to use less oil to fry the tikkis :)
P.S: This can be easily cooked at home !!

Ghugni (Pic Courtesy: www.peekncook.com)

2. Steamed Momos : A lot of momo places have sprawled in every nook and corner of Kolkata. Momos are a famous Tibetan delight, which has minced chicken wrapped in flour and steamed. There are pan fried variants available as well but its better to avoid them when the steamed one can taste just as good. Momos are usually accompanied with soup and a spicy sauce. It is better to avoid the soup for hygiene issues. Trust me, it is extremely difficult to do for a soup lover like me.

Steamed Momos

3. Dosas and Idlis : They are my favourites. They make the best breakfast and lunch options. Not just are they healthy, they are yummy. I love sada dosa with loads of onions and green chillies. Just request your vendor to use less of oil, and you have had a fulfilling, guiltfree meal.

Masala Dosa

4. Jhalmuri and Sprouted Chana: You can easily spot a jhalmuri vendor every 5 mins in an office area. They sell puffed rice with onions, chillies, tomatoes, spike of lemon and spices. Then there are sprouted chana vendors They are the healthiest and keeps both your tummy and taste buds happy. Whats the bonus? Prices start at just Rs.5.

The pic I am sharing here is that of the Jhalmuri I made at home one rainy evening :)

Jhalmuri