For the aroma of Bengal

Anjana Pradhan / TNN / Oct 19, 2008, 02:58 IST

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Fish freaks, rejoice! Authentic Bengali cuisine is served here, with varieties of fish curry.

The writing on the wall is clearly well-chosen: ��Basona sera basa rosenpaya (Desire is the best form of taste)'. It is a quote from Khai Khai, a poem by Sukumar Ray, the father of legendary film-maker Satyajit Ray. It speaks for the eager clientele which troops into Bangaliana for a feel of Bengal, which grows stronger in the sketches of old Calcutta adorning the walls, and the strains of Bangla music.
Fish freaks, rejoice! Authentic Bengali cuisine is served here, with varieties of fish curry - bhapa elish, which is marinated in mustard paste and other ingredients before steaming, is a speciality.
A regular thali from the land of maach and bhaat, rosogolla and sondesh, comprises dal, bhaat, meat or fish as per choice, and, of course, alu bhaja. As the meal ends with sweet curd and mishti, Bangaliana satisfies the sweet-toothed with rosogolla, malpua or patishapta.
Aloo postu, a dish where potatoes and poppy seeds combine in an unusual way, is another must-try.

Behind the delicacies are S K Ghosh and his wife, who left Kolkata and came to Bangalore in 2002 for their daughter's studies. "The pleasant climate made me fall in love with the city and within a few months, I started Fish 'n' Sweets, as Bangalore required a place for real Bengali cuisine," says Ghosh. It's situated in Koramangala 7th Block and in 2004, it metamorphosed into Bangaliana.
Says he: "I'm a social entrepreneur and wanted to serve good home-made Bengali food to all those who have migrated from Bengal, Orissa and the North-east."

The fare is so good that his regulars have forgotten ma's maacher jhol. "I've been eating here for the past year.
What attracts me the most are the fish and mutton curries. They're so sumptuous that they make me forget the food cooked by my mother back home in Assam," says Sangomitra Barua with delight.
Dr Dipanjan Das agrees, "Ever since I came to Bangalore in 1997, I've been relishing the food at Bangaliana - simple and home-made."
One-time engineer Ghosh says it is the methodology of preparation, "passed on and perfected by our great-grandmothers to grandmothers and our mothers. The cuisine has been developed by trial and error". A key role is played by special seasoning of five spices called panchphoron - mustard, aniseed, fenugreek, cumin and black cumin.
However, Ghosh rues that Bengali cuisine has not been included on the syllabus of hotel management institutions. "My achievement is that I've made Bengali food famous even among non-Bengalis. South Indian favourites are alu sookto, alu posto and elish," he says.
Ghosh has also tried out different dishes to tickle the taste-buds, like the bhori bhoj. It comprises luchi (puri made of maida), plain rice, pulao, fried brinjal, cholar dal, fish fry, dhoka dal, stuffed potato and curd, for which you'll have to pay approximately Rs 250.
An ordinary thali costs anything between Rs 150 and Rs 200. And regular customers get a concession. The Sunday evening special is luchi-mangso, or pulao-mangso.
It is not all about food, though; the famous Bengali adda is a bonus. It's a happy meeting place for those who like to spend their evenings or weekends with friends and families. For those who relish good-old Bengali cuisine watching good old classics of veterans like Uttam Kumar, Suchitra Sen, Soumitra Chatterjee and Aparna Sen,
Bangaliana has introduced a weekend offer along with Bengali buffet or special thali meal. Open from 11.30 am to 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm, the crowd on a weekday could be 150, going up to 250 during weekends.
Drop in at Bangaliana to satisfy those taste-buds and have a stimulating conversation too.
Bangaliana: 080-25711058
(If you know any hot eating joints in your area, tell us about them at toiblr.reporter@timesgroup.com with ��What's Cooking' in the subject line)

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