I was delighted to get an invite to the ongoing ‘Bhapa-Pora’
festival, which celebrates the cooking of food the traditional way, being
either steaming it (Bhapa) in various leaves such as Lotus,pumkin or plantain
or charring (Pora) it in a clay oven. Here are some of the delectable dishes
that we sampled, and needless to say, the experience was nothing short of
stellar.
‘Shim, palanger bhapa’: Steamed in spinach leaves, a unique
mixture of shim(flat beans), kasundi(grainy mustard) and a few ingrideints,
this was one of few vegetarian dishes on the menu and tasted brilliant.
‘Mulo, narkel aar dal pora’: My favourite vegetarian dish
of the day, this was an amazing mixture of mustard, radish, coconut and lentils
in a neat leafy parcel, and the unique flavors of this dish were evident with
every bite. 
‘Paddo pataye bhapa phulkopi’: A close second, this vegetarian
dish was probably the tastiest version of cauliflower I have ever had in Indian
cuisine. The sourness of the yogurt with the pungent flavors of mustard, cooked
within the muted confine of the lotus leaf, with a sprinkling of the indigenous
Gondhoraj lemon were the perfect foil
to each other.
‘Kankra, chingri palanger bhapa’: A delightful
combination of crab-meat and prawns, cooked in a spinach leaf, with a slight
tanginess of mustard, this was a brilliant start to the non-veg mains.
‘Chingri narkel pora’: Marinated prawns roasted with
coconut and mustard, this was a delightful prawn rendition.
‘Chalkumro pataye Elish narkel pora’: Hilsa, or ‘Elish’
is labelled the king of fishes due to its distinct oily texture, and this dish
retained that oiliness by charring it along with coconut and it tasted amazing
when had with the pumpkin leaves it was served it.
‘Pomfret lanka achar bhapa’: This was probably the
prettiest dish in terms of presentation, and the comination of steamed pomfret
fish with a spicy ‘achar’ or pickle mixture, was for me, the dish of the day.
Desserts: These too retained the ‘bhapa-pora’ context. There were two varieties of the sondesh, the steamed one,
which was the less sweeter, and the charred sondesh which I liked better, had
this amazing coating of slightly charred ‘chenna’, which elevated this dessert
to another level.
Ambience/Location: Esplanade has shifted to the adjacent
building, and the interiors have definitely become more upscale, with a nice
sit-out area as well, and décor reminding you of Bengali greats like Satyajit
Ray, with posters from some of his best works.
Verdict: I cannot stress enough on how great this place
is, and the current festival just goes to show that you can celebrate
traditional techniques without going overboard,
