Kebab e Que

Kebab - E -Que 

Murgh Burra kebab 

An invitation led 3 ladies to 'Kebab e Que' on a sultry afternoon. Easy to locate this one is one of the old restaurants of the erstwhile Calcutta currently known as Kolkata on Shakespeare Sarani on the right hand side of the road if you are coming from AJC Bose road. It is housed in the 'The Astor' Hotel and if you ask anyone  who has been born and raised in this city chances are he or she has had an encounter with this famous restaurant in some way or the other. I have personally never sat down for a meal at this place but when I told my father I was going to 'Kebab e Que ' his first reaction was that of nostalgia. Apparently he has brought back kebabs from this delightful restaurant many a times when attending formal or informal dinners at this age old place.

As is usually the norm of old eateries in Calcutta the staff is effortlessly polite and our lovely hostess Supreeta was warm and friendly. Before we began our lunch I ordered some some kebabs to be packed for my father who had demanded that I bring back some kebabs from this famous eatery . The decor is very Old school Calcutta with red and black dominating the walls and floor. The little hanging lamps over each table is a fine idea indeed giving the place  a romantic feel . Our server had recommended the Murgh Chakori Kebab and our delightful hostess recommended the Lahsuni Fish and so these were the items which were packed.

Soon enough my fellow bloggers arrived and we proceeded to lunch. While Miss P.Banerjee ordered a diet coke I opted for the classic lemonade. The drinks were served quickly enough and I have to say that the lemonade was just perfect for my taste buds. I had wanted a sweet and salty lemonade and it had the right balance of sweetness and saltiness. My only complaint would be that the lemonade was not chilled. I would have preferred it had they used chilled water because with the addition of ice cubes the taste gets diluted.

We proceeded to the kebabs soon enough and the Murgh Burra kebab is a true delight, spicy , well grilled on the outside with soft meat inside. I was thrilled. The lahsuni fish kebab lived up to its high recommendation. The size of the pieces are generous and the fish is fresh and soft and the amount of garlic used seemed perfect, neither too little nor too much for my palate. The Mutton seekh kebab scored the lowest for my palate because I found the use of garam masala to be slightly on the higher side which overpowered the taste of the kebab.

We were led to the buffet and the spread is varied and delightful. Being a fan of salads I immediately took some Pineapple Chicken salad and Russian salad. The pineapple chicken salad is a wonderful salad. The tangy taste of pineapples, the beautiful flavour of parsley and the soft bite sized chicken  was  a lovely combination. To be fair the Russian salad did not make a huge impact on my taste buds. Their dahi  papri chaat was delicious but the papri having been added from before had become soggy and I cannot but wish that the papri be served separately.

From the main course the 'Ghee-bhat' was a delight indeed. The aroma of ghee , the beautiful basmati rice cooked perfectly is a perfect combination with the Butter Chicken Tikka or the Mutton curry. The Butter chicken tikka was perfect in terms of the creamy rich gravy but the pieces of chicken were much too large and I personally feel that keeping it boneless would only enhance the diner's experience. Also on offer was this unique fish in mustard sauce where the fish had been grilled and then cooked in a gravy of mustard which is very unique and recommendable indeed. Also on offer was the Spicy cauliflower curry , some lovely Rajma , which I personally left could have been thicker and spicier and a host of other offerings like the fried potato, Moong pulse etc .

Our hostess informed us that the menu for the buffet changes everyday and that sounded very interesting indeed. A wide selection of delightfully prepared dishes at Rs425 + taxes seems perfectly reasonable indeed.

While the ice-cream did not really beckon me the swiss roll did pleasantly surprise me. It was light fluffy and one of the best you can get in this town.

The Kebabs I took back home cost a mere Rs700 and the taste captivated everyone. The Chakori with the delightful flavour of fenugreek and the garlic fish kebabs are perfect for a kebab lover.

We have been further informed by our sweet hostess that Kebab e Que will soon have a wonderful makeover where the old favourites will remain the same but some new healthy and varied dishes  would be added to sweep everybody off their feet.

I would definitely recommend a visit to this place in the center of the city.