I had promised that I would share glimpses from my visit to India. So here comes the first chapter - a travel back in time. Being a Foodie with Kolkata in my soul, I have a special connection to biriyani. And by Biriyani, I mean the quintessential Awadhi style, which is famous in Kolkata. While I could go on and on about the history of Kolkata's Biriyani, let me cue in the hottest star in the Biriyani scene -
Oudh 1590.
We had been hearing rave reviews about this brand, and seen enough pictures on social media, to have us head straight there, once our jet lag had worn off. In the last 20 days, I have already been there thrice, and that is enough proof of how good it all is. Oudh 1590, is the brainchild of musician and restaurateur Debaditya Chaudhury and his elder brother Shiladitya Chaudhury. The Chaudhury family knows their food and hospitality pretty well. I remember nibbling on lip-smacking evening snacks, during our college days, when we would all crash at their place. Yes, Deba is an old friend from college and it's with sheer pride that I try and pin down this post.
Coming back to
Oudh 1590, it creates the perfect period dining experience, tapping on the right gastronomic chords of a Bengali foodie. I have been to two locations of Oudh 1590 - the one in Vivekananda Park(South Kolkata) and the one in Salt Lake(twice) and loved both. In a city known for its enormous choice of eateries, its no surprise that my brother and me, chose Oudh 1590, to treat our father.
Oudh 1590 does not accept reservations, and they have a first come, first serve policy. As we waited, for our table, the waiting lounge almost looked like, we were in some old Mughal fort or palace. Yes, pictures do not do justice to how beautiful the place is. From the outfits of the servers to the beautiful way the air conditioning units are camouflaged to blend into the decor, I loved the attention to detail. We were a larger group, and I just loved our tables, at each of the three visits.
Let us talk about the food. Once the food arrives, you are truly transported back to the ear of Nawabs. For the uninitiated, the kingdom of Awadh was known for being a gastronomic paradise. Legend has it that the khansamas(royal chefs) of the Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, created this special style of Biriyani, which is the way to any Bengali foodie's heart. And Oudh 1590, clearly delivers on its promise in making you travel back in time, with all that they serve.
We started off with
Galawati Kebabs(Mutton paste marinated with Awadhi special spices: shallow fried on a hot grill) and
Kakori Kebabs(Mutton paste marinated with Awadhi special spices and grille don a seekh). I am a Kebab lover, and if you know me well, you know of the Kebab nights at my home in Kansas City. We also ordered a take out of
Zafrani Kebab(Boneless chicken cubes marinated in saffron, yogurt, and cream and cooked in a tandoor) and
Qalmi Kebab(tender leg pieces of chicken marinated in yogurt, green chili, and cilantro paste and grilled in a tandoor). All four varieties of Kebabs were melt-in -your -mouth, and so rich in their flavor profile. We had already ordered for round 2, of the same order, on all three occasions, with the three different groups of family, I had been with. I was already guilty of overeating, but who bothers about calories, when you are visiting India, once in a few years.
An order of
Soda Shikanji(Masala Soda) for me, and an order of
Aam Panna(Raw Mango Cooler) for the man and we were ready for our entrees.
For the goat lovers in our family we had order
Raan Biriyani (shredded mutton from the rack of lamb cooked with rice, prepared in the signature Dum Pukht style) and for the Chicken lovers, we had ordered
Murgh Metiabruz Biriyani(Dum Pukht style of cooking chicken and rice). An order of their Biriyani is enough for two adults. And if you are a small eater like me, then you can save some for the next morning's breakfast. The biriyani was flavorful, and yet very light. Biriyani can be off-putting if it's over spiced or over greasy. And if you have a furry baby at home, make sure you pack the large bone of the rack of goat- the Raan, and they will love it. I did it and my pets in Kolkata loved it.
If all this was not enough, then we ordered for
Gosht Bhuna(Pieces of goat prepared in thick tangy tomato and onion based gravy with green chilies, red chilies, garam masala and lemon juice.) This was the dish I was very intrigued to try. In the beef-eating belts of Kolkata, Bhuna is a pretty famous dish to try. Every eatery swears by their own preparation and Oudh clearly created a new benchmark in this Bhuna loving town, with their creation. For the chicken lovers, we had ordered
Chicken Chaap(Chicken leg and thighs marinated with yogurt and house spices and shallow fried) and
Murgh Irani(Chicken pieces in a sweet and sour taste). Of all the meat dishes, I think my favorite was Gosht Bhuna.
We had clearly over-eaten and over ordered. A large chunk of our meal was packed up, as we had to save room for dessert.
Phirni(Creamy rice flour based pudding, flavored with saffron) it was and Phirni we loved !
After having pulled each other off the seats, for overeating, I can tell you, we did feel like royalty.
So if you are headed to Kolkata, India for a vacation and want to feast like a royal, then head to any of the locations of Oudh 1590 for a one of a kind experience. We will clearly be back for more.
