A restaurant in Vasai celebrates the diversity and flavours of traditional Bengali fare
Dhokar dalna
Food: Good
Ambience: Functional
Service: Warm
Cost: Affordable
Verdict: 2/4
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When the pandemic hit, and we learnt to live around the lockdown, most foodies like us took the delivery route to continue savouring our favourite food. On a Sunday when the app was unable to deliver the order to our home in Vasai, we decided to head to the source instead — the newly opened Aahare Kolkata.
Bhaja thala
For many, Bengali food is all about aloo dum and luchi (puris), fish and non-vegetarian preparations, mishti doi (sweet curd) and roshogollas. But there's a lot more to it, and so we decided to explore Aahare's vast menu. We picked chicken cutlet (Rs 120), vegetable chop (Rs 80) and Uttor Kolkatar dimer devil (Rs 120), a Bengali take on devilled eggs. The cutlet was perfectly crisp on the outside and moist inside. Its core was packed with finely minced chicken and authentic spices with a thin outer coating of mashed potatoes. Both starters had the perfect balance of spices, and were crisply done to our liking. The starters are served with a salad and kasundi (a spicy and tangy mustard sauce that you need to request for).
Payesh
For the mains, we opted for a few dishes that don't make it to most Bengali restaurant menus, like dhokar dalna (Rs 130), lentil cakes cooked in a mildly flavoured gravy. This preparation is believed to have been created by Bengali widows who were not allowed to eat onion or garlic (referred to as 'niramish' ingredients). Next up was the dum aloo masala (Rs 100), their take on aloo dum where the gravy consistency was spot-on; to compliment it, we ordered a plate of luchi (Rs 60), as well as a mix bhaja thala (Rs 100) that consists of fried brinjal, cauliflower, thinly grated potatoes, green chillies and vadis. The amsatta khejur chutney (Rs 70), a sweet mango and dates chutney, gave the meal a sweetened distraction. But the highlight was the mutton dakbungalow (Rs 320), an Anglo-Indian recipe that few places are known to master. The goat meat was tender and succulently cooked with potatoes in a thick, spicy gravy and was rounded off with a perfectly fried egg. Keen to test their fish dishes, we picked katla (a fresh water fish) doi (Rs 150), and dimer kosha (Rs 100). Prepared as a curd-based gravy, this classic is cooked with fried cauliflower and potatoes. It is best enjoyed with rice (Rs 80).
Mutton dakbungalow
We washed down the Bengali food coma with masala Thumbs Up (Rs 100) and fresh lime water (Rs 100). The meal ended on a sweet note with Govinda bhog payesh (Rs 100), roshogolla (Rs 60), gulab jamun (Rs 60) and mishti doi (Rs 80). The lone hiccup was the taste, pricing, and portion for mishti doi. We ended our meal on a soul-happy note, reminiscing our growing up days in Kolkata.
At Shop no 3, Destiny Apartment, Ambadi Road, Vasai West
Time 12.30 pm to 3 pm; 6 pm to 10 pm
Call 0250-2330011
Aahare Kolkata didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for its own meals.
Food review rating: 4/4 EXCEPTIONAL, 3/4 EXCELLENT, 2/4 VERY GOOD, 1/4 GOOD, 0.5/4 AVERAGE
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