Mustard (Kolkata)

The joker in the pack

Would you ever get on to the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass just to eat at a restaurant there? And even if you do stop on the way back from the commercial area of Salt Lake or Rajarhat or on your way to the airport to grab a bite, would you expect anything better than a roadside dhaba. Welcome to Mustard then - a complete surprise package thanks to the superior quality of its food. The chicken reshmi kabab, served with a mean salad, is the softest and tastiest kebab you would get in Kolkata, and is reminiscent of what you get at that undisputed champion of kebabs in Mumbai, Kakori House. Add to that some very soft naan with mouth-watering Chicken Lazawab, and you have a perfect meal. The latter is essentially chicken in peanut gravy, which administers sweetness to the dish without taking away the flavour of the chicken any bit. Like its famous cousin the Chicken Badami at Khyber in Mumbai, the Lazawab too has gravy that would constitute a standalone dish, and may even be consumed as dessert once you are through with the rest of the meal. The enjoyment of the meal is accentuated by the peace prevailing in the large dining hall with mustard-coloured (well, of course) walls, thanks probably to the aforementioned problem with the location of the restaurant. One area where there is still some scope for improvement is the presentation of the food. While the naan is served in a quaint basket, the Lazawab certainly deserves to be a better looker before the deflowering than the oddity it appears to be, with the chicken pieces looking lost in the gravy and almonds and pieces of peanut sticking out at crazy angles in different places. Everything is, of course, forgiven once the food reaches your palate – there is no surpassing Mustard there, at least in this part of the city.

Ambience                ★★★★
Service                    ★★★
Presentation            ★★★
Taste                      ★★★★★