A few phone calls, a few minutes of discussion and off we go- to taste the flavor of the mini beef-mecca in Kolkata- the beefwalk.
From the central metro station entrance towards poddar court, take the road towards poddar court keeping the maharana pratap statue on your left. The first right lane (or second…) says, Phears Lane. And off you enter. Walk inside for around 5-8 minutes and search for the aroma of beef kebab. The first stop is Adams kebab shop- the name proudly says (famous for beef kebab)
The prized item here is beef sutli kebab. This is basically a beef sheekh kebab, but such is the delicate nature that for making the seekh, it has to be rolled with a thin, very thin string (sutli) and hence the name…. Following the photos. After the kebab is cooked, they put it on a paper plate and accompaniments are just a small lemon piece and onion-chilly slices. Don’t forget to sprinkle the lemon and sprinkle the chilly pieces and you’ll reach heaven. Pocket pinch: 17/- a seekh
They say, do not get contented with just one slice of heaven… and off you start again. The next stop is one of the most underrated sweet shops in Kolkata- Haji Allauddin Sweets
Enter the shop and you get greeted by Shadab miyan- the owner of the place and the next thing to welcome your evening is the pure aroma of hot, freshly made gulabjamun- as shadab miyan proudly say “our gulabjamun is world famous in Kolkata”. But seriously, move along haldirams and Tewaris and you enter this place.
Next few heavenly items : Kalakand, Aflatoon (ok-ish probably because I’ve never been a bog fan of this thing) and Gond ki halwa….. Man, what a taste. It incorporates some 32 types of masala in it (as claimed by the shop owner) and is a real aphrodisiac (literally they suggest it for the newly wed bride-groom). Gond ki laddu was the next thing and the final showstopper- Sohan Halwa. The king of winter non-bengali sweets. Due to the excessive amount of ghee it takes in, its gets made only in winter and it did full justice to its name.
Gond ki halwa |
Sohan halwa – 40/- per piece |
Aflatoon |
The next stop should be for a little strange item- Kheeri kebab. Its purely made from, please don’t get shocked, beef nipples. Little chewy in nature and an unusual aroma- it comes at 17/- a plate. But the actual challenge lies in finding the shop. Move forward from Haji Allauddin, take a left from the more and an immediate right- there’s a miniscule shop with no names on your right. That’s the place. Enjoy the Kheeri kebab.
Well, need we say more ? With a heavy heart (that we left the beef champ-roti alone) and heavier stomach, we left for the day, but just on the way, we found a small shop on left selling pure dudh-malai (35/- per 100 grms). Each one of us took one bhand-full and off we left….
Bon apetite…