No one goes to a bar on a Friday afternoon? Well it’s their loss. Monkey Bar Kolkata, on Camac Street is a gorgeous place to hang out and unwind. Large life size windows with the amazing view of the best the city offers, nicely lit up, subtle décor and a sweet little rooftop section was my ten second take away. We were there to try out their One Bowl Winter – an array of heartwarming meals from Goa, Bengal, Bangkok and more that were just perfect for the winter.

Our meal was simple – three of us picked three bowls from the One Bowl Winter menu. One was Kashmiri Yakhni, Goan Xacuti and Paanch Phoron and Kasundi Maach. And to drink – Mangaa and Toast to Calcutta. Mangaa is one of my go to cocktails in Monkey anywhere – aam panna and vodka make an innately beautiful concoction. Toast to Calcutta is a perfect afternoon drink – gin, basil and in house made gondhoraj juice as lime cordial. Easy and delicious. Speaking of delicious – the bowl of the hour was definitely the Kashmiri Yakhni. Soft boneless mutton cooked in yoghurt and spices served with a saffron pulao. As I write this I am tempted to go back to Monkey Bar for a last taste of this wonderful dish.

Second up is another masterpiece, and yes you can call me biased. The surmai was cooked in kasundi to perfection. Two chunky pieces are served on a bed of gobindobhog rice, a brinjal vegetable (doi begun) and tomato chutney. There are many dishes that we Bengalis love eating, but such a simple and quintessential combination, cooked in such a homely way – this was a winner. And lastly was the Goan Xacuti, which fell shy in comparison to these shiny stars, but was quite a nice dish as well. Spicy chicken served with millets – a healthy option on the menu.

Final Word

The One Bowl Winter is available in Monkey Bars across the country until 15^th January. The portions are great, pricing quite competitive, and a selection of twelve choices of meal in bowl to select from. I strongly recommend go try this out – the other options include Wild Mushroom Khichdi, Korean Bibimap, Prawn Pad Thai Noodles and lot more. Have a great week guys!

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