Farzi Café: Is it worth all the hype?

Calcutta absolutely adores its food. When Starbucks entered the city, there was a massive buzz around it. Almost all people who love their platters and coffees thronged to the coffee chain. A similar buzz was visible recently when Zorawar Kalra's 'Farzi Café' opened in the city of joy. I normally refrain from trends, but made an honourable exception this time to make the readers aware of the newest kid on the block – 'Farzi Café'.

Known for post-modern fusion dishes in the mainstream, 'Farzi Café' has made quite a name across the world. In a huge 4000 plus square feet bright and upbeat ambience on the Ho Chi Minh Sarani, the modern bistro has become a favourite among all age groups already, with the bookings running a week in advance. But is the hype worth it? Let's find out.

THE ORDER

The Kolkata Mushroom Skewers, Green Pea Kathi (Rs 495); Hass Avocado Chaat, Beetroot Gel (Rs 325); Green Chilly Thecha Prawns (Rs 595 ); Shrooms (Rs 475 ); Farzified Chicken Chop, Lemon Butter Jhol ( Rs 595 ); Bengali Aloor Dom, Salad Jhal Moori (Rs 395); Almond and Waterchesnut Kofta, Methi Malai Curry, Laccha Paratha (Rs 495 ); Mutton Irrachi Pepper Fry, Malabari Paratha (Rs 595 ); Rawa Kasundi Fish, XO Jhal Moori (Rs 595); Kunafa Nest (Rs 425 ) and Parle-G Cheesecake (Rs 445).

FIRST IMPRESSION

The bistro has energetic, bright yet classy interiors. The staff had all masks and necessary COVID protocols maintained. The cutlery was neatly packed in paper envelopes and the ambience was surely a plus. The place was full to the brim and the feeling was akin to having got the latest iPhone on the day of the launch itself!

AFTER TASTE

The meal began with a palate-cleansing by a modern-looking coin sized mishti doi gel. The innovation factor in the place impressed me with this first item only!

In the starters, I began with the Hass avocado chaat and Beetroot gel. This Avocado chaat was made by scooping out half of a big avocado, mixing it up with chopped onions, tomatoes and serving it in the same avocado peel. The not so spicy chaat was topped with Copious sev bhujia and Beetroot gel. A surprisingly yummy start!

Then I tried the Kolkata mushroom skewers with green pea kathi. Pan tossed tender mushroom skewers served on green pea tacos with shredded lettuce and garlic cream, were a sight to behold. The spicy dish tasted like finely grilled chicken on tasty pea kathi.

Following this, Farzified chicken chop with lemon butter jhol added some glamour to the table. The dish had a fried chicken mince chop in the shape of a lick lolly on a stick, served along with a Gondhoraj flavoured, tomato-based buttery gravy. The crispy chop and the aromatic gravy was a beautiful combination.

I am a prawn lover so tried the Green chilly thecha prawns - a Maharashtrian speciality. Succulent prawns were tossed in a thecha chutney which is primarily a green chilli, peanut and garlic. The dish was spicy and fine.

However the dish that probably made all starters look lesser mortals was Shrooms. Assorted mushrooms tossed with creamy makhani gravy and finished with parmesan cheese and porcini mushroom dust, made for a heavenly dish. The truffle oil seasoning made it subtle, classy and a flavour riot.

In the Farzi ode to Kolkata, I tried the Rawa kasundi fish, XO jhal moori. The semolina crusted fried fish flavoured with Bengal mustard, served with the puffed rice salad and ghee pulao was quite innovative.

Another Kolkata special, Bengali aloor dom with Salad jhal moori was quite an eclectic dish. Spicy boiled potatoes cooked in Bengal mustard curry and garnished with puffed rice salad, was a nostalgic dish for me.

In the South Indian, I tried the Mutton irrachi pepper fry. The platter comes with boneless shredded tender mutton cooked with thick paste of curry leaves, coconut and black pepper, served with Malabari paratha. The dish was quite soulful and rich.

In the North Indian, I had the Almond and waterchesnut kofta in methi malai curry served with laccha paratha. Kashmiris eat a lot of waterchestnut and Punjabis love methi malai curry, so this dish was like my marriage; two states merged into one. Three pieces of almond and water chestnut mince koftas, coated with panko crumbs were mildly flavoured with cinnamon. The koftas were served with methi malai curry by the side and a flaky laccha paratha. Quite a Masterchef finale dish material!

For the deserts, I tried two dishes. The first one was Kunafa Nest with condensed milk. The dish looked like a nest with two eggs, where nest was made out of baked feni/seviyan topped with two Rosogolla chenna and Rabri served alongside. If you love presentation or have kids with you, order this! It is an Instagram viral material.

The meal ended with a dish that was so 90s - Parle-G Cheesecake. The dish had two sandwiches of cheesecakes with Parle-Gs on outside; standing on a pool of fresh made milk Rabri topped with Gems.

WHAT I LOVED

Almost everything. Master Chefs Vaibhav Sawant and his colleague Dipesh Shinde have surveyed the best options in Calcutta hospitality and innovated dishes that will satiate the refined taste buds of Calcuttans. As they say, #farzified.

VERDICT

Only three words: "Must try it!"

(The columnist is a food connoisseur who loves experimenting with culinary delights and a career bureaucrat in the IRS Income Tax)