6 Ballygunge Place- Review

My hubby and I rarely eat out. One of the reasons for this was that we lived apart for 3 years in two different cities so we only went out when he came to visit me ( in Chennai). And  in those occasional trips we never had the patience to try out different eateries in the city. And when I came down ( to Bangalore) we always cooked at home and had guests over. Another reason for never going out was that I always felt deceived by reviews be it from sites or friends. It so happened that the days I visited many joints the food would be horrible making me doubt the palates of the  reviewers and friends who suggested the place.

So mostly we made it to some restaurant out of compulsion or nostalgia - and this happened rarely. But my  reason for visiting 6 Ballygunge place was compelling. 

My hubby who grew up eating Bengali food from his neigbours was dying for luchi and bhegun bhaja and my friend Manali who was 7 months pregnant was craving for Elish ( hilsa) in mustard gravy (Manali's kid is 5 months old now so that will tell you how due this post is :) ) 

For me Bengali food was something I had never tasted and my hubby's nostalgia made me want to try this cuisine ( and also the possibiliy of writign a post :P ). My hubby warned me that it would be simple and bland compared to my South Indian fiery palate and me not being a seafood person would have to adjust a lot. And that's how we ended up at 6 Ballygunge place.

The ambiance was quite colonial, with images of Colonial Calcutta. The staff was courteous too. For starters we ordered Mouralla Macher Peyaji ( small anchovy kind of fish batter fried with lots of fried onions). The manager recommended us Chingri Macher Chop (which was a golden yellow batter fried prawns) so we ordered that too. My hubby was too excited to find Aamras on the menu so that was the drink for the meal.

Now I did not find both the starters up to the mark because they seemed overpriced for what was being offered. The Peyaji had more batter fried onions than fish and the Chingri macher chop had one medium sized prawn dipped and fried in an egg batter. Since it was served inverted ( The first view I got was of the batter covering the prawn and we ate a lot of fried batter and 1/4 piece of a prawn per person). For someone who comes from a coastal region I was disappointed at the quantity served but then I made peace accepting the fact that sea food was expensive in Bangalore. Aamras was totally new for me and I did enjoy the drink.

Main course was quite a spread because our hosts both preferred their fish in different styles. My friend craved for Elish but was told there was no Elish served that day but she was in mood for the mustard gravy and ended up ordering Bhetki shorshe ( Bhetki cooked in mustard gravy). Her hubby on the other hand wanted fish with the typical red gravy so he ordered Bhetkir Jhal ( Bhetki in rich spicy gravy). For us they recommended luchis and Kasha Mangsho ( A typical thick mutton curry). We also had bhegun bhaja ( fried eggplant) , rice and dal. But the highlight of the day was Dab Chingri ( prawns roasted inside tender coconut)

I loved Dab chingri, it had a very different flavour from the prawns we often have in Kerala. The mutton curry too was awesome. I am not a fan of fish but and I am not used to fresh water fishes. My friends on the other hand have never tried sea fish :) but I did enjoy the  Bhetki in mustard gravy . This is one dish I look forward to experiment in my kitchen apart from the Mangsho and Dab Chingri. Bhegun bhaja to me was nothing great and my hubby agrees he has had better bhegun bhaja in his childhood.

The best part about the entire meal was that it was mildly spiced and was quite light compared to a typical south Indian meal we were accustomed to. I thought the mustard gravy would upset my tummy because of the heat, but I was quite happy after the meal, we never felt stuffed. And it was fun trying out a totally new cuisine, something I would never venture on my own.

We did not end up having desserts though I am sure Bengali desserts are something to die for. I would recommend future  customers to choose their starters carefully, the main course is quite expensive considering the cost of sea food in Bangalore, but they taste awesome.  I look forward to taste Elish because I am told it tastes divine ( should be for the cost it's sold at) and now that I have tasted the Bengal flavours I think I am gonna try some of them here in my kitchen, I have already tried macher jhol and we now buy Rohu which does surprise many of our Malayalee friends. So finally 6 Ballygunge place has made me want to try a new cuisine altogether. I think that's the boon for foodies in India, the wide range of cuisine around us. I think we should embrace , assimilate these new flavours  and not remain ethnocentric when it comes to food. Maybe that would unite India :)