Rang De Basanti Dhaba, Salt Lake City, Kolkata

Restaurant Name: Rang De Basanti Dhaba, Salt Lake City, Kolkata
Phone: +919007012321
Address: DN 37, Sector 5, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700091 West Bengal India
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM
Meals for two: ₹ 600
Cuisines: North Indian, Mughlai, Beverages
Facilities: Home Delivery, Takeaway Available, Outdoor Seating, Indoor Seating

The dhabas or highway food shacks along the Grand Trunk Road were actually created to add colour to the lives of the truckers or motorists traversing the Indian subcontinent all the way from Peshawar to eastern India, currently ending somewhere in Bangladesh. The colors came in the form of an iconic culinary culture and cult status in hospitality provided by the kind locals along the lengthy journey with fresh community food, resting charpoys and rustic kitsch ambience.

This Holi, we pay a colorful tribute to this thriving food culture contributing to the kaleidoscope of Indian cities. Rang De Basanti Dhaba in Kolkata is a brand which has evolved over time to encapsulate the modern avatar of urban dhabas. Spacious indoor and out-door seating, burst of life in bright colors, neons and wall graffiti, old school charpoys replaced by powder-coated metal chairs and rows of wooden benches, open kitchen partially covered to be converted to show kitchen, high hygiene sense and serviced by a bevy of uniformed staff, there seems to be no dearth of mechanical professionalism.

Rang De Basanti Dhaba, Salt Lake City, Kolkata: Food

The menu has had its bouts of modernization too. Trying desperately to retain its robust and earthy tastes, it has tried to incorporate eccentric spurts of Indian authenticity through regional and historic familiarity of flavours. We try to keep as close to the roots as possible in our order through Mutton seekh kebab (₹ 385), RDBD daal butter tadka (₹ 210), Kolkata chicken bharta (₹ 285), Champaran meat handi se (₹ 475) with Tandoori roti (₹ 30) and Laccha paratha (₹ 65).

Plus & Minus:

The Mutton seekh kebabs come in mildly spicy mince rolls, hot from the barbecue slathered in white butter, but are too stark on the palate and lacked the earthy smokiness. Yet the crusty char on the tandoor baked kadak tandoori rotis is a perfect combination with the house signature dal or black lentils, a mix of urad and rajma amply cooked with extra dollops of hand-churned butter tempered with the zest of chopped green chillies.

Quickly followed by the homegrown hearty Kolkata chicken bharta, a silky smooth version of hand pulled chicken bites doused in a richness of butter-cream-cashew-yoghurt sauce. It defies the simplicity of a leftover chicken dish with a standard boiled egg (missing in this house), rather perked up with tempting spice notes. The Bihari Champaran mutton is a pleasant dum-cooked surprise, chunky mutton pieces cooked in robust mustard oil and whole garlic bulbs infused in sealed earthen pots, slow cooked to perfection and is mopped up with the tandoori laccha paratha. Finally, the glass of Rooh Afza tutti frutti (₹ 95) is an apt nostalgic wrap up of ice creams, canned fruity bits and aromatic rose laced herbal syrup from yore.