The final flourish of monsoon rains is being seen off in New Town with a platter featuring two of Bengal’s favourite treats — fish and sweets. The Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco) has chosen a new address to host a food festival — the Brishti Machh O Mishti festival. The event, continuing till September 17, is being hosted at a unit of Cafe Ekante at Smart Connect, the co-working, co-living quarters that was inaugurated in February.
Offerings of sweets.
Sudeshna BanerjeeLocated on the Major Arterial Road diagonally opposite Westside store in Action Area II, the building has a dining hall on the ground floor with ample parking space. “This is the second food event we are hosting here,” said Snehasis Sinha, general manager, tourism, Hidco.
With boarding occupancy at Smart Connect being around the halfway mark, the authorities were looking to push up footfall at the property. And they expect food to be the best magnet.
Crab Jhal.
Sudeshna BanerjeeIn fact, it was the success of the first food festival held here last month that prompted the organisers to host another one before the season got over. “We did not have much expectation when we had announced a khichudi festival here, with five varieties of khichudi. But such was the word of mouth publicity that we had high footfall here in the weekends,” he said.
Dab Chingri at the food festival at Smart Connect in New Town Action Area 2.
Sudeshna BanerjeeThe focus in this festival is on fish with dishes, featuring crab and 13 types from hilsa and bhekti to pabda and chitol, being on offer. “The menu is a la carte. If you order a fish dish, be it Ilish Bhapa (Rs 419), Pomfret Tok Jhal (Rs 419), Mulo diye Soler Jhol (Rs 314), Mourola Bati Chochchori (Rs 314) or Crab Jhal (Rs 314), you get steamed rice, dal, bhaja, chutney, papad and tok as accompaniment,” said Sinha.
There are 14 types of traditional Bengali sweets, including some innovations like Kheer Butter Roll (Rs 52) to Baked Kheerkodom (Rs 83).
