Eating Out: CRACKLING MUSTARD

CRACKLING MUSTARD

In recent years, there has been a splurge in restaurants offering Bengali food in Guwahati. But one of them which stand out is Crackling Mustard. The inclusion of Mustard in the name of the restaurant gives an idea of what to expect, Bengali food that is. And when it comes to the quality of food, this restaurant does not disappoint.

Located in Beltola area of Guwahati, the restaurant fills the gap for a quality place to dine out. Although the area has been developing quite rapidly over the past few years, most of the popular restaurants are located in other areas of the city. This eatery does fill the gap.

The first thing that strikes one as he or she enters the restaurant are the tastefully done interiors. Although very clean and hygienic, the place tries to give a rustic Bengali feel to its ambience. Elegantly carved wooden chairs and tables make up most of the design. The interior is great with lot of Bengali accents added in the form of artifacts and furniture. It's in fact great to see the creativity put in. The table setup, however, is cluttered and people can overhead conversation of other diners in nearby tables. There is less moving space.

As Rabindra Nath Tagore is an unshakeable part of Bengali heritage, one part of the wall is covered with a big poster of the poet’s famous composition, Ekla Chalo Re. Written in Bengali script, the wall gives a perfect addition to the overall Bengali environment.

When it comes to food, the dishes served here are of high standard and taste of authentic Bengali cuisine. The prices are also reasonable and don’t hurt your pockets. Another plus point is the low preparation time for dishes. For those who don’t like to wait much after placing their orders, this is definitely a good place to opt for. The management can however still do a bit more to improve their serving standards.

With a choice of various dishes of mutton, chicken, prawn, fish, one is spoilt for choice! One also has a choice of Kolkata rolls and Biryani along with a limited Chinese menu. One of the most popular items served here is the Luci with Kosa Mangso. While Luci is one of the most popular Bengali food items, it goes very well with Kosa. The lucis are white, round and very fluffy and proved to be a delight.

Another popular item is the Bangladeshi Chicken curry. While we didn’t have any idea of what Bangladeshi Chicken curry is, the dish was spicy. It had a slight tangy taste because of the tomato and cilantro. The chicken pieces were big and succulent.

All in all, Crackling Mustard provides a delightful dining experience. For those who love Bengali food, this place is another good option that one has in the city.

Giving her opinion about the place, a customer Sudipta Chakraborty opined, “The location of the place is good and easy to find! Okay now coming to the food, we had the following: Veg Thali (Rs. 140. It consisted of Plain Rice, 2 puris, Dal, Papad , Brinjal fry, Ridge Gourd cooked in Mustard paste (jhinge/jika), Cabbage fry with potatoes (aloo gobhi), Banana Blossom's curry with potatoes (thuur/koldil), Pineapple Chutney, Dessert. The Veg Thali was really tasty and a fulfilling meal on its own! Every item had its own unique taste and flavour! The pineapple chutney was very yummy and kept me craving for more! The quantity served is satisfying and to be honest, mere liye thoda zyada he ho Gaya tha (a bit too much for me)! I strongly recommend the Veg Thali as it is very tasty and will surely keep your hunger at Bay and at such a price, it's a deal!

She further says, “We also tried the Crackling Mustard's Special Chicken curry (Rs. 290 for 5 pieces of chicken). The use of the word *Special* really justified the taste of the chicken curry! The chicken was well cooked and very tender! But the curry! Oh my! It was sooooooooo good, trust me! With a hint of spiciness, sweetness of the curd, the curry had all the flavours it needed! We also had Butterfish cooked in Mustard paste (Papda fish). The medium sized Papda costs Rs 240 each and here we ordered 2 of them. The fish tasted fresh and yummy! If you're a fish lover then you should definitely try this out! Overall, It's a very good place to visit if you're a Bengali food lover or if you are craving for the same. The rates are reasonable and the ambience is awesome!”

Another customer Gaurav Parmani reminisced, “I had visited long back in the winters of 2014 but I can still remember the sumptuous taste of the food. Being a non-Bengali, i had heard a lot about "mishti dahi" but had never tasted it. But I tasted it at this place and taste of it is still fresh in my mind.”

So if you are a Bengali food lover or a foodie or if the Bengali food bug seems to have hit you in recent time, you may do well to give this restaurant a try! Beyond the food and the service, the ambience of the place is surreal and transports you back to the time of Bengal’s cultural and intellectual resurgence, which left its mark across the entire world.