Kerala Red Rice Salad

Monkey Bar Kolkata

After making its mark on Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, Monkey Bar has finally made its way to Kolkata. Now you know I wanted to add in a cheesy “monkey” related pun in there but I’m exhibiting some restraint here for which I think I deserve some credit 😛 . There was a lot of buzz about the place among my foodie friends and I finally got to see why. One of the most prime-ly located joints in recent times (Fort Knox, Camac St.) that has a gorgeous view of the Victoria Memorial, St. Paul’s Cathedral and even Vidya Sagar Setu (or as it is also know as the New Hoogly Bridge). The gastro-pub has paid tribute to the city with some special menu inclusions apart from what they offer in general…they are known for taking familiar flavors/ingredients and adding a playful twist to them to satisfy both the comfort of the known as well as the need for something new of the diners. Well I was quite looking forward to the meal and it was off to a great start after a sip of Mangaa, a delicious blend of vodka and aam panna, which was just so satisfyingly “desi” both in terms of flavor and the kick one gets from it 🙂

Mangaa

Kimchi Baby Potatoes

We were served the Kerala Red Rice Salad first which was a mix of red rice, raw mango, peanuts, baby spinach, coconut and salted chilli. I loved this dish for its freshness! The crunch provided by the peanuts with the slight sourness of the mangoes mixed in with the rice makes it a great salad…perfect for someone who wants to eat something light but flavorful at the same time. Next came the  Kimchi Baby Potatoes…now I’m extremely biased to anything with kimchi in it and just that is enough to make me happy. This was a nice dish where it was not too spicy where the crunch of the cabbage was a nice contrast to the baby potatoes. Whereas I would highly recommend the salad this was ok…nice if you want to have a kimchi based dish but nothing memorable. 

Hipster Smash

Chilli Paneer Soulful Bowl

By now I was done with the Mangaa and it was time for another drink for which I choose Hipster Smash – cucumber, elderflower spritz, watermelon, mint and vodka which was quite an interesting blend. I liked the slight rose like flavor I got from it and it would have been perfect if it was slightly sweet. For the mains I had the Chilli Paneer Soulful Bowl. I really like the single serve/portion plates as it gives this personal feel to it. This was soul food for me as it was packed with everything I love! Kimchi, paneer and rice…do I really need to say anything more? I will keep going back to just have this time and again. The portion was just right to provide a filling meal and I would suggest that you mix everything up so that you get a little bit of each element in the dish. Highly recommend that  you try it out!

Gondhoraj Lime Tart

Old Monk(ey) Chocolate Cake

It was time to indulge in what I consider the highlight of a meal…the desserts! I first tried out the Gondhoraj Lime Tart – a concoction made of lemon curd, meringue, pistachio cake, cookie crust, lemon mint gel topped with sugared flowers. Ok I will say I don’t prefer citrus based desserts so what I say might be biased…I found the dish to be quite tart which the sugared flowers helped to balance out a bit. If you like citrus, like really really like it, then I would suggest you try it out else it is not for the faint hearted. But the Old Monk(ey) Chocolate Cake was everything one could want from a dessert! Boozy chocolate cake topped with caramel and praline served with ice cream…so so good! This was polished off in no time…again highly recommended! That was a fantastic end to a great meal. I had heard a lot of rave about Monkey Bar from others and I will say I was not disappointed. Whether you want to hang out with friends over a meal and drinks or spend some quality time with yourself gazing at the view while you contemplate the complexities of life, Monkey Bar might just be the place of you. Are you planning on visiting it soon? Have you already been there? Do let me know your thoughts and I will see you soon!

PS – The author was invited by the PR of the restaurant to sample the menu. Views expressed are genuine and the author’s own.