Trust Anjan Chatterjee to come up with something creative all the time! The master of flavours has now ventured into cakes, pastries and all things baked. Thus has been born the “Dariole”, and in whose search I spent a fruitful afternoon, the November Calcutta sun puff-ing heat in doses milder than when it is at its “baking” best.
The road to Dariole twisted its way from Loudon street to Moira Street and as it finally snaked into Rawdon, I noticed the brownish chocolate coloured signboard that announced I had reached my destination.
Probably afternoon is the cleaning time and so the first thing visible to me , from a distance, was a mop and pail, resting against the glass facade of the shop. Gourmets, like me, are however made of sterner stuff and no amount of mops could deter me from striding in purposefully into the shop.
The review of Dariole, published in a local daily on the occasion of its opening, had advertised about its unique flavours of patties and puffs that, to a hardcore non vegetarian like me, had sounded like manna from heaven. Once inside, it took gluttonous mind and impatient eyes a fraction of a second to search out the stuff of a Bong glutton’s soul – kosha mangsho. The kosha mangsho here had been skillfully concealed inside layers of puffed flour. That however had in no way, I realised post my 1st bite, altered its heavenly flavour and very soon I had gobbled up the whole of it and was ready to order another!
Dariole is a non veg lovers delight! There was prawn patties, chicken Seekh kebab rolls, mint and mutton puffs and a host of other options on their menu. What however made me to consider bowing my head in reverence to the master of culinary world, was the Potato mustard puff. The delectable taste of the stuffing that is again, quintessentially Bong is, in my opinion, the winning recipe of Dariole. Of course I haven’t tried all their flavours and I would definitely love to go back to try the other savouries on their menu.
I do have some opinion on the decor of the shop. The interior decor of the shop could have been improved a little, in my opinion. The space inside seems to have not been very well utilized and the place could have done with a bit of colour and smarter looking sets of chairs and tables. Excessive use of the brown colour seems to have made the place appear a little drab.
While waiting for my items to be packed, I Googled to check the meaning of the word Dariole. It’s supposed to be a French term for a mould used for baking cookies and other savouries.
My ratings for Dariole (on a 5 point scale) :
Food on offer : 4
Value for money : 4
Decor : 2
Straight From My Heart 