Flavored foam, jellified pasta, whiskey spheres, edible ribbons. Yes, this is new age fusion food at its best and if you thought Kolkata is too conservative to have any of these in the menu of a restaurant, you are so wrong! M Bar Kitchen, the sprawling 4,200 sq ft gastropub in Park Street takes food art very seriously and has introduced a whole range of dishes using the technique of molecular gastronomy. I was invited by M Bar Kitchen to experience the food created by the very talented young chef Tania and I was impressed.
M Bar Kitchen opened its doors late 2014 and has gained quite a reputation for being one of the best places in Kolkata to enjoy a night out. It is a great place to enjoy music and drinks but M Bar Kitchen also serves some really good food.
For the non-alcoholics, I would recommend the drink Chatka Merry which is a twist on the traditional Bloody Mary. Chatka has guava juice, spices and I think a bit of tamarind. I don’t like my drinks to be sweet so this was a perfect start for me. M Bar Kitchen is revamping their existing menu and bringing in a lot of new dishes. With my drink, I enjoyed a mini version of a thin crust naan with garlic, cheese and herb toppings, some Beer Battered Onion Rings, Gamberi Al Ajillo or garlic shrimps and Chicken Soft Shell Tacos – chicken and red cabbage slaw wrapped around homemade tacos served with tangy salsa. Hard to choose a favorite out of the four because all of them tasted so good but if I really had to name, will pick the the shrimps and the tacos.
Chef Tania then got out her works of art. Scottish Peach – balls of single malt whiskey mixed with the sweetness of peaches, Cosmic Cosmo – our favorite Cosmopolitan repackaged as a sphere, Fantastic Four – a potent combination of single malt whiskey, vodka, gin and vermouth mixed with secret herbs and smoked to perfection, Edible Ribbons – basil foam and basil spaghetti with aged parmesan foam placed on ceramic spoons, Little Purses – stuffed pasta with green peas and mascarpone filling with truffle air and the very cheesy Smoked Pizza with parmesan, cheddar, mozzarella and smoked cheese. M Bar Kitchen gave me my first molecular gastronomy experience and I’m going back for more!
From the main course, I loved Chicken Olivetti – chicken roulade stuffed with black olives and topped with tomato cream sauce and Potato Parmisiana. For the chocoholics, I would recommend the sinful Chocolate Heaven – chocolate baklavas stuffed with chocolate fudge dipped in warm chocolate sauce served in shot glasses.
M Bar Kitchen’s new additions to the menu is definitely worth a try. The gastropub is located at Magma House Complex, 24, Park Street Area, Kolkata.