The City of Mutton Kosha and Mocambo


The red colour gravy glistening with the oil and fat of red meat immediately sets the salivary glands racing. The phenomenon is called mutton kosha.

But Calcutta is not just about paratha and mutton kosha. It is also about three hundred years of British colonial rule, and the British have succeeded in every way to instill their culinary culture into the Bengali DNA.

Mocambo is a very famous restaurant of Calcutta (as I would like to call it, in describing what I am going to, to set the mood and keep it that way without Indianizing it). In the olden days, it used to be one of the very few restaurants in the city to serve up an elaborate menu of Continental and British delicacies. The advent of the five-star hotels and a world class exposure has shifted the focus to expensive food made of ‘exquisite’ ingredients. But I think that it is a gimmick meant to draw crowds towards food that, other than immaculate Western presentation, hasn’t much to boast of in terms of taste.

Mocambo is the restaurant that you will find located on Park Street as you take a turn towards Free School Street, a humble place that feels of rich heritage even before you enter it. It does not show a flashy exterior, or plush and modern interior. Yet it has this homely feeling that you will not be able to deny. The place is truly a reflection of the crowd it entertains, and even if it were having hard wooden chairs and irritable waiters, it would still be abuzz with life.

I visited Mocambo after a long time. I was very small and studying in school when I had last visited that place with my parents. I had never visited the place with friends, and this was the first occasion I did so, and who better than with my foodie partner, Anya.

The menu arrived at our table and it looked full, unlike the menu of some other restaurants that we have gone to in our adventures. The sign of a great menu lies in its font size, and the smaller it is, the better the menu is, variety-wise and quality-wise. The first thing it demonstrates is that the kitchen has capable cooks to dish out variety, and second, the cooks have confidence to give a description of the fare on the menu, so that customers can choose exactly was he or she wants.

Having got the menu right, I was quick to pounce on an ‘Irish Chateaubriand Steak Sizzler’, while my partner sat confused for a while debating about a dilemma between ‘Bhetki Florentine’ and ‘Yorkshire Pork Chops’. The starter was fixed and ordered immediately. We chose the Crab Butter Pepper preparation.

While the starter took time to come, and my stomach starting to gurgle from hunger, we sat still debating about the entrée (not in the British sense which means ‘starter’; ironic in my selection of word) she would like to take. After a million changes of expression and sitting postures, she decided to go for the latter (‘Yorkshire Pork Chops’) making a point to visit the restaurant again to try out the fish.

Thus the main course was ordered, and the starter arrived, starting the gastronomic journey which would last an hour and a half. The presentation was unique and pleasing to the eye. Emptied out crab shells were inverted to form a bowl-like shape. The preparation of crabmeat was placed inside it and baked in an oven. The dish was garnished with crisp fried parsley and some mashed potato. The flavor was mellow, but it was very appetizing indeed and increased my hunger pangs, already the crisis I was in.

The starters were licked clean. Not a morsel was left even for the most eager cat-sense. The plates were cleaned off and the preparation for the steak was taken. Sharp, black-handled knives were provided for the two of us, for the steak and pork chops respectively. It took another five minutes, and the ultimate happened.

Our dishes arrived, mine sizzling restlessly, and hers decorated like a beautiful maiden in a white dress. A bowl of buttered garlic was served for added seasoning, while she got a sauce made from pineapples. The presentation was great, but who really cares about presentation when you have a two pound steak staring at you, two words written all over it, “Eat me!”

I will not go into the details of the eating or the methods used, because it would sound gross and uncouth to the general atmosphere of this restaurant and my lengthy description of it. I would like to add a word about the pork chops which was a whole pork rib, quite big and with a generous fat layer, which I think tops off any pork preparation more than its meat.

For dessert we ordered Chocolate Soufflé, but not before I had to gulp down some aerated drinks to get relief from the voracity with which things were done in general. It was the perfect ending and did much to fix a wretched mood I had started the day with.

I don’t know whether the recent ‘change’ in Calcutta was a psychological catalyst, but I would definitely not give the restaurant a biased appraisal, more so because I was pleasantly surprised with the number of notable changes brought about to its menu since my childhood. It seemed a refreshing change, and an even more fulfilling experience to know that I can still remain proud of Mocambo, which continues to make the most wonderful Continental dishes I have yet had in my life.

For making reservations, call at the following numbers:

033 22290095, 033 22291696, 033 22464300, 033 40017299, 033 40017250.

Dwaipayan Adhya.

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