Eating a special plate | Photo Credit: Srinath M
It is 11 am and the TS Kolkata mess is waking up from a slumber to what looks like the unhygienic face of Kolkata. However, this is Greams Road, Chennai – where the footpath opposite Apollo Hospital is lined with a row of humble eateries serving home-style Bengali food.
Mess owner Kailash Chandra Das hails from Odisha and talks frankly with his customers Bangla. “Many Bengalis come to the nearby hospital for treatment and there is a demand for home-cooked food,” says Kailash.
An array of platforms | Photo Credit: Srinath M
As he speaks, one of his customers shouts: “The second batch March where? (Where’s the second refill of fish?)
The restaurant was started about 10 years ago. “Bengali and Oriya are the same for me. Like family,” he laughs. The eatery opens at 10 a.m. and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s devoid of a physical menu card, belying the names of dishes like a Kailash wrapper.
A customer walks in with the hospital file in hand asking about the lunch menu. To this, he promptly replies, “Sabji Bhaat (Rice and Vegetables), Mach Bhaat (Fish and Rice), Mand Bhaat (Egg and Rice), Aam (Chicken), Rui (Rohu Fish), Bhola (Barramundi Fish) , tilapia (St. Peter’s fish), chingri (shrimp), aila (Indian mackerel), pabda (catfish), and tangra (small catfish).
Fresh food being served with unlimited refills Photo Credit: Srinath M
The fish is sourced from the local market. “We serve freshwater fish because Bengalis love it. Our fish meal costs between ₹50-100 which makes it budget-friendly too,” says Kailash.
Kailash Ka Mess rubs shoulders with SS Anachi Mess – another eatery that serves Bengali thali all day. Odisha manager Saroj Kumar Das says, “Most of our customers come from Bengal, Assam, Guwahati, Tripura and Bangladesh. Our hot-seller is the Vegetarian Thali priced at ₹80. It consists of rice, pulses, a vegetable based preparation and chutney. Most of the customers prefer it with fish or chicken.
Rita Basak, a software professional from Kolkata, is in the mess with her five-year-old son Dipayan. As they waited for their dinner of rice and catla maach, Rita told us, “I have come to Chennai for my son’s treatment. Since she is on antibiotics, I want to give her home cooked food.
Sudipto Chattoraj is standing outside on the footpath attending calls on his phone. A marketing professional at Apollo, Sudipto has been running the New Bengal Mess for the past ten years. He comes to the mess for food in between his busy schedule. “I noticed a dearth of Bengali restaurants serving wholesome food in the area, and hence started this mess,” says Sudipto.
Wretched tables and sooty walls don’t disappoint. For, they live like a bracket that holds the fragrance of the famous macher jhol (fish gravy), plates overflowing with the humble chicken curry and hot bhaat (rice) within it.
Ingredients are sourced from Chintadripet, Chingaripet and Vanagram markets. All food is prepared fresh with little or no waste – a practice that has enabled The Mess to maintain its steady and growing stream of customers.