The Corner Courtyard - Kolkata

World  food - Club Style   The grand finale in this trip to Kolkata was all about world cuisine. Since the last ten days various virtual and real friends have been recommending many continental/international restaurants to us. It had been extremely difficult to zero down to that one choice. It was a birthday treat by a family member and therefore the selection was important from his point of view. We shortlisted three and then selected Corner Courtyard. We wanted to sit and chat in a place at leisure and then we did look up the reviews - the positive and negatives and birthday boy chose this one.   The ambience is old style and provides an aura of comfort. A residential property has been converted to a restaurant without changing the room structure where the guest room, the drawing room, the dining room, etc have all been transformed to seat guests. I walked around and the place exuded an old world English club feel.   The menu is extensive and I understand that it was curated by Chef Rohan D' Souza who has since left this venture and gone on to open his own in Australia. Cocktails were the first to arrive and I did manage to taste a few of them. I ordered a Tequila with Jalapeños and Lime Juice and that I must say was a correct choice. Two of our members down with a sore throat ordered the 'Babumoshai', a whisky drink flavoured with peppercorns, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. I did sample the drink and found it flavourful and perfect for a winter setting. The Bloody Mary was good too, where the attention to detail was evident with that celery stick provided as a stirrer.   For appetisers we ordered the Mushroom Cupcake with ricotta, Grilled Italian Chicken Bites with Aioli and the Shrimp with burnt chilli and garlic tossed in champagne. Five stars for all three, the mushroom cupcake being my top favourite.    In a situation where all members ordered their own choice of entrees - I was shameless enough to ensure that I did not miss out on sampling each one of them. We ordered the following:   a) Grilled Jamaican Jerk chicken with saffron rice. Grilled to perfection, the texture was smooth and that saffron rice was just right. b) Peruvian Bhetki with Cajun spiced crab meat and garlic rice was quite good. I liked that crab meat sauce topping.  c) The Peri Peri prawns was good but nothing extraordinary. The seasoned wedges were good though. d) The Baked chicken with spinach lasagne was very well done and was one of the stars of the show. The lasagne to repeat was brilliant. e) The rolled Chicken breast stuffed with bacon and broccoli was exquisite and to me was the best choice. f) The Turkish Grilled chicken was a wrong choice though I must admit that the spinach hummus was on it's own perfect and so was the couscous. g) The lamb tagine was the second favourite for me, the Rosemary potatoes being very flavourful.     There was no place for dessert after this sumptuous meal. Met the chef on duty - Mr. Sarkar and complemented him on the food and the presentation. You would visit The Corner Courtyard to sample it's epicurean delights and a few innovative cocktails in a club style setting. Isn't that someplace you would want to go again? I would.    

   

Green Chilly stir Fried Pork

 

  It’s been a while since I cooked Pork Curry or Stir Fry. A lunch had to be served and the demand was for pork. So churned up two items. This is the first one.     Green Chilly Pork Stir Fry   750 grams pork belly bite size pieces 2 medium onions sliced 20 Green chillies - make a paste Salt Chopped Coriander leaves Lime   Bring adequate water to boil Throw in the pork belly pieces Remove the scum and allow the meat to cook Once done drain and set aside the meat.   Heat mustard oil in a wok Add the sliced onions Once the colour changes add the chopped garlic Sauté on medium flame until the onions are brown Add the meat and green Chilly paste Add salt Continuously Stir for a couple of minutes on high Switch off the flame and add chopped Coriander leaves Squeeze lime juice  Serve hot as finger food with cocktails.