Twirling a strand of noodle around her fork, she smiles at me over the rim of the martini glass. The liquor inside is potent, and she decides to pick it up right at that moment. “To good life”, she smiles and toasts. I pick up my glass of Southern Somras, tinged with dark rum, apple juice and a touch of jaggery, bringing a little mineral edge to the game. We are sitting at Baan Thai, The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata, and there is an overabundance of noodle in every form – paired with alcohol made by the expert barkeep.
Noodles rule my life – I am hopelessly addicted to it in virtually every form. At Baan Thai, the ‘Oodles of Noodles’ festival promises to satiate the taste buds with some of the top picks, and the thin strands are used expertly to showcase the many possibilities.
The Prawns come wrapped in thin strands of rice noodle, deep fried and served with a tart soy-ginger sauce. The plump softness of the prawns, crisp noodle – there is a beautiful contrast of soft and crisp, the tartness of the sauce bringing the dish together.
The vegetarian in our group gives the Tofu dumpling an appreciative grin – soft tofu mildly spiced and fried lightly before doused in a garlicky, chilli-flavoured sauce before being placed on a bed of pristine white crisp rice noodles.
There are also a barrage of other drinks – the Chaitini is rather strongly milky, the tea flavour slightly overwhelmed by the vodka and cream. The Vodka Shikanji is simple but effective – with a good dash of chaat masala.
The Stir fried glass noodles has a strong hint of Sriracha. Its mildly sweet and not as hot as I would like it to be, but the strands of glass noodles are slippery and a squeeze of lime makes everything much more interesting.
The Seafood Soba Noodles have a beautiful chew to them, and a smoky char from the wok. I have a not-so-secret love for Calamari, so of course, I pick up a few of the soft rings from the assortment. The smokiness is subtly offset by the basil which brings together this dish rather wonderfully.
At Baan Thai, the mild green curry is rather comforting, and served with slippery ribbons of rice noodles, this dish left an impression upon me ever since I tasted it for the first time. Generally served with rice, the noodles are a rather welcome change, the sauce clinging to the strands, fragrant and coconutty, with a hint of heat from Thai bird’s eye chillies. I wrapped up my noodle journey here, surrendering myself to
The noodle festival will continue till the end of this month at Baan Thai, The Oberoi Grand. The menu has a few other gems as well, so head over there for a taste before its all over.
Disclaimer: Poorna Banerjee dined as a guest of The Oberoi Grand.
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