Lunch Out: Mangio

Reminds me of that game of sticks I used to play when I was a kid… you know… where you took away one stick without hurting the others? That one.

So I am being boiled alive for the last few days, and I swear its not a pretty thing. But, yesterday D told me ordered me to come over and I did, and reached Mangio at Alipore Road. For the uninitiated, Mangio is a fabulous restaurant in Kolkata, mostly serving global cuisine, and a huge array of salads, soups and sandwiches. It is owned by Lovey Burman, the owner of Kookie Jar, one of the best places for cakes and pastries.

Naturally, we were peaked about the thing.

So when we got a pair of menus, one iPad and the other one paper, we pored over each dish, checking the pictures, and then we decided on what we wanted.

Interiors of Mangio

I turned rogue and started taking snaps, drinking chilled water while our order got prepared. Both of us were pretty much unsure about what we wanted to have, D said that we should pack everything and go home and eat it, and in the end decided that we wanted a bit of this and that.

First up was the Mushrooms Stuffed with Feta Cheese (INR 290/-).

The Divine Mushrooms with Feta Cheese Stuffing

Let me tell you how these were. Beautiful, warm pieces of perfectly cooked mushrooms, stuffed with an oozy feta mixture which was just hot enough and thankfully not too salty with a beautiful slice of pimiento on top. I picked up a stick, and carefully ate one. It was. Oh God. Good. So Good. I wanted a few plates for this.

See the salad below? That’s a rocket, romaine and purple lettuce salad, with drops of caramelized balsamic vinegar. I used the lettuce to mop the vinegar off the plate.

Next, our main courses came.

First, the Chicken Steak with Mushroom Jus (INR 500/-).

Though I know that you see mushroom gravy here, and not jus, but I for one, am not complaining. The steak was perfectly cooked with crispy skin (YUM!), the potatoes were warm, soft and the snow peas crunchy, which is what I like.

I shared my plate with D and then sneaked mushrooms off of her.

Homemade Fettuccine

However, let me tell you about the other dish. This was the picture of simplicity. House made fettuccine with Mushrooms, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Onions and shavings of Parmesan Cheese (INR 400/-). It had me fight with D to get the last bits of this picture of simplicity… perfect for a hot day when you want something light. The pasta stood out in its own taste, and needed little enhancements apart from a drizzle of olive oil, and some stir fried ingredients tossed together.

We were quietly satisfied, but we are gluttons still. D was targeting the Tiramisu, but we were told that it would not be available, so I told the server I wanted the Molten Chocolate Cake with homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (INR 275/-). He promptly told me, he would be happy to oblige, but it would take some time. 20 minutes to be precise, as the cake would have to be baked.

Would we let go of such a gorgeous opportunity?

Nope.

So we continued chatting and watching the place, and then it was showtime.

Here are the BEFORE and AFTER pictures. I hope you don’t hate me afterwards.

AFTER.

No Words.

The bill was around INR 1650/- after tax and all. Not cheap by any Kolkatan means, but very, very satisfying. Afterwards, we walked off happily ever after.