Restaurant review-The Corner Courtyard

92B, Sarat Bose Road, Kolkata

033 40610145, +91 9903999567

Meal for two-Rs 1500/-(approx)

Kolkata! Call it the City of Joy, of congestion, of rich cultural heritage or of pollution, the fact remains that Kolkata is a city where everything exists in perfect harmony and it is a city that makes you fall in love with its charm, glory and grandeur. Here, the bygone and the modern both exists in perfect synchronization. Kolkata has always embraced and welcomed every new thing, every new beginning with loads of love and warmth.

This city might not appear any different than other cities in this country with its traffic jams, high rises, slums, malls etc but anybody who has lived here will tell you how different this city is. Kolkata is a city that you breathe, hear and feel.

This passion and love for Kolkata has made Megha Agarwal, CEO and founder, open a Boutique Heritage Hotel and Restaurant of its kind which is very aptly and warmly named The Corner Courtyard.

Kolkata Food Bloggers were cordially invited by their team to review the restaurant and their ongoing fund raiser programme for SOS Children Village Kolkata in collaboration with Actor Kunal Kapoor's online fund raising portal 'Ketto'. A special Spring Summer Menu has been designed for this which will also become part of their regular menu afterwards. This fund raising programme is on till the 26th of February. 

Myself and Kamalika dropped in their Sarat Bose Road address on a quiet Wednesday afternoon unaware of the experience that was awaiting to unfold for us.

At first glance, it is a beautiful pristine white building reminiscent of the Raj empire. The 108 years old building has been restored painstakingly and at times almost impossibly to its present day look. Inside the restaurant awaits little delights in each corner in the form of quirky vintage accessories, old photographs of the same building, books, vintage lamps and chandelier etc. The dining area calls for a special mention to a wall which is adorned with knick knack brassware like doorknobs and latches personally collected by Megha. 

The menu at The Corner Courtyard boasts of Global cuisine which is handpicked by their Head chef Rohan D' Souza. Modern presentation and use of the freshest ingredients are the key elements to each dish that they offer. 

We were welcomed with a glass of fresh Orange juice and had the lovely company of Riddhi and Namrata, from the PR team who very promptly answered our questions. Soon to join was the lady herself, Megha Agarwal who shared with us her experience of living her dream project. Head Chef Rohan and chef Chanchal very sweetly answered all our food related queries and their F&B Manager Rozario helped us by selecting the dishes for the day. 

For starters, we  were served a salad which had oven roasted beets, crumbled feta cheese, roasted crushed almonds and wine poached pear wedges with lemon dressing. The name in itself describes all the components of the very fresh and seasonal salad. I especially appreciated the crunch of the almonds  and the soft juicy beets. Served with onion rounds, tomato wedges and orange segments, this salad was quite a winner with its gently flavoured dressing. 

The second starter of the day was Grilled Italian Chicken Patties with salad Caprese and garlic aioli. Rozario made a special suggestion to eat the three key elements-chicken patty, tomato and Buffalo mozarella together to relish the dish. The softness and blandness of the cheese along with the  freshness of the tomato with the tightly packed chicken patty truly completed the gastronomic experience of the dish. The garlic aioli was gentle in its flavour which accompanied the dish well overall.

Our third starter for the day was Grilled Chicken Satays with Kafir infused Apple Red Cabbage chutney and Sweet chilli Balsamic dressing. The apple and red cabbage bed appeared as a very innovative presentation. The satay however did not stand much against our expectation. I personally felt the true satay flavours less pronounced.

Pic courtsey Kamalika Chakrabarty

Our main course comprised of two dishes, the first of which was Peruvian styled grilled fish topped with Cajun spiced crab meat with tomato tobasco butter with lemon smashed potatoes and sauteed garden vegetables. We were served a very fresh and chunky  Bhetki fillet. The spicy crab meat complemented the blandness of the fish. I especially loved the subtly flavoured lemon mashed potatoes. The portion size was exceptionally good.

Pic courtsey Kamalika Chakrabarty

Our second dish for main course was Grilled Italian Lamb meat balls with Spaghetti Americano and crumbled feta. I completely enjoyed and loved this dish which was very balanced in its flavours and had perfectly cooked and stuffed meat balls. The feta though was very subtle to our tastebuds and to our eyes and so we could not taste its identity. I wish I had gone easy on the fish to have more space for this dish.

Pic courtsey Kamalika Chakrabarty

The dessert section for The Corner Courtyard outsourced by The Rouge. Being a dessert enthusiast I was pretty unhappy about it not being made in-house. Chef Chanchal explained us the reason being space inadequacy. We were served a portion of Chocolate Eclair with creme patisserie filling and a 70% cocoa solids dark chocolate mousse. The chocolate mousse came in a dark chocolate shell which appeared very impressive. Both the desserts was just about okay for my liking. I will certainly look forward to some in-house creations by the team.  

Pic courtsey Kamalika Chakrabarty

Chef Chanchal gave us a quick tour of the rooms of the Boutique hotel each of which is designed with one key colour that represent the true spirit of Kolkata. I loved this concept and was truly bowled with the breathtaking beautiful vintage furniture that each room boasts of.

We really appreciate the time given by each member of the team and love the passion that they equally share. 

Check out Kamalika's experience here.

Amrita

Disclaimer: All views are my own and I have not been influenced monetarily or in any other way to write the review.