Teej - Royal Rajasthan

Whenever we say "eating out ... and going for a vegetarian restaurant", the faces around do not look that interested. Well ... everyone have their own choice ... and we like Veg and Non-Veg equally ... off course depending upon our mood :)

So when we decided to go for a complete vegetarian lunch last month, my wife suggested Teej, the Rajasthani theme restaurant. We have had lunch here a few times before and just loved it. Apart from its grand decor, the first thing you will notice are the friendly waiters. When we visited for the first time they patiently described each dish in detail for us. That was some experience!!!

The restaurant is at Russell Street (2, Russell Street, Kolkata). Just about 2 mins walk from Park Street and after Bengal Club you will find a Rajasthani haveli. Teej is on the first floor of this house.

Teej gatekeeper with his
Rajasthani dress and pagdi

The stairs decorated
with paintings

Rajasthani style windows
on the first floor

Once inside you will find the dining hall with rich, hand painted walls and ceilings. There are also lots of paintings and sculptures. While you enjoy the beautiful interior, you will be approached by the waiters, dressed in Rajasthani outfit and pagdis. Also it feels royal as the food is server in silverware.

For starter we ordered our favorite Jodhpuri Mirch Ke Pakode (stuffed banana pepper / banana chili) served with green chutney (made from Coriander leaves / Cilantro / Dhonepata) and salad. The chutney tasted great and you can even try it with the papads (they serve lots of papads).

For the main course we ordered the Rajsi Thali (Rajasthani Thali). It contains Rice, Daal, Bati, Churma, Dahi Kair Saangri, Jodhpuri Gatte, Jaisalmiri Chana, Meethi Manguri, Rajasthani Dahi Vada, Bedwi Puri, Missi Roti, Sweet and Chhach.

The sabjis tasted great and distinct. The Dahi Vada was not like the ones available commonly at Calcutta, which are smoother. I think the difference is due to the daal used for the vada. Daal - Bati - Churma is one of the most loved Rajasthani dishes. But we liked the sabjis more. Although the churma was great, the bati and daal was just OK for us. Both the rotis were good with completely different taste. And the Chhach (Rajasthani Buttermilk) was refreshing. It was more salty than its Bengali version.

The thali becomes limited if more than one person shares it. With the amount of food served, I think for most a thali will be enough for two. You just need to order an extra glass of Chhach and maybe a roti or two.

Bedwi Puri (above) and Missi Roti