Kolkata, along with crowned with the title of the city of Joy, situated in the eatern part of India, is famous also for its sweetness, well not entirely for its people but because of the number of sweet places one can locate here.
You may or may not find many toiletries in every lane but you will definitely find atleast a couple of dessert places. Well, that’s the speciality of Kolkata- you can fill your stomach in the most sweetest way possible.
So in order to explore my city, I thought about exploring the sweet tooth in me. And the idea struck me, what’s better than zeroing all the famous eatteries in just one spot?!
And that’s how I made my way to Mishti Hub, in Eco Park, New Town. Misthti Hub is like a paradise for all sweet-tooth out there. One can find varieties of traditional, seasonal as well as new contemporary sweets there from the best of Bengal’s manufacturers. It houses biggies like :
| KC Dass |
| Banchharam |
| Gupta Brothers |
| Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick |
| Ganguram |
| Nalin Chandra Das & Sons |
| Mithai |
| Mishti Katha |
| Naba Krishna Guin |
| Hindustan sweets |
The ambiance is very soothing and reminds you of the old times. The flooring gives you a very ancient look and you truly get transported to the books of history where you have read about it.
There are about 15-16 wooden drawers that have such cute graphics on it- primarily signifying the importance and varieties of sweets in all of India’s culture, tradition, festival and religion. And without a doubt, Kolkata is a haven for that.
My first stop was KC Das: where I had Strawberry Rosogulla. It’s not Rasgulla but it is Rosogolla. Anyone would be lying if they say they don’t like Rosogulla 😛 and I am no different. Trying the strawberry flavored is my guilty pleasure and it was very yummy. All the Rosogulla are priced at Rs. 19 each at KC Das. KC Das is one of the most reputed confectioners in Kolkata and it has more than eight outlets at prime locations.
Next stoppage was Mishti Katha, where we had the seasonal Baked Aam Dahi (Baked Mango Yogurt). Mango is the king of all fruits and yogurt is kind of all good protien so this amalgamation is truly a must have for everyone. It’s perfect for people diabetic people also and is priced at rs 40. On enquiring from them, they told us that every month they come up with new flavours and varities. I am personally waiting for their black currant flavour. 😀
Our next sweet stop was Ganguram where we had a unique flavored Parwal or Potol mithai. Google tells me its English name is pointed gourd so you can remember what’s that vegetable. But like every child, I had a huge dislike towards this until one day my grandmother made me eat this. It has a coating of barak and the filling is of chenna and if you have a fetish from this green vegetable, I urge you to try this. If not fully, at least you will like this sweetened version of this vegetable. 😛
Our next stop was Banchharam. Banchharam is famous for its “Abar Khabo” mithai which literally translates to “I will eat again.” Even on a weekday at 7 pm, the rush was so loud that their abar khabo was finished hours before the third slot of the day could come. We waited but we could not try our hands on that. Instead, we had a Kheer kodom. Priced at 15 rs, it has a coating of rice and chenna.
My favorite in the list was definitely this not so sweet but a very good version of milk cake, also known as Chenna Cake by Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick. Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick is famous for is Baked Rosogolla but since I’d already had Rosogolla I thought of trying their equally popular Chennar cake and it was HEAVEN (IF YOU LIKE CAKE THAT IS A LITTLE LESS SWEETENED). One can almost precisely taste the chenna in it and its a sinfully true comfort food. Pocket Pinch: 100g for Rs 45.
How can you dish complete with sondesh? Sondesh, which in English translates to “A message” is what completes everyone’s dessert palette. The next on my way was this two very cute looking seasonal sondesh, Kancha and Pakka aam (Kaccha and Pakka Aam ka Sandesh). With its main hub at the heart of Hatibagan and Dhakuria, Nalin Chandra Das & Sons have been alluring the Bengal’s sweet tooth with the inventions and freshness. Their display was filled with colorful display of which can instantly make you so happy just by looking at it. Priced at a literally nominal rate of 15rs each, these kaccha and pakka aam flavored sondesh just made me the happiest!
I was making my way forward but this lady’s such a sweet glimpse caught my attention. As sweet as she looked, I tried her suggested Chanar Murki which was different from the regular sondesh and rasmalai. 100grams costed me 30 rs from Naba Krishna Guin. If you like experimenting, definitely try out this murki and its more like the sweet petha we Jains make at home, this one though had chenna as its base.
We were so full with so many sweets that we substituted with a Mishti Doi from Hindusthan Sweets. A hallmark of Kolkata, Hindusthan Sweets with its main hub in Jadavpur, is every South Kolkatan’s delight. A cup of mishti doi was Rs. 28.
Finally, we concluded our mithai journey with Mithai where we had Kanchakolla Sondesh. (Unriped Banana Sandesh). If you like Bananas, please be assured this flavour is surely going to stay in your tastebuds for quite some time. With goodness of banana’s potassium and sondesh’s calcium, I am waiting for the day when dieticians make this a necessary in our meal. 😛
Soooooo… How did you like it? I hope I was able to incite the sweet tooth in you! If you are someone who resides out of Kolkata, pack your bag and visit this mishti hub ASAP (LITERALLY) And if you are from Kolkata, hey, you know where you should be spending your Saturday morning at! 😀 😀
