There is no dearth of Chinese joints in the city serving lip smacking items that compels us to keep on visiting them and some of them turn out to be our favorite hang-out spots on weekends. In this ever flourishing gastronomical environment of Kolkata we have discovered noteworthy Chinese joints in last couple of years and without any doubt there is Buddha Bites in this list. I had been to Buddha Bites, but at their Gariahat branch for a family dinner but I had never been to their Bhawanipur outlet where I was invited couple of weeks back. To start with, I must say this is one little spot you can’t miss because of its lovely quaint exterior décor at the entrance, calm interiors and definitely because of its amazing dishes!
The place is located at ground floor of a charming south Kolkata building with old-school architecture. The entrance is not that magnanimous but extremely elaborately crafted that exudes the feel of a Buddhist monastery standing with arms wide open to welcome the lovers of Chinese cuisine of all ages! The place is surely honest when it comes to flavors, presentation and service and makes sure you come back for more. I also quite liked the fact that their dishes are priced very reasonably and quality is never compromised which is the biggest plus to stay ahead in this industry.
The interiors as already said, are pretty calm and simplistic with neat crisp Buddhist theme that is just perfect for a family dine-in spot. Though it is not a thematic restaurant and you won’t feel that you are sitting inside a Buddhist monastery or something. It has got two room or sections. The outer section remains naturally sunlit during the day where as the inner room is tad dark or dimly lit with 6 tables. The place has got wooden flooring and Ajanta Ellora themed paintings on the wall close to the ceiling. The ceiling décor is also beautiful with lovely leaf-motif designs. The unique pieces of Buddha sculptures, head pieces and paintings are surely noteworthy at this place. The seating arrangement is quite well planned out and the cutleries are perfect for this place, though I would like them to definitely place chopsticks at every table since this place serves oriental cuisine and chopsticks are an integral part of it, if the customer is not opting to use them then the same can be later removed. The background music keeps on chanting some Buddhist slokas maybe which I didn’t get since I am not an expert in that field or genre of music.
a) Seven jewel Rice with Buddha Feast – This was one fabulous dish, though it was veg but it had enough promise in it which once will realize after taking in the first morsel. Here the side is named the Buddha Feast which is basically fresh exotic veggies (like broccoli, babycorn, bell peppers, mushroom, etc) tossed with minced garlic and mild sauces. And yes, food here is MSG free so you can devour your favorite dish without worrying much. Overall the seven jewel fried rice was very mild and nicely prepared with finely diced veggies; it went very well with the Buddha Feast which has been described above.
c) Veg Hakka Noodles with Veg Ball Manchurian – The noodles were quite nicely tossed with fresh veggies and it was not at all oily or soggy. I am particularly not a fan of veg Manchurian balls but had a bite into one here, it was nice but I realize that this must be very good for one who only tries out veg dishes and especially Manchurian balls at other Chinese eateries across the town. The dish was very well presented with chopped spring onion leaves on top.
a) Chicken Fried Rice with Hakka Chicken – Actually I guess we all have hakka noodles but actually I have never had hakka chicken! So I was eager to taste it here, it is chicken tossed with green chilli and green bell pepper, and had a dark gravy. It tasted nice and it went really well with the nicely tossed chicken fried rice with veggies which was again garnished with chopped spring onion leaves on top.
c) Egg Hakka Noodles with Chili Plum Fish – One of the signature dishes of this place I guess, the plum fish tasted amazing and it was just so insanely fresh! It is plum fish tossed with spicy red sauce that will make you go gaga when you team it up with some egg hakka noodles. Worth a try!
e) Chicken Schezwan Fried rice with steam garlic fish – The side here is steam fish and has a choice of sauce like – garlic, oyster, black bean. We went in for the garlic sauce and yes we loved the garlicky touch added to it, the fish was again fresh and bit subtle in taste. It went well with the chicken schezwan fried rice that was perfectly spiced up and tossed with freshly chopped veggies.
All of them were presented beautifully with little mocktail umbrellas on top. Though each and every one of them were very refreshing and perfectly chilled, I would like mention my special liking for the Mango Cooler, Pineapple Iced Tea, and Watermelon cooler. If I narrow down further I absolutely loved the Mango Cooler, I guess it was the most refreshing mocktail I have tasted this summer! Must try for sure!
Now to wrap things up, I must reiterate that this place surely promises to impress you with the food at amazing reasonable rates. Also the mocktails will help you hold on to that refreshing moment of bliss! I would only like to suggest some better background music since the repetitive hymn is amazingly peaceful at some point of time or initially when you are listening to it, but if you pay much heed to it, then that might just cause your attention to get shifted from the amazing food and beverages served in front of you.
But overall, I must say the food along with the prompt and courteous service has got enough potential to impress your taste buds and your loved ones. So it is better not to go on reading my old-school reviews, rather just pick up the phone, make a reservation and head straight towards Buddha Bites! Enjoy your meal lords and ladies! 🙂
Cheers!
foodiedada 