In mega-metropolis like Mumbai, there is no dearth of Restaurants and Eateries, from 5 star delight to wayside one to cater to entire spectrum of its population, both resident and floating from all walks of life. Being an out-an-out cosmopolitan culture, people from any state or region of a state will find foodstuff to their specific likings. With the change in life style, more people venture out for eating outside on weekends apart from on business on weekdays.
The weekend visit to a restaurant is often becomes the meeting place of a family, who are otherwise busy is their vocations and with different timetable. This is when grandparents do join family with their grand children, where such bonds are still in existence. This is also a time to show our outstation or overseas family members or visitors the culinary fineries that exist in this metropolis to eat what they long for or like to try out some exquisite dish and enjoy.
All types of cuisine from Continental, Indian, Chinese, Thai, Lebanese, Italian etc to our great Mughlai, Audh, Peshawari, Kashmiri, Hyderabadi, South Indian to regionals like Malvani, Gomantak, Kolhapuri and now Bengali are available. In search of typical Bengali cuisine, apart from ?Oh Calcutta?, one more restaurant (to my knowledge) you can venture, it is ?Zaffran?? small but air-conditioned and neat place. During our recent visit, we enjoyed typical Bengali dishes like Hilsa fish in mustard paste, Hot gravy of Rohu fish ( Kaliya) like salmon, Chingri Malaikadi ( a specialty of prawn preparation) apart from vegetarian dishes like Jhinge posto (made of poppy seeds), Dhokar Dalna, Sukto, Mocha Ghanta to anme a few.
They have whole lot in their menu, which include mutton preparations too. Such specialty dishes of Bengal do not pinch your pocket in this place. Group of three can have taste of most of these dishes with satisfaction within Rs.1000, including some well known Bengali sweets like Misti Dai (Sweet Curd), rasgolla, cham cham etc.
They take slightly longer time to serve your desired dish, as they prepare it to your specific taste by varying pungency, sweetness, lighter or thicker gravy unlike other places.
Hence, one should not forget to mention the preference to get the taste to his/her liking. Those, who are almost detached from Bengal, would certainly find this place interesting as Zaffran can provide culinary delights of Bengal!