Bhuri Bhoj essentially means feast for the tummy. This Bengali food fest is at GGE Aroma, a restaurant in Medchal, and if you are not a Secunderabad dweller, the drive to this part of town will definitely be worth it. What makes Bhori Bhoj different from the mundane Bengali cuisine that we get to sample at every star hotel? The dishes and the sensible use of ‘sweetness’ in the dishes. Bengalis love (mishti) sweets, that doesn’t mean Bengalis add the sweet flavour in all their food like it is done at most food festivals in Hyderabad. Another observation at Bhori Bhoj is that kasundi (fermented mustard paste) isn’t the only dip on the table.

Thus we eat The dishes at Bhori Bhoj is a must try and the chef needs to be credited for the perfectly crunchy golden fried starters; chef Dipankar Sanjay Borra   | Photo Credit: Sanjay Borra

This food fest at GGE Aroma is the first Bengali food fest here, even though the restaurant is owned by a Bengali couple. This year-old restaurant, a little beyond Suchitra Junction is a cosy 75-seater place serving multi-Indian cuisine. This food fest is also a celebration of the fact that the restaurant has a good Bengali in-house chef who is also well trained in Bangladeshi cuisine. So at Bhori Bhoj, one gets to sample both east and west Bengal cuisine.

The menu has an array of veg and non-veg starters. Crunchy outside, nice and flavoursome as one takes a bite. This is the first time someone got the crust so perfectly crunchy. Unless you have a missing tooth, or teeth, you will surely enjoy the sharp crispy crust.

What to try? The cauliflower, peas chop is a win win. So is the chanar cutlet, which was made with fresh split milk solids. This cutlet is nothing close to eating anything made with paneer. These pillowy soft chops come shallow fried with a crust and every bite comes with a mild hint of fresh mustard paste. The same can be tasted on the prawn finger. Mutton lovers will enjoy the mutton chop which is perfectly spiced with a dash of garam masala.

Thus we eat The dishes at Bhori Bhoj is a must try and the chef needs to be credited for the perfectly crunchy golden fried starters; chef Dipankar Sanjay Borra  

Swarnendu Ghosh the owner of GGE Aroma isn’t a hotelier, it is his love for food that made him switch from a regular job to start his own venture. “I chose Medchal because I want to grow as I learn and understandfrom my mistakes. My team is learning as well, and I want to let them learn with me,” says Swarnendu.

Those who do not understand Bengali and think the ‘o’ and ‘a’ are misplaced in the names of the dishes, can refer to the English description against the names.

Thus we eat The dishes at Bhori Bhoj is a must try and the chef needs to be credited for the perfectly crunchy golden fried starters; chef Dipankar Sanjay Borra   | Photo Credit: Sanjay Borra

The main course was a struggle to finish with the vast variety placed in front of us. We began with sukto — a mixed vegetable dish. This is the first time, I ate a few morsels of rice with Sukto only because the look was appealing. This dish is a celebration of all flavours without letting any one distinct flavour take charge.

The fish curries too came as a surprise. Instead of the usual shorshe bata mach, the chef made a katla macher Ganga Jomuna — a dish one ought to try if they aren’t too particular about eating it just the familiar way. The other surprise was the dhakai pora mangsho. This dish from East Bengal is made with slightly charred grill mutton. The daab chingri was a delight to the palate. Only hitch is that the Gobindo chaler bhaat wasn't really Gobindo chaal.

The fest ends on February 14.