Watching a lot of YouTube videos and reading articles about the very famous Bahubali Thali in Delhi or the Dara Singh Thali in Mumbai, always made me wonder why the City of Joy- Kolkata doesn't have any such thali to offer? I always thought maybe I have to visit Mumbai or Delhi to try the Thali challenges.
However, just about a month back, Kolkata's first Bahubali Thali was launched by Mr. Jeet Mondal in Salt Lake, Sector 1. The name of the cafe too is quite quirky and it signifies the tough times which we are going through with a global pandemic making our lives difficult.
'The New Normal cafe and Kitchen' as they call it where you can get the Bahubali Thali!
In fact, not only do you get to try out the Bahubali thali but also if you can complete the entire thali comprising of 30 items within 30 mins, you can win Rs 30k cash.
If you wouldn't like to participate in the challenge and wish to relish your food, you can do that as well. The thali costs just Rs 1500/- and can easily be shared by 4–5 person.
The Bahubali Thali consists of Mutton Biryani, Chicken Biryani, Basanti Pulao, Fried Rice, Jeera rice, Khichdi, Parathas and many more. Among gravy items, they have Chicken Kosha, Fish Kalia, Mixed Veg, Veg Manchurian, Chilli chicken, etc. As add ons, you also get Papad, Chutney and Green salad.
They also provide 4 drinks which include Rose Lassi, Buttermilk, Fresh lime soda and Aam Panna, out of which the Rose lassi was the best of the lot.
Ending your gargantuan meal on a sweet note, you also have a variety of desserts starting from Bengal's pride- Mishti Doi, Moong Dal Halwa, Vermicelli Kheer, Sweets, etc.
What I found really unique is that there is a perfect division of North Indian, Chinese cuisine with a touch of Bengal's most loved food items like Kolkata biryani, Mishti Doi making the perfect combination of the 30 items.
The head chef of 'The New Normal Cafe and Kitchen', Mr. Mohammad Rehman takes care of making all the dishes gracefully and beautifully presents the gigantic thali in front of you. It takes approximately 25–30 mins for the food to get prepared after you have placed the order.
If you keep the challenge aspect aside and think of it as going out with 4–5 friends and trying out the Bahubali Thali, it is very affordable considering that Rs 1500 is shelled out for 4–5 individuals making it one of the cost-effective thalis of Kolkata as well.
Apart from the Bahubali thali, they also serve sizzlers and Kebabs which is very popular among their customers.
I have linked the Google maps location and the zomato link as well for your convenience. Alternatively, you can also call at 7980219496 for your Poila baishak day out bookings.