brush with Gorgonzola aka molten Bleu-cheese

As soon as you wake to the fact that muttering ‘Pollo Gorgonzola’ and waving a rickety wand wouldn’t let the muggle in you be a wizard, and ruefully agree to fill your mouth with a spoonful of it, a savoury magic begins to unfold! #uncookedwords #mileedroog

To the musically inclined, ‘Pollo Gorgonzola’ would appear more a Symphony than a Concerto – that explores a range wide in elements like taste and texture, as against featuring one or two in particular. Milee Droog whipped up an elaborate one of it with pan-fried Chicken soaked in Gorgonzola sauce and vegetables sautéed to a tee. And, much to my speed, Polenta. Riding on its versatility and unobtrusive taste [and a pastoral charm], Polenta - once touted as ‘the food of the poor’, is fast making inroads into thrifty meals. Perfectly set and sliced, this ‘yolk-yellow’ boiled cornmeal at Milee made a grainier, finer and tastier alternative to mash. Molten Bleu-cheese, aka Gorgonzola sauce, filled the chicken with a garlicky zest. Over a toast of alternating bites of meat and Polenta it revealed how wrong were I in seeking in a name the magic that in fact hid in Pollo’s taste all along. Satyaki, you almost nailed it!

Milee Droog...a dear friend

To me unlike many, Humperdinck typified good-food - having sung all his life as ‘deliciously’ as he looked. An unprepared bite into Chicken Blini – folded impeccably into a neat triangle filled with juicy mince, proved again how unerring had I been in summoning the foregoing simile. Gently browned pancakes cradled flavorous fills as naively as they could without failing sensually. Milee Droog - Kolkata’s lone Russian bistro, thus brought a joy that only good-food could, besides animating a sloppy Saturday evening! #uncookedwords

Reared by an empathetic husband to amuse his Russian wife with native food, Milee Droog, or ‘Dear Friend’ in Russian, soon assumed the tough task of championing Russian fare in Kolkata – that too not long after the reign of Red here had bitten the dust.

Smelling my greenness, dear Satyaki - the kind chieftain, quickly walked up promising a spread dotted with possibilities. Chicken Blini, laid open already, delighted with modesty, taste and by being just firm to the bites. Insalata Di Rucola, or a bright splash of Monet in a salad bowl, staged a lush mix of edgy Rocket lettuce and tamely poached pears tossed in reduced Honey Balsamic, elevating the meal to music whose each note pleased with freshness. And, I so atypically indulged in eating plants! 

Lebanese Grilled chicken has a proud talent of fitting even into the most erratic of spreads. Deeply flavoured with an herby marinade and spun unhurriedly on the spit, the one from Milee’s kitchen had kept us in savoury humour until the Mushroom Risotto [Risotto ai funghi] – almost a JamieOliver redefined, showed up raising the game by a notable halftone. Cooked al dente with fresh mushroom in elegantly nutty Porcini stock, this fabled rice-based delicacy of northern-Italy fused wild and the benign tasting unusually flavorous and just as creamy [don’t read muddy] as I would love. [Let me pause and dwell in a line on the glory of Porcini mushroom. Laws were framed in ancient Rome to keep the poor from this fungal bounty limiting its divine relish to highbrows.] 

Cutting through an ordinariness a classic crafted for itself often shines a timeless and simple taste. Plush Pittas and savoury Hummus at Milee - a vintage twosome, likewise prompted a hallelujah in praise. Who said classics are forgotten sooner than swallowed? What rounded out my supper was a cup of Brazilian black coffee of medium body, apt acidity and graceful nuttiness - a relish agreeably unfit for mediocre fancies! 

Irina, Satyaki’s dear wife, had hopefully as much relished reliving her land in Milee’s fare as I did 'discovering' one that evening. Those on menu that lay regrettably untasted would soon find me digging in again at Milee Droog I promise.