Terracotta Tales is much more than traditional Bengali food

The Terracotta Tales inside Aarong's flagship branch at Tejgaon exudes Bengali culture and aesthetics.

The decor and architecture is steeped in age old traditions. Even if you love the food at home, this restaurant offers a richer version of your favourite Bengali comfort food.

Food

They offer traditional Bengali food that is served all across the country.

Their starters included the beloved cream of mushroom soup ensconced in coconut shaped house-made bread.

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The fresh, creamy taste of the mushrooms was further enriched by the inclusion of bread chunks inside the cream of mushroom soup.

Other than the special presentation and additional ingredients, the soup included chicken broth, dried thyme and ground black pepper that brought all the nuances of the different ingredients together.

Then the fusion phuchka is a delectable dish that is stuffed with seafood and special seafood sauce.

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You taste three sets of their special fusion phuchkas.

The first set of phuchkas had stuffing consisting of salmon with hot mayo layered with Japanese rice at the bottom.

For the second set of fusion phuchkas they had mixed seafood that included crab stick, seafood wheat, and orange seaweed.

The third set included cabbage, hot seafood sauce.

The specialty for this set is the combination of red and green chillies, which caters to our taste for spicy food.

The first of the phuchkas reminds you of salmon and mayo sushi with a twist added by the phuchkas' crunchy exterior.

While there have been other variations of fusion phuchkas, the stuffing has never been altered to this extent.

These new stuffings are a bold move, as the removal of the much loved potato stuffing can easily deter ardent phuchka lovers.

The second batch had a much sweeter flavor that went well with the seafood sauce.

The sauce added a spicy kick to the phuchka as it softened its crunch.

Living up to the theme of the restaurant, the chingri (prawn) skewers did not disappoint as it included a mix of two types of prawns, two types of capsicum, seafood sauce, borhani, and raita chutney.

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The borhani raita had mint, pepper, cilantro, yogurt, pepper powder, mustard powder, roasted coriander, and green chillies.

The traditional borhani is usually a yogurt drink that helps wash down some rich Bengali dishes.

However, combining this drink with a condiment like raita transformed the drink into a flavorful sauce.

The sauce tasted like mint and spices, which served as a great condiment for the prawns.

Then the traditional bhorta (mash) platter is one to relish with dal (lentil) bhorta, begun (eggplant) bhorta, tomato bhorta and aloo (potato) bhorta.

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Each bhorta brought about the different tastes of Old Dhaka bhoj meal).

The begun bhorta (mashed eggplant) was soft and creamy, as the mashed brinjals lacked its original bitterness.

The daal bhorta (mashed lentils) was thick and salty and would be a great combination with white rice.

The aloo bhorta (mashed potato) includes fried onions and chillies along with mustard oil that accentuates the perfect ratio of salt added to the aloo bhorta.

This way the otherwise potatoes taste is mixed with a spicy crunch from the fried onions and chillies along with the pungent mustard oil taste.

Each bhorta can only be enjoyed with steamed white rice.

Their labra is mixed vegetables that includes potatoes, brinjal, pumpkin, ridge gourd, radish, carrot, raw bananas, cauliflower and broad beans.

This labra dish is mixed with multiple vegetables to substitute meat dishes if you are a vegetarian.

The taaki maacher bhorta (snakehead fish mash) includes snakehead fish, turmeric powder, chopped garlic, onion grilled chili, coriander leaves, and mustard oil.

The fish cooked atop fried onions combine the taste of the basic Bengali ingredients such as garlic, mustard oil and turmeric and is a satiating fish course.

The beef bhuna with khichuri is one of their specialties, as it is known for its spicy taste.

Although the beef bhuna had its gravy, the taste was only concentrated in the gravy, and the spices were also absorbed well by the softened meat itself.

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The khichuri was a traditional salty accompaniment to the spicy beef bhuna.

Their rustom is a specialty kebab where the exterior is wrapped in chicken with stuffed beef inside.

In addition the rustom includes three types of capsicum, red, green and orange.

Despite the capsicum, and two layers of different meat, it was slightly dry and disappointing.

There could have been more herbs added to the dish to enhance the taste.

Their chingri paturi is a dish where the prawn is wrapped in pumpkin and bottle gourd leaves.

The dishe include steamed delicacies such as poppy seeds, fresh coconuts, mustard oil, and lemon juice.

The presentation of the paturi did not disappoint, as the dish was wrapped in pumpkin and gourd leaves, and you would have to open the dish to dig into the delicious Bengali delicacy.

Their doi bora, served as a dessert, includes a lentil mix, ginger paste for yogurt, chopped onions, green chillies and tamarind chutney.

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The doi bora taste rests on the well seasoned yogurt that is cooked using herbs like moong beans, fenugreek seeds, and vegetable oil.

The black salt and sugar further add flavor to the potato fritters when soaked in the tamarind chutney.

The tamarind chutney includes seedless tamarind, red chili powder, black salt, jaggery, sugar, and salt as desired.

The price range for a meal at Terracotta Tales is between Tk65 to Tk1,095

Ambience

The restaurant has a calm ambiance with hanging bamboo lights, soothing earth tones and large windows.

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The greenery represents the beauty of Bangladesh, which can be seen in their food as well.

They have a rooftop, indoor, and patio seating area with lush greenery surrounding the seats.

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Similarly, the chairs stay true to the simple cocoa brown decoration and warm colours.

Verdict

This is a great restaurant for those who enjoy experimenting with food within the bounds of their own comfort food rooted in Bengali traditions.