There was a time when the chitchats & addas used to take place at the para'r roak/ some restaurant 'cabins' munching on some 'aat anaar dalmut' while sipping from a 'maatir bharer chaa'. That's quite a thing of the past now. In fact so distant that many from the younger generations don't have a clue so as to what 'roak/cabins' mean.

To say the truth even my understanding of those is largely from Bengali story books, most of which again have disappeared behind the colourful covers of harry potter! Anyway this is not about my rants regarding the changing scenario of the kids of our generation! Coming back to the tea sipping , badam bhaja munching thing, that has been quite abolished when Kolkata got introduced to the swanky coffeeshops to the likes of cafe coffee day, Batista & other multi national fast food outlets like McD & KFC. I have nothing against their food or patrons but , people may find them good. But personally I don't like the monotony of things. Each outlet of those giants seem like another brick the wall. The same décor, the same food, the same drinks prepared in a mechanical way. That totally ruins the excitement of trying new things. Add to that the push sales strategy of all these chains. No! I don't want extra whipped cream. No! I don't want extra cheese. If you want me to have it the way it tastes better make it the way it's supposed to be & don't make me pay the extra premium! So these are the things that have made me shun the chains & look out for new outlets, small cafes which are opening up now and then. Sometimes the experience is good, sometimes disappointing , but in the end it always has been an added bonus to have tried out new items with new flavours as the chef's have wanted. These discoveries have taken me to various corners of the city & find out cafe owners who are not just hell bent on making profit from what they do, but also serve to people what they love. One such cafe is 'Crossroads Cafe' which I visited few days back as part of PanchPhoron when the co-owner Mr. Vishal Kajaria invited us over for a bloggers meet & food tasting session.

Locating the cafe is super easy. It's situated at literally the 'crossroad' of Prince Anwar Shah Road & the road towards southern avenue (Baroj Road acc. To Google). Its located on the ground floor. Though there is no dedicated parking space, you can park your car on the opposite side of the road.

It was a summer morning, however intermittent rains had made the weather somewhat bearable. As we entered the cafe we were greeted by Mr. Subroto Chakroborty, the Chef who had prepared a sumptious meal for us. We had a brief chat about the cafe, the food, but the food was too tempting to wait, & we digger in. We tried the following items:

Mango Passion Twist:

Fresh & ripe mango pulp blended with passion fruit juice with a hint of mint, this one was a bit thicker in consistency compared to regular mango shake, with a slight grainy texture, this was a delight to the tastebuds.

Passion Fruit Lemonade:

A fizzy lemonade is always a great drink for these scorching summer days. The added bonus was the addition of passion fruit syrup. Served in a mason jar with lots of ice cubes this one was instant hit among us, & must be among others too!

Cafe Latte:

This was the first drink I ordered. Was quite good, in fact amount of milk was fair compared to some places who just make it watery with lots of froth on top.

Virgin & Blueberry Mojito:

Both of them equally good, the blueberry version scoring a little extra for the extra tangy kick . Again these are served in mason jars, quite chic to look at, while being incredibly good at quenching the thirst.

Irish Cold Coffee:

Obviously this is served in the virgin form, but the extra bitter Irish Coffee, sans the pretentious whipped cream on top was a delight to have. The mix was thick, proportions of coffee & milk great, delicious to the last drop.

Caramel Cold Coffee:

A variation to the regular cold coffee with added caramel syrup blended in. To say the truth I found this not much different from the Irish one, just a hint of the caramel. Given a choice I'd rather stick to the regular cold coffee.

Kulfi Shake:

The last drink to arrive on the table was this. Though it resembled a glass of passion with some mixed ingredients from the outside, that was quite a deception which was instantly blown away as soon as we took the first sip. Pista kulfi blended with condensed milk, creamy milk & sugar blended to a fine creamy consistency, this was the one I loved most. 

After the shakes & drinks, it was time to taste the foods. Again the list was quite long.

Sweet Corn Balls:

The first item to arrive at our tables was this amazing dish. Perfectly fried crispy Tempura American Corn made into balls with crispy batter, presented with a dollop of chili cheese mix on the top. The crispness of the outer corns, softness of the inner & the not so hot chilis made this one a hot favourite, I swear I would have finished the whole plate if not stopped by fellow group members.

Harissa Chicken Skewers:

Grilled Chicken Skewers, to make it simple was the next dish to arrive. Though the fiery red colour of the chicken looked strongly artificial, to our surprise the Chef confirmed them to be all natural. The outer layer was quite stiff, while the inner layer juicy & flavourful.

Thai Spice Crispy Fish:

Fresh & soft pieces of fish hiding inside a crisp coat of batter, tossed in basil sauce & thai spices this one was another amazing dish. However the usual lemongrass flavour was missing, not that I'm complaining.

Barbeque Chicken Roasted Pizza:

All those people fed up with dominos & pizza hut, I ask you to try this just once. Not that this is the best Italian joint in town. But definitely this smoked chicken chunks in house barbeque sauce pizza is worth a try. The sauce being prepared in-house, has its own unique flavour which was great.

Classic Burrito:

Cooked beans blended to perfect mix & then wrapped in a lightly grilled crisp tortilla bread, served along with fries,pickle, dip & salad. The pickles are made in-house & are insanely tasty. The burritos itself were tasty too, considering I am more of a non-veg person, any vegetarian will find it much better.

Grilled Cottage Cheese Bruschetta:

Chunks of cottage cheese lightly grilled so as to not charr them, yet leaving the distinct grill marks, laid out on crisply grilled bread & a generous serving of sweet sauce sandwiched in between, this came as quite a shocking discovery. 'Don't judge a book by it's cover' was the cottage cheese shouting at me. Worth a try.

Green Peas Burger:

Green peas & beans cooked, mashed & then made into a crisp patty, topped with mustard mayo, fried onions, cheese, salad inside the buns. The non-veg version also includes a poached egg which just adds more to the look & taste. Enjoyed to the last bite.

Pizza Earthy Veggies:

The veggie pizza with mushroom, tomato & garlic is far less impressive than its non-veg counterpart. Yet the bread was crisp & quite likeable. Dishes like this make me wonder what the vegetarian people are missing out in life. 😀

Chicken Beaten Steak:

This one came along with risotto & topped with fine potato straw. The chicken was beaten to a flat, so much so it looked like an omlette to me. The sauce that the steak was cooked in was tasty & in stark difference to the cheesy & creamy risotto. The topping in the form of potato straws was a perfect match to the risotto. 

Barbeque Roasted Chicken:

Soft chickens along with potato chunks sauted in barbeque sauce & served along with pilaf rice. Their Barbeque sauce is in one word  Finger-Licking-Good. It greatly complemented the rice as the sauce of choice.The last dish & this one actually came as a surprise to me. These were not something that one would usually find in a cafe. These are quite a meal by themselves & perfect for a brunch.

Grilled Fish with Stir-Fried Vegetables:

Although this one was served around halfway of the meal, I saved this one to write at the end. Cause this one has to be the best looking & best tasting dish I had at Crossroads. The pastry basket the fish came in actually looked like a large flower with the soft juicy grilled fish sitting at the centre. The lime & caper sauce was perfect to go with the grilled fillets, with herbs & paprika sprinkled on top while buttered garlic breads sat at the sides. I could write some more lines on the items, but rather I would like to ask you to visit the cafe,if not for the other items, then at least for this one. Only then can you realise with how much care this dish is prepared by the Chef.

Dessert:

Chocolate Monte Carlo:

By now everyone was pretty full. Inspite of that one can always make some room for dessert, specially one that's as good as this. Made with Chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream, sugar syrup & topped with chocolate sauce & crushed cashews drizzled on it. Surely it had to be great tasting , with so many lovely ingredients to boast of. & Tasty it was. A perfectly sweet & satisfying note to end the meal with.

As you may have realised by now,that this one was hell of a meal. Most if not all the items hit the right spot in the taste bud. The cafe is not confined to serving coffee & light snacks only. Rather a wide variety of dishes from varied parts of the world awaits you. It was a fine discovery on my part. & Surely I'll be going back for more. In fact I could not actually taste their signature fish burger as I was in a hurry. The other members who tried it could not stop praising it. It was in fact good that I missed it. That way I'll surely go back for it.Untill then

Happy Eating,

Cheers!