Special Menu Launch @ The Co. By Wok Anthems

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The Co. is the small in house restaurant of the business hotel De Empressa on Kyd Street, serving some of the best mouth watering South East Asian delicacies. Their sushi & California rolls are inarguably the best you can get on a budget in Kolkata. I had been to the place first time about three months back, even before they had formally opened to try out the menu. Recently they invited group PanchPhoron over to try out the special menu, & I am happy to share a short review of the same.

Since the décor & ambience was described in detail in the first post, I won't get into that. But it suffices to say they have built a cozy restaurant with classy elements. Also notable is the choice of music played over the stereo. The only notable change on the table was inclusion of disposable chopsticks in the box of pencil & straws, surely adds to the charm.

Coming to the special menu, we tried the following items:

Mocktails:

During the initial days, the menu was devoid of any drinks at all, though we were served some virgin & lemongrass mojitos, those failed to impress. This time around they have included seven drinks to go with the food.

Pinky Dinky:

A balanced combination of Guava & Orange juice served in a salt rimmed martini glass, with a orange wedge as the garnish. The drink looked welcoming; however the whole orange-ey thing was deceiving as the lemony kick was missing. Wish they make it a bit tangier in taste.

Tango Mango:

Fresh mango pulp blended smooth with milk & served with ice cream in a small bottle. Interestingly the mango milk shake & the vanilla ice cream weren't mixed, rather left unstirred inside the bottle, giving it a unique appearance. As far as the taste is concerned, it was too good. Maybe the best drink on the menu, surely one can order it without hesitation.

Ice Tea:

Nothing fancy here, this was served in a regular glass tumbler with ice cubes. A hint of lemon here, a bit of fragrant tea there, and this one is an all time favourite summer cooler for me. & at 80 Rs this one's a steal deal to get in a good restaurant.

Other mocktails on offer I didn't try:

Fresh Lime Soda / Lemongrass Cooler / Dracula's Fav / Virgin Mojito

Mains:

Bibimbap:

This one is a signature Korean Dish, literally meaning 'mixed rice'. However unlike regular Indian or Chinese mixed rice dishes, here the cooked ingredients are left unmixed, it's up to the diner, how they wish to consume the mix. The dish was served in a bowl, where cooked chicken along with tossed/fried vegetables like julienned zucchini & bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, diced Bok Choy & bean sprouts & a sunny side up egg sat on a bed of cooked sushi rice. Last time their Khow Suey impressed me, this time it was Bibimbap. The whole thing when mixed up had an amazing hotchpotch of flavours, colours & texture. Listed at no. 40 on the World's 50 most delicious foods list by CNN Travel (2011) I could tell why it's so! Surely a must try dish.

Balls of Fire (Mushroom / Chicken):

As the name suggests, minced ingredients mixed with Szechuan sauce, shaped into a ball, dusted in breadcrumbs & deep fried. I didn't get to try the chicken variant; the mushroom version was really tasty. However it felt a bit chewy, they promised to look after that before they formally introduce it to the regular menu. Also the spice level was quite moderate, don't expect fiery balls here.

Prawns in Lime Juice:
Medium sized tiger Prawns served with pickled zucchini. The prawns are tossed in lime juice to give the tangy taste to it. The Zucchini are more of a garnishing. Never knew that prawns tossed in only one ingredient could taste so delicious. Hats off to the chef for preparing this simple yet mouthwatering dish!

Grilled Salmon with Teriyaki Sauce:

A bit of surprise here, the fish fillets are cooked with the skin on. However if you are not a big fan of the skin, do ask them to cook it without the skin. The fish is cooked delicately, hence is absolutely soft & juicy, imbibing the flavour of mildly sweet teriyaki sauce. The fillets sit on a bed of flat noodles, which are a delight to have with the fish.

Scallops with Horseradish Cream:

The star of the evening was this last main course to be served. What they don't tell you on the menu, that this dish also contains caviar & wasabee paste. To say the truth this was the first time I was having scallops. I have had small fresh water snails before (thanks to spending my vacations as a kid in my ancestral village in Midnapore). However this was my first time with fresh water clams. The Ceviche of scallops was served with basil oil & seaweed paper infused butter. The horseradish cream serving as the base, a spoonful of Salmon Roe (fully ripe orange coloured eggs of Salmon) is place on top of a pinch of wasabee paste. I can't really recall the taste of the individual ingredients. However the lightly torched scallops, the caviar & the cream mixed with the pungent wasabee made the whole dish seriously outstanding. This is the costliest item on the menu, also the quantity quite small, however if you have that penchant for trying something unique, this one is a must try.

Desserts:

Basil infused Panacotta:

A renowned Italian dessert made of sweetened cream thickened with gelatin, this one was infused with basil leaves. Contrary to other restaurants where basil oil is blended with the cream, the infusion of basil leaves give this a subtle aroma & flavour, devoid of the bitterness.

Crepes with Vanilla Ice Cream:

A simple dessert where ice cream scoops are used as the filling for the soft crepes. Highly enjoyable delicious item to end your meal with.

Ice Cream ( Black Sesame / Wasabee )

Both are signature flavours made in house at the restaurant. The Black Sesame has a unique crunch to it, while the Wasabee flavoured one is for the more adventurous diners. Although the quantity of wasabee is kept low, very few can enjoy a pungent tasting ice cream as a dessert. However the taste being unique, I enjoyed having both.

It's good to see how Wok Anthems has evolved from former stall selling food in Bento boxes to a medium sized restaurant. It's great that they are experimenting with their foods, the special menu being a welcome addition to their already much appreciated diverse menu. I enjoyed having some wonderful dishes, in fact this visit turned out to be better than the previous one. Hopefully they will continue to evolve at this fast pace & win more hearts with the great food they cook. A shoutout to the prompt & courteous service also, which is being handled by new yet competent staffs.

Looking forward to my next visit to The Co. By Wok Anthems.

Till then

Happy Eating,

Cheers!