A walk on the Mall in Darjeeling, a ride on the lovely little toy train in the hills …. Memories of happily stuffing your face at Keventer’s, if you’re partial to these then you will love The Whistling Kettle. The Nathmull’s Tea Boutique with a great selection of their tea’s as well as a beautiful selection of Tea Pots, Kettles and accessories make up a cozy little boutique which leads into The Whistling Kettle. The wood paneled warmth makes you feel mellow the minute you step in. Some thoughtfully selected photographs add to the ambiance. One corner has a small stage for live music on some evenings and there is a counter full of tarts, tea cakes and brownies on offer. We are seated in a quieter corner and settle back with a sigh of contentment.
After a rather sultry warm work day we opt for cold beverages and so Mango Iced Tea and Vietnamese Coffee are promptly ordered. I was rather chuffed when a coffee press with a healthy shot of espresso and condensed milk was bought and then mixed by hand into a glass full of ice cubes…. I absolutely loved the Coffee and will order this regularly on future visits because I am more of a coffee person than a tea one. The iced tea was refreshing and very nice.
Next came a rather large and loaded Pork Platter served with a couple of Eggs done Sunny Side up. Consisting of Ham, Salami, Sausage and Bacon along with the Eggs, it was a meat lover’s delight …. all the pork products are sourced from Keventer’s Darjeeling. I missed my toast with it but thoroughly enjoyed the platter. For those with a smaller appetite you can order various combinations of the meats and eggs to suit your individual taste. They also have an array of sandwiches for those who are so inclined.
Next up we were served up a Chicken Supreme Pizza with toppings of Chicken, Chicken Ham, Salami, Babycorn, Mushroom, Olive, Onion and Mozzarella Cheese …. an excellent Pizza and I was a bit surprised because I did not think that the pizza would be so good. However as the meal progressed I realized that this place serves up some yummy Italian food as the next two dishes unfolded. The Lamb Lasagna Al Ferno was excellent and I liked that they cooked the pasta just right. The mince was nicely flavored and was not pulverized to a paste but remained a mince and therefore the texture of the dish was as good as the taste. Our final dish in the trio of dishes we tried from the Italian section was Fish Fillet Sicilliana which was made with some nice Kolkata Bekti, tomatoes, olives and cheese, believe me we all tucked in shamelessly.
By now we had almost no space but one thing I cannot resist are Pancakes. I like mine served plain with just maple syrup and butter, no other toppings but my guilty secret is to combine my pancakes with a bit of Bacon and I had saved up the bacon from the platter for precisely this culinary indulgence. Two rather large fluffy pancakes were served and thankfully we were sharing portions but we polished it off in record time.
After a bit of browsing in the lovely Tea Boutique on our way out we staggered home with smiles on our faces reminiscing about our trips to the hills and the lovely evening we spent at The Whistling Kettle.
Address: 23/3, Gariahat Rd, Kankulia, Dhakuria, Kolkata 700029, Hours: 9:30 am – 9:30 pm, Ph: 033 3099 1224. There are a couple of steps to enter so patrons with restricted mobility will require assistance.
Rukshana Kapadia is the Founder of https://theculinarycommentator.com/ [1] and for the unabridged version of the above visit her website.