Eau Chew

Critic´s Review

• Food: 4 / 5
• Service: 3 / 5
• Decor: 2.5 / 5

-By Salmoli Mukerji

There's always a novelty about the oldest places in town. With every visit, the familiarity grows and the newness of discovering heritage food fascinates, along with a wonderful experience that draws us to these restaurants, however small or worn out it may be. So when foodie friends come visiting us from the capital, we decide to showcase them Eau Chew, the 85 years old family-run, fourth generation Chinese restaurant showcasing unadulterated Huang family recipes.

Decor
A fresh coat of paint, a new signage in red and to restore the steep and often dirtied, dark stairways at the entrance through a defunct petrol pump - with red banister and ample lighting, is effort enough for one of the older buildings in central Kolkata. Inside the red swing door, which chimes at every entry, the old style red laminated tables, some circular and some square, make us nostalgic about every Chinese restaurant of Kolkata of the Sixties. Chinese incense, framed family photographs, lace curtains and local blue pottery ceramic crockery accentuate the charm of a familial ambience.

Food
Choosing from a menu in a family-run restaurant is never easy. Though the straight- forward menu promises adequate variety and taste, the smart move always is to ask the big Mama in the kitchen or go by the hear-say of strong recommendations and pre-order. A good question to begin with is 'what is the fresh pick of the day or what will you feed us tonight?' In our case, seasoned to Eau Chew delicacies, we settle for a mixed bag of the signatures from the menu as well as Josephine's suggestions on quick consultation: the legendary Chimney Soup, medium (Rs.400), Pork Spare Ribs (Rs. 450) - a special, on this occasion, Josephine Noodles (Rs.350), Roast Chilli Pork (Rs.280) and Sauteed Greens (Rs.100) it is.

Plus & Minus
Eating at Eau Chew is like eating with a Chinese grandma. The simplicity and freshness of a home-style frenzy of food stuns, yet again. The steaming hot Chimney soup comes in a chimney-fitted metal bowl with live charcoals, with patches of eggs, prawns, fish, chicken and greens sitting in a pool of golden delectable broth. Once we dig into the beautiful ribs, delicately flavoured, melt-in-the-mouth, moist and meaty, we are in food heaven. Josephine Noodles comes with a pleasing meld of taste, crisp and wet in a dousing sauce, flecked with a generous chunk of veggies, chicken, mushrooms and prawns. The roast of the night, is pork slices seared in its luscious juice with red onions and slight tingle of green chillies. The Greens is a dish of rustic simplicity, with baby spinach tossed through with strong garlicky flavours, crunchy and tender. This meal has decadent, comfort food written all over it.

Must Try
Josephine Noodles Veg and Non-Veg, Roast Pork Chilli, Salt & Pepper