Evening time, I was a little hungry.

Bubble Beds – Backpacker’s Hostel in South Kolkata – where I stayed, had the option of a self-service kitchen but I was thinking of local authentic snacks & tea.

I discussed this with a local friend.

Radhu Babu at Janak Road, Lake Market – one of the Oldest, Heritage, Authentic, Traditional Bengali cafes in the City of Joy for quick bites. You will have a Kolkata flavor there. A popular joint to have tea & veg./non-veg. snacks – The suggestion.

Fantastic – said I.

I searched Google. It was on Google Maps as Radhu Babu’s Tea Shop.

I followed Google Maps Directions and within 10 minutes I reached the destination.

Good location. Nothing fancy. A small cafe with unpretentious simplicity. Limited sitting arrangement. Plastic stools are placed on the footpath. The separate menu for morning and evening is displayed on the wall as follows:

Morning Items (in Rs.):
Tea – 8.00
Biscuits (Britannia Thin) – 1.00
Butter Toast per Slice – 15.00
Plain Toast per Slice – 8.00
Omelet/Poch (Single Egg) – 17.00

Evening Items (in Rs.):
Mutton Korma (1 pc) – 95.00
Mutton Stew (4 pcs) – 95.00
Mutton Cutlet (Kabiraji) – 65.00
Mutton Chop – 25.00
Chicken Korma (Per Qtr.) 1 pc – 80.00
Chicken Stew (Half) – 110.00
Chicken Roast (Half) – 110.00
Chicken Cutlet (Kabiraji) – 60.00
Fish Fry (Kabiraji) – 60.00
Fish Finger (4 pcs) – 70.00
Fish Chop – 25.00
Prawn Cutlet (Kabiraji) – 75.00
Vegetable Chop – 18.00
Tea – 8.00
Biscuits (Britannia Thin) – 1.00
Plain Toast per Slice – 8.00
Special Fish Fry – 75.00
Special Chicken Cutlet – 70.00

What to have – a thought.

Chicken Cutlet (Kabiraji), 2 Biscuits, and a cup of steaming tea – The request.

Attentive & Quick service with a smile.

The Tea is awesome and the Chicken Cutlet (Kabiraji) is lip-licking, mouth-watering, sumptuous, remarkable & unbeatable.

Chicken Cutlet (Kabiraji) – Had the very first time. A superlative, authentic experience. And the price – very reasonable.

Radhu Babu’s Tea Shop is the perfect place for chitchat/chill-out with/out friends while having snacks & tea.

Timings: 6:00 am – 10:00 am/4:00 pm – 8:00 pm (7 days open) except 1/2 day in Holi – festival of colors and Dussehra.

No doubt will recommend it. One of the best places to have breakfast & evening veg./non-veg. snacks.

But the million-dollar question was: What is Kabiraji?

I questioned my local friend and the reply is as follows:

Kabiraji is not a regular cutlet. It is an Eastern Indian non-vegetarian dish made of mutton or chicken or fish or prawn wrapped in a coating of beaten egg yolks and fried till it is crispy.

Another popular belief is that the fish fry wrapped in a coating of beaten egg yolks was the favorite of West Bengal’s iconic King of Poets – Kaviraj Rabindranath Tagore (Nobel Prize in Literature 1913), thus, the cutlet was named as Kabiraji.

Knowledge enhanced. Thank you, my dear friend – said I.

Radhu Babu’s Tea Shop – a hidden gem in Kolkata is a 90-year-old cafe, currently run by Satya Dutt – grandson of Radhu Babu. The cafe is visited by numerous luminaries and eminent personalities.

One should visit at least once. It is easy on one’s pocket and stomach with a delicious taste.

Maybe if I visit Kolkata again, will visit this cafe again. Now one of my favorite cafes.