Recommendations are like any other currency. You send far too many out and they will be davlued. So, I am a little miserly when it comes to putting myself in the line of fire. But this one kind of dragged me out of the house.
And, it is not a restaurant. I had written undiluted good things about Hachiba sometime back. The team has moved on and now does something that I know no one else does in the capital – community table on the chef’s terrace and he serves what he fancies.
Of course, a set up like this demands a lot of faith in the chef and let me explain why this one just about does it. First of all, I hate meeting people. But this private gathering had none of the awkwardness of a large gathering. Second, where else can you find fresh bamboo shoots, freshly made pate (which is revelation to someone like me who only had stinking tin pates), duck egg mayo, pork with dale chili and a lot of delicious etc etc.
Food and conversations. The idea was always quite simple. We sort of lost the fun of it in forced blogger meet up, organized restaurant tables and other set ups where we meet the same set of people. At Tasallibaqsh, there is nothing common among the people than desire for food and conversations.
If you want to go, make sure you are ready to experiment. The menu changes but it is mostly food from the mountains and the north east. No chef I know cooks pork the way Shivendra does – with dale chili, sesame paste or even a simple curry. Then there are always other surprises such as Dohneihong (which is what I hope the Khasi call it) and a mash of raw banana peels and dried shrimp.
They have a facebook page by the same name. Go find them. If you are not experimental, forget all about this post.
