Restaurant Review: The Co. by Wok Anthems

The biggest surprise about this week's discovery is its location. Tucked away in a narrow street off Chowringhee is The Co., a small hotel restaurant in Kolkata with an eclectic pan Asian menu. Influenced by the street food from the Orient, there is an excitement about the sense of honesty and soul in the local, casual eatery that it projects.It is happy entertaining in-house guests mainly, but warmly welcomes the random walk-ins as well.
Decor
The double-layer entry is well hidden from public glare, yet the glass facade inside the main hotel lobby gives away a lot of the interiors.Cushioned amongst wallpaper of wine labels and magazine covers from yore, it is an ultra modern cafeteria setup. Rows of dining room seating with woodsy furniture with sparks of colour in the tangerine and ochre chair backs.A buffet setup, sets of Indian and southeast Asian menu and busy in-room service obviously keeps the attentive staff on their toes.
Food
The south Asian menu of course takes the centrestage.Half the fun of the evening is in the choice of the dishes presented on a table mat with an op tion of writ ing down our own selection on the perfo rated scrib ble note atta ched with a bunch of pencils provided at the table. The process gives a child-like thrill and an extra rewarding feeling with each dish. We stick to a mixed bag with veg tom kha soup (Rs.130), panggang (Rs.180), bok choi wrapped chicken dumpling (Rs. 160), crispy fried spicy mushroom (Rs. 160) followed by cucumber maki (Rs. 140) and seafood bento (Rs. 350). For mains, we go for khow suey (Rs. 180), stir fried vegetables (Rs. 200), steamed fish with chilli oil (Rs. 300) and mixed pad Thai (Rs. 150).
Plus & minus
There is lushness in the Thai soup rendered into the liquid by the sweetness of the coconut milk and spike of the lemon grass. The mouth floods with it at the first bite.The Indonesian panggang or banana leaf grill is unwrapped like a present, revealing delicately flavoured chilli flake-glazed softness of basa. The chicken dumplings arrive in a bam boo steamer and is served with a green chilli-vinegar drizzle from the top. The steam has reduced the bok choi to a dry outer layer, but inside, there is delicious chicken mince balls. The batter-fried button mushrooms are crunchy but overdone.
This isn't a high-end sushi experience, neither are the prices. But it merits seconds of admiration before eating, with the variety in sushi like salmon, prawn, tuna, crab et al. The veg maki is cucumber gently rolled around sushi rice covered in nori seaweed. A fillet of basa cooked in chilli oil to perfection highlights the mains -the delicate fragrance and clean firmness melt in a puddle on the palate. The soya burst of the stir-fried vegetables and the wok-tossed pad Thai sans the fish sauce are ordinary . The Burmese khow suey finally adds an element of theatre to our meal -the broth is delectable, but the condiments can be definitely improved upon. For dessert, dollops of lemon cheesecake (Rs. 150) served with pineapple compote creates novelty .