Assamese Food

I suppose it's only fair to start with the home cuisine available in town, which surprisingly, is not much. The hot favourite is of course the Paradise Hotel at the Silpukhuri area (which area, unfortunately, is as far from paradise as I imagine paradise to be) on the GNB Road, to traverse on which is a test of endurance and patience. I must admit that the road's finally being widened but till such time, it's become bumpier & narrower! Once inside Paradise, which is no easy task if you have to park your car (try the lane opposite), you're in a big room with tables all over. The thing is, wherever you sit, you have to thread your way past most of the tables to reach the wash room (to wash you hands). For new initiates to Assamese food, you cannot but eat it with your fingers. Alongwith hurriedly knocked-down glasses of water, harried waiters slap the menu card on the table with the full knowledge that it wont be read. After all, its the Assamese non-veg 'Thali' or nothing.The waiter lands the thali on your table with another loud clatter (all metal utensils, fortunately) and leaves you with the no uncertain impression that he wants you to eat and go, the quicker the better. The first rule of the thali is to make sure you've got all the little bowls, right down to the one with the chilly, lemon wedge and 'kharoli'.You begin with the kharoli and a little bit of rice. Next, it's the dal & rice with the sabjee(s). Then the chicken curry, again with rice. Last, and always last, the fish 'tenga', also with rice but mixed to a very soupy constituency. If I haven't mentioned the mashed potatoes its because it's had with the 'tenga'. The chilly and lemon are optional garnishings. Second helpings of only the rice and dal are on the house. You end with the sweetened curd. Satisfied customers are known to burp on their way back from the wash room (you've eaten with your fingers, remember). Tipping the waiters is not a must.
This, to my knowledge, is the oldest mainstream restaurant serving assamese food. The thali, while retaining the essentials of bland, low fat assamese food, has not been able to retain the exotic vegetables, flavours and cooking methods, possibly due to the sheer volumes. Nontheless, if you want to eat a assamese meal and happen to be in the area, it's most certainly your best bet.If however, you want a more exotic assamese meal, you'll have to wait till it's Sunday. That's when this restaurant serves their special thali and hopefully, that's when I'll get time again to write about the place. Until then.