Old Calcutta Watering Holes ... & Hideouts

Song Hay

It is one of the best restaurants serving no-frills Chinese in Calcutta yet few of us know its name. It has been around for quite a long time now and unless you have been too, chances are you never heard about Song Hay in the midst of the noise and the hype. Not so of course, for the steady stream of office-folk, at day’s end, out from the grey mansions of Dalhousie and Bowbazar, from the pigeon holes of Esplanade and Central Avenue, the halls of Lyons Range, where many fortunes are made and many more go up in the diesel-smoked evenings of Calcutta.

They come quietly, even if they had been loud during the day and they usually remain quiet and dignified till it’s well past nine. I always love pushing through its heavy glass doors to escape from thankless summers, to meet someone, for good food and intoxication.

Song Hay welcomes everyone -- the modest interiors with the double pillars twined by dragons, the red Chinese lamps hanging from the pearl-colored ceiling, the calligraphic lettering of a light box, the little nooks and private spaces with tables, created so thoughtfully by the designer, have a delicate charm.   

What is it that makes a restaurant special? I have often wondered why run-down place like Olympia in Calcutta India is packed like a tin of sardines every evening while just across the street, waiters at another establishment wonder, where have all the customers gone. I have found no good reason why the loud and baroque United Coffee House in the heart of Delhi seems always short of seats while a few steps down, Volga calls its quits.

So we really don’t have an answer, what makes an eatery, a relentless crowd-puller. I have given this some thought and when it comes to my favourite watering holes and hiding places I believe it’s the feeling of comfort, that a restaurant can give its customer, that’s most important. Of course then you have price, for I am talking of places where the average person can visit. Food comes somewhere in-between the two and service sometimes matter.

The food at Song Hay has a variety that very few similar places would offer. Then, they have most of the items available, and not just menu-fillers. The fare you get at Song Hay at that price is really a steal. Tasty, good-looking, generous portions and served in basic porcelain or stainless steel plates and bowls. My favorites at this Chinese restaurant are the pork dishes – the fiery Mongolian pork, the unforgettable pork-fried, or the simple and delicious pork chowmien.

JS was asking the other day, `how could they make pork taste so delicious?’ Well, the meat of pigs is not considered particularly tasty by many, so I told him to find out from the kitchen.   

I have to warn you that I tried only a small selection from their quite extensive restaurant menu and am sure there are more discoveries waiting to be made. But if you are not in a hurry and happen to be in Waterloo Street of Calcutta, then dive into this pleasantly air-conditioned Chinese eatery with friendly waiters and ask for their `fried chicken’ and wash it down with a bottle or two of Carlsberg. If it’s still not evening, you know you would be getting a 10% discount on the bill, all the year round.

I usually drop in at Song Hay well into the evening, usually with some friend or colleague and we quickly gravitate to our favoured corner and order the heavenly Double Happiness chow mien to go with quite a few rounds of dark rum – it’s always Old Monk. I don’t care for starters or finger food to go with my evening tipple and plunge straight into the heart of the menu of one of my favourite Chinese restaurants of Calcutta.

I haven’t been to Song Hay lately because of some unplanned distraction but will be there soon. At this time of the evening they would be having their tables full, the aroma of crispy chicken rising from the kitchen, wafting through the dining halls, twining around the tables and the smiling waiters (Michael, who looks like a rock star, is usually at our table) the dragons rolling their eyes, wondering at this crowd getting ever so excited about Double Happiness chow mien and thin ginger slices soaked in balsamic vinegar.

Tops: Double Happiness Chow Mien, American Chop Suey, Fried chicken, Pork Roast (dry)

Location: Waterloo Street, Calcutta (diagonally opposite to the old Great Eastern hotel)

Hearty meal for two with drinks: Rs 600

(Carlsberg beer image courtesy Wikipedia; Chopsuey image courtesy Spicy Dragon)