Shaikh's — Restaurant in Kolkata

Enjoy the bold and rustic flavours of the Middle East only at Shaikh’s Park Circus

A place known for their Arabic and Lebanese cuisine , Shaikh’s is all about unconventional and rare to find dishes in Kolkata. It offers much more than you can think of when the word Arabic or Lebanese comes to your mind. From Shish Taouk to Kunafas , from biryanis to baklavas they have added a lot of items on their menu specially due to the local demand.

And if you are into beef, this place is surely a place that you need to visit to satisfy your beef cravings. Though my review is solely based on other meat options hence I might not be the best person to suggest you about beef dishes in Kolkata.

Located in Park circus , Beckbagan this is just minutes away from Quest Mall. They offer both indoor and outdoor seating but one would surely prefer to be inside in the cool because of this hot and humid weather in Kolkata. There is minimal decor, the food is what people go here for and not the ambiance.

We kicked off with the Chicken Al Fahm kebab, which is an Arabic version of our very popular tandoori chicken. Here the whole chicken was marinated with yogurt and spices and grilled in the tandoor. You can pair it with any naan or parantha if you wish to. The gravy is delicious. Then we moved on to chicken khanjar kebab. A khanjar is a knife and the dish had a unique presentation with a khanjar stabbed on a pile of kebabs served with a dark coloured sauce.

For the mains we had a chicken biryani , some garlic and kashmiri naans and paired them with chicken al fil fil handi and chicken malai handi. The al filfil handi had boneless chicken cooked with a green gravy where the dominance of coriander was present. The malai handi on the other hand was a rich creamy whitish chicken preparation sweet to the tastebuds. The chicken was cooked well and hence were tender. The biryani was good with minimal spices and good flavours.

There is no way you can leave the restaurant without having a middle eastern dessert. We had their aashtha halwa which was presented in the form of a cake with the base being a layer of halwa topped with white cream topped with dry fruits and crushed rose petals.

We also had the kunafa which gained somewhat popularity after it was presented on Shark Tank India. It is a traditional middle eastern dessert made with spun pastry called kataifi soaked in a sugar based syrup called attar and layered with cheese garnished with pistachio. Both these desserts were a surprise to me as I found them very interesting...

Your foodgasms done right at Shaikh's, Beck Bagan

With the fury of meat unleashed in this restaurant, each and every item served here has a royal variant infused to it. Now one may ask why should this place be compared to other places that serves beef in the region, let me tell you that this place, apart from it's brilliant, mouthwatering Chicken Harissa Biryani, a WHOLE chicken served with an insane amount of rice, there are other items not traditional in the locality.

Coming to the starters, the Beef Kebab Platter was what stole my heart. 4 types of beef served up in a plate, each more tender than the next is a must have if you ever step into this place. The chicken variant of what was served was the Makhmali Kebab, a smooth, mellow rendition with smokey boneless chicken marinated in cream and yoghurt.

The breads that were served were primarily naans, with three versions of it, namely the small cute Baby Naans, the Garlic Naan with a strong flavor infused into the bread and Afghani Naan, which has sesame seeds. These were paired with Chicken Malai Handi, a similar mellow malai rendition of the gravy that surrounded, along with Chicken AlFilFil Handi, both of which are literally served in a pot or better known as "Handi". If these breads are not what you seek, there is always a lightly spiced Musafir Pulao that is easy on the palate.

This place also has its heart set in Lebanon as they introduced us to Chicken Shawarma and their subsequent variants in the form of wraps, salads and platters which was a brilliant gastronomic tour around the world.

The dessert was called the Asta Halwa, a Lebanese take on suji topped off with cream and garnishee with edible rose, almond and pistas. Every bite you take literally melts in your mouth as you cannot stop helping yourself from indulging in it.

Saving the best for the last, a literal foodgasm is evoked with the Chaanp Al Habibi, or for the layman, Beef Steak, that is so tender and juicy that it would put grapes to shame. Served with a side of French Fries and sauteed veggies, the steak is simply one of these things here that you CANNOT miss.

When you walk into this place, you may not understand that you might just be walking into the one of the finest places in the region. But trust me when I tell you, everything is worth a try...

The frequent posts and pics from Shaikh's forced me to try this place. Kolkata has a lot of beef joints but the food here looked and sounded interesting.

Nestled at Beckbagan row near Park Circus 7 point crossing, this gem is just opposite to Alam Pharmacy. It would not take much time and effort to find this place.

The ambience is not something great to write about but it has a cozy and quaint atmosphere (may be coz I went there in the afternoon). But then, I was not there to judge the ambience. Food was the only thing on my mind.

Without wasting any time, I ordered Beef Chanp Al Habibi Platter and Beef Baqar Roast Platter. A word of advice for my fellow beef lovers, do not order them together, since the portions are massive, by the time you finish one, the other dish may become cold.

We were told that both the fish would take around 20-30 mins time. We settled for mocktails and masala thumsup to get our machines running.

Surprisingly, the food came to our table within 15 mins. Now let's talk about the food.

Beef Baqar Roast - Thinly sliced chunks of beef roasted to perfection and served with french fries and sauteed veggies. The chunks melt in your mouth and has a distinct taste. The accompaniments accentuate the taste but never interferes with the beef flavor. This is something that can be easily shared by 2-3 people.

Beef Chanp Al Habibi Platter - Finding a Ribeye steak in Kolkata at this price point is unbelievable. Add to that the massive size and perfect fat to meat ratio, this dish is a perfect treat to the senses. The flavor is never overpowering and helps you to savour the taste of the meat. This is also accompanied by French fries and sauteed veggies with similar effects like baqar roast. I remember having a big smile on my face every time I put a morsel in my mouth. The meat melts in your mouth and is a treat for your senses.

This is probably the best beef steak in Kolkata at this price point.

I am already making plans to visit again and try other items...