Growing up days – fast foods at Ralli’s

Ralli Singh at Esplanade was famous for its North Indian fast foods like chaats, kulfis and rose syrup – in fact, Ralli Syrup was a brand name by itself that mattered to the discerning foodies of the 1960s.

It was difficult to get a table at Ralli’s and patrons had got accustomed to some sort of waiting time. The joint was in three portions.
The front portion was right on Chowringhee Road and the crowd here was mostly of singles or couples. For the families, there was another section at the rear. One had to cross a courtyard to reach there. A huge aquarium in the room added a new dimension to the set up and, here, there were comfortable sofas. The waiters who attended to the patrons here expected tips and would go out of their way to satisfy the patrons.
Then there was a third section – it was at the upper level and one had to climb a set of stairs to get there. This was, as a rule, reserved for those who wanted a bit of privacy, mostly couples.

I would usually drop in after the movie ended – and would ask for a plate of aloo chaat and a glass of rose syrup. The chaats are North Indian fast foods like the lassi and the kulfi. And – Ralli’s did yeomen service in popularizing unique North Indian dishes. (to be continued …)