The first Chinese settler in Calcutta, Yong Atchew, arrived around 1780, and was followed, over the next two centuries, by more of his fellow-countrymen, who established Calcutta’s original Chinatown, around Bentinck Street and Phears Lane. It’s now been replaced by the `New Chinatown’, in Tengra- and it’s here that you’ll find some splendid Chinese grub. It’s very much part of Kolkata’s culture, and the ambience is a delicious combination of China and Bengal. Although there are a lot of Chinese restaurants around, Kim Ling’s a personal favourite.Kim Ling looks fairly inconspicuous on the outside; look sharp, or may just miss it. The restaurant’s large, and is divided into a number of rooms, one of which functions as a bar (my sister headed off in that direction, and was immediately turned back by a vigilant usher, who apparently didn’t think women could- or should- go to bars!). Anyway, we were ushered, down a narrow and rather dingy corridor, into a tiny room with four tables- a `family room’, we were later assured. The room was fairly typical: pastel wallpaper, faux Chinese-style wooden tables and chairs (you know what I mean: geometrical designs, crimson satin upholstery and the like) and a clutch of attentive waiters.
What matters, of course, is the food- and it’s excellent. A decent enough selection of fried rice, noodles, seafood, lamb, chicken and the like, and all of it tempting. We ordered golden fried prawns (which came with a deliciously crisp, thin crust); chicken wonton soup (highly recommended: the soup’s gloriously clear and the wontons delicate), mixed fried rice (good, but not much different from what you might find elsewhere), Szechuan chicken, and fish with green pepper. The latter, (this being Kolkata) was particularly good, with the fish wonderfully fresh. The bill came to just over Rs 1,000 for three people, which works out to about US$7 per person: good value for money.