From Russia With Love: This Cafe In Kolkata Serves Pirozhkis, Pelmenis & Books From The Motherland

Milee Droog is a Russian cafe located inside the Russian Cultural Center, or Gorky Sadan as we Kolkata people know it.

Milee Droog means “dear friend” in Russian. The cafe is run by Satyaki Manna and his Russia wife, Irina Sergeyevna. Irina, who is from Moscow, supervises the food. So you can expect authentic stuff. You must try the pelmenis, blinis, khachapuris, and pirozhkis. Unfortunately, they said they had to Indianise some of the dishes a bit as people here like things spicy. What a bummer! Irina has adapted recipes to fit available local ingredients. For instance, for the khachapuri, which is a Georgian bread stuffed with cheese, she mixes together different cheeses that we get in Kolkata. For the un-adventurous, they also have pizzas, pastas and steaks and sandwiches.

Their coffees are excellent. We had the Cafe Lou Hielo – superb dark Vietnamese coffee with a plate of their excellent pirozhkis. It was heaven. You can settle down for hours with your coffee and one of the many books by Russian writers stacked on shelves. They have a few board games too. Check out the handicrafts from Russia – the wooden lacquered khokloma plates in red, gold and black motifs. And rows of matryoshka dolls. And the walls which are adorned with posters and illustrations of Russian motifs. 

The green decor and no-outside-light windows make this cafe a really calm space to be in. But in the winters, you do find yourself wishing for some sunlight. And if you are coming in a car, you may find it difficult to park somewhere - it is located on one of the most chaotic roads in Kolkata.

You have to get a pass from the folks at the gate to go in. But don’t worry, it takes a second. They are not like their uptight American counterparts on Ho Chi Minh Sarani (wink!).