Author: aninditaroy444

LUNCH AT WESTIN: The Westin hotel is part of a global chain and is located at Rajarhat opposite Eco Park Gate No 1. There is a set lunch happening at Nori, the Asian restaurant on the thirty-first floor. This set lunch is on till 29th Nov Mon to Fri 12-3 pm. I was seated at a table with the breathtaking view of Rajarhat overlooking the Rajarhat Lake and the Mother’s Wax Museum. The staff was too attentive and hovered around me like a holicopter. They stopped several times at my table to make small talk with me. The kitchen worked at a very slow pace and it took me one and a half hours to complete my meal. I was first served the dimsum items Chicken Sui Mai, Prawn Hargao and Chicken Gyoza. All the items were delightful in taste but my only grouse was that they were too small in quantity. Next came the Chicken Noodle Soup which was strictly okay. They took some time to serve the Main Course which comprised of Herb Rice and Minced Chicken Curry. The preparation was top-notch and I relished the dishes thoroughly. They then served the desserts which was Mango Pudding accompanied by a caramelized banana. I savoured the taste of the desserts gleefully. At the end I was served hot jasmine tea. Although the taste and presentation of the set lunch was top-class I felt shortchanged with the small quantity of food which was not commensurate with the hefty price. Overall, strictly okay.

POTBOILER COFFEE HOUSE: This cafe is located at Triangular Park at 92/1B Purna Das Road Phone: 093309 64842. It is situated on the second floor but there is an elevator. The cafe is spacious and adequately furnished. I was alone in the cafe with no other customer in sight. The staff greeted me with a smile and was quite adroit. The menu was pretty limited. I ordered the Desi Omlette, Pesto Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich and Chicken Sausages. The Desi Omlette tasted regular -it came accompanied by buttered toast. The Chicken Sausages tasted good-they were juicy and succulent. The Pesto chicken Sandwich did not taste good at all. They put too much Pesto making it taste bitter. A better version is available at Starbucks. They did not pace the presentation of the dishes and brought everything at the same time. I also ordered cold coffee which was not bad. The prices were on the higher side. My experience ranged from okay to awful and I probably would give it a miss the next time.

MONKEY CHEF: This restaurant is located where the Pujo of Ballygunge Cultural is held. It is located at 14B Lake View Road Phone: 070448 11400. This is an ultra-small eatery with only 12 seats and is mostly a takeaway joint. This place turned out to be a powerhouse of gastronomical delight. I ordered the Chicken Sweet Corn Soup, Prawn Salt and Pepper, Prawn Fried Rice and Chicken Chilli Wine (Half). The Chicken Sweet Corn Soup was very delectable. The Prawn Salt and Pepper was quite appetizing. There was nothing exceptional about the Prawn Fried Rice-there were very few prawns. The Chicken Chilli Wine was delicious. For desserts, I ordered Chocolate Ice Cream -two large dollops of ice cream were served with a dash of sugar syrup on top. There was only one waiter in the restaurant and he was very courteous and diligent. After the meal, the staff insisted that I write my comments on the food on a sticky note which he dutifully pasted on the wall along with hundreds of other such notes. The prices were moderate. Overall, a nice experience.

TAK HENG: Tucked in a corner of Keyatala Road, you will probably blink and miss this restaurant. It is located at P452B Keyatala Road Phone: 089810 02174. It is a small eatery-the decor is basic and mundane resembling a school cafeteria. The restaurant was totally empty and I was the lone customer. They had a wide range of dimsum items which were actually starters. I ordered Prawn Sesame Toast, Calamari Salt and Pepper and Chicken Sui Mai. The Chicken Sui Mai was bland and tasteless and the accompanying sauce was too hot. The Prawn Sesame Toast was very tasty. The Calamari Salt and Pepper let out a burst of flavors. Enthused, I ordered the Prawn Salt and Pepper which did not taste so good. It had a thick crust of breadcrumbs which took away the flavor. For desserts, they only had Vanilla Ice Cream which was served on banana leaf. There were many waiters who idled away but they were very sincere and attentive. The prices were on the higher side.My experience was a mixed bag-can surely come back for Prawn Sesame Toast.

GHAWRE BAIRE AAJ: I found this movie to be an average film. Newcomer Tuhina Das is impressive but her chemistry with Jisshu Sengupta and that of Anirban Bhattacharya is entirely missing. The movie progresses at a languid pace and can be best termed as a social commentary. There are quite a few references to politics, secularism and socialism. Anjan Dutt, Ritobroto and Sreenanda Shankar shine in their small roles. The movie does not match up to the intensity of Ray’s original. Also missing is the clash of ideologies between western and Indian philosophies as depicted in Tagore’s original. Jisshu is fabulous as the manipulative politician. Anirban Bhattacharya is well-convincing as the Oxford editor, his fake accent nevertheless. Better to watch Ray’s version than this movie.

MARJAAVAAN: This movie resembles the regressive and cringe-worthy movies of the ’80s and ’90s. I have been a big fan of Sidharth Malhotra for his drop-dead good looks but I am really repulsed by the moronic movies he is making these days. The movie’s story neither has logic nor any thought process. Music mostly comprises of remixes and tiring numbers. I could not understand the inclusion of Rakul Preet Singh in the proceedings. Sidharth Malhotra sports a jacket even in the humid Mumbai weather, has a matchstick dangling from his mouth and ketchup-y blood like substance smeared all over his face. Even after being struck with a spear, he can fight ten goons single-handedly. Tara Sutaria plays a dumb girl (to save dubbing costs) and is majorly expressionless. Despite the dialoguebaazi and good production values, the movie is utterly forgettable. Can surely be missed.

FLAME N GRILL: This restaurant is located on the third floor of South City Mall. It has survived the many renovations of the Mall and has more than a decade long presence in the city. Despite having tough competition from Barbeque Nation, the eatery does brisk business and is very popular with kids and teenagers. On a Monday evening, the restaurant was incredibly busy with almost all the tables full. For mocktails, we settled for Mango and Mint Blossom, Lychee Mychee and good,old Pepsi. All the soft drinks were breezy and light and tasted fabulous. Then we had the Chicken Sweet Corn Soup which was also nicely prepared. What followed was sort of a food orgy where different kebabs made of fish, prawns, chicken and mutton were placed before us on the open grill on the table. They also served Grilled Mushrooms on our request. There were also many vegetarian dishes to suit individual preferences. What struck me was that they were very generous in serving the starters and relented only when we asked them to stop. There was also a main course with Chicken Biryani, Egg Hakka Noodles, Seafood Rice with assorted main dishes in fish, prawn, chicken and mutton. We were too full to have them after eating the starters. There was also a sizeable dessert spread along with ice cream which we enjoyed thoroughly. Despite preparing food in large volumes, the food tasted consistently good. This restaurant is an epitome of quintessential good food and great service.

ASTOR KEBAB-E-QUE: Located at 15, Shakespeare Sarani near Nightingale Hospital Phone: 033 2282 9957, it is an established restaurant doing business for ages and can give the Park Street counterparts a run for their money. The decor was austere but the seating was comfortable, if not luxurious. The staff was very attentive and made valuable suggestions. The staff suggested a few mocktails with complicated names-they were fantastic. For starters, we ordered the Desi Chicken Lal Tikka, Fish Fry and Chilly Garlic Shrimps. All of them tasted fabulous. For main course, we ordered Schezwan Prawn Fried Rice and Chilli Chicken. The dishes were well-done and not at all spicy. For desserts, we ordered Orange Caramel Custard and Chocolate Ice Cream. The caramel custard tasted great. The Chocolate Ice Cream had three generous scoops along with a waffle and cherry on the top. We were satiated with the good food and longed to come back again.

MONKEY TEMPLE: Newly opened in Jodhpur Park, this restaurant is as fresh as mint. It is located at 1/284 Jodhpur Park Phone: 085828 29675 near Abar Baithak. The decor is spartan and minimalistic. When I entered the restaurant it was totally empty even on a Saturday, perhaps because of the inclement weather. The waiters were busy with nothing and took some time to take my order. I ordered Cold Coffee, Cream of Chicken, Cajun Rubbed Grilled Fish and Non-veg Strogonoff with Herb Rice. The cold coffee was huge and very palatable. Since Seafood Broth was unavailable, I ordered Cream of Chicken which was also nicely prepared. The Cajun Rubbed Grilled Fish was prepared with Beckti fish and was delicious. The Non-Veg Strogonoff comprised of chicken pieces and rice. Although it was not the best strogonoff I had tasted, it was not totally bad either. For desserts, I ordered vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate sauce which came at a throwaway price. The staff diligently cleared my dishes off the table as I polished them off and was open to questions. Overall, a gastronomically satisfying affair.

BALA: This movie is a quirky and delightful comedy set in Kanpur in UP. It deals with the insecurities of a man suffering from alopecia, the various remedies he tries and the associated trials and tribulations. He, for a short while, finds solace in donning a toupee but ultimately the truth comes out and it is the truth that sets him free. He accepts the way he looks and dares the society to accept him the way he is. The movie makes one think about the prejudices one has to face if he or she looks different and the societal pressures one has to withstand for his or her physical or mental inadequacies. The performance of Ayushman Khurrana is top-notch ably supported by Yami Gautam and Bhumi Pednekar. Ayushman does excellent mimicry of Rajesh Khanna, Shahrukh, Ranbir Kapoor and the like. Yami plays a model and a Tiktok star and Bhumi plays a dark-skinned lawyer also facing discrimination for her looks. The supporting cast led by Saurabh Shukla does a commendable job as well. The prosthetic makeup is well-done. The music is upbeat-watch out for the songs “Tequilla” and “Don’t be Shy”.The language spoken in the movie is Kanpuriya Hindi and is delectable.This movie is a superb offering from Amar Kaushik and team. A must-watch.