Author: aninditaroy444

FLORIANA: Walking down Russell Street, I chanced upon age-old Floriana and was surprised to find it there still after 25 years. It is located at 13D Russell Street Phone: 033 4006 5878. The decor was vintage old-I doubt they changed the upholstery in decades. The restaurant bore the same look even after all these years. They even played 90’s music. There was no other customer in the restaurant-there was only one waiter accompanied by a Anglo-Indian manager. The waiter was very welcoming and made me feel at home. He perhaps belonged to the last generation of waiters who have never moved out of Park Street. There was a Scampi Festival going on and I ordered the Grilled Scampi along with Chicken Strogonoff. The restaurant did not compromise on taste and both the dishes were delightful and an ode to the taste buds. The quantity served was also adequate. For desserts they only had ice cream and I settled for my staple Chocolate Ice Cream which was sinfully decadent. While leaving the restaurant, the manager confessed honestly,”You are our first customer of the day. There are so many new restaurants, we cannot stand against the competition”. I was touched by his candor and I could only manage, “I will ask my friends to visit”. Pat came the repartee, “Do come again”. Visit this restaurant to get a powerload of aroma, flavor and taste.

LUNCH BUFFET AT JW MARRIOTT: I chanced upon the lunch buffet at JW Kitchen, the 24 hour coffee shop at JW Marriott after a long time and I had a ho-hum experience. Despite the hype and hoopla, I found it to be much ado about nothing. The decor had posh interiors and the cafe was very airy. Maybe it was a weekday and hence it had a limited menu. First I was introduced to dahi vada, patra and dhokla. There a salad counter and a live pasta counter. There were several non-veg items with fish,chicken and mutton. There was steamed rice and also Murg Biryani. There were no prawn items. The desserts were not too many and did not taste good. At the ice cream counter, the serving staff was very reluctant to serve. Pocket pinch is on the higher side. The staff was mostly disinterested and huddled together in a corner. In total,a mediocre experience.

PARANTHE WALI GALLI: This is a cramped-up den at 104, Lake Terrace Phone: 098367 60160 serving mostly paranthas. The place was packed like sardines on a Sunday afternoon. The decor was nondescript. I ordered Chicken and Cheese Parantha and Dhania Mirch Parantha. The Chicken and Cheese Parantha was soft and tasted good. The Dhania Mirch Parantha was on the hotter side. I also ordered Aam Lassi which was good. The cutlery and serving dishes were not of great standard. At the end for desserts, I ordered the Avalanche which was a chocolate cake surrounded by vanilla icecream with a dash of chocolate sauce and chocolate chips. It tasted regular. The prices were dirt cheap. If you do not care about ambiance and only about taste, this can be a must-go place for you.

DINER 49B: This is a brand new restaurant right in Jodhpur Park. It is located at 1/49B Jodhpur Park Phone: 090519 50846. Being a new restaurant, it was to totally empty when I entered it on a Saturday evening. It had both cafe items like sandwiches and also starters and main course. The decor was middle-of-the-road neither opulent nor basic. I was seated with a lot of fanfare by the diligent staff. I ordered cold coffee, Thai seafood soup, Basil Non Veg Fried Rice and Chilli Oyster Prawns. The cold coffee was luscious and had a pleasantly rich sweet taste. The soup was fragrant and flavorful and tasted nice. The fried rice had all the ingredients needed to make a blockbuster dish but somehow lacked flavor and taste. The staff served me shrimps instead of prawns and they tasted mediocre. The staff was very attentive and kept asking “How’s the food?” at every pretext. For desserts, I ordered Tiramisu which tasted far from decadent and was at best, a glorified cheesecake. Prices were moderate. I came back with mixed experiences and probably would not go back again.

WISE OWL: This is an age-old coffee shop located at 66/2 B Purna Das Road Ph: 033 2464 6422. This cafe is mainly famous for breakfast. It has stood the test of time and has maintained its quality over the years. It also has alfresco dining which is very popular in this cold climate. The decor is modest and the staff is very efficient. The restaurant was pretty busy when I entered it on a Friday evening. I ordered cold coffee, omelette wrap, chicken sausages and baked prawns. The staff served one dish only after I had finished the earlier one. The chicken sausages came sliced and were done to perfection. All the dishes were pleasant in taste and indulged me totally. For desserts, I ordered the chocolate sundae which was delightfully delicious and a steal for the price I paid. Visit this cafe if you want quality food and nice ambiance at a moderate price. Bon Appetit!

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.