Rock n Roll!

I'm making that scary face because I'm about to devour a double-egg-couble-chicken kati roll at Park Street's famous Hot Kati Roll stall. It's about an eight inch long, three inch fat roll, wrapped in a greasy paratha, stuffed with egg, onions, capsicum, chillis, heaps of chicken, driping with all sorts of sauces, and tasting like apiece of spicy, sexy (fattening!) heaven. Nothing like Calcutta's greasy streetfood anywhere else in the cuntry! :)

Kusum Rolls, up there, is also infamous on Park Street. Right in front of the notorious Karnani Mansions, which is a reputed hell-hole of drug-addicts and pushers, pimps and hookers, this place attracts quite a good number of customers from the offices and colleges around Park Street.

Park Street Ragtag

Park Street has traditionally been the 'hot spot' of the city. The place where you have the rocking parties and the elegant restaurants, and the o-so posh Park Hotel. Just some of the grand old dames from a Park Street known for its neon lights and jazz strains...

Windmills of the Gods: Aa, but Sidney Sheldon is no more, and this is hardly gay Paree, but Moulin Rouge on Park Street is legendary for the Indian and Mughlai cuisine they serve. And their Chicken a-la Kiev is not too bad, either.

Once overhead, on a visit ages ago, two waiters discussing after the exit of a family eating nearby: "Madam khaatey rehta hain!" (madame just kept on eating!) :)


Kwality/ Quality - This was an old favourite of my entire family. This is where we used to come all the way from North Calcutta, to dine on Chicken Strogonoff and Chicken a-la Kiev. And when dad found out there was a Kwality's at both Delhi and Bombay, he was desperate to go there, too! :) Kwality's, housed under the Park Hotel building, is for old school Bengalis and Marwaris.
Chinese Cook Duck: As for Bar-B-Q, though the name suggests spare ribs, what you get here is impeccable Chinese food. This is one of the most famous Chinese haunts in the city - and even though they also opened a Indian cuisine extension, it never got as famous as its parent. :)

Sing a Song: Cuz that's what you hafta do, at Trinca's. This place is one of the last remaining restaurants on Pak Street which still have a live band playing at night, reminiscent of the rocking scene of the 70s. Mum and dad used to come here in thsoe days, to watch Usha Uthup and others perform here. And while Usha's not here anymore, the restaurant did get renovated recently, and the music still plays till late in the night here... :)

In the middle of Middleton Row

During my college/ school years, Middleton Row, that little patch of street behind Park Street, was mainly important for Loreto House and Loreto College. They were our sister school/ college, and there was all that fascination and swaggering bound to happen in an all-boy's school. Of course, the spire of the resident church at Loreto's - Saint Thomas - was also very impressive. but that impressed me only later on.

Went inside the chapel this time around and attended 4 pm mass. It's a small church, but very neatly done up, with very colourful paintings and murals on the walls. The service was actually conducted in indi - from the sermon to the hymns - and that was a bit of a surprise. Also, my HIndi sucks - big time. :)

Leaving the chapel, you're right in front of the old YWCA building, which also houses Golden Spoon restaurant. This place was quite afmous during the 70s for its rolls and biryanis, and mum says, she and dad were often to be founf here in thsoe days - yes, my dad was a Xaverian like me, and mum did college at Loreto! :)

And a short walk away from Golden Spoon brings you right over to Park Street - and the all-too famous Peter Cat near the junction. Peter Cat's chello kebabs are legendary! :)

Fancy Fare at Russel Street

The Astor Hotel on Theatre Road has been one of the foremost authorities on posh Indian cuisine in Calcutta since Donkey's Ears. And yes, the lovely old red building is terribly soothing to lounge in. They have a beautiful pool right behind the boundary wall, and you can enjoy your kebabs there next to it. This time around, granny took us all out to the o-so fancy Calcutta Club, and the tandoori food there was catered by the Astor. Lipsmacking! :)

Ad, of course right there you also have the Kenilworth Hotel, in its sparkling white building, on Little Russel Street. We used to go there for Sunday buffet lunches - no wonder I used to weigh 77 kg in those days! :)

Remake of the Decade!

Flury's on Park Street was always a city landmark for the fashionable and the tasteful and the jetset. Only thing, it used to be a tattered part of history-landmark, and more of a place where you would go to remember the 'good ole days' of Flury's gone by. The waiters were terribly slow and hard of hearing, the paint was peeling off, but the mergingues-with-cream was still one-of-a-kind, as was Flury's itself. But again - it was a visit merely for the sake of a nod to history.

So, imagine my utter surprise when I set foot inside the all-new Flury's, the other day. The old world charm is still there, but the paint is spic-and-span, the waiters are amazingly crisp and know their fare well, the food is as good as ever, and there is an air of newfound prosperity. No more, the old visit at the end of which you left feeling sad...

Flury's was spankin' new! ... and shining...!


So, on my first visit there with Premankur the other day, I ordered old favourites Viennese coffee (they don't make it like this anywhere else, oustide Vienna, trust me!) and their trademark chocolate boat. The meringues are off the menu though, but these two were more than enough to make me not feel sooo sad! :)

And while I took some nice snaps of the chandeliers overhead and the interesting mosaic tiling on the wall panels, I also noticed their Easter Bunny is out - time for some de-lish Easter eggs too! :)



Premankur and I took these snaps because we are - quite simply - "vain morons". It's a private joke! :) But we look damn great at Flury's! :)


While the new Flury's has a new tagline also - Five Generations of Fine Confection - this is upheld in their new centre: T3, or The Tea Table, across the street from it. This is where they've shifted all the old furniture - and even the old waiters. As my uncle said, T3 is where the old-timer customers of Flury's go - to go back to the old days when they snapped at the waiters and whiled away centu

Punch Stronger Than Caffeine Here

No,this is not the famous College Street Coffee House, but another one, just as famous. The Central Avenue Coffee House has recently been renovated and thrown its doors open for the public. Tue to form, it still has horrible decor (chrome tables and chairs) and a vast, airy hall - but then, people never went to the Coffee House for decor anyway - you always have a Barista or a Cafe Coffee Day for that! The Coffee Houses of Calcutta (Kerala too, for that matter), were set up by the Indian Coffee Board in the 1940s but were closed down by the British as they were seen to be a focal point of political activity. That's when the sacked workers took over and reopened the chain! And since then, Calcutta's Coffee Houses have come to represent independent and even revolutionary student/ citizen thinking - and of course, the more harmless adda.

Settled for a cold coffee at the newly reopened branch. :)

Mishti, Kashundi and Modhu

Streetfood at B.B.D. Bagh is to die for - where else would you get a mountain of chicken biryani for as low as Rs 12/- ???? Not just the biryani, you have tonnes of other food to choose from - and of course, the Bengali mishti that the colleagues of every Bong expat beg him to bring back after a trip to the homeland. :) See and drool, up there.

Also tucked away in the lanes, you have these vendors selling neatly packed bottles of Bong style mustard (kashundi) and home-made honey (modhu).

Sweet tea and chocolate mousse house

There's this quaint li'l bakery in the alleyways behind Horniman Circle called the Yazdani Bakery. Not exactly sure what it's supposed to be - Irani or whatever, but the tea here is heavenly sweet, and tastes amazing with the buttered buns they serve you. :) Came here with the Mad Bawi once, and we hogged on mushroom qiche and then chocolate muffins. Also picked up a whole 1 lb chocolate brownie cake, and that lasted all of three days in my fridge. The menu is appetising, as you can tell...


And then there's the Cafe Mocambo - owned by Parsis, it serves the most yummy Continental food I've tasted in Bombay. The Pork Schnitzels are to die for, the lasagne is great, the roast beef is mouthwatering and... and I'm running out of adjectives here. :) I remember most one time here: brother darling and I had come to town for lunch, on a day when the rest of the city was reeling under riots (some silly incident about some defaced statue), and we'd thought that the situation would get defused soon. Well, when we reached Mocambo's, we discovered that while the restaurant was packed to capacity inside, all the blinds and shades were drawn down, making it seem closed from the outside! :)


O, and one cannot leave Mocambo's without sampling the dessert trolley!

Ideal Food

Cafe Ideal Corner up there is my usual Lunch Place at work. The place has been there for ages, owned by some Iranis, and serves the most amazing food. menu changes everyday, but the staples are: old-style raspberry soda and caramel custard. Of course, dhansaak on Wednesdays and Fridays. :) Cutlet-gravy everyday, as with chicken salli. And yes, I do know the menu (s) by heart!


Up there is a close-up of laganu custard - a variation of custard, liberally sprinkled with dates and dried fruits, that is quite the rage in Parsi weddings. Down there is jerdaloo (apricot) chicken, a yummy tangy-spicy concoction. Parsi food usually has some sweet after-taste/ pre-taste.: you can call it the Gujju connection, if you like! :)



Was just experimenting with the camera in the restaurant, so up there is a close-up of an exhaust fan they have on the wall. Took it from the mezzanine flor where I usually sit (down there), which affords me a great view of the place. I love the little blue and orange glass lamps they have on the wall. Very... cheerful!


One last snap of Ideal Corner - the outside of the building from across the road.

Indulgence, Pure Indulgence

... the American Diner at the India Habitat Centre, that is...!

That venerable old place that our fantastic auto rickshaw driver up there (Pavi's paying him) calls the India Heavyweight Centre. When we got in, Pavi and I kept the art galleries and the courtyard for later and dashed right into the Diner for a damn heavy brunch. Time for pancakes and eggs! :)


When we were done with the Diner, Pavi (up there) and I walked around the place. He told me how the Habitat Center is considered one of the finest buildings in Delhi in terms of over-all ambience, sense, utility and aesthetics. The auto driver agreed: he was pleased as punch about the two levels of parking! :)


O, and the auto guy had some very kind words to say about amchi Mumbai: he's quite in love with Marine Drive, thinks that Bombayites are the best people in the world, and Mumbai is one of the cleanest cities in the world.

I didn't correct him on the clean part. :)

I got the Blues!

Blues in Connaught Place used to be a favourite hangout when we used to live in Delhi - so this time, we planned to meet up. Me and Mallu (Kunal), Sharon and Tilak who was down from Nepal. Red wine and Tandoori Platter for me - and it was great, even though they screwed up and got me the veg platter at first, and not non-veg.


And no, Tilak cannot afford me! :)

Delhi Belly

Delhi is the land where losing weight is simply not an option. Not when you get delicious pancakes like the ones on top at the American Diner, smothered in maple syrup, honey and strawberry crush, and not when you get the yummy milk shakes at Keventers, like the ones I'm cradling below.

Stephen and I decided to see Old Delhi on day two of his visit to Delhi, but before that, I suggested a breakfast stop at Keventers and that other Delhi FoodieInstitution, Wengers (the snap down there is from Stephen's collection). With the Central Park at C.P. open, the amphitheatre was the perfect place to get gluttony before heading out on the sightseeing trip. We have different tastes though - Stephen liked the horribly dry cheesecakes, while I loved the gooey lemon tarts - we both hated the chocolate chip muffins.

Old Delhi meant Chandni Chawk, adjoining the Red Fort - and that means the Paranthawali Galli... and my personal favourite, the rabri stuffed parantha below.

A certain Traveller was in seventh heaven as he chomped down on the four paranthas we ordered: rabri, paneer, kaju and gobi. WTF is dyssentry??? *grin*

Comesum, outside the New Delhi station, used to be the favoured spot for Anytime Food - I was glad to see they have a branch at the Agra station too - so that's where we wound up, waiting for the train to take us back after visiting the Taj. Stephen is giving a false smile for his crappy uthapam down there.

And then there was Costa Coffee, of which I've been hearing loads about. So on my last day, I meet Eric for a spot of brunch at the C.P. Costa Coffee outlet - and yes, their servings are enormous. Elephantine. Who's complaining, though? :)

But Dilli Haat remains the best and the most memorable. Steamed momos from any of the Northeastern state stalls, fruit beer, and piping hot jalebis... Heaven is a place on earth, as Belinda Carlisle sings...!