Banzara, Jadavpur

This is a place where I used to visit quite often during my college days and I loved it. It is a multi-cuisine restaurant on Ebrahimpur Road, Jadavpur; 3 mins walking distance from Jadavpur 8B Bus stand.

It is a small place but the food, is no-doubt good. It is Air Conditioned and the ambiance is so so.

I have tried a lot of soups there and found them all very tasty, whether is Chicken Clear Soup or it is Sweet Corn Chicken Soup or even if it is simple Tomato soup.

As far as Mughlai Cuisine is concern, I'll not prefer Banzara probably. I have tried it once and the Biriyani was good but still I'll go with Chinese.

All the Noodles and Fried Rice items are very tasty and full of flavors. Common Chicken dishes like Chilli Chicken, Garlic Chicken are good and I tried Sanghai Chicken and found it nice too though it was little hot (:P do not know how does Sanghai Chicken tastes actually).

Pocket pinch is comparatively less and good for college goers to take his/her date to a AC restaurant with little pocket money (at least it was so for me ;) ). If you are hungry around Jadavpur and won't mind a Rs.200/- it's your day in Banzara with a complete meal. Enjoy!

Amar, Desserts of Immortality

I started my professional career with Hindustan Motors Ltd, Uttarpara, Hooghly. Truly speaking, the experience were like nightmares. I know what it takes to work with a sick company with a super low salary, in a historical environment where you feel like being in early 20th century.

Among all these bitter experiences, I have got two sweet things. The sweeter one was Amar Mistanna Bhandar (can not recall the exact name, as I have always addressed it as Amar). I thank HM with all my heart that I could get in touch with Amar just because of them.

Amar means immortality. If you are a true sweet lover, you'll find  an immortal joy in Amar for sure. There are two outlet I believe, one near United Spirit on GT Road, Uttarpara and the other is in Hindmotor market close to the Railway Station. None of their delicacy disappointed me ever and I can still feel few of them in my mouth after 3 long years of leaving HM. I'll specially mention the Kalakand. The best Kalakand I have ever tasted. They claim it 100% milk concentration and I accept it without any doubt. Whenever I visited nearby after leaving HM, I have bought lots of Kalakand from Amar.

I must mention another Item, which I rarely tasted because of it's high price but the art behind it was terrific. They call it Shor Bati. A small bowl made up of Milk Skin and filled with soft juicy cream. At time me and my wife used to visit Amar everyday after shopping from the local market.

Prices at Amar are comparatively lower than that of in any Sweet Shop in Kolkata but they provide us a lot of tasty options than any other Sweet Shop in Kolkata. They have Kalakand, Shor Bati, Gulab Jamun, Special Bundi fried in Ghee and mixed with Khoya and Kaju and many more common Bengali sweets but with a rare tasty flick.

If you stay somewhere near Uttarpara, you must be aware of Amar but if you don't but got some chance to visit Uttarpara or hindmotor, visit the shop once and taste something delicious. You'll feel unlucky to return back! I challenge!!

I still haven't said about the sweetest thing. It's friendship. I found a lot of friends in HM, who helped me a lot in all possible ways and I am grateful to them. It was them who made it possible for me to fight there for 3 and a half years and find the best out of me. As they are too many in number, I'll not be able to mention any particular name. I dedicate this particular blog to all my ex-colleague of HM!! :)

Best Fish Finger

For me the one word is Suruchi. It's on Decker's Lane. If you are walking through Decker's Lane and started from Governor's House, you'll find it on the left hand side. It's a small inn. I found the best Fish Finger here. When I first tasted it, it was Rs.96/- a plate (consisting 12 pcs). On my last visit past year it was Rs.156/- same plate. It's worthy!! You can also try the Chicken Pakoda, that too the best I ever had. Sorry don't remember the price!

...go Go Lebanese! Sarat Bose Road

Thanks Suchit! Thanks a lot my friend for suggesting me to visit Go Lebanese.

I would have missed one of the most important part of my quest for new flavors and taste without visiting Go Lebanese. I have been looking for an exquisite foreign cuisine for so long (within budget of course, as I cannot afford a 5 star multi-cuisine) and it's all because of you Suchit that I had such a delicious experience.

I don't know why Mediterranean dishes has always attracted me over TV Channels, magazines etc and so when I first heard about Go Lebanese, I was very much excited. I was excited to taste an oversea food that too within a convenient distance.

So far I have visited Go Lebanese twice and tasted (tested?) 2 of their famous dishes. Both are really nice, Shawarma Roll and Hummus Nasib. Shawarma Roll is chunks of marinated and grilled chicken with fresh vegetables and lots of Tahini (sesame paste) rolled in Peta Bread. Hummus Nasib was same chicken chunks tossed with vegetables and black olives, served with sliced Peta Bread and Hummus (a thick sauce made with chickpeas, olive oil). Shawarma Roll was Rs.85/- and Hummus Nasib was Rs.100/- only. Both were pretty heavy and very very delicious. Few other famous dishes are Irani Fish Tikka, Baba Ganouje, Oil Free Full Roasted Chicken, Falafel etc which are well known Lebanese dishes.

If you can think beyond Machh-Bhaat (fish curry & rice) and imagine flavors other than our very spicy dishes with lots of oil and want to experience Mediterranean delicacy, it's a place you should visit. As it's a take-away outlet, it does not pinch your pocket hard as well. I give a 10 out of 10 to Go Lebanese.

Enjoying Humus Naseeb at Go Lebanese with Gopal