Gilawati Kababs For Lucknow Nababs

 I know...I know... I am not the first person to visit Lucknow (Awadh) to test it's most famous delicacy, The Gilawati Kabab but since I have done it, I must share my experience with you.

It was my friend's wedding in Kanpur and we decided to visit Lacknow first, on the way. We started from Kolkata with lots of disappointment as two of our friend cancelled their tickets and we became only three to be on a 16 hrs journey. With the inexperience of Journey to North India during winter, I forgot a blanket or even a shawl and I was literally shivering throughout the night. However we landed well next morning on Lucknow and found a suitable place to spend a night.

After having a hot bath, we left immediately for sight seeing and visited most famous Bade Imam Bara, Chhote Imam Bara and all but most importantly, we went to Aminabad at last. It's the place where you will find Tunday Kababi. You can call it Burrabazar of Lucknow. The busiest place I saw in Lucknow. It's a walking distance from Kesarbag.

The two-storey restaurant is having a floor under ground and one above. The underground one is little more clumsy than the top one and a little suffocating too. I could not find any AC facility anywhere and the get-up was not impressive at all. However several photographs of restaurant owner's family with top class bollywood stars (including Sanjay Dutt, Anil Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor and our Big B Mr. Amitabh Bachchan) can be seen on all over the wall. We ordered 3 Paranthas, a plate of Mutton Gilawati Kabab, one plate of Tunday Kabab (beef one), half Mutton Korma, 3 Shiramal and 3 Kheer. The taste of the kababs with paranthas was ecstatic. Specially the beef one. The gilawati supposed to be made of 160 types of spices and may be because of that the mutton got lost somewhere in taste and flavor. But the same could not beat the beef and was real mouth watering. Both were very soft and jucy and you will not find a pinch of meat under your teeth and that is guaranteed. Mutton Korma was really tasty and the mutton was good. The half korma cost us Rs.70/- with two small piece of mutton.

Do not ever try the Kheer and probably the shiramal. The shiramal was described as "Indian bread with lots of Saffron Flavor" on the menu and what we found was a highly colored (obviously saffron colored) parantha with no saffron flavor on the plate :( . Price-wise everything was cheap. The price of the Kababs can make your jaw dropped to your stomach; Mutton Gilawati Kabab costs Rs.55/- and the Beef Kabab was priced Rs.25/- a plate with 4 piece of kababs. Parantha and shiramal was Rs.8/- and Rs.9/- respectively and the filthy Kheer was Rs.10/- only (that was one reason why all of us tried it pretending it to be Firni from Alibaba in Kolkata).

So definitely it's a must visit place and the Tunday Kabab is a must try item, just be there at the right time of the year. In summer you may feel like a Kabab. (forgot to mention that paranthas were fried in very less oil. It was a Ulta Tawa parantha, i.e. it is prepared on the other side of the tawa or pan).

Best Imarti in Kolkata

 Another sweet story! This time a well known Bengali dessert in a North Indian packet.

If you have ever visited Cotton Street, Burrabazar (near Satyanarayan Park A.C. market), you must have noticed the large red glow-sign of Tiwari Brothers. They are famous for many other snacks and desserts like Samosa, Halwa, Ghevar (a special marwari delicacy) etc. Among these an Imarti is always special. Imarti is our beloved "Amriti" or "Omriti", a complex but well designed Jalebi made from Besan; soaked in sugar syrup. Tiwari Bros has added an extra flavour of saffron or Keshar to the syrup for a special flick.

My wife went to buy some Sharees from Burrabazar and I asked her to try Imarti from Tiwari Bros. Not being a dessert-lover, she really enjoyed it.

Amazingly the Imarti stays crunchy for hours and thus a bite will bring a heavenly smile on your face all the time. The size really matters and an Imarti was about the size of your palm. :) last time I had each for Rs.8/- only.

Be patience, because the queue can be of 10 people waiting for Imarti, and do not feel embarrassed if you find people packing 100 pcs!!

Lastly, you can see them making all the Imarti in front of you and truly that's an art!

picture courtesy http://jaswantsweets.com/imarti/

Python Program to Make a Simple Calculator

 # Program make a simple calculator

# This function adds two numbers

def add(x, y):

    return x + y

# This function subtracts two numbers

def subtract(x, y):

    return x - y

# This function multiplies two numbers

def multiply(x, y):

    return x * y

# This function divides two numbers

def divide(x, y):

    return x / y

print("Select operation.")

print("1.Add")

print("2.Subtract")

print("3.Multiply")

print("4.Divide")

while True:

    # Take input from the user

    choice = input("Enter choice(1/2/3/4): ")

    # Check if choice is one of the four options

    if choice in ('1', '2', '3', '4'):

        num1 = float(input("Enter first number: "))

        num2 = float(input("Enter second number: "))

        if choice == '1':

            print(num1, "+", num2, "=", add(num1, num2))

        elif choice == '2':

            print(num1, "-", num2, "=", subtract(num1, num2))

        elif choice == '3':

            print(num1, "*", num2, "=", multiply(num1, num2))

        elif choice == '4':

            print(num1, "/", num2, "=", divide(num1, num2))

        break

    else:

        print("Invalid Input")

Kolkata! Culture and Heritage!

 Many people say that Kolkata was India’s Cultural Center and it is past. Let me tell you it is not true. We are still at the Cultural Center. May be our cultural practice is failing to bring enough success but believe me we are still on it. I used to believe the same too that we have lost the glory but a recent experience opened my eyes wide.

The day I visited Koshe Kosha (mentioned in my previous blog), I had to wait for my friends at Golpark. Since those idiots (we are 5 idiots) were terribly late, I decided to take a walk toward Gariahat. There is a public toilet below the Gariahut Flyover at the Golpark end and the stretch between the toilet and the Gariahat Crossing is well maintained. With seating arrangements that particular area is pretty clean and railed on the both side with wide bars. It’s a place always crowded and obviously more people are on the rails than on the seatings. Such hangout place cannot go on without a tea shop and it is there and that too is really good. Coincidentally I was really feeling to have something hot down my throat.

The moment I sat with the cup of coffee in hand, I was amazed by the view on the side rail bar!! People returning from office, are playing chess in groups, sitting on the rail bars. 4 to 5 groups were there with 3-4 members in each group. I have seen people playing cards here and there but chess!! Never!!

This is something possible for Bengalis only. Playing cards is no big deal. There are simple games of card and people with minimum intelligence can play those. You’ll hardly find people playing Bridge but Chess is really not a matter of joke. Those who are not intelligent enough may know the game but will not enjoy the game. Those people were enjoying the game like anything and it was kind of Rapid Chess. I do not have much idea about chess but I saw a group completing 3 games with a short span of 30 mins.

This is something really appreciable. Those guys are not going to play a grand master but definitely giving a strong message to the citizens how people can carry a good culture. They were spending time but in a creative way. We can be physically lazy but what it takes to spend some time doing something creative.

Got some snaps of the place and the people! Find it here. Also for your information you can join them too. Just visit them and ask to let you play a game. They will not reject you. So test your skill someday!!

Only Alibaba Gold, Park Circus the Royal Feast

I have always been a Alibaba Mutton Biryani fan. Whenever I feel hungry for good mutton biryani, I look for Only Alibaba (the DLF-I Newtown outlet made my life real easy :D ). When I came to know about Only Alibaba Gold, I could instantaneously imagine the royalty and could dream satisfying my savoury with all the Nawabi and Mughal dishes.

Unfortunately Park Circus does not come across any of my way and my dream started fading away until that very afternoon when I was around Park Circus and looking for a place for lunch. When I searched on Zomato, I noticed Only Alibaba Gold top of the list. I made my mind and headed for a ecstatic lunch.

The Empty restaurant was just waiting for me. At first I was bit surprised with the loneliness of the place but recovered quickly with glimpse at my watch. It was 2 pm and Kolkata people can go out for dinner but not lunch. It was a warm welcome for me and all of them were ready to serve me. However the ambience is not so royal except some large pictures. Who cares the Ambience if the food is mouth watering. I was accompanied by one of close friend and we ordered a plate of Mutton Boti Kebab to start with. They took a little extra time for the dish since it was mutton and the dish came with six large piece of boneless mutton well garnished and filled the whole place with a charismatic aroma. Our hunger doubled and we controlled our basic instinct to jump on the food until it was served by the restaurant crew.

We were struck with awesomeness. Aromatic mutton was lucrative with bell peppers. Choice of spices was just excellent. The price was around Rs.300/- which I believe is quite worthy. Then the same Mutton Biryani from Alibaba and we were filled upto our throat leaving no space for a dessert (I had a plan for Baked Rabri with Kulfi).

Overall a very nice experience, 4 out of 5 I would rate. Just avoid to have lunch there if possible. Since they don't expect you at lunch, you may not find the mutton as tender as the same at dinner. ;)

Spice up life with Chili's Grill & Bar, Quest Mall

Do you love Beer?

If you say Yes! Hurrah! Chili's is the best place so far I have found in Kolkata.

They serve Drought Beer!

Yes! You heard me right! I had a chilled pilsner (500 ml) of drought beer along with Smoked Chicken Wings. It was heavenly! Trust me! I love beer and tried many of the bottled one but the fresh beer I had in Chili's was absolutely stunning. It was tasty, it was strong, it was fresh and it was chilled. for past few years I was loosing interest in beer and preferring Rum or Whiskey over it. But if I am in Chili's again I'll have a pitcher for sure. Here is a snap! ;)

Every sip worth it!

Now! if you say you do not like beer, no problemo! Plenty of food choices are there to make (mostly non-veg). A very wide range starting from Dippers, soups, salads and then Mexican, Italian, Steaks, Ribs...I must stop here. Though for the first visit I had smoked wings only as we were running out of time. The wings were fabulous. It made a perfect couple with the pilnser (as you can see peeking wings behind the bubbling beer). I hope the steaks and ribs will be equally tasty and I am eager to visit again with my friends.

Place was nice and cozy. The ambiance was lively, full of cheerful people. Music was good, made a perfect mood to enjoy your food and beverages. Believe me, it is not a costly place. The Pilsner of Drought Beer was Rs.225/- and the bucket of wings was Rs.355/- only and as I said before, every bit of it worth it.

Give it a try, you will love it. Don't go alone! A company would make you enjoy more. Feel free to contact me, if you are running out of a friend! ;)

Hatari, Rashbehari Avenue, Enjoy the Queue!

Hatari is quite a known place in South Calcutta and quite known to me by the address. I have heard a lot about the good quality of food and of course witnessed the surprisingly long queue for table in from of Hatari. For no reason, I could not make it to Hatari till last month.

Finally it was a pleasant Saturday afternoon and I was quite hungry. I was with one of my close friend and after lot of discussion we decided to visit Hatari. We actually thought we would find a table for two easily but to all our surprise there was a queue of around 10 people waiting for table. We registered our name and requested for a table for two. after 30 mins, we were asked to went inside and we got our table.

1000 watt Hatari expectations suddenly dimmed like 25 watt. The ambiance was very old and not up to the mark. A bit of disappointment for both of us and judgment by then was all upon the food. The order was taken quite quickly and we ordered Crispy Chillie Baby Corn as starter, followed by mixed Hakka Noodle and Hunan Chicken. I tried Hunan Chicken before in Bar-b-Que, Park Street and it was Hot and Spicy. I ordered it with the same expectations.

Here comes our food now. First the Crispy Baby Corn. It was okay I can say. I have tasted better snack than this. The noodle was really good. Good in both taste and quantity. We really enjoyed it. What about the Hunan Chicken? What was that? A white, semi-clear, soup-like course with bell-peppers and shredded chicken for a Jaundice Patient? My liver even rejected it after having a little portion. I really do not know, who is right. Is it Hot and Spicy BBQ one or this broth for stomach upset? I have never been to Hunan Province, China however Wiki says BBQ was quite right about Hunan Cuisine. So don't be sure about the food, better ask them than being surprised.

Now if you want me to rate it, there are different components, Ambiance 2.5 out of 5, food 3 out of 5 and for price and service 3.5 out of 5. I must mention about the prolonged queue while leaving the place.

Here are glimpse of food we had...

The Cookshop, Maltepe Park, Istanbul

I hope I have already proven my love for food and there is no doubt about it. If you get a chance to express your love while on work, that’s the best part I believe. I have always liked to rub shoulder with people from different culture and it was another such opportunity for me.

It was during my Istanbul visit and I was invited for lunch by my Turkish colleagues. I had no reason to deny the invitation and gladly accepted the hospitality. The place I was living was Maltepe which is a quite big place and the office was in Hastane which is quite close to Maltepe (only 4 stations from Maltepe over metro toward Kartal). I was accompanied by one of my colleague in his BMW to Maltepe Park where The Cookshop was located. We were around 10 people and the restaurant was happy to have us there. The colorful cozy environment was quite attractive, I believe it looks more attractive after dark.

I had the menu book and was asked to choose my dish. There was a English version of the menu on the same book but I preferred my beautiful lady colleague to choose on my behalf since she was quite familiar to the place and knew the food much better than me. She ordered for Steak with Creamy Mushroom Sauce and since I like spicy food a bit, she ordered Steak with Three Pepper sauce for me. Initially my understanding about 3 pepper sauce was stuck with bell peppers only but when I had the dish in front of me it was a sauce made of 3 kinds of pepper corn. The peppers had different flavors and none them was hot. I was even asked to make choice about the tenderness of the steak and I was surprised to see my colleagues making choice for semi-cooked steak whereas I couldn’t imagine anything other than well cooked meat. Finally it was a real soft and juicy steak with a tangy sauce.

We also ordered for some red wine which is a perfect match with red meat and having a sip of red wine with the steak was truly awesome. After finishing the dish we had a lovely ice cream which was a combination of three flavour with real fresh fruit. I should also mention the hospitality of the staff. Overall it was a splendid experience and I really had spent a quality time.

Sekerji Cafer Erol (Şekerci Cafer Erol), Istanbul, Turkey

The moment my Istanbul trip was confirmed, I started dreaming about having delicious Turkish Delight or Lokum (in Turkish). I started searching on internet about the best source of this exotic delicacy and I came to know about Haji Bekir (Hacı Bekir) which is an age old confectionery who has brought the international fame to this Local dessert.

From the very next day I landed on Istanbul, I started looking for Haji Bekir shop. I would like to take the opportunity to share a bit of my experience about Istanbul in this context. Istanbul is a beautiful city. I loved it. It was my first abroad tour and how fortunate I was to start with Istanbul. I have heard a lot about many European cities, their glory, their history, their architecture, culture and people. Some from friends, some from the television and much from the internet. I bet, this Eurasian city is no less than any European city in any aspect. Magnificent sea sores, beautiful and warm people, excellent Mediterranean weather, wonderful food and most importantly a huge glorious past. I was overwhelmed to live such wonderful 30 days in the city of Istanbul.

Back to Turkish Delight, finally I found the famous Haji Bekir in Takshim Square (Taksim Meydanı). It was another great place to explore but I don’t want to make it long with all those lovely experience which all deserves a good amount of space on the page for each of them. The day I visited Takshim was the first weekend there and I had plan to buy Lokum on the final weekend so that I can bring all those lovely flavours to India and share with family and friends.

Meanwhile something really bad happened. A bomb blast killed 11 people, some place near Takshim and I was alerted to visit such crowded place. Though I can visit LOC or Syria if a mouth watering dish waits for me there. But still I started looking for some other branch of Haji Bekir or any such store and there I found Sekerji Cafer Erol.

It was a lovely sunny afternoon in Kadikoy sea sore (Kadıköy Sahili). The sea breeze had made the place splendidly romantic along with golden rays from sun over the sea. Exploring the narrow stone lanes packed with loads of aromatic food from the cafes, full of food lovers making me feel excited from inside. On a busy corner I found Sekerji Cafer Erol (Şekerci Cafer Erol). A dessert shop which I felt no less than a jewellery shop. Starting from the Baklavas, Tulumbas, Akide Candies, Chocolates and Turkish Delights. I could not count the number of verities they had for each of the item. My pictures explains a bit (yes! A bit only. It can’t express the feeling I had while taking the pictures). For a little introduction of Turkish Delight, it is a Gelatin made sweet with variant flavors and contain good amount of nuts and also coated with icing sugar, rose petals, saffron, nuts to prevent sticking. If you order a Kg of Lokum, they will stuff the packet with all of the kind in proportion to give a supreme look and utmost attraction. I ordered 3 Kgs of such Turkish (sounds a lot to you but I tasted a few only after sharing with everyone L ). I had Mint with Pistachio, Pomegranate with Pistachio, Orange with Hazel Nuts, Rose with Pistachio, Saffron with Hazel Nuts and Coffee with Pistachio in a box. I must be honest to say that I cannot share the feeling of having any of this delicious piece in my mouth, I must try yourself. I can share the pictures only if that can complement.

If you are in Istanbul, just don’t miss it. Given another chance, I may have a separate luggage bag for Lokum and I am not going to share with you! ;)

Delicious Candies

Mouth Watering Baked Desserts

Flavor Blast Turkish Delights

Best Indian Beef Item in Kolkata, Nafeel, Park Circus

There can be a lot of Beef delicacy around Park Street or many high profile Restaurants, but when it comes to our very Indian dishes like Beef Biryani, Beef Chaap, Beef Bhuna or Beef Tikiya, you can surely give a visit to Nafeel, Park Circus.

Opposite to Jeesun and Park Circus Tram Depot, Nafeel shines in the corner with 3.5 Rating from Zomato, including my 4.5.

I visited Nafeel quite a few time and mostly for the Biryani. Surprisingly the biryani costs just around Rs.50/- and the sides around Rs.25/-. Too cheap to trust, is'nt it?

Anyway it's not a place to have food in their facility as the ambience is not good at all and that is why I considered it as a take away.

Let me tell you about the Biryani I had. It was quite good at the quantity and tastes reasonably good. And the meat? It was just awesome. As soft and tender as mutton, full of flavor. For such a cheap price it was like heaven.

If you are looking for good Indian beef dishes, you should not waist time and get there quickly. Enjoy the meat! :)

Club Foodie, Best Chinese Take-away in Tollygunge, Kolkata

That's an end to the year long wait to savor real tasty Chinese Cuisines. Yes, it's at your door step now in Tollygunge.

Club Foodie surely is the destination for people in Tollygunge seeking exclusive Chinese dishes. If you stay around the Tollywood, you are the one who can give it a try. It's next to Ajadgarh Post Office, on N. S. C. Bose Road.

It's probably the only take-away where you can find high quality Chowmein, Fried Rice, Chinese Side Dishes, Manchurians, Garlic Chicken and many more, which taste like any famous Multi-cuisine Restaurant. Not only the taste and quality but the method is also very neat and clean. You can see your food being prepared in front of you by the cook.

Now comes the price part. It's absolutely cheap. The Chilie Chicken (8 pcs of boneless chicken) costs only Rs.80/- and Chowmein starting from Rs.45/- which is really very cheap compared to any restaurant. Just a sitting arrangement could add another star but you can at least have high quality food at your home. They have started free home delivery on weekends as well for order over Rs.100/-

Have the best Chinese meal at Tollygunge for best price, while watching your favorite TV Show at home. :)

BADSHAH @ BARRACKPORE

It was mid of April. The sun was burning everything it could and draining out the last drop of juice from our body. But his effort was not sufficient enough to stop us and we decided to test our survival skill in the tough situation. We started from Kolkata to Hooghly on our Motorcycle and pathetically at noon.

Food is second most important element for survival and we realized it pretty soon on the highway along with the most important one, I.e. Drinks. We found a halt near Barrackpore and parked the motorbike there. Badsah Bar & Restaurant was the savior and we just plunged into it.

What a peace we found there. The cool and ethnic ambiance was just waiting for us and it had two chairs at the right corner. We ordered Strong Beers with Chicken Kebab, the two most important survival elements. The Kebabs were superb.  6 Pcs of meat only for rs.80/- but sufficient enough to make you order for more. Though they mostly serve Chinese Cuisine but the Mughlai kebabs were ecstatic.

Now it was China’s (I mean the Chinese Cuisine) turn.We ordered Mixed Hakka Noodle. It was nice too. I really have not tasted such nice chinese anywhere outside Kolkata. This was exceptional. Price-worthy and good in quantity. The Noodle was for Rs.175/- only.

There was surprises waiting for us in the bill too. We discovered a 10% discount on beverage and that was special during the summer between 11AM to 7 PM. WoW! Cheers!

Catch the road someday (but don't make it in the summer) and enjoy the food at Badsah but not to survive. ;)

Brain Chop, Mitra Cafe, Shovabazar

No you do not need to be a Cannibal. A goat will sacrifice it's head to give you that cheesy taste. Yes, I am talking about Goat Brain, surrounded by some tasty filling and served in a crunchy upper crust available at Mitra Cafe, Shovabazar. One of the most awaited place for me.

It was my best friend Gopal's marriage. As he is from Shovabazar, I got the golden chance. On the next day of his marriage, the newly married couple returned to their home and I spend some more time with them during many other rituals. I had the lunch and decided to leave for my home. I had a view of Mitra Cafe while returning to Shovabazar and that very moment I decided to give it a short visit. When I reached Mitra Cafe it was 4.00 pm and I found it close. I asked the Panwala beside it and he told me that the cafe opens at 4.30 pm. I felt like a fool, I could have left the marriage house half an hour later!!

But I had to wait and I waited. Spend that 30 mins roaming here and there and then returned back right on 4.25 pm. There was a surprise waiting for again, the crowed. A decent crowed of 15-20 people was already waiting there for the cafe to open and finally the moment came. Let me tell you, it is a very small place with 4 narrow tables. An open counter which takes the order and serves the food as well.

There are lot of snacks available like Kabiraji varieties (chicken or fish fried, coated with crumbled egg), cutlet varieties including vary famous mutton breast cutlet (my next target) but I was determined to have Brain Chop. I heard about the Brain Chop a long time before but could not reach the right place at right time. I was actually feeling very full that day after having a huge traditional bengali lunch and so I decided to take it to home and enjoy with my family.

As I said before, the brain tastes like cheese, no foul smell or taste. Absolutely soft, juicy and tasty. The filling was superb and the amazing thing was the size of the chop. One such Chop weighs around 100 to 150gms approx. Unfortunately my wife could not enjoy it just because it had brain inside it but I just loved it. I am ready to have it any day and recommend it highly. Only fresh onion salad is enough with the dish and bingo! As of now the price is Rs.30/- a piece and I believe the dish worth much more than that!

Disaster at Dhakai Biriyani House, Sector V, Saltlake

When this new food centre opened in Saltlake, Sector 5 (near WEBEL bus stand) this month, a lot of locals must have expected to get quality biriyani and specially mutton delicacies, because the name “Dhakai Biriyani House” is legendary in Kolkata for its quality from numerous outlets across the city.

Soon after it was opened, I visited to taste the Biriyani and Mutton Kasha on a special occasion. And must say it was the worst meal I had experienced. 

The food was of poor quality in all aspect. When I started on the Biryani it wasn’t even enough hot and I couldn’t feel any kind of flavour at all. There was hardly any spice in it (may be they tried to make it healthy ;) ). Same with the Mutton Kasha obviously. However the quantity was the only parameter which satisfies.

Apart from the taste and quality, I was disappointed with their service too. The Service Crews were absolutely lazy to attend the customer. They even forgot to offer a glass of water and the complimentary salad.
 

The price was comparatively cheap. Mutton Biryani was priced Rs.120/-, Chicken Biryani at Rs.110/-, Mutton Chap was Rs.60/- and Chicken Chap Rs.50/- only and there was no extra variety  :( 

They have never focused on environment in any outlet and it was same here so the overall experience was damn bad. I can rate it only 3 out of 10 and they get 2 points for the price. So it is absolutely not recommended to have Biryani from Dhakai Biryani House.

The Oval, DLF IT Park I, Newtown, Rajarhat

After a long wait I made it to The Oval finally. Thanks to Shyamal Da for such a wonderful Lunch on his birthday. 25th June was his very special Birthday and he offered us the great lunch. Though we had a little confusion over too many options but Oval was the final one and probably the best one on this occasion.

We reached there around 2:30 pm and found it a lonely place. Except the service crews, we could not find anyone else. That was a thing to worry about!! Not only that but we also expected a buffet which we discovered as a Friday Special. But we made our mind and we could not decide anything else and took the table without any hesitation.

One of us suggested to go for Indian Cuisine but two of disagreed (we were 7 that day). So we ordered Chinese for them (it turned out to be a great decision as I got the chance to judge the Chinese Cuisine too) and Indian for 5 of us.

On the Chinese we ordered Mixed Hakka Chowmein and Devil's Chicken on the side. For us we ordered Lahsuni (garlic) Dal Tarka, Dal Oval (a special Yellow Dal), Mutton Do-Pyaza and Butter Naan.

Let's talk about Chinese first. The Chowmein was nice, good in taste, nice texture and looked healthy as well. Devil's Chicken was the Bombshell. tasty and Juicy Chicken balls in a tangy red sauce nicely flavoured with Garlic. I would surely try that dish someday with my family.

Among the Indian Dishes I liked the Lahsuni Dal Tarka the most and disliked the Mutton Do-Pyaza. The Dal Tarka was rich with Desi Ghee. It was normal Black Dal (Kali Dal) with lots of Lahsun or Garlic. It was tasty with the Butter Naan. The Dal Oval was pretty ordinary but can't complain but being the only Non-Veg dish the Mutton Do-Pyaza really disappointed me. It was dull with both flavour and Taste. The meat part were rear though it was the costliest dish on our table.

Now lets talk about cost. I must say it's a bit costly but worthy for sure. for e.g. the Dal's were for Rs.135/- each, Chowmein was for Rs.200/-, Devil's chicken was priced Rs.260/- a plate, Moutton Do-Pyaza costs Rs.325/- a Plate, and the Naans were for Rs.55/- each. Quantity was ok I'd say.

Overall experience was nice and I enjoyed being there. The ambiance was nice.  7 on 10 so far. Will visit once again for sure.

A Chinese Experience at Chinhua, Chandni Chowk

So some how after my spate of 45 hours works week, I managed to go for a dinner. There was a nip in the air…and the mind was ready to embrace the season..While finding  for something different,  we got “Chinhua”.  An original Chinese restaurant with a two storied domicile in Chandni Chowk. Chinhua is the restaurant with a good rating on various parameters comprising décor, cleanliness, service, taste and value of money. And I must say that I was impressed with the awesome food quality.

We ordered for mixed chow-min (Hakka) and Pork fry (A special item of Chinhua).The price is quite reasonable. The full plate (a larger quantity of chow-min) of chow-min was for Rs 170 and the plate of pork fry (6 pieces) was about Rs. 80. These all items were cooked in sesame oil and a lovely smell and touch was there from the dishes.

Interior was all over decorated with Chinese themes. And I astonished that all the staffs were speaking in Chinese. An old lady was supervising every thing. And they are quite friendly. I was amazed with their co operation and behavior.

My greedy stomach felt really happy with the golden grace of Chinhua.

 The Mixed Chowmein

Great Rasomalai @ VIP (or V. I. P.) Sweets, Baguihati, Joramandir

While going towards Airport through VIP Road, there is a crossing after Baguihati Bust Stop called Jora Mandir Bus Stop. Right at the crossing you will see a huge outlet, VIP Sweets and Confectioneries.

They have a lot of varieties in different desserts, mostly Bengali desserts like Rasogolla, Kara Paker Sandesh, Cham Cham, various other Sandesh in different flavours, shapes and colors. I found interest in two particular Items, i.e. Gulab Jamun and Rasomalai.

They have two variety of Rosomalai, small chhena (cottage cheese) balls in plain white malai flavoued with cardamom and the other one is large balls in yummy Kesar (Saffron) flavoured and colored thick malai. For obvious reason I like the second one the most. Whenever I visit them, I have at least two of them. Very very soft, soaked in the delicious creamy malai. In fact my mouth is watering while writing this piece. If possible, give it a try someday.

Will upload images soon. Enjoy :)

Picture Courtesy Bharatiya Khana Khazana

Sip of Soda @Loknath Soda Shop, Baguihati

I was a kid when I loved Soda drinks. It could be any soda drink. No matter what flavour it is, no matter how cold it is. But after a certain time I only prefer such drink on two occasions. When I feel really thirsty and do not find some good drinking water and on the table with alcohol (that too is very rare nowadays).

Back in 2008-09 I enjoyed soda drinks again but not those bottled and labeled with a huge brand name that every celebrity pretend to drink on TV Ad. It was nice fruit flavours with soda available at YES SIR, Hindmotor.

What I had this evening is a superior version of that. It is in Baguihati, attached to Baguhati Super Market. Loknath Soda Shop, Cold soda drinks with a huge variety of flavours. You won't belive that they have flavours like Grape, Kiwi, Blue Berry and even RUM, Fruit Whiskey and Fruit Beer. 120 ml of drink costs only Rs.6/- and the 300 ml is just for Rs.10/-. That's amazing. May be the price is promotional but this is first time I saw such a wide variety of soda drinks available in my neighborhood. I believe these are available at the heart of the city like Esplanade or the fancy malls at a much costlier price but what I had here for 10 bucks would be my first preference anytime. Believe me people are crazy for a sip (I could not even had a good snap).

The summer is here, what are you waiting for??

                                                               Crowd seeking their turn!

                                                          
                                                             The Long List of Flavours!!

Penguin, DLF IT Park, Newtown

Penguin is the place to gain some peace on weekend for almost every people working at DLF IT PARK I, Rajarhat, Newtown (obviously for those who enjoy alcohol).

It is not just a Liquor Bar but a nice restaurant too. Unfortunately I have visited Penguin only once till now and here I am going to describe the experience of that single evening.

It was a weekend and we were pretty tired. In a single word, we wanted to visit Penguin! ;)

It was around 9.30 pm when we entered and we ordered Tandoori Chicken in a flash with Bacardi White Rum. It was the most juicy Tandoori I have ever had. Nice, Tender, Juicy and really very tasty. We took no time to finish it order one more!

Then I felt like having a different taste other than Chicken and fish goes well with white rum. I saw a dish on the menu called Devil's Fish. Crisp fried Bekti fillets with saute vegetables in a mild sauce. It was damn tasty too. As it was Devil's Fish, it was pretty hot. I usually avoid food, hot in taste but the devil's fish was exceptional. Especially when you have a bite of fish along with a yellow pepper, it's too juicy and crispy together with a blast of good taste. All these starters were within Rs.300/- and the quantity was satisfactory.

On the main course we had Chicken Tikka Butter Masala and Plain Naan. The Naan was hard but again the Chicken dish was tasty.

The place is well maintained but a little cozy but the service is exceptional. I enjoyed the hospitality! Overall a 8/10. Pay a visit with friends and family and enjoy the Devil's Fish!

Golden Joy in China Town, Tangra

After 31st Dec, 2012 this was our first party at Golden Joy, China Town. There was couple of reason behind it like promotion, bonus etc which we want to keep secret.

We were an hour behind the scheduled time on 22nd March, Friday and everybody was furious to reach the pre-decided destination. When reached Golden Joy all of us were super hungry and the attendant did had to wait any long. We ordered the starters in flash!

I preferred Whiskey that day and others ordered Rum and Vodka. We were discussing a dish that is available there for quite a long time and we ordered that first, a plate of Golden Prawns. Along with that we ordered Dry Chile Chicken, Threaded Chicken and Golden Fish.

Being honest I must say, the Golden items (both prawn & Fish ) were pretty ordinary in taste but not the cost. Both the things were fried with a golden coating. They used an ordinary batter made which is very similar to Fish Butter Fry or Fish Orli. The texture were good and it was obviously a nice choice to have with liquor. They served a hot green chile sauce which I felt a must apply on the golden fries.

Dry Chile Chicken is a very popular item nowadays and it was as good as available in any good Chinese Restaurant in Kolkata. Threaded Chicken was an absolute surprise. Very simply made but pretty tasty. soft tender chicken coated with crispy noodles. I really could not follow all the price after having a few pegs but what I remember is that, the golden items were pretty costly like around Rs.400/- a plate and others were around Rs.250/-.

Then we had Noodles and I had a Pork one. The noodle was tasty as usual. And that's all we really had no space left for anything else. I enjoyed the ambiance. It is a small place but well decorated.

I must mention one thing for those who do not know the fact that you can have whole bottle of liquor which may slash the cost a lot. So you can enjoy your drink there at much cheaper cost.

I would say there are lot many options in China Town and Golden Joy is one of the good choice.

Golden Prawns	Dry Chile Chicken
Threaded Chicken	Golden Fish