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...

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. ;)

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

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

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!

New Cathey, A Classic Restaurant in Esplanade

If quality, quantity and money matters, then I always choose New Cathey for dinning. The Bar & Restaurant is located at a very popular place, Esplanade. It's on the Grand Corridor.

The two tier restaurant is a very old place. Tier-1 is simply for hangout. Returning from office with friends, a plate of Fish Finger with smooth and buttery white sauce (can''t tell you how good the fish finger taste with this white sauce) and a mug full with chilled Haywards 5000 beer. Cheers!!

Tier-2 is Air Conditioned and you have to pay some extra taxes which is not required downstairs. Obviously with family or date it can be your choice but frankly I have always chosen Tier-1 as I found it comfortable too but yes a little noisy.

Chinese cuisine here is no doubt of good quality and quantity. Just make sure that you say "No Pork" when you order a mixed rice or mixed chowmein. I have tasted items like Chicken Clear Soup, Hot and sour Chicken Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup, Fish Finger, Crispy Fish, Chicken Drumsticks as starters and 2-3 varieties of chowmeins and  fried rices, Garlic Chicken, Chilli Chicken etc in  main course. I must say, all of them was good and huge in quantity. You must have a super huge appetite to have a full plate of Fried Rice of any variety and full plate of any chicken item. The Chicken items usually have 10-12 pcs of boneless chickens.

I often visit with my wife after shopping and always order a single plate of each Item for both of us. Cannot tell you the exact prices,inflation is more powerful than anybody else. However a few month back it was quite reasonable.

Lastly, not a place for luxury, so don't expect much. Service is good and they are helpful and honest about the food and it's taste. Do not hesitate to ask them if you have any doubt.

Enjoy!!

Grub Club, Golpark...A Cool Retaurant to Hang Out...

If you loved you College Canteen, you will definitely love Grub Club!

It is not a place to enjoy leisure but a place to hang out with friends. No fancy chairs or tables, no fancy lighting, no AC and many no's. A few tables for 4 or 6 and rest is long row of tales joined together like our canteen, common plastic fiber chairs and of course anyone can share your table; no privacy at all. :)

Again I'll say, if you liked your college canteen, it's a place you will not complain. Definitely not a good place to take your girlfriend on a date but obviously a very good place to give your friends a treat from your pocket money. Once you have managed you girl then also it's a place you may like to save you pocket. ;)

If you know Gol Park crossing, it's very close to it on the right hand side on Southern Avenue towards Vivekananda Park.

As I said it is like a canteen thus facility here is also like canteen. You need to select your menu first and pay the money at the cash counter at the entrance and take the printed order (the bill in fact) to the service counter. They will take the order and will ask you once the order is ready. Yes! it's self service too!

But the menu card may surprise you a lot!! you will find a huge variety of dishes on the card with various Chinese dishes to famous Mughlai items. The day I visited Grub Club, I was with my friends and one of our friend was going to Mumbai on the same day. He actually planned a small get together near my home and later he asked us to have lunch together at some place. Another friend suggested Grub Club as none of us were prepared for such a plan and we all had very little in our pocket and thus Grub Club was chosen. I was not convinced by the name at all and after seeing the condition described above I was stunned. But finally when the dishes reached our table, I was more surprised. We had dishes like Crispy Lamb Chops, Chicken Lollypops with Honey sauce as starter and in the main course Mixed Fried Rice, Chile Chicken, Garlic Chicken (don't remember if anything else we ordered). I liked the Lamb Chops very much. Personally I do not like sweet flavors for non-veg items but the Chicken Lollypops with Honey was a different taste. Other were good too, nothing special to say but obviously worthy.

If you visit Lake area or Gariahat someday you can visit Grub Club if you feel these information impressive and trustworthy...

A Chinese Cuisine at BAR-B-Q Restaurant, Park Street

In the month of June I visited BAR-B-Q, Park Street accompanied by a friend. On a cool rainy afternoon.

I heard a lot about BBQ, before I visited last day, from my friends and colleagues. About it's nice ambiance and good quality of food. I must say the ambiance was really good. I believe a very few restaurants have brighter lights on the dinning floor like BBQ. I think people like the dark environment but I am always fond of light and so I liked it :). And obviously the Park Street factor add more to it.

Now I should tell you about the food. We ordered a plate of Drums of Heaven (approx Rs.150/-), one Hunan Chicken (approx Rs.175/-) and a Plate of Mixed (dont remember exactly; may be Chicken) Hakka Noodle (approx Rs.175/-). YES!! everything we ordered for single plate only, and it was really sufficient for us. We may have less appetite because there was still a small amount noodle and chicken left on the plate. :) Apart from the quantity, the food was really good. The Drums of Heaven was really made in heaven. I have not tasted such good chicken drumstick so far. the little sauce they added in it was great; it was having a nice mixed flavor of Capsicum, Chile, Tomato and Spring onion. The crispy fries with the sauce were mouth watering.

When I ordered the Hunan Chicken, I thought it would some variety of Chinese chicken items with the similar taste we are familiar with but it stunned me with a completely different taste. It was sourly, mostly hot, a little sweetness with a bunch of Chinese flavors. The hotness of the food will not make you cry [ ;) I am the one who hates Hot foods ] but make you feel good with a change of taste in our daily life.

The above two really pleased me a lot but the noodle really failed. After the Drum-of-Heaven the expectation arose as usual but may be for that reason I got disappointed with noodle part. It was not bad at all but I felt it just common noodle in a large quantity. Nothing to complain about but nothing and nothing to appreciate.

Overall a good-food experience at BBQ. For 3-4 person it will be best to try a food variety within limited budget.And Finally a tip for all young pals; it's a very good place for a date. ;)