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

VESSELKA (THE WORLD CUISINE COMES HERE)

"Flavour it takes,flavour it makes, flavour it breaks a foodie's pilgrimage"
First of all, hats off to Kollolda for creating such a great community for us, the boisterous, ardent foodies of bengal..your regular updates on diversified n unique food joints of Kolkata r really like a guide. Whatever it is, we just can't compromise with our food.
Being a member, feeling great to share sum thoughts and opinions. Just came across a new food joint here at Kasba, near my place.. It's called "Vesselka". they claim where the world cuisine comes home..
i was strolling with one of my friend at my para. Suddenly, he suggested me to have a a sandwich at a new food joint, he cudn't remember the name.. however, he clearly remembered the location.. I don't know, maybe my stomach was rambling out of hunger... i asked him whether we cud go now? it was already 9.00 pm.. he gave me an awful reaction... however, nagging wid my parents i manged the car keys and we both sailed to our destination.. it's a small joint. located on Bose Pukur road,, just beside the place where the Bose Pukur puja is celebrated. u'll find it on ur righ side if u are coming from gariahat. as we reached there.. we some sum really busy men.. working their brains out to serve a small crowd of customers.. The joint has a big hoarding in blue.. written "Vesselka". as we stopped our car,.. a small boy came out running to our car and provided us their menu card.. They really offers an unique cocktail; of almost every known cuisines to us. be it Indian, Chinese, Oriental, Italian, Continental and a hell lot of other things. We just ordered at chicken Mayo Sandwich.. it looked very average.. with some french fries over it.. we the mouth watering taste felt like paradise across our tongues.. they offers a very reasonable price and a lots and lots of variety to make u go crazy.. (They even serves Octopus and Squid). the only thing that might look strange that it's not a proper restaurant.. But trust me, if ur inquisitive enough for ur food. u surely have to be here. Try it..

It's Only Alibaba!! Saltlake, Sector-V

I do love Biryani a lot, though I am little biased towards Continental and Mediterranean but obviously the flavour of Biryani really matters and I keep searching for it. I have tried Biryani in Lukhnow, Delhi and obviously at many places in Kolkata. Unfortunately I haven't yet visited Hyderabad to taste it's world famous patent Hyderabadi Biryani, though my wife tasted once and one of my close friend Ani is staying in Hyderabad. :(

Among many I liked the Mutton Biryani from Only Alibaba, Saltlake, Sector-V the most in recent time. You can say that the outlet I am talking about is just a franchise and it's the same taste and flavour of Biryani in all Alibaba outlets. Let me tell you a fact that the huge sale in Sector-V outlet has made a big difference, you'll always find fresh dish as per your choice. And obviously I love it more because the staff there welcome you with warmth in their heart.

Few days back I had Sepcial Mutton Biryani. It was a mistake! I had no idea about the quantity and it was plenty. Huge chunk of mutton highly enriched with taste, a large piece of potato soft like butter with lots of flavor and taste made the whole thing absolutely majestic. I ordered Tar Biryani, it's the biryani from the bottom of the pot with lots of oil. I feel there is no point thinking of health while having a special biryani from alibaba. The Tar is always tasty. You just don't need anything on the side, just the biryani was enough alone. The mutton was soft and tender and highly flavoured. In fact while writing this blog, my mouth watered a lot, thinking of it.

The price of the special one was Rs.190/- and do not miss the Firni. It's Rs.30/- only and delicious as well. After the meaty taste, your tongue deserves something sweet like the firni...

photo courtesy www.emaaya.com

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