In a nutshell: A mid-sized Hole in the wall eatery that serves super YUMM Anglo Bengali cuisine. Address & other details: Enter Sadananda Road from Rashbehari more side & walk towards Hazra. The shop is on the left side. Meal for 2: Rs. 150 onwards Cuisine type: Vegetarian & non vegetarian Background: Bengali cuisine of today has many British influences like batter fried fish, orly, … Continue reading Apanjan (Sadananda Road, near Rashbehari Crossing, Kolkata)
Spartan interiors, fast service, tasty long lost Bengali food & easy on the pocket.
the logo
Address & other details: Radhuni
Meal for 2: Rs. 100 onwards
kochu pata chingri
Cuisine type: Vegetarian & non vegetarian
Background:
Bengali food is usually associated with fish, meats & everything non vegetarian. However there r some extraordinary vegetarian food items made from leaves, stems, flowers, roots etc that cost minimal but taste YUMM e.g. Mocha (banana flower), thor (the pith of the banana stem), oal (root), bok Phool (flower), kumro Phool (pumpkin flower), kochu pata (leaf), kochu (root), lau shak (leaf) etc. These have unique tastes & flavours and most of these r different from the mainstream usually available Indian vegetarian food.
Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:
Unfortunately, availability of most of the items mentioned above have limited availability nowadays in bigger city markets of Kolkata. Some of these dishes r difficult to make & the rest r painstaking to make / need lot of patience. A visit to Radhuni can however bridge this gap – u can enjoy the excellent taste traditional Bengali vegetarian gems without having to sweat it out to make these. Some of the ‘vegetarian’ dishes contain shrimps etc.
Menu card with prices
Radhuni also has a long list of Bengali nonvegetarian dishes that r good but not outstanding. However, if u r visiting Kolkata / planning to eat out local cuisine, it cannot get better than this at that price.
The service is fast. The people here r nice – they r not typical trained Restaurant Server types. They r normal human beings who respond well to good behaviour from customers.
The interiors r Spartan – a lot like South Indian Udipi Restaurants.
Prices r unbelievably low (by Delhi / Mumbai standards).
A super duper single menu joint that is just a hole in the wall shop but serves some excellent kababs.
superb sutli kabab at Adam’s
Address & other details:Alight at Central metro station (towards Poddar Court end). U come across a statue of Maharana Pratap on ur left if u r facing Girish Park. Once in front of the statue, take the road to the right (if u r facing the statue). Take first right turn from there & go straight. The shop is on the left near Haji Allauddin Sweet shop.
Shop Board of Adam’s kabab
Meal for 2: Rs. 80 onwards
Cuisine Type: Nonvegetarian
Description:
Many years back, I was floored by the sutli kabab here.
For the uninitiated, Sutli kabab is made by wrapping a paste of meat & spices around a metal sheekh, tying it with a cotton thread & then doing it on a barbeque pit. Once the kabab is done, the thread is removed & the kabab is served.
Sutli kabab being prepared
The sutli kabab I had then was unbelievably soft, spicy, hot, awesomely tasty & was just out of the world. I thought it to be the best in its category then. Earlier this year I had a similar thing at Babu Bhai Kababwale, Chilti Qabar, purani Dilli. I was very impressed but I thought that Adam’s was better.
sutli kabab on Barbeque pit
Back then Adam’s Kabab name was not written anywhere. The elderly guy at the shop used to sit on the floor. This time we found a young guy with earphones manning the shop, sitting on a high cement slab with Adam’s kabab written. In case u r wondering about the name Adam, it refers to the first human being according to Islam who is also considered the first prophet.
An encounter with piping hot Rosogollas at a para (neighbourhood) shop floored me & all my co-snackers. I won’t even suggest that this is the best rosogolla in Kolkata but on its own, it is excellent to taste, especially when hot.
piping hot roshogollas
Meal for 2: Rs. 20 onwards
Cuisine Type: Vegetarian
The story:
Hot piping Rosogolla is a unique thing to have. It tastes like no other sweet – warm when served, smell & taste of fresh chhena (curdled milk) but different from just chhena. Bengalis also vouch for its medicinal properties – supposedly helps recover from bad stomach.
I got initiated to this many years back at a shop near my erstwhile office – He wud sell rosogollas during the day but the hot ones that he used to serve in the evening were way better.
the nondescript sweet shop where we had the roshogollas
As I moved to Delhi NCR few years back, I was surprised to find that people prefer cold refrigerated rasgullas. When cold, the rosogollas tend to become brittle & hence a bit chewy.
The current encounter with hot rosogollas happened by chance while I was visting a cousin’s place. I was so impressed by the hot rosogolla that I shamelessly asked for more to be told that they had got only a few. I went out to the shop immediately with everyone at his home & told the shop owner ‘ we r so impressed by ur rosogollas that we all came to eat more.
A long History of excellence, sadly struggling to keep up with its earlier Glory – A lunch here left us with a cold feeling & also food that was surely lower than expectations.
Shiraz as a name rings a bell with Most Calcuttans (since the Days when Kolkata was Calcutta). I have had many good experiences in the past here like many others. Over the years I have seen a decline & had stopped going here & insead to the newly opened Arsalan. Similar experiences cud b heard from others as well. This time around I made it a point to revisit Shiraz & check it out myself…………….
Burrah Kabab @ Shiraz
There are two restaurants at Park Street Mullickbazar area. One is a few shops away from the other. The newer one is closer to the crossing & the older one is a few shops away. The newer one is swankier as well. We decided to go to the Old one.
Menu Card @ Shiraz
The old restaurant has a non airconditioned ground floor & an airconditioned first floor. Furniture, look & ambience of the first floor is much upgraded as compared to the ground floor. The look at first floor was that of an old Eightees restaurant. Cubicles made with set of sofas facing each other. Lighting was dim.
colorful picture studded menu card
The staff of this place need a special mention. Some of them seem to walk out of a 70’s movie. They have been in the same job of waiting tables for decades, have got bored enough & that shows on their face every moment, appear at the tables like robots without any facial expression & at times frown if too many questions are asked. The uniform has quite a ‘Nawabi Khansama’ look. The relatively younger Manager who I guess was the only person in suit, was also quite serious faced. He was continuing to speak to me in English even though I was speaking in Bengali. It was then that I did what I do best – mentally poke. I striked a conversation on ‘what is popular her / what is legendary her, I have come from far to eat here/ what is ‘mash-hoor’ (famous) here etc & within 3 -4 sentences each, the customer – server barrier fell apart. We were talking to each other as two human beings & the interaction was excellent since then for the rest of our stay.
mutton chaap @ Shiraz
The food is surely very good in isolation but as compared to others, this one takes a beating – Straight away from Arsalan Park Circus & surely from Aafreen, Metiabruz. We were unlucky to get stale meat in one of the dishes, very happy to get a replacement after we reported the same & even more disappointed when the replacement turned out to b stale as well.
Raita @ Shiraz
However, inspite of that, people throng to this place in thousands, more due to emotional reasons than pure culinary ones.
This is a late add to YUMMRAJ’s series called TIMELESS KOLKATA EATOUTS – reviews of Heritage Kolkata restaurants. Each restaurant has been rated as ‘Old is Gold’ or ‘Old is no more Gold’ based on the experience.
Year/decade of opening- Around Independence.
YUMMRAJ Demystifies the Legend of Peter Cat & maintains OLD IS GOLD
In a nutshell:
A retro restaurant (not by design but coz they never changed with time) with a great ambience, old school staff, good food for the prices that they charge but nowhere as good compared to the ’real thing’- be it European or Persian.
Peter Cat has been around for decades & that speaks a lot – Restaurants open very often & close down almost as often. The ones who survive the test of time surely have something good / unique to offer.
The décor as I mentioned above is retro in today’s context – red sofas facing each other & nice lamp shades above each table. The lighting is dim overall but the lamps on each table illuminate the table good enough to see each other, have a good chat & enjoy some good food. There are two floors & the way to top floor is as grand as it can get.
The dining Hall at Peter Cat & the Waiting staff in the background
Waiting staff look Grand as well, with their sherwani suits, flamboyant headgear & pointed shoes. Most of them are however quite Old School – smooth talking, knowledgeable, not overtly attentive but attentive as well, not quite warm, talks with an air of authority interspersed with some rare smiles & I guess quite bored of doing the same job for donkey’s years…… & that shows on their face. U will enjoy the evening if u think this to b a part of the package – dining at a retro restaurant & being served by people who r enacting the past:)
The food is good in general & at the prices that the food is offered, I wud say some are excellent. However, if u compare the non- Indian dishes to the original dishes the way they r, then u might b quite disappointed.
In a nutshell: Good décor & ambience, well mannered staff, overpriced food, smelly old meats consistently in all dishes, non authentic taste in general, with a few exceptions. Address & other details: Tarami Meal for 2: Rs. 1800 Tarami platter, Rs. 800 onwards for 2 alacarte Cuisine Type: Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian Short Description – In case u r in a hurry: My perception of overpriced … Continue reading Tarami (30 A, 1st Floor, Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi )
Awesome slim pizzas at fat Lulu’s that r cheaper & much superior than the average fare served by MNC pizzawalas. I pinched myself to ascertain whether I was dreaming or awake – as the food hit my tastebuds.
Pizza is a common snack that has become almost an indian food in a decade & half of its getting popularized. MNC pizzawalas like Dominoes Pizza, Pizza Hut etc rule the market with their ‘average to good but seldom outstanding’ breaded & other pizzas, mainly due to smart marketing. Then come the expensive ‘Italian’ restaurants like Tonino, Spagetti Kitchen etc which serve good pizzas but u easily end up spending Rs. 2000+. Good Budget Pizzas were a miss in general & Fat Lulu’s has just filled the void.
Make ur own pizza @ Fat Lulu’s
Between both of us we had 3 pizzas (8 inch) back to back for dinner & we kept craving for more………………….. alas our stomach pouches raised red flags beyond 3.
The Restaurant has a tiny ground floor which is essentially a home delivery & ‘pack’ section. A wooden staircase took us upstairs. I was impressed by the simplicity of the décor & the casual ambience. On one end was the Wood fired pizza Oven & the rest of the room was dining chairs & tables. Tables are for 2 people & they were being joined in different permutations & combinations by the staff to accommodate 4 or 6 or 8 guests together.
Inside Fat Lulu’s
Each table had 3 things – chili flakes, herbs seasoning & most importantly olive oil, in addition to the usual salt, pepper etc.
olive oil on every table
The menu card is a one pager & has an interesting concept: The menu card read – ‘Pick ur base, size, topping & cheese – we wud do the rest’ or ‘choose from our selection of Pizzas’. See the picture below for understanding how the matrix works.
Pricing matrix as of oct 2012
Example. We chose an 8 inch vegetarian pizza with a choice of any 4 toppings. That made it Rs.250. We then chose 1 non vegetarian topping. Those were for Rs. 75 each. So our pizza came for Rs. 325.
As mentioned above we were shocked to find the pizzas so good. They were not gourmet kinds that u get in Hilton / Park Hotel but they were excellent.
For beverages the only option is lipton ice tea / soft carbonated drinks.
The staff members seemed to be new to the job & still learning. However, they tried their best to be helpful. The owner lady was always at the floor & constantly supervising the floor. I was amazed to see that she actually was helping the staff in relocating & re-setting the furniture as well.
If u have expat guests & want to give them a taste of good Indian food that will not give them a Delhi Belly, this is the place. If u want to go out on a date & have indian food, u might consider this. If u r thinkin of meeting friends in a nice environment with some good food , this place is a good option. A family outing to a nice restaurant for celebration – once again this qualifies. However, if u r a hardcore foodie to whom tastebuds only matter & not ambience, or to whom a dori kabab on an Old Delhi roadside amidst huge flow of human traffic butt brushing u constantly is super exciting, then this Restaurant might throw up some disappointments.
Well let me try to xplain this. There r very limited ‘excellent’ Indian food Restaurants in Delhi. If u narrow down to Awadhi cuisine (Lucknowi food), then ur options r highly limited to say the Legendary Dum Pukth, Kainoosh or say Indian accent. Indian fine dining is rare & specially if u r a fan of Dum food (slow cooked over low fire – a Lucknowi tradition).
My experience at Dum affairs was very good but has been surely better at Kainoosh, IndianAccent & the big Boss – Dum Pukth. I will happily part with Rs. 6000 for 2 at Dum Pukth but having paid Rs. 2800 for 2 at Dum affairs, I feel it is a bit overpriced. Its like a 2 hrs flight vs. a 14 hrs AC 1 Rajdhani. That is the difference.
The staff is extremely courteous & have good relevant product knowledge. They were quite attentive too, to our needs.
The ambience, as I mentioned, was very good. Nothing Awadhi about it but just plain good. Music was modern day Bollywood – I did not really get the connection of that with Lucknow.
innovative dessert
The food was a mix of outstanding & average. Authenticity did not seem to be a focus & the Chef has done a good job at doing some of the fusion cuisines. However, it wud have been good if the menu card displayed which ones r fusion & which ones authentic. For some dishes, that was obvious but it wasn’t obvious for the rest.
The first page of the menu card was a shocker to me – It had a section called ‘For the health freaks’ with salads etc. That was the most inappropriate section in a Lucknowi Restaurant – ‘healthy Lucknowi food’ is nothing short of an oxymoron.
Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:
This is an Indian foodie’s experience of American food in Boston vs. similar food in India.
In a nutshell:
A 180+ year old Restaurant that has stood the test of time & in some ways is still stuck in a time freeze – Loved the whole experience with a special thumbs up to food.
I am not sure that this is the best ever restaurant serving famous Boston seafood today. However, opened in 1826*, this is the oldest surviving Restaurant in America & that itself speaks a lot – today it is a National Historic Landmark. The Building is also one of the oldest surviving buildings in Boston – constructed between 1716 & 1717 (Aurangazeb ruled India till 1707 – for time reference).
* For reference – Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal Emperor ascended the throne in 1837
In late 1800s, Toothpick was introduced in this restaurant for the first time ever. Charles Forster , the inventor of toothpicks got the idea from South America where he saw people cleaning their teeth with small slivers of wood. He came up with a machine that produced toothpicks from birchwood grown on Boston’s nearby city Maine. When he tried selling this to restaurants, he found no takers. Legend has it that he stuck a deal with a bunch of Harvard students – They went to dine at Union Oyster House & created a ruckus after the meal when their request for a tooth cleaning instrument was refused. In a few days Charles pitched the toothpicks to this restaurant & it was introduced, soon to be introduced to other restaurants. Needless to say that he had to pay for the bill of the students.
Tablemat with pic of the restaurant & a listing of Boston Heritage walk
Lobsters in early 1800s was known as poverty food in America!!!! It was a cheap source of protein fed to indentured servants & laborers. In fact, in Massachussets a group of servants rebelled & had it written in their contracts that they cud not b fed lobsters more than 3 times a week………………………………………
memorieson the wall
Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:
The whole look & feel as we went inside was that of a very old bar cum eatery – the kind that we have seen in movies. Small cubicles to sit & eat, no big hallways, wooden partitions for cubicles & so on. Loads of pictures, coins of yesteryears & menu cards of earlier days remain displayed in the wall. At the entrance was a huge aquarium with live lobsters of different sizes. It seemed unlikely though that this aquarium was there in its present form since the beginning of the restaurant. Opposite to the lobster area was a small & very old fashioned bar. People were sitting across the bar enjoying the drinks. The drinks made at the bar for guests upstairs were being sent on a manual lift operated using a pulley.
Aquarium at the entrance
A guy standing at one of the counter near the entrance said ‘Pls go & ask for a table with the Hostess’. As I reached the ‘hostess’, we came across an elderly lady sitting on a high stool across a high desk resembling a ‘speech podium’. She also appeared to be out of movies of fifties & sixties. She wrote our names on a paper with pencil & said ‘1 hour waiting for the Grand Dining Room upstairs’ or ‘u may sit in the ground floor small seating area’. We chose the second option.
Mammoth Lobsters in the aquarium
We loved our food & were very much at ease coz seafood is something that u have to eat with hands – everyone else was also eating with hands & I guess that made a lot of difference to our experience.
Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:
