Restaurant review -Why do we still like Sabir’s Hotel!

Chandni Chowk is that part of Kolkata which I would frequent during my Presidency College days. There’s nothing in electronics that one can’t get hold of in Chandni market. Looking at the crowd this Friday afternoon, I easily concluded that despite a booming e-commerce sector, the market had neither lost its charm nor appeal. Situated in one such lane is the age old Sabir’s Hotel. Way back in the seventies, when my father was a post graduate student in Calcutta University, this was a favorite eating out joint for them as well. No fine dining restaurant could get my husband so excited as going to this restaurant. That’s what Sabir’s stands for – a walk down memory lane.

IMG_20171124_144847.jpg
First floor of Sabir’s

Continue reading “Restaurant review -Why do we still like Sabir’s Hotel!”

Restaurant review – Calcutta Retro, New Town, Kolkata 

Last Saturday, we took our – month toddler to the gaming zone at Axis Mall, New Town. Since this mall is just five minutes from my place and is generally never very crowded, I seem to have developed a liking for the place. We were famished after half an hour of rigorous driving, galloping and hammering sessions. Not being too keen on the buffet option, we decided to opt for Calcutta Retro. a quiet restaurant on the fifth floor of the mall. It is accessible only by lift. The place was empty saving another table of three and we tucked in to have a quiet meal.

IMG_20171118_134815.jpg
The walls inspired by Sukumar Ray’s work

Continue reading “Restaurant review – Calcutta Retro, New Town, Kolkata “

Restaurant review – Santa’s Fantasea, Salt Lake, Kolkata 

Ever since I moved back to Kolkata,I have been hearing about the popularity of this place. A visit in the month of February this year clearly justified their popularity. Till date, we have visited this restaurant quite a few times and they have never let us down in making it a delightful experience always. Located quite near to the Salt Lake swimming pool, this place stands out in terms of the uniqueness of their decor and food. While it is recommended to reserve a table before visiting, specially on weekends, I must also mention that we managed to get tables without prior booking as well.

Continue reading “Restaurant review – Santa’s Fantasea, Salt Lake, Kolkata “

Restaurant review – Annapurna Sweets, New Town, Kolkata 

Located within half a km from my house, this used to be the only sweet shop for the entire stretch of the DLF1 IT premises locality until few months ago. They stock an enviable range of delicious sweets, misti doi (sweet curd or yogurt), milk products like chena and cottage cheese. The namkeen range, however is restricted to radhaballabi-dum aloo, nimki and singara(samosa) .

IMG_20171113_164031.jpg
Annapurna Sweets

Continue reading “Restaurant review – Annapurna Sweets, New Town, Kolkata “

Restaurant review – The French Loaf, New Town, Kolkata 

Located just a km away from my apartment, I had been thinking of visiting this outlet for quite a while. Last week when my husband brought their brown bread and apple pie back home, the taste was good enough for me to plan the visit at the earliest.That is how we ended up being there last evening.

This is a small joint sandwiched between Reliance Fresh and Vijaya Bank ATM,quite near to the New Town Bus stand. The place can barely accommodate fifteen people at one go. Yet they have managed to keep a tiny seating arrangement within premises even though take away is the preferred mode here.

IMG_20171112_154630.jpg
The French Loaf Entrance

Continue reading “Restaurant review – The French Loaf, New Town, Kolkata “

Restaurant review – Lake Lite, Kolkata 

A chance visit to the Swasthya Bhawan (the administrative building of health department) got us delayed in some paper work yesterday. Following the age old proverb ‘necessity is the mother of invention’, our famished selves discovered this restaurant within half a km of this building.

Lake Lite is a restaurant quite popular among the office goers of Salt lake and New Town. The location makes it accessible for working professionals to have a quick lunch. They have an open bar and the alcohol is quite cheap, making this place a favorite hang out joint for after office parties. The restaurant was nearly full on a Friday afternoon. Since we were in a hurry, we decided to have just the soft drinks in the restaurant and get the food packed instead.
Continue reading “Restaurant review – Lake Lite, Kolkata “

Restaurant review – Momore,Kolkata

Last Saturday,I had been craving for momos. So we went to the nearby Axis mall to savor out the momos at Momore counter. While I have been to this place couple of times before, there was essentially no aspect that stood out during each visit. The counter is situated between Axis mall and Lifestyle store.  The counter is quite visible due to location advantage and its bright yellow color. It is more like a take away counter with no available seating arrangements.

IMG_20171106_145727.jpg
Pic 1 – The Momore counter

Continue reading “Restaurant review – Momore,Kolkata”

Restaurant review – 6,Ballygunge Place, Salt Lake, Kolkata 

6,Ballygunge Place or 6,BP as it is popularly known as was the first ever Bengali restaurant that I had dined at in Bangalore. But that was more than a decade ago. Ever since, I have been wanting to try out their outlets in Kolkata. Having eaten at both their Ballygunge and Salt Lake, Sector 1 outlets, I narrow down my choice to the later as a personal favorite.

Last Friday, we decided to lunch at their Salt Lake outlet. While they had an ongoing elaborate buffet on the first floor, we decided to go the Ala Carta way. Due to an unavoidable situation back home, we had to parcel the dishes and managed to savor the desserts only at the restaurant.

IMG_20171103_125135.jpg
Pic 1 – The entrance

Continue reading “Restaurant review – 6,Ballygunge Place, Salt Lake, Kolkata “

Restaurant review of Town Restaurant, Kolkata 

Town restaurant is located very near to Axis Mall. It is barely a five minute walk from the main gate of the mall. During one such overcrowded weekends at the mall, we decided to skip the option of dining at a mall restaurant and chose the nearest option of Town restaurant. Along with our toddler, we were two couples heading towards a new gastronomic adventure.

Despite it being a Saturday evening, the place was almost deserted initially barring a young couple at one of the tables. The restaurant is located on the first floor and they have a functional lift facility. On entering the restaurant, the poor lighting of the place creates a huge negative impact. Families are encouraged to occupy the air conditioned part of the restaurant situated farthest from the entrance, the portions separated by a door. We took up two tables in this area.
Continue reading “Restaurant review of Town Restaurant, Kolkata “

Restaurant review – Mainland China, Avani Riverside Mall, Howrah

Mainland China is located on the third floor of Avani Riverside mall in Howrah. My husband and I have lunched quite often in this outlet whenever we have been to this part of the city. On a weekday, one can directly walk in for lunch or dinner while it is always recommended to have a reservation over the weekend.

Having stayed in Bangalore for over a decade, we are extremely familiar and delighted with the hospitality of Speciality group restaurants, specially the outlets of Mainland China in Koramangala and Church Street. Thus there’s an inevitable comparison that follows. Sadly, I must say that this outlet really needs to scale up on quite a few parameters in this aspect.
Continue reading “Restaurant review – Mainland China, Avani Riverside Mall, Howrah”