Kolkata – Page 11 – soniasmusings

Restaurant review – Aminia-that old world charm of Kolkata

The year was 1999 – it was going to be my first stay away from home. Kolkata was meant to be my destination for the next three years and Presidency College Girls Hostel my address. The night before my parents went back to my home town, leaving me on my own for the first time, we dined at the Aminia outlet opposite Elite cinema. It used to be a favorite of my dad’s during his post graduation days in the city. Over the years, there have been quite a few options serving great biriyani but I keep visiting Aminia mostly for the nostalgia it holds in my heart. This weekend, we decided to revisit the Aminia outlet near Chinar Park, Rajarhat and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised to see some positive changes in the attitude and feel of the place. Located on Rajarhat road, this outlet had a queue of people waiting to get in when we arrived. It is still that popular.

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Restaurant review – Chili’s Grill and Bar, Quest Mall, Kolkata

Almost all the restaurants located within Quest Mall look lucrative enough to us for repeated visits. Last weekend we decided to try out an American – Continental kind of lunch and that is how we decided on Chili’s Grill and Bar. When I tried making a prior reservation over the phone, I was informed that seats will be available around the time we were planning to visit and thus we just walked in on a Saturday. The place was quite full. Located on the fourth floor of the mall, the restaurant has a very welcoming look and feel and we were instantly at ease.

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Restaurant review – WOW! Momo

The sudden dip in temperature over the weekend took a toll on my health this friday. Since going out didn’t seem like a feasible option and I wanted to eat something spicy and tasty, momo is what came to my mind. Zomato provided me with a host of momo outlet options. Some had already been tried out and few didn’t have a home delivery option through Zomato or Swiggy. That’s how we decided on the delivery from Wow! Momo, Salt Lake, Sector 5 outlet through Swiggy. Few years back I had tried out their chicken steamed momos at their Axis Mall outlet and remembered liking the taste of it. This time we decided to explore few other dishes.

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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.

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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.

*The walls inspired by Sukumar Ray’s work*

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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.

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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) .

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.

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.
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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.