Friday, April 8, 2016

'36 Ballygunj Place, Kolkata' by K.J.S.Chatrath

In 1967, I went to join the Mussoorie IAS Academy to join the service. It looks like yesterday, but it was almost 50 years back. The officer trainees were called 'Probationers' and two had to share a room. The room allocation had a method in pairing of the allottees. Persons coming from the same state and going to the same state were not put together. The idea was to inculcate an all India outlook.

I was extremely lucky to have got Gauri Shankar Ghosh as my room partner. He belonged to West Bengal and was allotted Gujarat cadre. I, a Punjabi coming from Delhi, was alotted Orissa. The same system of integrating officers and cadres with a healthy mix of insiders and outsiders.

Gauri and I got along very well and became very good friends. Once out of the Academy we went our ways. I went to Orissa. He went to Gujarat and soon, because of his brilliant work, went to the UN and was much in demand amongst various UN Agencies.

Last year we were able to re-discover each other electronically. He stays in NOIDA and I am in Panchkula. We were keen to meet. The occasion came when early this year I decided to go on a touristy visit to Kolkata. Gauri too was in Kolkata that time where he had gone to look after his old mother. He hosted me as if the entire Kolkata belonged to him. I also had the privilege of meeting his lady wife- Chanda, an extremely graceful and gracious lady.
On the very first evening he took me to a classy Bengali food restaurant called 6 Ballygunge Place, said to be famous for genuine Bengali cuisine . The place is an old house refurbished but retaining its Bengali character.
Take a look at the ambience of different rooms:







This, I guess is the depiction of a typically erudite Bengali bhadralok.



A graceful Bengali lady.

 
Colourful wall hangings with Bengali motifs. 






Having seen and photographed the place, we sat down for a nice Bengali dinner and soon the menu arrived.

The starter was a salty mango drink with pakoras.

Chicken, fish and potal stuffed with paneer. All superb.

No explanation is required.


And no Bengali meal is complete without 'mishti dohi'.

Thank you Gauri and Chanda for a memorable truly Bengali meal.
..................
Address: 
6, Ballygunge Place, Kolkata, West Bengal 700019
Phone:033 2460 3922
Open· 12–3:30PM, 7–10:30PM


……     …..
May I invite you to visit my websites & blogs?
Posted by at 3 comments:

Thursday, March 31, 2016

'Pakistani Food Stall in Chandigarh' by K.J.S.Chatrath

This one is not about Indian food in a foreign country, but about Pakistani food in India. Every year there is a 'Made in India' Fair in Chandigarh where dresses, shoes etc made in Pakistan are put on sale in Himachal Bhawan Chandigarh for 2-3 days. I go to visit it when ever it is set up. My temptation comes from its Food Court.

Last month there was such a Fair and there was a Food Court of Pakistani food as an adjunct. I went and gave the food a try. Take a look:




I tried the Lahori mutton curry and roomali roti. Well, considering the quantity, at Rs.400 a plate, I would not call it a  friendly price from a neighbour.  And now a few words about the quality. The mutton pieces were badly cut and definitely under cooked.  The gravy was excellent with an aroma of spices. After ages I got a full small green cardamom in a dish. Of course it was quite oily but there was very little of tomatoes and onions, which are predominant in Panjabi curries in India. There was a modes, controlled use of chillies in the dish.  At Rs. 30 a piece, the roomali roti was nice and freshly made in front of me.

I don't know what did the Hon'ble Indian VIPs shown prominently in the banner of the stall find in the cooking. I would not like to have it a second time unless the quality is improved.


……     …..
May I invite you to visit my websites & blogs?
Posted by at 1 comment:

Friday, March 25, 2016

'Making Amritsari Kulchas in five easy steps' by K.J.S.Chatrath
















And the final product- something to die for!

LATER:  A dear friend Supreet Dhiman suggeested that I give some more details about the location etc. of this Dhaba. yes, I should have mentioned the address. So here is an addendum:."This was in Sector 7 of Panchkula about 2 years back. I had then talked to the young man running the place. He had told me that the original shop was on Lawrence road in Amritsar which his father had set up after partition. He could not say why his father chose the name 'Chajju' and weather it was inspired by the Panjabi saying 'Jo sukh Chajju dey chaubarey, oh na Balakh na Bukharey'. ....Unfortunately the dhaba closed in Sector 7, Pkl as there was some electricity problem...I understand that it is now running at Society-166, Sector 32-b, Tribune Road, Tribune Road, Chandigarh, 160020; Phone:093560 13391. It needs verification if it is still there."

……     …..
May I invite you to visit my websites & blogs?

Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Do try 'Rasam' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

Posted by at No comments:

Friday, March 11, 2016

'Chillies in Varanasi, India' by K.J.S.Chatrath

Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

'Arsalan Restaurant, Kolkata' by K.J.S.Chatrath

I visited Kolkata last month and spent four days there. I stayed* in hotel Jameson Inn Shiraz, Kolkata, West Bengal, on Park Street (www.jamesoninnshiraz.com).

 Choice of garnishing for omelettes in buffet breakfast in Hotel Jameson Inn Shiraz, Kolkata. 

I found this hotel to be on a great location, neat, clean and value for money. Breakfast spread was excellent and the staff extremely polite and helpful.



Just about five minutes walk was restaurant Arsalan, which was recommended to me by a Kolkatta friend. And yes, it was an excellent suggestion. In the picture above one can see the staff in neat dresses busy with their work.
I ordered Chicken Stew and tandoori rot. I have earlier noticed that in Delhi's well known Karim Restaurant also such a dish is called Chicken Stew. Why 'stew'- I just don't know. The dish was as tasty as it was good looking. After the recent revelation in the press/internet that fatty food may not be bad for us after all **, I was not at all over awed by the abundance of oil.



The roti was OK. Somehow I prefer rotis made of atta and not of maida or atta mixed with maida.

The presence of chillies in the dish was not for the weak hearted. Though it did make the dish hot, it also provided looks and flavour.
And after polishing off this stew with two rotis, something sweet was needed. I ordered phirni which was just too good.

My overall assessment: 7 on a scale of 10.***

Address:


Marina Garden Court, 191 Park Circus Crossing, Kolkata
Contact No. : 033-8297/2284 8556/ 8558 4010
Timings : 11AM to 11PM
Cuisine : Mughal
Chicken stew

*Note-1: I was a full paying customer in this hotel and was neither offered nor accepted any discount.
 

 **Note 2: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/cholesterol-u-turn-as-research-shows-fatty-foods-might-not-be-bad-for-us-after-all-10277837.html



***Note-3: I was a full paying customer in this restaurant and was neither offered nor accepted any discount or complimentary item. 


.....


May I invite you to visit my websites & blogs?
http://www.gravematters.in
http://www.traveltalk.co.in
http://www.fiftyplustravels.com
http://www.anaap-shnaap.blogspot.in
http://www.francophilesonly.blogspot.in
http://www.indianrestaurantsworldwide.blogspot.in/
http://www.indianheritagephotos.blogspot.in
***
Email: kjschatrath@yahoo.co.in; chatrath@gmail.com
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)