The New Year was ushered in with gala celebrations all around the city which meant a complete carnival atmosphere throughout and some good food to devour on. While most of the restaurants extended the special Christmas and New Year menu for some days, there are others which took the opportunity to introduce the Sunday brunch as a regular feature. One such place is The GRID. With more than 70 items on the buffet, some seasonal salads, regional starters, main course and a wide spread of desserts, it is definitely going to be another popular Sunday joint to look out for. The best part is that while on normal days kids are not allowed, as the Sunday brunch is a family affair, kids are not only allowed, but they have a separate play area and a kids menu, too. Live counters, candy floss for the kids along with the PDR turned to a games room will definitely woo the kids. Some of the must-try dishes are Bhojpuri aloo with tawa roti, crispy garlic fish with tartar sauce, Goan rassa omelette and pav curry, to name a few.
Kolkata does not need any reason for celebrating the Chinese cuisine, and if it is the Chinese New Year, then it is double the celebration. The Waterside Cafe at The Hyatt Regency celebrated the Chinese New Year with a diverse assortment of salads, special dips such as Szechwan chutney, cilantro chutney or pineapple tomato chutney and the special attraction being the eight regional cuisines from the stretches of China. Yauatcha celebrated the Chinese New Year with a Chinese New Year signature menu, where both the vegetarian and the non-vegetarian meals comprised of four courses, which included a selection of the salad, small eats, wok dishes, and desserts. While the all-day dining, The Bridge at The Park Hotel got their menu revamped, the Zen celebrated the Szechwan food festival with dishes that signify the three distinct flavours of Szechwan cuisine namely hot, spicy and sour. Double fried pork with chillies and sesame, multi-layered steamed chicken wanton, and others were the main attractions here.
From Chinese to sadda desi – Lohri was celebrated across various food joints in Kolkata, and Sanjha Chulha, one of the authentic Punjabi restaurant at the Bypass, celebrated this in a grand way for the first time. While sarson da saag and makke ki roti are compulsory for any Punjabi festival, there were also other dishes such as Amritsari kulche chole, paneer mewa de pulao, Amritsari machhi masala and much more, which gave the food-loving-city some taste of the Punjabi food beyond the ever popular daal tadka.
Deck 88 has opened in The Astor Hotel, which promises to be a hotspot of the city. Up in the terrace, this place gives a feel of an urban garden space. Soft diffused lights along with various seating styles are definitely what Kolkata wants more and more off, when it comes to open-air fun. A wide range of cocktails with some signature ones and some fusion food, which has global, as well as local influence, adorn the food and drinks section. From local ghoti gorom (the quintessential chanachur or Mumbai mix warmed up, mixed with shredded onion, raw mango and chillies), pakoda basket to keema mutton spaghetti, it is all here.
The best was perhaps saved for the last, for JW Marriott introduced the much-anticipated nightclub, Gold, to Kolkata in the month of January. It is a modern nightclub with gracious service, scrumptious finger food, refined décor and luxurious ambience. The 200 seating capacity club remains open on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Fast moving finger foods and bar appetizer platters work more in a nightclub. Going by that philosophy, Gold has some unique dishes such as vegetable porpia, crispy loaded nachos with molten cheese, refried beans, tomato salsa, guacamole and sour cream, and hot "tangra" chicken wings, in green chilli sauce, to name a few. Some of the signature cocktails such as Gold Rush, signature deadly shooters namely Terminators, Tsunami, Apocalypse will definitely woo the party animals.
With Valentine's Day in February, it surely is going to be a great month ahead for the food business in Kolkata. Cheers!
A true blue Kolkata foodie, Anindya loves cooking and eating his Kosha Mangsho. Anindya weaves stories around food as he believes exceptional food is an emotional experience. Previously a restauranter, now a passionate photographer and traveller, he runs a successful blog called Pikturenama and contributes to other publications.
