Bon Appetit (Kolkata)

The end of a treasure-hunt

The plaque outside this 30-seater eatery reads 'This is the place your friends told you about.' This is arguably the fairest testimonial for Bon Appetit, because word-of-mouth publicity is the only thing that contributes to its following of a few hundred youngsters – all based in and around Salt Lake City. When you look at the list of the most popular eateries in any city, you find that strategic location is of paramount importance. Bon Appetit completely does away with this constituent and strives to thrive on its promise of good food and low prices. The décor inside is brilliant, and puts many bigger establishments to shame. There is a beaded curtain dividing the two wings of the restaurant which sways as the wind blows through the doors. The wall is adorned with photographs of some of the most successful chefs in the world – Gordon Ramsay, Nigella Lawson, Kylie Kwong, you name it. And the food – oh! the food! The fare is almost completely vegetarian, with the exception of eggs used on certain dishes. The Parathas are delicate, crisp and wholesome, and are stuffed with different ingredients on different days of the week. There are very innovative items on the menu which at times sound unappetising and yet you find yourself licking your plate clean. A perfect example of this is the Mushroom Maggi. Also worthy of mention are the Stuffed Pita and the Hawaiian Egg Salad. The mocktails are quite refreshing and even the dessert options are fascinating, with the Tiramisu comparable to what is served up in the priciest restaurants in town. Hence, it is easy to see why a place located in the back of beyond never has an empty table during the day.

Ambience                ★★★★
Service                    ★★
Presentation            ★★★
Taste                      ★★★★★

http://kolkata.burrp.com/listing/bon-appetit_circus-avenue_kolkata_restaurants/145300564

(Reviewed by Anubhab Dasgupta)

Hong Kong (Kolkata)

Harbour with the fragrance lost

Hong Kong Restaurant is a small dimly-lit joint on Prince Anwar Shah Road which can most aptly be described in one word - 'unassuming'. The menu comprises simple and widely accepted Indo-Chinese fare. You have the regulars - half-a-dozen soups, side-dishes of chicken, prawn and fish - all cooked the same way, fried rice, noodles and chopsuey. The food is painfully unoriginal and unimaginative and has remained so for close to 20 years, which probably keeps the guests away. Very blatantly put, when Chinese cuisine begins to represent a panorama of flavours from umpteen regions, exotic sauces, and textural complexities, fried rice and chilli chicken cannot excite you. Service is inconsistent, and strangely, is often quicker on days when the restaurant has more customers, and slow otherwise. The food doesn’t really look too great either, and it’s doubtful whether any effort is made to that effect at all. However, despite its many shortcomings, Hong Kong keeps the old world charm alive, and the food is cooked well. The American Chopsuey is delicious - the noodles are just as crispy as they should be and the sauce is smooth and has a delicate balance to it. To sum up, it is located right across the busiest mall in the city and yet rarely has more than 4 tables occupied even on a Sunday night. This makes it an ideal place to eat at if you have not made reservations elsewhere.

Ambience                ★★★★
Service                    ★★
Presentation            ★★
Taste                      ★★


http://kolkata.burrp.com/listing/hong-kong-restaurant_tollygunge_kolkata_restaurants/141345168__UR__reviews

(Reviewed by Anubhab Dasgupta)
 

Cafe Ideal (Marine Drive)

Good ideas, but far from ideal

At first sight, Cafe Ideal looks like a neighbourhood pub given the over-casually dressed people who come in on Sunday afternoon and greet fellow patrons in a manner suggestive of familiar acquaintance. In terms of food, this is one of the few places in Mumbai that can call itself lacto-ovo-vegetarian, serving both dairy and egg dishes but no meat. The lasagna is quite palatable, though a distinct milky aftertaste does prevail. The Indian fare is far better both in terms of quality and quantity. The Dum aloo Bengali, although not traditionally Bengali in terms of the spice content, is adequately spicy and boiled just correct. Best enjoyed with finely layered Lacha paratha, the dish itself looks intimidating through the sheer number of slices of potato present; but once you dig in, you just can't stop eating till the whole thing is over. One major disappointment at Cafe Ideal is the Cadbury chocolate milkshake, which is just too bland and almost completely lacks the rich chocolate flavour Cadbury is renowned for (one is led to wonder whether the Cadbury here is genuine). The stewards too seem to be in need of more extensive training. And of course, the refusal to accept payment cards at a restaurant of this calibre at such a prime location is unforgivable. Clearly, while the first few steps have been taken, Cafe Ideal still has a long way to go to live up to its name.

Ambience                ★★★
Service                    ★★
Presentation            ★★★
Taste                      ★★★

http://mumbai.burrp.com/listing/cafe-ideal_chowpatty-girgaon_mumbai_restaurants/198107811

Manchester United Cafe, High Street Phoenix (Lower Parel)

Glory, Glory

If it is Thursday night, the Manchester United Cafe is the place to be. Extended happy hours and karaoke (with good singers being rewarded with a premium vodka shot) make up the flavour of the place. If in the midst of all that, you do time find for a bite, rest assured of not being disappointed. On the vegetarian side, the paneer steak is almost perfect, with uniform softness and just the right mix of spices that accords a great flavour to the otherwise bland paneer. The grilled chicken is also delectable, with a brown sauce that can be licked clean once the chicken is over. One rather unique thing over here is the fact that vegetarian dishes come at a price higher than their non-vegetarian equivalents. Having said that, both - albeit exorbitant - are totally worth it!

Ambience                ★★★★★
Service                    ★★★
Presentation            ★★★★
Taste                      ★★★★★

http://mumbai.burrp.com/listing/manchester-united-cafe-bar_lower-parel_mumbai_bars-pubs-cafes-restaurants/1104986099__UR__reviews

The Calcutta Club (Jogeshwari West)

Bengali Food at Bengali Prices

Victoria Memorial, Vidyasagar Setu, Uttam Kumar, Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak - all the living and inanimate icons of Bengali culture can be found on the walls of The Calcutta Club, giving it a distinctly Bengali feel as you take you seat here. Add to that the smell of fish cooking, nauseating to a vegetarian but mouth-watering to an inveterate Bong. Food over here is reminiscent of a regular Bengali lunch, heavy in quantity but light when it comes to spices and thus light on the system. The masoor dal along with basmati rice and fried potato strips (known colloquially as jhuri bhaja in Bengal) makes for an excellent vegetarian meal by itself. For those veering into non-vegetarian territory, the Mangshor jhol (mutton curry) is a good bet, with the trademark hemispherical slice of potato (the shape is different from a potato slice in a fish curry, for instance) included in the curry. The Chicken Curry too is light on the system despite being quite palatable. The meat dishes are best enjoyed with Luchi, a softer version of the Poori that is light enough for you to have 4-5 of comfortably. Unfortunately, the Doi maachh (fish in curd-based gravy), arguably the most eagerly awaited dish on this particular spread, disappoints with the fish having a putrid aftertaste that is just about compensated for by the splendid gravy. The other letdown at The Calcutta Club is the absence of traditional Bengali sweetmeats like Rosogolla (though Rosogollar payesh, a rather nicely whipped up Bengali version of the Rasmalai, does exist) and Pantua on the menu; and the unavailability of Mishti doi (sweet curd) most of the time. And so, for the Bengali dejected by the fish and the sweets not being up to the mark, The Calcutta Club offers a price that will remind him or her fondly of Kolkata. A 3-course meal for 2 is comfortably done within INR 700, something that the Oh! Calcuttas of the world may sit up and take a look at. For the novelty-seeking foodie from any other part of India, The Calcutta Club is a good initiation into Bengali cuisine at prices that allow you to experiment.

Ambience                ★★★★
Service                    ★★★
Presentation            ★★★★
Taste                      ★★★★

http://mumbai.burrp.com/listing/the-calcutta-club_oshiwara_mumbai_restaurants/145156564

Rajput (Matunga West)

Looks are Deceptive

A nondescript eatery with 4 tables, of which one is regularly used as a chopping board with discarded utensils stashed underneath. That is Rajput for you, at least at first glance. That is, till you muster enough courage to enter and actually sample the food. The chicken kababs are proclaimed to be the specialty, and mostly live up to their name. So does the chicken curry, if you discount the fact that it has far too much oil to be negotiated. The oil, of course, is something to be wary of even with the vegetarian preparations; and the paneer masala is arguably the best vegetarian dish largely because it is not coated with a film of oil. On the Chinese front, the Vegetable and Chicken Manchurians are the standard fare, but Rajput goes far beyond what its name suggests to have Singapore Noodles and Hong Kong Noodles on the menu – both decent to taste but too spicy to sustain that taste for long. Rajput of course takes service to a different level with the prompt stewards, often doubling as delivery men, being quite forthcoming and cheerful. And the service is quick, even at odd hours in the night – an above-average chopsuey dish is prepared from scratch (i.e. cutting the vegetables) in less than 15 minutes (you know it because it is being prepared next to where you are sitting). On shortage of soft drinks, the steward rather sportingly offers to get one from the rival restaurant set up next to it. And it is this quality of service that differentiates Rajput as a home delivery joint, even till 2 in the morning. You order the food and it is there in 15 minutes. Just get rid of the film of oil in the container, and enjoy your sumptuous yet affordable meal. To add to that, you don’t set your eyes on the place and thus do not form any negative impression either.

Ambience                ★
Service                    ★★★★
Presentation            ★★★
Taste                      ★★★

http://mumbai.burrp.com/listing/kallus-rajput-_mahim-w_mumbai_restaurants/14918237960