Minerva Coffee Shop, Himayatnagar, Hyderabad

Hyderabad is known for it Biriyani. Hyderabad is revered for its typical Andhra cuisine. Hyderabad is famed for its spice. The spice however can sometime
s get to you, and after two to three spicy, hot culinary experiences, the time may be just right for food that is light and easy on the stomach, but at the same time extremely delicious. Minerva Coffee Shop is just that oasis that you may be looking for.
A restaurant that has stood the test of time as one of the best places in Hyderabad where one can sample some light, delicious vegetarian South Indian delicacies.

Minerva coffees shop has nice comfortable seating becoming of the cuisine that they serve. They have sofas, instead of the usual chairs and you have more than enough space to seat yourself and enjoy your meal. Service is also prompt as is I guess the norm for this sort of a place. What really struck me was the menu card, which had an interesting caricature promising a culinary journey.
I sampled the Paper Dosa and some Button Idlis when I went to Minerva Coffee shop for break fast. The dosa was crisp, thin and very tasty, just right for a sumptuous breakfast. The experience rivalled that of a Sarvanna Bhavan in Chennai. The button Idlis were served hot and swimming in a bowl of Sambhar. Very tasty. Again a fantastic breakfast dish.
We finished off our breakfast with some traditional filter coffee which is of course a must in a place like Minerva Coffee Shop. Definitely a must try if you are looking for a good breakfast in Hyderabad and get some relief from the spicy Biriyani and Andhra meals.
A meal for two at Minerva Coffee Shop will cost you approximately Rs 200/-
How to get there: Minerva Coffee Shop in on Himayatnagar X Roads in Himayatnagar, Hyderabad. It is right on the main road and is pretty much a landmark. Your auto/ cab driver should easily be able to locate it.

Al-hamadulillah Hotel, Nampally, Hyderabad

Al-hamadulillah Hotel in Hyderabad is an Hyderabad institution in authentic Hyderabadi cuisine and has been one of the preferred haunts of the "hard core" Hyderabadi foodie for quite some time. The words "hard core" have been mentioned in inverted commas and intentionally so, for Al-hamadulillah is not for those for whom cleanliness, presentation and hygiene is as important as food. That is not saying that the food is bad as the patrons of the restaurants are loyalists but the quality and the quantity of food at Al-hamadulillah take clear precedence over the presentation. When you walk into Al-hamadulillah, you pretty much know what you are getting into. You will see Haleem smoking in a couple of pots by the entrance, Paayas (cattle hoofs) let out to dry in marinade and the unmistakable smell of Biriyani pervading your senses. The seating is rustic, plastic chairs and tables seating four each. A couple of bowls, one of saalan and one of raita looking like they have been there for a good deal before you even decided to come to the restaurant. The food however is exceptional and I was treated to one of my better culinary experiences. We started with Tala Gosh and rumali, tala gosh is the signature dish of the restaurant and is basically small pieces of beef cooked in a red masala, the pieces are tender, well cooked and half melt in the mouth. The portion served to you is also generously sprinkled with mint leaves which add great flavour to the preparation. After the Tala Gosh we moved on to sample some Haleem and the Biriyani. I love haleem and I was not disappointed in the least, the restaurant is one of the few places which serve haleem all year round and the taste was very close to what you get all around Hyderabad during Ramadan, which is very very good. We polished off the meal with a bit of the Biriyani which was slightly spicier than the regular Hyderabadi Biriyani and had a lot more mutton. Overall a big thumbs up although the place I guess could do with some improvements in presentation. Its not a place where you should take your loved one for a romantic dinner, but there should be some places where its just about you and your food. A meal for two at Al-hamadulillah without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 250/- How to get there: Al-hamdulillah is at Nampally, Hyderabad. Its a bit difficult to locate for the Non Hyderabadi so you will need to depend on the local auto driver. They invariably know the place.

Cafe Bahar, Hyderguda, Hyderabad

Cafe Bahar (pronounced as "Kaif" Bahar as against "Cafay" Bahar) is one of Hyderabads more famous Biriyani outlets. Its the place where you will find the housewife with her famished kids having just finished a day in school, the BPO employee gang from the latest call centre shop out to celebrate an office birthday and local students just out of tuition challenging each other to devour the famous Bahar family pack. It is the place that the Hyderabad local goes to sample some of the best Biriyani that Hyderabad has to offer. I would take it any day ahead of the more touristy Paradise or Hyderabad House. Cafe Bahar is made for the middle class Hyderabadi wanting to sample some of the best cuisine in Hyderabad in a relatively clean and hygienic environment. The setting and the ambiance is almost like a regular Andhra meal joint. The place is packed most of the times so sharing your table with other famished patrons is the norm. The service is pretty good for a place of this nature and you are pretty much served your food quite promptly especially the Biriyani which is obviously mass produced. The last time we were at Cafe Bahar, we had quite a large spread. We started with some "Dum ka Chicken" and Rumali roti - the Dum ka Chicken is apparently the dish that finishes the fastest in Cafe Bahar, the chicken is cooked in a rich, slightly sweet gravy which was laden with a largish helping of nuts to enhance the richness and the taste. The chicken was cooked excellently and was very tender. The preparation was a great accompaniment to the Rumali roti and the gravy went very well with the Biriyani rice as well. We then proceeded to the highlight of the restaurant - the mutton biriyani. The biriyani was typically Hyderabadi and very good although I personally prefer the Lucknow and Kolkata styles, the rice was excellently cooked although the meat quantity was slightly on the lesser side. Raita and Mirchi ka saalan was served on the table to be taken as per taste. We obviously took a regular portion and not the family pack, but we were lucky to see the family pack being devoured by a largish group at a nearby table. The family pack is basically a catering counter full of Biriyani! Pretty unique in the way its served, its almost as if the waiter has picked up an entire counter of Biriyani from a wedding reception and has walked over to serve it at your table. I was speaking to a Hyderabadi friend of mine who was raving about the Bahaar, apparently the challenge during his school days was to devour the entire family pack alone at one go. To fellow Kolkatans who may be reading this, that equals around 4 packets of Shiraz mutton Biriyani portions! I admit defeat. Hyderbadis can have a lot of Biriyani! A meal for two at Cafe Bahar will cost you approximately Rs 400 without drinks. How to get there: Cafe Bahar is a Hyderabadi institution and anybody in the vicinity of Hyderaguda should be able to point you to the restaurant.

Chilis, Powai

Chilis is an American Burger and Margarita joint that started out of Dallas in the year 1975. They opened in Powai around a year back and is fast developing a reputation of being a preferred watering hole of upmarket corporate types inhabiting the offices that have mushroomed all around the suburb. While it definitely is a great place to have a drink with airy well spaced out sitting area and smart, well spoken waiters, the food is under rated and deserves far more mention and word of mouth than the place currently gets. Guess the reputation of a bar first is good on the economics but the food as I found out is very good and deserves more credit.
Chilis was hosting a Fajita festival during the week when we visited, the effort part of a visible positioning strategy of the outlet as an authentic Mexican option in Mumbais foodscape inspite of their Burger centric origins - I guess they feel that the Burger has limited viability in an already McDonald-ised India. To partake in the festivities we decided to sample the Chicken Prawn Fajitas and for starters, we went with the ever popular. The Nachos were distinctly and pleasantly different from what you get at most joints and looked and tasted more authentic (although I have had very few brushes with Mexican cuisine). They appeared as they were freshly baked and the cheese sauce was tasty without being incredibly over powering. The salsa sauce served with the Nachos was positively brilliant and what was better was there willingness to serve seconds when we requested for more. An outstanding dish and a must - have if the best Nacho you have presently tasted in Mumbai is at Cream Centre, Bombay Blue of TGI Fridays.
The Fajitas were also served in a very different manner. The prawns, chicken and vegetables were served sizzling on a hot plate, the Tortillas were served separately in a covered dish almost similar to how you would serve hot chappatis in a typical Indian meal. The condiments and sauces were also kept completely separately to be mixed and had as per once flexibility. Again the authentic way to serve the dish and very different from the usual rolled up version available in the Mexican sections of most restaurants. The patrons are then expected to roll up the Fajita as per their individual tastes and proceed to have the dish. A very nice dish both in terms of taste and in concept and it definitely left me yearning for more.
We wrapped up the meal at Chilis with a dessert so sinful it deserves mention, we ordered the Molten Chocolate Cake, a large dollop of chocolate cake with molten chocolate on the inside waiting to burst out given the opportunity, served on a hot plate with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream. Just before serving chocolate sauce is served on the sinful mass to add the sizzle effect on the hot plate. Calorific, sinful but completely delightful.
The sense that you get from Chilis overall is a over riding sense of style, the food, the decor, the service all exude a certain confidence and class. What I would also ask you to do is to order a Margarita as '007 'would have ordered it. The waiter will literally shake the drink in the mixer on the way from the bar to your table!
A meal for two at Chilis without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 1200/-
How to get there: Chilis is in Hiranandani Gardens, Powai. If you are driving from Haiko to D-Mart, Chilis will fall to your right. It is situated right next to Great Kebab Factory.

Red Box Cafe, Bandra

The best thing about Red Box Cafe is the atmosphere that the restaurant exudes and inculcates. The lights are bright, the overwhelming colour of the decor is bright red interspersed with clear white patches. The music in largely rock and roll from the halycon days on the late eighties and the early nineties, and the moods of ninety percent of the patrons you see seated in tables around you in unmistakably happy. Red Box Cafe is easily one of the "happiest" restaurants I have visited, and is definitely in contention if you are wanting to spend an enjoyable evening with friends and family in Mumbai and are deciding where to go.

Red Box offers continental cuisine and the menu card contains the usual offering of steaks, sizzlers and other English favourites. They have also added the usual Italian and Mexican specialities which is increasingly becoming must haves in most restaurants in Mumbai today. The food though passable is however not the main draw and it would be best to tone down the expectations of the palate at least in terms of authenticity.

The last time we were at Red Box I had the opportunity to sample the Chicken - Lemon Thyme, The Penne Machelleria and one of my Old Favourites - The Lobster Thermedor. The chicken - lemon thyme was expectedly very good, lemon and thyme go very well together and served as excellent flavour on the mildly grilled chicken. The Penne Machelleria (Machelleria is Italian for Butcher Shop) - essentially Penne tossed with chicken sausages in a meat sauce was Ok, while the sausages were good on their own, I guess the meat sauce suffered and largely tasted of tomato without the juices of minced meat. The lobster thermedor was excellently presented with the flesh kept inside the beasts outer shell.

The taste was however slightly overwhelmed by the excessively cheesy white sauce served with the dish. Disappointing after the really great presentation. The other slight downer was the service which was really slow. The saving grace remains the great ambiance and atmosphere, we did not really mind spending a little extra time in the restaurant - even though it meant waiting for the food. Go to Red Box Cafe to have a nice time and decent food with friends and family.

A meal for two at Red Box Cafe without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 1000/-

How to get there: Red Box Cafe is on Waterfield Road in Bandra at the corner of the junction which also houses China Gate and Caravan Serai.

Out of the Blue, Pali Hill, Mumbai

Out of the Blue is arguably one of Suburban Mumbai’s best places to eat, but is definitely one of the best places to hang out. This is a restaurant that appeals to your senses because of the ambiance and the décor. The food is quite good but is not the highlight. The atmosphere at the restaurant is what keeps me going back to Out of the Blue and will doubtless make you want more of the same. Out of the Blue offers its visitors four different options in terms of seating. There is a brightly lit café like option as soon as you enter the restaurant to your left. There is an indoor section on your right. The main seating area is further up which appears like an outdoors option but you realize that is a really high asbestos roof. The outdoor eating area offers two types of seating. The main area is regular tables and chairs, slightly erring on the side of being over crowded. The other option is the table on the sides which are slightly elevated having floor cushions where you will see a whole horde of people whiling away time, drinking and nibbling at very well cooked food – essentially capturing the value proposition of the restaurant. Out of the Blue did have a 5^th option which was actually outdoors on the terrace which was my favorite but they seem to have done away with the same a couple of years back.

The staff is friendly and smart if slightly slow. The lighting is dim, apart from the café seating on the left and they believe in candle light which are covered in some very nice wooden lanterns placed at your tables. The music is not too loud and during times I have visited have been selections from Dire Straits, Clapton and other artists of the 1980’s. The combination of the décor, the lights, the music and the non-interfering casual service make the restaurant a great place to visit someone you love as well as the perfect setting to catch up with a bunch of old friends. The food? It is good without being spectacular. The last time I was there, we ordered the leafy spinach and mushroom soup, the ham and chicken fondue and the Spaghetti Bolognese. The leafy spinach and mushroom soup is a definite re-order in my book. The soup is based in cream and there is a very obvious stock of mushroom used. The leafy spinach add a great texture to the soup and went excellently well with the mushrooms which were cooked just right. The fondue was a disappointment. The chicken and the ham which are pieces served on the side as an alternative to the bread were the savior as the cheese sauce was just not up to the mark and was quite flavorless and tasted of flour more than anything else. We ended up wasting half the bread that was served although the diced meat was juicy and tender. I would recommend that you order the fondue only if you are in a group of 8 or more which would leave two to three pieces of bread for everybody to dip their skewers into the cheese sauce which would be the maximum that one can take before starting to hate the taste. The Spaghetti Bolognese was ok. The sauce was tasty but had a bit too much of an overdose of basil for my liking, there was also too much meat sauce for the amount of spaghetti in the preparation. We rounded off the dinner with some chocolate mud pie which was a highlight but then dessert is one of the specialties of Out of the Blue and you must save space for it if you visit.

Overall a definite recommended for the overall experience. Go there and have a really great evening.

A meal for two at Out of the Blue without drinks would cost you approximately Rs 1600/-. I would usually crib slightly at the expense given the food quality but the ambiance makes it worthwhile.

How to get there: Out of the Blue is at Union Park, Pali Hill. It is located right next to Olive Bar & Kitchen. If you are unfamiliar with Bandra, the easiest way to reach is to take the right at the Café Coffee Day on Carter Road and keep going up the road. The restaurant will fall on your left.

Bibi of Taajas, Jodhpur Park, Kolkata

Bibi of Taajas is one of Kolkatas oldest restaurant dedicated to bringing world cuisine to the city. A noble attempt and I love the restaurant just for that fact alone. The restaurant also has the unfortunate history of shutting down and reopening atleast 3 times in my memory and at different places. So while I will tell you where the latest reincarnation is, do forgive me if you go and find out that the restaurant does not exist there any more. Taajas has a variety of delicacies from all over the world, I was first introduced to the Greek Moussaka and the Risotto through the restaurant and used to think that those two dishes were Gods gift to mankind. I have since however tasted the Moussaka in Athens and had Risottos in a variety of high quality Mumbai restaurants and am sad to realize that the preparations at Taajas are not authentic although to be fair to them the taste is reasonable good in anyway. Maybe they seek to tailor the cuisine to the Bengali taste and wallet size. Bibi is the name of the owner of the restaurant and I am not exactly sure why she has added her name to the restaurant. Anyway does not really matter and I hope it works well for the restaurants business.

The décor of the restaurant is very homely, the current avatar is actually in a house setting, complete with a bookshelf and a divan in the corner. The last time I was at Taajas I sampled some Chicken Dumplings, Paella and the Thora Sin Moo. The chicken dumplings were good to taste but the dough was slightly on the thicker side, the Paella which is a Spanish Pulao, cooked with sausages and prawns had very good quality prawns but to my mind lacked a bit on the aspect of taste. The Thora Sin Moo which was a Laos inspired preparation of Pork served on a bed of rice was however excellent and worth another visit on its own. The other interesting fact that you should be aware of is that Taajas serves food in huge quantities, the paella that we ordered was good enough to feed 4 people.

Overall I enjoyed my meal and I really hope that the restaurant does well. It is a great effort to bring world cuisine to Kolkata. However if you do go there, do steer clear of the dishes you know so as not to be disappointed on the authenticity aspect, chances are very high that you will find something interesting and chances are even higher that you will completely love what you are eating.

A meal for two at Bibi of Taajas will cost you approximately Rs 800/-

How to get there: The latest incarnation is located in a lane right opposite the Jodhpur Park Post Office in South Kolkata. The lane will fall to your left if you are driving from Golpark towards Jadavpur. Taajas is 30 m inside the lane on your right.

Mocambo, Park Street, Kolkata

Mocambo is easily one of Kolkata’s most famous restaurants serving old style, typically Kolkata, continental cuisine. It is the most popular place to go and enjoy a quasi British experience in the city that Job Charnok founded. Not that Mocambo does not have competition, Sky Room had a better brand, and was renowned for top quality food but the owners decided to not continue with the restaurant business almost two to three decades back and exists only in the memory of the Kolkatan. Peter Cat probably has better food but is done in by their world famous Chello Kebab, which effectively defines the restaurant. Mocambo has therefore emerged as the place to sample food from the mother country in the one time capital of British India.
The décor at Mocambo is typically British, grand turbaned doorman, waiters in white or black, rich carpeted floors and comfortable sofas which tend to envelope you while you sit. The service is not the fastest but is always polite. The food is good but the restaurant does have its share of disaster dishes as I found out. The last time I was there at Mocambo, I sampled the necessary Prawn Cocktail and Angels on Horseback. The Prawn Cocktail – Prawns in a mayo, tomato ketch up cocktail was good. The prawns were of the highest quality but the cocktail was blander and less spruced up than the version that Peter Cat offers. Very good but the prawn cocktail at Peter Cat is a personal favourite. The Angels on Horseback which sounded great, chicken wrapped in bacon and served on a bed of tomato and sausage rice was a disaster as it was too sweet for my palate which is actually saying a lot. I was reduced to really forcing myself to finish the dish. Because of my multiple previous visits however, I will still vouch for the food. Do go there for the Old Kolkata dining experience as well as the food! Order either the Chicken Cordon Bleu or the Chicken Tetrazzini as your main course.
A meal for two at Mocambo without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 600/-
How to get there: Mocambo is on Park Street, on one of the lefts just after the Park Hotel. Most people in the area should be able to help you with the location.

Peter Cat, Park Street, Kolkata

Having a dish that is world famous is usually good news for a restaurant. I am sure that is the case also for Peter Cat and the world famous Chello Kebab, but I feel it over powers the restaurant as I have never and I am being honest here, I have never tasted a dish in Peter Cat apart from the Chello Kebab. You might, if you go there often enough, but I have always entered the restaurant with my mind made up. I will be ordering the Chello Kebab as the main course.

Peter Cat is an old style Kolkata restaurant and the décor is typical. The influence of England is obvious. A grand turbaned waiter at the entrance, rich carpets on the floors, comfortable large sofas as seats and a purposefully dim lighting arrangement – just the kind of place you want to take your lady love or your colleagues out for a grand dinner. Another obvious attempt by the English to create a corner in Kolkata reminding them of their home and carried on by the present management, I actually love it and Kolkata would not be Kolkata without these colonial influences.

The last time I was there I sampled the Chello Kebab obviously and the Prawn Cocktail. The Prawn Cocktail is one of Kolkatas favorite starters and is essentially Prawns served in a cocktail made with mayonnaise, tomato ketchup and a mix of herbs and spices. A superb concoction and a definite order if you want to sample Kolkata Continental cuisine, the version at Peter Cat slightly overdoes the lime and the sweet but I tend to like it more than the slightly blander versions going around at most restaurants. The quality of the prawns – another key feature of the serving was of the highest quality. The cocktail was followed by the Chello Kebab. The dish is incredibly simple and maybe that is why it is so famous. Two Sheekh Kebabs and a skewer of Chicken Tikka with Capsicum and Tomato pieces line the two sides of a bed of rice. There is a fried omelet on the bed of rice and 4 to 5 cubes of butter. The rice is flavoured with herbs and is supposed to be Persian rice. That is pretty much it! Many disparate pieces put together and served in a British setting. What is even more amazing is that the combination really appeals to 90% of the people who have tasted it. World Famous and I am not joking in the least. So much so that the menu card has been advertising the preparation as a “World Heritage Preparation”. Do go to Peter Cat the next time you are in Kolkata, for the Chello Kebab and for the Old Kolkata restaurant experience!

A meal for two at Peter Cat without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 550/-

How to get there: Peter Cat is on Park Street. It is very near to the Park Hotel.

Golbari, Shyambazar, Kolkata

There are dishes that define restaurants. The opposite however is rarely true. Golbari is however one such restaurant. Golbari – a hole in the wall eatery in North Kolkata defines the Kosha Mangsho which is basically nothing but your regular meat curry, the curry is slightly reduced more than usual, hence “Kosha”. Why I say Golbari defines the dish, is that it serves as the benchmark for the mutton curry and serves as the comparison point of what is the weekly gastronomical highlight in the regular Bengali middle class – the meat curry. Non Bengalis might be surprised to read this but the highlight in the Bengali’s food week is the mutton curry eaten on Sundays. You must realize that fish is eaten everyday and hence is not a highlight. Golbari serves if not the best, easily the most famous Kosha Mangsho in Kolkata – and that is reason enough to go and sample the preparation.

Golbari is a hole in the wall eatery. It is named so, because of the circular façade of the building that hosts the restaurant (Gol in Bengali means round) and would not be more than 400 sq ft including cooking area. The tables at the restaurant are no more than pieces of wood jutting at the sides where you have to sit side by side and eat. It is also not very hygienic as you essentially have waiters and customers almost walking over you in the tiny space. However, the food is good and you will often find a queue outside the eatery waiting for a chance to enter the restaurant. The smart thing they have done to manage the crowd is that you have to pre-order and prepay before entering the restaurant. Not that you cant order more, but the essential order has to be placed prior to entering the restaurant.

The food is legendary and does not disappoint. It will be possibly the richest meat curry you will have in your life. Almost too dark and too oily for most palates, I think it tastes good but you must be careful that you do not have too much if you are not used to rich food. The quality of meat however is not the greatest and when I go there I usually go for the Mutton Kheema which is cooked in the same gravy. The other highlight of the restaurant which is not talked about that often is the quality of the roti which is had with the meat. There is a layering of ghee which makes the rotis very soft and fantastic to taste. Apart from the meat, the restaurant also has a whole range of chops and cutlets which are apparently good but that is second hand feedback. Overall a must visit purely from the point of view of tasting the benchmark of the ubiquitous mutton curry. Go and order the mutton kheema and 2 rotis.

A meal for two at Golbari without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 200/-

How to get there: Golbari is right of the 5 point crossing at Shyambazar. It is the main crossing in the area and is easy to locate. It in on a point where the statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on horseback faces you!

6 Ballygunj Place, Ballygunj Place, Kolkata

6 Ballygunj place is part of a relatively recent trend that is being seen in Kolkata of traditional Bengali eateries. The evolution of Bengali eateries being seen in Kolkata is rather interesting as the Bengali usually tends to have a certain disdain on authentic Bengali style fish, and other dishes being cooked outside of his, or his aunt’s home. I believe it is due to the increasing cosmopolitanisation of the city and the increased nuclearisation of the Bengali family that is leading to the increase and demand of such restaurant due to the paucity of time that is essential in the cooking of these Bengali delicacies. I guess modernization does have its drawbacks, the women of the Bengali household are increasingly spending time at office rather than in the kitchen and a new niche of restaurants has been created. “6 Ballygunj place” is among the finer options of authentic Bengali cuisine in Kolkata.

The last time I was at 6 Ballygunj place we ordered quite a spread, given the choice available, keeping the order down to just four dishes was an exercise in restraint. We ordered the Gondhoraj Chicken for starters, and for main course we had the Bengali “Mishti” or sweet pulao, Daab Chingri and Chitol Maachher Muittha.

The Gondhoraj Chicken is an innovation of the restaurant, it is essentially boneless chicken cooked with a strong essence of lemon rind and coriander leaves. It is an experiment that has worked very well. The taste was exceptional and left us almost hoping for an extra stomach. The Sweet Pulao is one of Bengals favorites, essentially a fried rice with cashew and kishmish (a dried sweet raisin), the rice was slightly grubby than ideal but then, the pulao went excellently with the other dishes that we sampled. The other slight downer was a little bit extra salt than ideal on the pulao.

The Daab Chingri and the Chitol Maachher Muittha were the two highlights of the meal. The Daab Chingri is one of the most visibly alluring dishes you can order. The presentation is one of the highlights with the prawn cooked with mustard and coconut presented inside a cut coconut (daab) and served from it. I believe that the dish is steamed in the coconut shell which imparts the flavor for the dish. The Daab Chingri at 6 Ballygunj Place was very tasty without making the mistake of erring in being sweeter than essential.

The chitol maachher muittha which is basically a fish goshtaba and is easily a highlight of the restaurant as well as in all Bengali cuisine. The dish is also incredibly difficulty to cook at home and is highly recommended for Bengalis and non-Bengalis alike. It is also an excellent way to enter into the delicious world of fresh water fish for people who are not used to the taste or have problems with the texture. The fish tastes almost line a meat kofta and serves as a great way to break the ice with fish. The gravy was also mildly spicy and contrasted excellently with the sweetness of the pulao.

A Bengali Meal is incomplete without something sweet and the restaurant excelled in that department also. It combined modern cooking techniques and Bengal food by creating the Notun Gurer Ice Cream, Notun Gur is a particular delicacy of Bengal and is essentially the raw material from which rasagullas and Sandesh are made in the winters. The notun gur is easily one of the most wondrous ice creams I have had in my life. They also add a bit of melted Gur to add an even greater flavour to the ice cream. The Ice Cream is so good that it merits visiting the restaurant on its own. An absolutely brilliant meal and highly recommended.

A meal for two at 6 Ballygunj Place without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 800/-

How to get there: 6 BallyGunj place is located at Ballygunj place in Kolkata, the address is actually 6 Ballygunj Place. If you are driving from Park Circus towards Gariahat, you have to take the left past Kwality restaurant in Ballygunj Phari. The road is narrow and will emerge after crossing Blue Chip guest house. You have to take the right after the guest house hits a T junction. The restaurant will fall immediately on your left after taking the right at the T junction.

Haka, Mani Square, Eastern Bypass, Kolkata

Haka is one of Kolkata’s newer buffet outlets. It is a new restaurant and is a part of new modern Kolkata and has a lot going for it. The location is great. The look and feel of the restaurant is young, bright and appealing. The décor is chic and uses the typically Chinese red and black colours rather well. The seating is smart and very comfortable and the waiters are smartly dressed and very attentive. They also do a pretty decent job of customer service as apparently they strike up a good rapport with customers and their families. A great job on the get up, seating comfort and customer service.

The food? OK I guess but not of the standard that Kolkata Chinese occupies in my mind space. The food is buffet, a – la – carte options are not available at the restaurant. The spread is decent. Two soups, three starters, a rice, a noodle and an option of four main dishes split down the middle in terms of vegetarian and non-vegetarian, plus a dessert of vanilla ice cream and an interesting milk dumpling. The food was not bad at all but not a single one of the dishes caught the imagination in the way it should. Overall the restaurant seemed like a decent option for a young family to go and have a meal after watching a movie or spending time at the mall. I would definitely not recommend it as an option if you are just looking for a good Chinese meal. Kolkata definitely has far better options!

A meal for two at Haka without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 500/-

How to get there: Haka is on the top floor of Mani Square Mall situated on the Eastern Bypass.

Kareem's, Galleria, Powai

Firstly, Kareems at Powai is in no way related to the similar sounding Karims in Delhi. Not only is the spelling different, the Mumbai chain spelling a “double e” against the “i” of Delhi, the font is different, the logo colors are different and alas from the point of view of the Mumbai restaurant, the quality of the Biriyani is completely different. Not that Kareem’s in Mumbai is devoid of brilliance some of the food at the restaurant is of a very high standard, but you need to know what to order. You need to steer clear of the Biriyani!

I love the décor at Kareems, it is one of my favorite restaurant decors in Mumbai. The restaurant has brilliantly used the natural beauty of the Hiranandani Gardens, has take advantage of the natural roof the Galleria building provides and has made the seating space in the restaurant completely outdoors. Yet, and this is where Kareem’s deserves a pat on the back, one does not get a sense of any lack of hygiene that is so evident in the food court next door. They also have an open kitchen and you can see the chefs at work, as well as the succulent kebabs hanging from well ordered sheekhs in front of you.’

My favourite dish at Kareems is the Peela wala daal and the Kali Miri Kebabs. Both are extremely tasty, the chicken kali miri kebabs have the overwhelming taste of pepper, but the chicken is very tender and very amenable to whatever the marinade that they used. The daal however is the highlight and is one of the better daals I have tasted in any restaurant, rivaling the Kaali Daal at Bukhara. The daal is definitely not at rich but is served with a Tadka, which Kareems does an excellent job of. It is however important that you finish the meal at Kareems with the daal, as the Biriyani really, really sucks, one of the worst that I have tasted. The other dishes whatever I have tasted are not very great either. Kareems is a restaurant that combines the brilliant with the pathetic. Hopefully when you do go there you will order the brilliant.

A meal for two at Kareems without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 450/-

How to get there: Hangla’s is on the first floor of Galleria in Powai.

Hangla's, Galleria, Powai

Hangla’s is probably the best name possible for a Bengali, restaurant that serves primarily snacks, and that is what Hangla’s is. “Hangla” is the Bengali word for greedy and I think it makes for a great name for a snack joint. Most people, on seeing the sign, break into a smirk and are immediately curious about the kind of food on offer at the restaurant. Gluttony after all is one of the most popular and safe of the seven sins, and along with lust, probably the Bengali's favourite!

Hangla;s is situated on the food court at Galleria, Powai. It is no more than a hole in the wall and shares rather unattractive seating with 5 or 6 other restaurants, all operating on a primarily home delivery based business model. The service is almost non existent with dishes arriving at their own sweet time. You will be lucky to get what you order and it’s about a one in a million chance that you will be served on time, if you have ordered anything outside a chicken roll.

The last time I was there at Hanglas, I sampled some chicken Rezala with Paratha and some mutton biriyani. I had actually ordered Mutton Rezala and Chicken Biriyani but was served the opposite. It was also served rather late so we went along with what was brought before us. Excellence in operations is obviously not one of the restaurants strengths. The Chicken Rezala tasted ok, but seemed to be more like a Chicken Kassa rather than a Rezala, if it was indeed the Rezala then it was the most curd-free Rezala that I have had in my life. The Biriyani was decent without setting the world alight, but Kolkata Biriyani always tastes good as the same is infrequently available outside Kolkata. What was brilliant though, were the Parathas which were served with the chicken. Soft, tender and going excellently with the chicken that was served! Although brilliant, the parathas could not completely salvage the meal as the service really sucks. Placing an order at the restaurant seems to be rather pointless. It is advisable to stick to the rolls which are tasty, if slightly expensive.

A meal for two at Hangla’s without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 450/-

How to get there: Hangla’s is on the Galleria food court in Powai. The food court is on the first floor.

Pind Baluchi, Nehru Place, Delhi

I love chicken! I mean I just love the bird! The bird lovers and animal rights activists might hate me for saying so but I believe that the bird was just created so that the homo sapien could breed it, eat it and drool over the many wondrous preparations that emerge out of it. I have eaten more than my fair share of chickens and the two preparations of the bird that I absolutely adore are the Fried Chicken, and the Tandoori Chicken. Not just any fried or tandoori chickens however, but specific ones. If you want to have Fried Chicken, it has to be at KFC, thanks to the Colonel, the standardization is great and chances are that you will have one very near wherever you are. If you want to have Tandoori Chicken, it has to be in Delhi, either at Karims or at Pind Baluchi.

Pind Baluchi has an iffy entrance to say the least. It is right in the middle of a bazaar and is located on the first floor of the market, unless one has been there before one is really not sure if the winding staircases are leading into a high quality restaurant or to a shop for electronics repairs. The interior however is a lot better. They have modeled the interior on the village or the “pind”, there are makeshift trees and décor on the walls trying to impart a village atmosphere and doing a reasonably successful job. The seating is comfortable and the waiters are prompt as is the pace at which the food is delivered on the table.

Apart from the obvious Tandoori chicken, we ordered the other specialty of the North, the butter chicken. Combined with the butter naan, it made for a great meal, albeit slightly high on the cholesterol count. But when in Delhi, especially in winter, cholesterol count should not be on your priority list. The tandoori chicken was all a great tandoori should be, just the right amount of masala, soft, yet not at all undercooked, carrying the flavour of the tandoor yet not with a single unwanted char of carbon. Totally delightful and somehow a version that at least Mumbai and Kolkata have been completely unable to replicate or reproduce. Down right awesome!

A meal for two at Pind Baluchi without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 500/-.

How to get there: Pind Baluchi is located on the first floor of the main market at Nehru Place. You have to ask around a bit, but the Tandoori Chicken will make it all completely worth your while.

Pal Dhaba, Sector 28, Chandigarh

Pal Dhaba is one of Chandigarh’s more famous outlets for some really nice tasty Punjabi food. I chanced on the restaurant during my last visit to Chandigarh and was not disappointed at all. Pal Dhaba immediately conveyed what all Dhabas are meant to. Go over. Sit comfortably. Enjoy some very fresh, tasty and hot food at extremely reasonable price.

The décor at Pal Dhaba is very rudimentary. Not exactly Khatiyas but not much beyond. Units of 4 chairs and a table pepper the restaurant floor giving the view that food is the clear value that is to be expected. The service is well like that of a typical Dhaba, do not expect to be waited on. A decent amount of arm waving will be required to get the waiters attention even if the restaurant is not exactly packed. The service is also slightly on the slower side. The other slightly economy driven aspect was the refusal to serve onions at the table. The rising prices meant that one had to order onions for Rs 20 a plate! Otherwise you had to do with the mooli (or radish) and the ubiquitous green chutney!

The food was delicious, as is expected in a Punjabi Dhaba. We ordered Masala Chicken and Mutton Keema Kaleji, with some Roti. The Chicken Masala was basically a form of chicken Kassa with a bit more Garam Masala than usual, it went down very well with the roti and served to warm the body in the Punjabi winter. The Keema Kaleji was good without being exceptional, basically a few pieces of mutton liver mixed with some mutton keema. The only issue I had with the dish was that the liver and the Keema did not go add anything to each other and may have been tastier as separate entities. The rotis were warm and soft, like Punjabi rotis should be. Overall a great meal, the place would be highly recommended to get a typical Punjab dhaba experience in Chandigarh.

A meal for two at Pal Dhaba without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 350/-

How to get there: Pal Dhaba is in Sector 28 in Chandigarh. Impossible to miss once you approach the main market.

Yana, FC Road, Pune

Beware the Western Indian Sizzler! Beware the heaps of rice on a hot plate! Beware Yana! However if you are reading and promise to learn from this blog, please ensure that you ask that no rice be served with your order and Voila! You will actually find a decently cooked/ sizzling piece of meat at your plate. Yana’s is a past favorite with the college going crowd in Pune before the culinary scene exploded in Pune’s face giving far more options than was previously available. Chances are that you will still find a decent sprinkling of the college going Pune resident spending hostel money on some well cooked slightly pricey meat. Yana’s although primarily a sizzler joint, also does serve a stir fry where you have to choose the combinations and the sauce to watch the chef ‘wok’ up the dish right in front of you.

The décor at Yana’s is nice and bright. A primarily reddish interior allowing for decent sunlight and giving a nice casual feel to the restaurant. There are two floors of seating, with a mezzanine floor which was empty at the time we went, but to be fair we went on a weekday afternoon. Yana’s does not however get marks for service as the service was very slow and we were wondering whether they had forgotten about our order altogether! The food? Decent if you avoid the rice which makes the dish a right mess. The last time I was there I ordered the meat fillet sizzler which was Ok without being spectacular. The most interesting aspect was the filleting of the meat and there were neat slices which made the task of eating the meat very very easy and simple. Overall a rather unspectacular meal at a rather high price, not recommended unless you are yearning for a lot of sizzling meat in the middle of Pune.

A meal for two at Yana without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 1000/-

How to get there: Yana’s is at Shivaji Nagar, Pune, right on F.C. Road.

Malaka Spice, Koregaon Park, Pune

Malaka Spice prides itself on being not only one of the finest restaurants in Pune, but also across the country. With my limited food experience, I tend to whole heartedly agree. For the sheer quality, and variety on offer Malaka Spice is most definitely one of the finest restaurants in India at least when it comes to question of fine dining options in South East Asian cuisine. The most striking aspect of the restaurant apart from the absolutely brilliant food and great décor is the Menu Card. Tastefully designed, the menu card has small stories about the restaurant and tales about the lands from which they have put together their astonishing selection. They have over 250 choices not including drinks, to give you a most delightful choice of excellent mouth watering and mostly spicy dishes.

Malaka Spice has the décor of a high class fine dining restaurant. Situated in a swanky neighborhood, the restaurant takes up a pretty large area, there are indoor and outdoor sections, both of which are pretty spacious and very comfortable. The light in the evenings is stylishly dim, yet adequate, adding to the overall fine dining experience. The staff is bright, attentive and dressed in bright beach t shirts and dark trousers. They go out of the way to make you feel at home. The restaurant also has a staff card at the table introducing your attendant to you along with something about the person. Very cool and adds to the classy, yet casual feel at the restaurant.

The food? Well South East Asian is my favorite cuisine and Malaka Spice does a fabulous job of creating on spicy delight after another from the region. The last time I was there I had the prawn tom yum soup, burnt garlic and shrimp rice and chicken Penang curry. All three dishes were good in their own way, but the highlight was the tom yum, I cannot take too much spice but love the zing I get when sampling something that borders on the brilliantly tasty, which is just under the bearable spice level and the tom yum soup hit the sweet spot. Lots of ginger, lemon grass and chilli and the prawn stock created a broth for the heavens which served as the benchmark for the rest of the evening which could not be surpassed.

The main course was very good as well, the burnt garlic and shrimp rice imparted the essential garlic flavor but still left enough room for the side dish to make its mark. The Penang curry was on the sweet side and was a yellowish curry of chicken, carrots in a cinnamon and cream base. Very tasty and quite soothing after the tom yum soup, also it went excellently with the burnt garlic and shrimp rice. A fantastic meal and worthy of the restaurant. The only issue I have with Malaka spice is that they don’t seem to have a dish anymore that I used to love – the Garlicky prawns. The same is also the case in Lemon Grass as well who have done away with their Chicken in Indonesian Yellow Curry – I guess that’s the price you pay for innovation and trying to do justice to the gastronomical paradise that is South East Asia!

A meal for two at Malaka Spice without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 1200/-.

How to get there: Malaka Spice is on Lane 5 in Koregaon Park in Pune. Once you reach Koregaon Park you should be easily able to locate it with a bit of help.

Casa Toscana, Chowringhee, Kolkata

Casa Toscana is a relatively recent addition to Kolkata's food supermarket and in a relatively short period of time has been able to create its niche in the fine dining options the city offers. The same is with good reason and not by accident.
Casa Toscana, has two seating areas, one outdoor and the other indoors. The seating is comfortable, yet exuding a casual homely ambiance allowing one to settle down and enjoy decently authentic Italian cuisine. The place is obviously run professionally and the service is prompt and polite. The waiters are well dressed, smart and try to go the extra way to help the customers.
The food that we sampled was good without being spectacular. The standard Olive Oil and Vinegar combination is there on each table, however they serve complimentary bread sticks instead of bread at the table. The bread sticks although individually tasty do not go well with the Olive Oil and Vinegar and I really think bread would work better. After a round of prawn and chicken starters which were all very tasty, we went on to the main course. Being a large group we had ordered quite a spread and we sampled The Mushroom Risotto, Spaghetti Bolgnese, Meat Lasagna and a Pepperoni Pizza. If I had to pick one dish out of the lot as the best it would have to be the Pepperoni Pizza - outstanding and ranking amongst the best Pizzas I have ever tasted.
However, that does not say much for the remaining dishes which were decent, (especially the Spaghetti Bolognese), but lacked that extra something. I am sorry to say this but Mumbai has far better Italian fare. The desserts were however better and they served a very good tiramisu and shortcake.
Overall, Casa Toscana serves as a good option if you fancy some Italian food in Kolkata. Great variety for Kolkatans I guess, but do not waste a meal if you are visiting the city for a short period. There are a lot better culinary options in the City of Joy.
A meal for two at Casa Toscana without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 1400/-
How to get there: Casa Toscana is at Chowringhee Square in Kolkata, just opposite the Nehru childrens museum.