Ahead of the Durga Puja, Kumartuli buzzes with artisans, puja organisers, and photographers. In 2021, Durga Puja gets UNESCO Heritage tag. About 300 years before, a community of “kumar”, meaning potter, built up their community in the alleys of North Kolkata. Kumartuli or Kumortuli houses 550 workshops of the best clay modellers. For Bongs, Durga Puja is the biggest festival and gorging or peth puja is one of our cultural traits. Tough Kumartuli got limited food options but enough to relish on a day outing. Our Sunday started at 5 am, all geared up for a day outing at Kumartuli. The excitement ..read more

Let’s Poaka, a pork specialist cloud kitchen that features Naga cuisine. The section from the North East region grabbed my attention. Kolkata got very few Naga cuisine options. Let’s Poaka opened their latest cloud kitchen in New Town about six to seven months back but will be trying them for the first time. Hence the weekend lunch has to be a porky affair at home. About Naga Cuisine North East India is our country’s one of least explored regions. With its eight sister states, North-Eastern Cuisine is clubbed under Naga cuisine. Mysticism evokes in Naga cuisine. Steamed rice is the central die ..read more

Prelude A weekend meal is a key for family bonding, and if the home minister’s mood is off, then the only way to impress her back is by provoking her gluttony. We have graciously agreed to disagree on many things for so many years, but it clicks between us when it comes to relishing Mughlai cuisine. With a flick of a finger in the delivery app, Oudh 1590 biryani flashed on the mobile screen. Our eyes lit up, and we decided on the menu and bang in an instant. The parcel arrives, and our nest fills with the subtle aroma of intoxicating biryani and kebabs. Starters In starter, we had Galawati o ..read more

The plan for Durga Pujo 2022 holiday was always in mind. I wanted to do something daredevil this year. Recent articles and movies about the extreme northeast region of India made me lock Arunachal Pradesh. But with our new SUV could not let go of the mouthwatering prospect of the Arunachal Pradesh road trip from Kolkata. My spouse and four years twin boys joined me on the ride. The journey was 1500 km each way and went through West Kameng district towns Bomdila, Dirang, and Sangti Valley and entered Tawang through Sela Pass and went to the Indo-China border Bum la Pass. Sounds thrilling? Then ..read more

Street food in New Town is almost non-existent. Before Covid, there were dedicated street food stalls were near and around the office area. After two years, the stalls are gradually opening up. Also, a few new names are adding up to the list. About & Location Sabir Muslim Hotel in New Town is a small roadside eatery quite popular street food option with local labours and workers. The hut is next to the Uniworld housing complex on the main road. Still, the passerby overlooks the shack as high-speed cars ply that route. During the evening, the aroma of kebabs is the traffic stopper in the ar ..read more

During the last Christmas holiday, we spent a week at Darjeeling. From Darjeeling, we explored a few offbeat locations, but we ensured to stay and explore food only at Darjeeling. The blog covers my gastronomic experience at the known and lesser-known eateries of the hill station. Popular Food Joints Keventer’s Keventer’s is a more than 100 years old heritage cafe serving food in Darjeeling. Founded by Edward Keventer in 1911, the restaurant made its presence known among meat lovers for its meat platter. On the pork platter, I prefer the well-prepared bacon. The sausage, me ..read more

A family trip to Sikkim was on the cards for a long. Covid postponed the plan by a couple of years. Post double vaccination took a sudden decision to book first-class tickets for Padatik express. An effort to compensate marred Durga Puja days amid social distance restrictions. What followed next was ten days of rollercoaster ride covering Gangtok, Pelling and Ravangla to reinvent the fun of a family trip. A two blog series to pen down the experience. In the previous blog, I wrote about my detailed experience covering Gangtok sights and eateries. Gangtok travel post-pandemic and food ..read more

A family trip to Sikkim was on the cards for a long. Covid postponed the plan by a couple of years. Post double vaccination took a sudden decision to book first-class tickets for Padatik express. An effort to compensate marred Durga Puja days amid social distance restrictions. What followed next was ten days of rollercoaster ride covering Gangtok, Pelling and Ravangla to reinvent the fun of a family trip. We travelled once the Covid restrictions relaxed; however, unfortunately, in and around Gangtok, all monasteries were closed or under maintenance. A two blog series to pen down the ..read more

The European country of Portugal and Bandel, the beautiful town of Bengal, is separated by continents but are united by their gourmet taste. With this, introducing the Bandel Cheese, craft cheese connects the historical European food legacy to the roots of medieval Bengal. History Numerous European traders have visited the area of the current state of West Bengal for many centuries. In the 15th century, Vasco da Gama was the first Portuguese to visit India. Almost a century later, the Portuguese settlements came up along the rivers, and the area around present-day Hooghly turned into a Portugu ..read more