We have moved

What comes to your mind when you first hear the name Saptapadi? Uttam Suchitra on a bike? Right? But we are not here to talk about that. Or maybe we are. Coz Saptapadi is the name of a restaurants in the city themed after, you guessed it right, the Uttam Suchitra starrer.

Gone are the days when having Chinese food in Kolkata meant those age old chilli chicken & fried rice. Even the fancier name like schezwan chicken & dragon chicken have made their way into road side stalls. Its no wonder then that fine dining is no more restricted to costly & fancy restaurants. New eateries are springing up now & then, offering not only Cantonese/Mandarin but also authentic South East Asian cuisines like that of Thailand & Indonesia.

My third food tasting event as part of the Paanch Phoron team.

The Co. may not be that familiar a name in Kolkata food scene, but 'Wok Anthem' definitely is. Or atleast was when it operated out of the small outlet at Salt Lake & then New Town. The idea of Thai / chinese in bento boxes really excited me a lot.Had bookmarked them as per suggestions from Zomato.

When the Panch phoron team was invited to try "Home Flavours", I thought we were visiting yet another newly opened restaurant. Lately I've been going out a lot, visiting new eateries, meeting new foodies, trying out new foods. But this one was somewhat different.

This probably is the newest Aqua Java outlet in the city. Though not really a very big fan of veg-only food outlets, couldn't really avoid the temptation when invited for a evening adda session with fellow foodies. This outlet is run by the very cordial energetic young couple Mr. Ankit & Mrs. Sonia Sureka. Location wise it is quite easy to reach from Kankurgachi Pantaloons.

Located on CIT road scheme 6M, the cafe is located in the first floor of the building.

The eatery I'm going to write about today isn't your regular fancy restaurant. Neither does it offer fine dining nor does it have a cool hangout tag attached to it.

What it does have is this name Hope Kolkata Foundation behind it.

India Restaurant, Khidderpore had been on my bookmarks for quite a long time. Having heard numerous praises from zomans about its biryanis it was only a matter of time that I would pay a visit. However the locality Khidderpore isn't really that inviting a name for a family outing just for foods. So I kept waiting & postponing my visit there. However it came as a pleasant surprise when one fine morning I found a mail from zomato about a meetup whose venue was to be India restaurant!

Assorted Chicken Platter

To quote them from their website "Apart from being great builders, the Mughals were also known as great food connoisseurs."

Arsalan, I guess has made it true the other way round!

Pardon me, but that's the only phrase (or gibberish) I (maybe wrongly) know of Orissa. The other few things I know are as follows. It has a gorgeous & dangerously rough waved sea beach named Puri, which is 'the' go-to honeymoon destination for most of the newly-wed bengali couple. It has a Sun temple at Konark, a zoo at nandan kanan, & a Asoka pillar somewhere in the forest.

Date of visit: 29.11.2015
For the past few year or so the erstwhile bypass of Behala has opened up to a plethora of eateries, some good, some... well not quite so good. The latest addition to the former group I must say is 18 James Long Sarani. Named obviously after the location, this eatery serves some really good food. The USP of this joint I guess is serving Chicken, Fish & Pork under the same roof.Also be advised this is not your regular chilli chicken-fried rice restaurant, although they do serve schezwan chicken & momos. I personally was interested in trying out their thai & other styled dishes which they called 'Urban Asian Kitchen'. So finally paid a visit with my better half on 29.11.2015.

The Interiors are done in a well lit & brightly coloured finish. The tables & stools are made from wooden planks & with comfortable cushions. They have a seating capacity of around 18-20 people.

Pineapple Julep

Chicken Rice Bowl

Clear Soup

Clear soup

Black Bean Chicken

We ordered Pineaaple Julep, Rice Bowl (chicken) & Black Bean Chicken.
The Julep was good, but not that great, coz I found the citrus flavor dominating the pineapple, was expecting more strong pineapple flavor.
The Chicken rice bowl was good. i guess its part of the dish that the rice is served cold. The rice is served along with Thai basil Chicken which tasted really great. The clear soup was a disappointment, & we actually did not have it. The pickled Chinese cabbage was not that great too. Somehow i felt that the pickled part really seemed to be just sliced cabbage stem mixed with tomato ketchup. But for the price it was well worth.
What I really liked from what we had was the Black Bean Chicken. It really had a unique flavor to it. My better half who is not that into veggies actually quite liked the Black Bean Gravy. I guess if not for the rice bowl or julep I will pay a second visit just for the chicken.
Could not try the prawns & pork dishes as my partner is allergic to those. Surely will pay a visit soon alone or with friends for the pork dishes.
The staffs were courteous, service was prompt.
Food is good & for the price paid of quite reasonable quantity.
Only con is they don't accept cards, so remember to tuck in some cash in the wallet before you go visiting this one.
Overall nice experience, will visit again.

Ciao!