Kolkata (Calcutta) Restaurants

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The Silver Oak is one of the fine dining places of Kolkata. It has emerged recently in Kolkata and located in Lansdowne Road near Rash Behari Avenue and Southern Avenue. This area lacked good quality Restaurants for many years but now almost 7/8 good restaurants have emerged in the last 6/7 years in South Kolkata.
We visited this place on Sunday evening 19th August. We had a whole Beckti fried ( Marinated and to be had with Tarter sauce), Murg Peshawari Special Kabab ( Chicken Kabab prepared in Peshawari style) as starter and to accompany with we had Foster's Beer. Munu had a Soup. All this cost us about Rs. 1150/- plus tips surely value for money. The Beckti Fish and the Kebab was really excellent. The service is fast, polite and efficient.
As soon as you take a seat they give you a cool towel dipped in chilled Cologne water! Very refreshing and sets the mood right.
They also serve wine and all sorts of spirits and also offer Thai, Chinese with Indian dishes as well. A real good place to dine out. They also have a smokers section!

Park Street is a road that comes off from Chowringhee Road a few hundred meters south of the Indian Museum. Back in the 1960's it was considered to be Kolkata's answer to Soho and today still has many glitzy restuarants and western chain fast food chains such as KFC, McDonalds, Subway and Pizza Hut. Park Street is about a 10-15 minute walk away from Sudder Street and I do recommend coming here at least one even if you're on a tight budget just to sample what's on offer. Unfortunately I was ill during my stay in Kolkata and for the first couple of days hardly ate anything. I decided on my third day to have a KFC as it would be food that I was familar with and that my stomach probably needed. My last night was spent in a rather posh Chinese restaurant on the corner of Park Street and Mirza Ghalib St where I ate everything and felt much better for it afterwards. It was a shame as I was looking forward to sampling some of the local cuisine but my stomach just wouldn't take it.

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We revisited this place again on 29th July. This time we tried Chicken Tetrazine, Chicken Chiplota, Chicken Pavlograd , Cold Chicken Ham salad and to down it with my favourite Foster Lager. The food as usual was beautiful and tasty.
Chicken Chiplota contains Sausages, cold hams, salads and the sauce makes it very tasty. Just give it a try and you will feel at home. The price is just Rs.168 or about 5 USD. The rest also costs that much about 4-5 USD per dish.

During its hay days they had a dance floor and live band was there. Some of the very famous people performed here like our very own Lois Banks, Pam Crains.
I have seen the great move actor Sashi Kapoor eating his sizzlers in my childhood!

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Our quest for better food in Kolkata is still continuing. Well our love for Chinese food will continue. I thought that I will write some tips on our famous Park Street restaurants for our friends from Europe, America, Asia, and Down Under who visit Kolkata quite often but end up eating in some lousey place or become sick after eating our Indian food at unclean and non descript place! I have seen European eating Butter nan with Chicken Bomb! simply not knowing what to eat In India! Here they will feel at home!
Mocambo completed its' 50th year in 2006. They are certainly among the best in Kolkata when it comes to better dining. They serve a variety of authentic European, Italian and Indian food. This is one of the favourite places of Europeans and movie stars. They also had a dance floor but our Marxist govt. closed it in 1977( sick!!) Our famous Pam Crains & Lois Banks used to play here!! Now it is only Bar cum Restaurant.

This place is also very near with in walking distance of Sudder Street where most of the Foreigners stay! Just give a try to this place.

Favorite Dish: Well in my child hood we used to frequent this place! We like almost all of their dishes. Recently we visited this place twice in a fortnight just to experience their better food and teach Munu about nostalgia of this place!
we had Devilled Crab and Fish Muniere as starter, followed by Chicken Tetrazine (Rakhi), Mixed Grill sizllers( Goutam), Chicken Hamburger Sizllers( Munu). we finished our meal with Chocolate Souffle! All of them were simply superb!

Ambience and location are excellent for these two coffee shops. Both are located within walking distance of each other on Park Street, across the street from the Park Hotel.

There are many branches all across the city and these are places for college students to hang out.

Favorite Dish: The mochas and lattes are great, ask them to go easy on the sugar if you're diabetic though, Indians have a sweet tooth!

Shiraz and Mezban are the two best muslim restaurants in town making some awesome chicken biryani.

Shiraz is a restaurant where families can sit either indoors in an air-conditioned environment or outdoors and eat biryani.

Mezban is more a take-out ambience.

Favorite Dish: Chicken Biryani is the bomb in both restaurants!!

The Tangra area affords some of the best chinese food in Calcutta. There are more than 50 restaurants in this one area that cater to almost every palate. From the soups to the deserts, this place rocks. My all time favorites are the restaurants named Ka Fu Lok and Kimfa.

Favorite Dish: Try the fried chilli baby corn in Kimfa and the friend boneless chilli chicken (dry) in Ka Fu Lok

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Our liking for Authentic, genuine Chinese food, made by Chinese for the Chinese people took us yesterday night ( 7th June07) to explore the food of Eau Chew, at 12 Ganesh Chandra Avenue, Kolkata 700013. As per the Huang family their Grand Father Mr. Achumpa Huang, started this eatery in 1927 and brought all the brass pots from China. As per Google this is the oldest Chinese eating place in the country. This 80 year old rustles up some delicacies - all Authentic Hakka dishes that not even speciality Restaurants serve. Take Chimney Soup for example. The Huang family has been running the restaurant for four generations. The family members do everything from preparing the raw materials to cooking and serving. They dont believe in hiring cooks and waiters as the recipies are family secret. Currently the place is run by Mr. Joseph Huang and his wife Mrs. Josephine Huang. They are abely assisted by brother sister duo Joel & Jennifer Huang. Jennifer also works with a large construction co of Singapore for their project in Rajarhat, Kolkata. The food is purely of Heritage status.

Favorite Dish: We thought of trying their best thing first, the Chimney soup. You dont get it anywhere and is totally different from the soup you get elsewhere. It contains, mushroom, broccoli, prawn, fish, chicken, pork and put into a pot that has Charcoal embers below to keep it hot. Then we had Mixed Veg Steamed Rice, Chinese Shop Suey and Schezuan Chicken for Munu. All the dishes we tried are very tasty & authentic. I have decided to take my VT friends out there next time. The prices are very resonable and quantity is wholesome. They dont serve Hot drinks or beer. Two person can ave meal for about USD 10-15 or Rs 500- 800 INR.

We were told that their authentic Hakka cuisine is different from Cantonese ( which relies in deep frying) and Schezuan ( Spicy & Hot) styles that prevails in other Restaurants.