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The Grand Tour – A Walk Through The Bylanes Of The Oberoi Grand

August 12, 2017

“It is all this that makes The Grand Hotel a great one. And more than all this, the fact that it is embedded in the memories of six generations. That it shared the momentous events of modern India. That it bore witness to two world wars; the heyday and passing of an empire; famine, flood, fire and riot; a bloodied Independence and a comparitively bloodless revolution. That it has watched both triumph and disaster and, taking the poet’s advice, treated “these two imposters just the same”. – Bachi J Karkaria, To a Grand Design.

The Oberoi Grand Lobby

Like many refugees who came to Calcutta from Bangladesh in the 1940’s, my paternal grandfather had a tough life. On a very meagre salary as a government official, he had to support a family of more than 20. This included his brothers, sisters, their families, cousins and even friends who crossed the border looking for food and shelter.  It was a life far far removed from any luxury hence one day, when my grandfather, courtesy his job stepped into The Grand Hotel, it was nothing short of paradise for him. The white marble, the sparkling crystal chandelier in the lobby, the grand piano, the well-dressed ‘shahebs’ and ‘mem-shahebs’, it was a new world. And I remember how many years later when we were crossing The Oberoi Grand one day, his eyes were gleaming when he recounted that experience to me. The charm of the Grande Dame of Chowringhee has always been magical. 

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Five Best Chocolate Shops in Zurich, Switzerland

July 22, 2017

When my brother shifted to Zurich nearly two years ago from Singapore, my joy knew no bounds. Having grown up on a heavy dose of Yash Chopra and Bollywood, Switzerland was always on my travel wishlist. Yes, I wanted to see the Alps and the scenic beauty but I also had two very important reasons to visit Switzerland. Chocolate and Cheese.

Five Best Chocolate Shops in Zurich

Five Best Chocolate Shops in Zurich

Before travelling, I spent hours on the internet researching about the food scene in the country. Which place served the best sausage, where can I get the best fondue, the best cheese and of course, the best chocolate. On one of my late-night surfing sessions, I came across Kerrin Rousset’s name. Kerrin runs the very popular ‘Sweet Zurich‘ tour where she or someone from her organisation takes tourists on a walking tour of the best sweet/chocolate shops in Zurich. I enlisted myself on the tour and on a very sunny afternoon, set off with my group to explore and obviously eat a lot of chocolate. Three of the shops in this list I discovered thanks to Kerrin. The other two I found out on my own. Here is my list of the Five Best Chocolate Shops in Zurich. 

Confiserie Café Sprüngli Paradeplatz 

The most famous café and chocolate shop in Zurich. It was founded in 1836 by Rudolf Sprüngli and the main café/restaurant has been at Paradeplatz on Bahnhofstrasse since 1859. The rich and famous of Zurich were seen sipping their hot chocolate or coffee and biting into their tarts and cakes here. More than a 100 years later, the café still is one of the most popular places in Zurich.

Chocolate_Truffle_Cake_Sprungli

Chocolate Truffle Cake

Sprüngli’s iconic hot chocolate is ranked the 4th best in the world and I can tell you that one sip of the delicious rich liquid will transport you into chocolate heaven straightaway! In my 2.5 weeks of stay in Zurich, I went to Sprüngli five times and tasted quite a few of their delicacies. Not to be missed are the Hot Chocolate, Raspberry Tart, Truffle Cake, Birchermuesli with fresh cream, Salmon canapé, Truffles du Jour and the light and delicate Luxemburgerli available in different flavors. Luxemburgerli is slightly different from the French macron. These are smaller and filled with a light cream made of fresh, natural ingredients. These tiny things literally melt inside the mouth! Why the name Luxemburgerli? Because it was created by a young confectioner from Luxembourg. 

The café is located in Paradeplatz but the brand has a number of shops all over Zurich. If you want to buy something for your loved ones, nothing can beat a box of Sprüngli’s chocolate. However, they need to be consumed within 2-3 days so keep that in mind. 

Five Best Chocolate Shops in Zurich

Hot Chocolate, Cafe Sprungli

Luxemburgerli

Max Chocolatier 

Second on my list is a relatively new entrant to the chocolate scene in Switzerland. Max Chocolatier opened in Lucerne in 2009. Their flagship shop is in Lucerne and they have one more in Zurich.  Tucked away in a lane next to St. Peter’s Church, it is a small shop but what is available inside will blow your mind. From chocolate bars to chocolate truffles, chocolate spreads, chocolate pastries and ice-creams, they have it all. The best thing about the brand is that everything is hand-made and the ingredients are all locally sourced, organic and 100% natural. Hence, their products vary by season and they have a spring, summer, fall and winter collection. 

Five Best Chocolate Shops in Zurich

Max Chocolatier, Zurich

At the shop, you can sample treats before buying and I sampled quite a few of their creations. I was told that the Raspberry Branchli is the favorite of Max after whom the brand is named and after tasting, I knew why. Raspberry jelly and hazelnut gianduja on a bed of breton shortcrust pastry covered in dark chocolate. This one is a must must have!! I also tried the rich, dark and delicious chocolate truffle and one item from the summer collection, Candied Ginger Sticks. These are basically ginger sticks covered with dark chocolate. Never thought ginger and dark chocolate would taste so good together!!

Five Best Chocolate Shops in Zurich

Max Chocolatier, Zurich

Confiserie Honold 

Since 1905, Honold has been making chocolates that are available only in Zurich. It is a family run establishment and is famous for their truffles and pralines. Located at Rennweg just off Bahnhofstrasse, this cafe/tea room is very popular with the locals. I was told that Honold’s is also famous for the Chocolate Tram which is an annual attraction for all chocolate lovers in Zurich!

Confiserie Honold Tea Room

I tasted a selection of their dark chocolate treats and my favorite was the bestseller, Lotti’s Best. The creation is named after their previous owner, Lotti and is a mix of nougat, tonka beans and a pinch of fleur de sel, all enveloped in Criollo de Venezuela and milk chocolate and decorated with edible gold dust. Honold’s also comes out with seasonal specialties and in summer, there is a range of fruit-flavored chocolate that is available. Honold’s dark and creamy hot chocolate is also quite delicious. 

Five Best Chocolate Shops in Zurich

Cafe Honold, Zurich

 

Café Schober

This cafe is located in the ‘old town’ and is the epitome of opulence and grandeur. Schober opened in the 1830’s and time seems to stand still here. The decor is exquisite and what is interesting about Schober is that each room is done up in a different way. On one end, you have a salon with a wine color scheme and velvet curtains and antique gilded furniture. Next to it is a room with a Middle Eastern theme with huge painted walls. Everything is mis-matched but somehow, it all looks so beautiful together. 

At Schober, I tasted the hot chocolate which is quite different from the one you get at Sprüngli. This one is a lot sweeter. If you are not fond of rich, dark hot chocolate, you will love this. Schober is also very popular for coffee, cake, tarts and other savoury items. It is also known as Cafe Peclard. 

Teuscher 

This is probably the prettiest shop on Bahnhofstrasse. Teuscher was founded in 1932 in a small town in Switzerland and now, they have shops all over the world. The most popular Teuscher creation is the champagne truffles, made from dark chocolate, buttercream, and Dom Pérignon. Exquisite will be an under statement to define it! No idea, why I did not click any pics of the shop and the chocolates!

Another brand that is very popular is Laderach. In the airport, train stations, the main city, there are Laderach shops everywhere. They have a huge selection of chocolate but since I did not taste them, Laderach does not figure in my top 5. 

So that was my list of the Five Best Chocolate Shops in Zurich and I hope it will come in handy if you plan a trip there. If you have been to any of these shops, I would love to hear about your experience. Do share in the comments below. 

 

 

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Experiencing Old World Elegance At Cochrane Place, Kurseong

May 11, 2017

The first time I walked into Cochrane Place a year back, I felt like I was transported back into the 1900’s. This heritage resort situated on the outskirts of Kurseong was the residence of Percy John Cochrane, the magistrate and barrister of Kurseong town from 1866 – 1944. Back then it was known as The Hermitage because it was actually a nunnery before Percy Cochrane made it his residence. The building was later acquired by the Arora’s who own the resort now and they remodelled The Hermitage to the present day Cochrane Place. Thankfully, the remodelling did not discard the past and the stately British colonial home still looks pretty much like what it was nearly a century back. 

Cochrane Place

Cochrane Place

The Cochrane Place management was very kind to invite a few of us Kolkata bloggers to the resort last week and as always, it was a wonderful experience staying there. We took a flight from Kolkata to Bagdogra airport and from there, it was a two hour journey uphill to Kurseong. Definitely take the Pankhabari road to go up. Yes, you have to bear the sharp turns and hairpin bends but the view more than compensates. The Teesta river, the misty mountains, the tea gardens will be your companions throughout the journey and companions do not get better than them!

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Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: best hotel in kurseong, cochrane place, cochrane place history, cochrane place hotel, cochrane place kurseong, cochrane place kurseong address, cochrane place review, Darjeeling, Indian Travel Blog, Travel, Travel Blog, Travel Blogger

Aamari Resort, Ramgarh – A Perfect Weekend Getaway

April 29, 2017

As the temperature in my city hits a nasty 36 degrees today, I feel like running away to the hills once again. Especially to the beautiful Aamari Resort in Ramgarh, 22 kms from Nainital. If you follow me on social media, you must have seen my posts from the resort earlier this month. That weekend was by far one of the best and most relaxing holidays in a really long time. The mountains, fresh air, lots of greenery and a luxurious resort. What else do you need for a wonderful getaway? 

Aamari Resort

If you are coming from Delhi, which I did, it takes around 7 hours to reach Ramgarh. It is a long drive and can get a bit tedious but thankfully the roads aren’t that bad and after Kathgodam, the drive up to the hills is extremely pleasant. Ramgarh is still quite unexplored and that is the beauty of the place. It is far removed from the hustle and bustle of Nainital and the beauty lies in its serenity, exquisiteness and tranquility. And at Ramgarh, the best place to stay at is definitely, Aamari Resort. 

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Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: 5 star resorts in nainital, aamari resort, aamari resort in nainital, aamari resort nainital, aamari resort ramgarh, aamari resort ramgarh tripadvisor, aamari resort review, aamari resorts, aamari resorts review, female travel blogs, kolkata travel blog, kolkata travel blogger, luxury resorts near nainital, personal travel blogs, resorts near nainital with swimming pool, Travel Blog, Travel Blogger, travel blogs india

A Tea Lounge With A View – Margaret’s Deck, Kurseong

March 10, 2017

It was turning out to be a super hectic day with back to back meetings, plenty of deliverables, heated discussions and the added pain of a bad headache. In the midst of all this, the phone call came in. A sweet voice at the other end said “Dolon di, I am calling on behalf of Goodricke. We have opened a new tea lounge called Margaret’s Deck in Kurseong and we would love to invite you there for a tea and food tasting experience along with a few other bloggers”.

If you know us Bengalis or anyone from Kolkata, you will know how passionate we are about three places – Kurseong, Kalimpong and Darjeeling. The mere mention of them brings a huge smile to our faces. We start dreaming of the hills, the mist and of course, the momos! And that is what happened to me as well. The tiredness was gone in an instant, there was a spring in my step and the lines “the hills are alive with the sound of music” started playing in my ears.

Margaret's Deck Kurseong

Margaret’s Deck Kurseong

Tickets were mailed, bags were packed and on the 11th of Feb, two very sleepy bloggers (Poorna of Presented By P and myself) along with the moderately sleepy Anushka of MSL and the super enthusiastic Rangan Datta, boarded the flight to Bagdogra from Kolkata.

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Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: cuisine, Darjeeling, Darjeeling Tea, Drinks, FAM Trip, Goodricke, Goodricke Group Limited, Goodricke Tea, Goodricke Teapot, kolkata travel blog, Kurseong, Margaret Hope, Margaret's Deck, Margaret's Deck Kurseong, Margaret's Hope, Tea, tea estate, tea garden, Tea Lounge, tea tourism, Travel Blog, Travel Blogger, Travelogue, West Bengal

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