The Salt House – An Impressive New Bistro In Kolkata

February 12, 2018 Leave a Comment

There is no dearth of restaurants opening in Kolkata. Every month sees the launch of at least five new restaurants/cafes/lounge bars etc but very few actually manage to impress with their food. The Salt House does. Opened just a few weeks back by Saloni Jhunjhunwalla & Prachi Saraogi, founders of Kaos Gourmet, this European-style restaurant with Chef Auroni Mookerjee heading the kitchen is already making waves in the city’s culinary circuit. And when I went there last week for a tasting session, I knew why.

The Salt House

Located on the 6th Floor of Shakespeare Point, the concept of The Salt House is very interesting and for Kolkata, probably a first. It is a bar (will be functional soon), kitchen and club and they serve European food with a classic yet contemporary twist, focusing on local and international ingredients. The place is divided into three sections – inside dining area, glass house and courtyard terrace area. The terrace area is my favourite and I am sure will be yours too if you visit the place. The owners have plans of bringing back the concept of Dinner and a Show to the city. Hopefully, we should be seeing stand-up performances and live gigs in the terrace area soon.

The Salt House

Coming to the food, Chef Auroni is extremely passionate about what he cooks with. The ingredients are authentic, the produce is mostly local and where needed, sourced from different countries as well. He is against the use of preservatives and wants to give his diners a very unique experience of European-style food with a Bengali twist. Think a Gobindo Bhog Risotto served with Pumpkin Flower & Ricotta Fritters or Galda Chingri cooked and executed like a Parisian Langoustine and served with Aoli or Pancakes and Waffles, served with not a side of Maple Syrup, but with Nolen Gur.

My Favourites At The Salt House

It is tough to name a few favourites because honestly, I loved everything that was served including the vegetarian dishes and that says a lot about the quality of the food. To make ordering easy for you, I’ll name my top six.

Fried Brussel Sprouts with Feta and Pomegranate Salad – This is a warm salad and can be a perfect start to a meal. The crunch of the brussel sprouts, the salty feta with the sweetness of the pomegranate makes for a very refreshing combination.

Fried Brussel Sprouts with Feta and Pomegranate Salad

Mutton Sliders – I love my burgers with a healthy portion of juicy meat without any dressing or sauce. These sliders are therefore perfect!

Mutton Sliders

Fluffy Omelette – Strange that I am recommending an omelette right? But you’ve got to try it. Believe me this was one of the fluffiest omelettes I’ve had in my life! It just melts in the mouth. Another omelette that is worth trying here is the Skinny Omelette, Chevre and Salad Wrap. This is basically veggies, pine nuts and chevre or goat cheese wrapped in an omelette and is great as a breakfast/brunch item.

Fluffy Omelette

Skinny Omelette

Mutton & Pork Ragu – This dish has mutton, pork and handmade silky, smooth pappardelle. Need any other reason not to love it?

Mutton & Pork Ragu

Pan Roasted Bhetki – This dish is a must for a fish lover. The taste and freshness of the bhetki comes through beautifully. And the interesting additions to the dish are Kolmi Saag, Spinach and Gondhoraaj Lemon.

Pan Roasted Bhetki

Doi, Berry and Kaos Granola Parfait – A dessert totally worthy of an Instagram post! Traditionally, a granola parfait is always thought of as a breakfast item but Salt House has made it as a dessert that can be enjoyed anytime of the day. Beaten Mishti doi, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry and granola topped with nolen gur make a very healthy and very tasty mix indeed. And try the Hazelnut Mousse, Salted Caramel & French Biscuit if you want something more sinful 🙂

Doi, Berry and Kaos Granola Parfait

Hazelnut Mousse

After my experience at The Salt House, I can safely say that the food there was one of the best I’ve had in many months in Kolkata. It is innovative, fresh, bursting with flavours and most importantly, delicious. I am hoping for a lot of exciting stuff from Chef Auroni and the team in the coming months and I hope they don’t disappoint.

Fast Facts:

Description: Bar, Kitchen & Club
Capacity: 170
Timing: 7 pm to Midnight till 9th February. Noon to Midnight, 10th February onwards.
Cuisine: Contemporary European cuisine
Address: Shakespeare Point, 40 Shakespeare Sarani, 6th floor, Kolkata – 700017
Pocket Pinch for Two: Rs 2000++ approx

Hotel Hindusthan International Introduces The Corporate Buffet

December 11, 2017

At work and you decide to go out for lunch with your colleagues? Out with your family or friends and want to go somewhere for a lavish buffet at a reasonable price? You now have a great place to go to. Hotel Hindusthan International has launched The Corporate Buffet for only Rs 999 including taxes!

Hotel Hindusthan International Corporate Buffet

HHI Corporate Buffet

The Corporate Buffet is on everyday from 12 pm to 3 pm at Mythh and at the price, the spread is very good. Starting with a variety of veg and non non-veg soups and salads, followed by starters, main course and desserts, the options are endless. Plus, you get to choose from Indian, Chinese and Continental food.

HHI Corporate Buffet

: HHI Corporate Buffet

: HHI Corporate Buffet

: HHI Corporate Buffet

HHI Corporate Buffet

I went to try The Corporate Buffet last week and was seriously impressed. The food will obviously keep changing everyday but I do hope in the mains, they keep the Mutton Vindaloo, Poached Fish and Chicken in Mustard Sauce as regulars. The mutton was incredibly soft and tender and had the right balance of spices and so did the Chicken in Mustard Sauce. The Poached Fish was moist and full of flavour.

HHI Corporate Buffet

For me, a buffet is incomplete without good desserts and even in that dept, HHI scored. I loved the cakes especially the Red Velvet Cake and the Caramel Pudding.

: HHI Corporate Buffet

: HHI Corporate Buffet

HHI Corporate Buffet

Hotel Hindustan International

235/1 AJC Bose Road

Kolkata – 700020

Traffic Gastropub – A New Place To Chill Out In City Centre 2

November 2, 2017

A gastropub created as a result of being stuck in jams and hearing traffic updates on the radio. Yes, that is the inspiration behind Traffic Gastropub, a place already creating a lot of waves in the New Town area. I went there last weekend and can say that I quite enjoyed getting Stuck in Traffic!

Traffic Gastropub

With bright lights, colorful posters and quirky wall art and installations, Traffic is the perfect chill zone. There’s a 25 feet long bar, there’s a DJ console that doubles up as a live performance area, there’s shisha and there’s yummy pub food and drinks.

Traffic Gastropub

Traffic Gastropub Menu

Here are my picks from the menu.

Traffic Gastropub Food

Daru Ki Tanki – a potent mix of White Rum, Old Monk, Banana Liqueur, Bailey’s, Pineapple Juice, Fresh cream along with banana slices served in a copper Samovar. This Pina Colada meets Old Monk meets Bananas sounds kinda weird but everything comes together pretty well.

Long Island Peach Iced Tea – This one’s a classic but at Traffic, the size is double of what you get elsewhere!

Chilli Chicken Pizza – Chunky pieces of Chilli Chicken on a bed of cheese. Yass!!

Parmesan Crusted Fish – Strips of fish coated with a generous amount of parmesan cheese and baked to perfection.

Chicken Poutine – French fries tossed in house sauce and topped with chicken and cheese. Perfect grub to munch along with some chilled beer

Murg Kasmiri Kabab – A delightful combination of chicken mince stuffed in chicken breasts, marinated in spices and yoghurt and prepared in a Tandoor

Shish Kabab Roll – ‘Mutton got stuck in a Traffic roll’ is how the menu describes this dish. This is basically mutton seekh kabab rolls hung on a skewer.

Oreogasm – Traffic’s signature dessert. A bed of cheesecake topped with Oreo cookies, chocolate sauce and Gems. Dieter’s delight! 🙂

Traffic Gastropub No Refusal Menu

Traffic is making waves for another reason as well. It has the cheapest Happy Hours in the city with drinks and cocktails starting at only Rs 49!! The No Refusal Menu is valid from Monday to Friday from 12 pm – 5 pm and the prices are insane. Old Monk at Rs 49, Smirnoff vodka at Rs 75, Cocktails starting at Rs 74 and 330 ml of beer at Rs 99 only. Happy you and happy wallet!

Traffic Gastropub

Second Floor, Opposite INOX Ticket Counter, City Centre, New Tow

Timings – Noon to Midnight

Average Cost – ₹1,400 for two people (approx.) with alcohol. Excl taxes.

I was invited by the management to dine at Traffic for review purpose.

A New Cafe & A Tea Room That You Must Visit in Kolkata

October 9, 2017

A new cafe that is cozy, quirky, colorful and run by adults with special needs. A tea room where you get the original texture and signature aromas of some of the most memorable teas of the world. Read about Cafe ICanFlyy and Karma Kettle in this post.

Cafe ICanFlyy

This cafe is a special place for sure. Not just because it is run by adults with special needs like Prakriti , Komal, Saloni and Udita but because the warmth and love that you experience here makes every visit memorable.

Located near Maddox square, the cafe is the brainchild of mother-daughter duo, Minu and Priyam Budhia who run the organisation, Caring Minds. Komal, Saloni, Udita and the others are participants of the I Can Fly program where they learn various types of vocational skills. And one of them is working in the cafe, interacting with guests and helping with the service.

Cafe ICanFlyy

When you enter Cafe ICanFlyy, the first thing you will notice is the bright, colorful and quirky decor and of course the board that mentions Free Wi-Fi! There is both indoor and outdoor seating. There are ‘Pinterest’ type quotes hung on the walls, and you get to meet CatLisa and CatPatra as well. On each table is a personalized card telling you about who will serve you, their name and a little bit about them. Once you decide on your order, you will need to write that down and hand it over to your server.

Cafe ICanFlyy

The food is your regular cafe food which means a variety of sandwiches, pastas, pizzas, Maggi and other tidbits. They also have a good range of hot and cold beverages like Berry and Basil Soda, Hot Chocolate etc. The cafe’s signature dessert is Caprese made with basil sponge, white chocolate mousse, mascaporne and tomato confit. Yes, tomato in a dessert and surprisingly, the combination works quite well! Prices are reasonable and you can easily get a meal for two at Rs 500.

Cafe ICanFlyy

Other things that make Cafe ICanFlyy awesome is the availability of plenty of board games, a shelf dedicated to food and handmade products like bookmarks, coasters etc that you can take home, open mic and karaoke nights and a lot of fun events that take place regularly. The cafe is closed on Mondays.

Cafe ICanFlyy

4B Valmikee Street, Kolkata – 700026

Karma Kettle

If you love tea then this place is heaven for you. Located inside The Ivy House in Swinhoe Street, Karma Kettle is Dhiraj and Priti Arora’s venture to give Kolkata a taste of teas that are sourced from across the globe. Both of them are avid tea drinkers and travelers and Karma Kettle was born in 2013 when they decided to merge both these passions together. The family also owns Cochrane Place, a heritage boutique hotel in Kurseong with a specialized tea bar called ‘Chai Country’.

The decor of Karma Kettle is charming, quaint and if I may add, very pretty with both European and Bengali design elements. Inside the team room, you can spot a black desk which used to be a cottage piano ages back, glass test tubes containing exotic tea blends and shelves displaying around 40 varieties of tea in the form of tea bags, loose leaf and herbal infusions, packaged in attractive containers and boxes. Also on display are accessories like tea pots, kettles and tea cups. The price range of the teas start at Rs. 250.

Karma Kettle

What to try at Karma Kettle? I loved Nathula, a caffeine-free tea that combines the herbal flavours of Tulsi with rhododendron and marigold flowers, Shanti, an aromatic tea that combines jasmine with green tea, Gulmarg, an exotic blend of green tea with spices, saffron, safflower petals, and almond bits and Maya, which is black tea with chocolate and cranberry. There are plenty of other options available that you can enjoy with some light bites. Do not miss out on tasting these wonderful tea blends at Karma Kettle. And the good news is that they are opening their own cafe very soon!

Karma Kettle

Karma Kettle

4, Swinhoe Street, Ballygunge Place, Ballygunge, Kolkata – 700019

Sunday Brunch At Afraa Lounge & Restaurant, Salt Lake

August 29, 2017

Afraa Lounge & Restaurant was probably one of the first to start the concept of a Sunday brunch in the city. I’ve been an Afraa regular since the place opened a few years back and the Afraa Sunday brunch has always been a favorite.

First of all, the ambience is great. They have both indoor and outdoor seating and eating a relaxed meal overlooking the Salt Lake skyline on a Sunday afternoon feels really nice. Second of all, they serve unlimited soft and hard drinks and cocktails. Third reason is that the brunch includes a huge spread with all kinds of veg and non-veg food – cold cuts, salads, an excellent selection of cheese, grilled meat and veggies, main course with Indian, Oriental and Continental fare and delicious desserts. Fourth reason is that for all of this, the price of the Sunday brunch is very economical. It is only Rs 999 plus taxes.

Afraa Sunday Brunch

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