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Showing posts with label Restaurant Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Restaurant Review. Show all posts

Thursday 30 June 2022

#RestaurantReview :: Veneto Kitchen & Bar #Food #FoodBlog

June 30, 2022 0 Comments

Piu & I were in the same city together after a long time. So, we decided to catch up over some food & drinks!

Note: This is not a sponsored post. We paid for our own food & drinks there. This post is not influenced in anyway.

Piu & I met up late afternoon at South City Mall with nothing specific on the agenda, but to catch up on the latest in each other's life. We spent some time at the food court with coffee and then went on a window shopping spree. All the walking around made us a bit hungry and we decided to walk into Veneto Kitchen & Bar.

The restaurant has beautiful decor and feels very inviting immediately. That's what attracted us to the restaurant in the first place. The seating arrangement did feel a bit close, but the music playing in the background does give some semblance of privacy to the diners. 

Italian Smooch                                                         White Wine Sangria


Since, it was after the usual lunch time and before the expected dinner rush, we were seated immediately and menus were handed to us. We decided to start with drinks. I ordered an 'Italian Smooch' mocktail while Piu ordered a 'White wine Sangria'

As we decided on our food, the staff were really helpful in helping us decide. We both were interested in trying 'Patate Al Forno Due Volte' but the dish comes with pesto sauce and I am not particularly fond of pesto. The staff member suggested that we get the pesto separately, that way I can have the dish without pesto and Piu can have with it.


Patate Al Forno Due Volte (as in the pic above) is - twice baked potatoes stuffed with ratatouille parmesan cheese and pesto sauce. 

I like it even though without the sauce, the dish tasted a bit dry. So, I cannot really fault it. Other than the dryness, the dish was perfectly spiced and tasty.




The winning dish for us was - Vino Bianco.
Vino Bianco is chicken marinated in white wine, cooked with fresh morrel with chilli and garlic, served with garlic bread. Both Pui & I love garlic in our food, and it can never be too much for us. But this dish was perfection. Especially the chicken - it was exactly done and was quite juicy. It was a total delight.


For us though the best aspect of the whole experience was the staff who were friendly, helpful and always around without making us feel crowded. We sat there, enjoyed chit-chatting and enjoyed our food without feeling rushed and well care for.

I would totally recommend this place for a nice meal and a pleasant time.


Veneto Kitchen & Bar
South City Mall, Prince Anwar Shah Road, Kolkata
Timings: 12noon – 11:30pm





Wednesday 6 October 2021

My Favourite Food Joints In Vizag - #MyFriendAlexa

October 06, 2021 31 Comments



I am a typical Bheto Bengali. Food and I go hand in hand. It’s mutual love, we both love each other. I love to cook and eat and the food loves to be eaten by me.

I left Kolkata in 2009. However, no matter where I am, I try to find food like Kolkata. Most of the places disappoint me; still, I am always able to find something tasty to eat.

I am here in Vizag for the last three years, and was able to find some food joints that I love.

Disclaimer:
I am in no way claiming these are the best places to eat or make the best food or the other places do not offer good food. All I want to say is they are my favourite.




Let’s start exploring...


The Chaiwala in front of SFS State Board Gate:

In Seethamadhara, if you come from the Tech Mahindra junction, you will find SFS State Board School on your left side. Just in front of the main gate, there is a small tea stall. I have no idea what is the name of the tea stall. It is run by a young couple. And what allam (ginger) tea they make. I am literally in love with the allam tea. You have a cup of it, and all your tiredness, worries are gone.

Kolkata Roll Centre:

In Dhaba Garden, there is a pantaloons showroom, just beside the showroom, there is a lane, and some food stalls are there. And there is Kolkata Roll Centre. In no way, it serves the authentic Kolkata rolls, but the noodles they make is really good. The chicken noodles they serve actually tastes like Kolkata roadside, thela wala (stall) noodles. It’s like a dash of Kolkata taste away from my love, Kolkata.

The Momowala in front of Bay View Hotel:

In front of Bay View Hotel in RK beach, you will find the best Momos in Vizag. The main cook is a Nepali guy, and hence, the momos are really good. They serve red chilli chutney with the momos, and it tastes like northeast India. Also, they serve really tasty chicken sweet corn soup.

Upland Bistro:

This restaurant serves the best continental in Vizag, hand down. This restaurant is run by an Telugu guy name Kalyan. I am a regular here. I have tried many dishes from the menu, and they are actually good. I have also tried many other continental restaurants here in Vizag, most of the time the food is actually, sorry for the word, shit. The fish and chip from this restaurant is my favourite.

Cafe Military:

Located on the Venkojipalem highway, they serve one of the best tiffin in Vizag. I simply love the Masala Dosa, the dosa is crispy, and the aloo masala is super tasty. I can literally eat it, every morning, if there is a possibility. It’s just my lazy husband refuses to take me there every morning.

Soda Paniwala:

The summer here in Vizag is really cruel. And the only way I survive the brutish sun is by drinking gallons of sweet soda pani. I have probably tried the all the Soda Pani stalls in Vizag. They all are life-saving, in the summertime. I even tried my best to impress them with my Telegu speaking skills for some extra, they mostly ignore me (my Telegu is a disaster). Still, hoping to befriend one for some extra soda pani, for free of course.

Samosa from Sea Pearl:

In Kolkata, you get the best samosas. I have tried samosas from various parts of South India, and they are not good. However, Sea Pearl restaurant on RK Beach serves one of the best samosas, in Vizag. The dough is perfectly kneaded with a hint of ajwain. The filling is heavenly, fried to perfection, served with sweet chutney. The combination is to die for.

The honourable motions are Idli from Mr And Mrs Idli, Biryani from Satyam restaurant & Raju's Kitchen, North Indian veg thali from Shree Shyam restaurant, veg cuisine from Santosh Dhaba, Bengali food from Hotel Nimantran Inn, and many, many more.


Happy Eating







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Tuesday 15 October 2019

Therpup Cafe

October 15, 2019 0 Comments


I came to know about this cafe through a friend couple of years back. I had visited once about 3 years back, when I wasn't a fur parent yet, and quite enjoyed the experience. But the experience has been even better since we started taking our young Lab-Indie mix baby, Snoopy, for his day outings.

Located at Whitefield, the cafe is a total gem for dog lovers. The name of the cafe is a play on the words 'therapy' and 'puppy' and they do deliver at all times. They have  quite a few resident dogs of their own... Mojo, Cisco, Goldie and Charlie are always there to cheer you up.



If you are a fur parent, this is where you should head out to over the weekend. You can let your furry friend off the leash as they are free to run, play and socialize. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly who can guide you when you go for the first time. The biggest plus of being there is that the cafe is mostly frequented by dog lovers and they happily engage with your pal and let you take a break with your partner/friend.


Therpup cafe has two menus for you to choose from. One with food for the 'hoomans' which includes the staple food for cafes, like burgers, sandwiches and pizzas. I must admit that if it was only food I was looking for, this isn't a place that I would choose. They do not serve anything that is outstanding, but the food is just average. The pizzas are good but they lack consistency with the subs and sandwiches. They also have a very special menu for your furry pals in case you want to treat them with a snack (how does a pup-sicle sound?) or a full meal.


If you haven't seen enough reasons to visit, they also have a trampoline and a portable swimming pool as added attraction. They also run a small shop where you can buy doggy stuff and nice T-shirts for yourself.


There are certain Do's and Don'ts that you can follow to keep this place unique and a make it a friendly experience for all:

  • Do not visit this particular cafe if you do not like dogs. There are thousands of other cafes you can choose to fit your preferences and only one Therpup Cafe where our pets can roam and play freely. We have come across couple of people in our numerous visits who seemed to be afraid of dogs. It was certainly not a pleasant experience for them and even more uncomfortable for us.
  • Do not feed the pets. The resident pets are well fed and taken care of and, most pet parents have specific diets for their dogs. French Fries do NOT make for a good diet of a dog.
  • If at all you cannot avoid the puppy eyes they make at your food, please ask the owners before feeding them. You can even sponsor a meal or two for the resident doggos.

Snoopy certainly has a good time every time we take him there. As a high-energy dog, he mostly runs around the secured area and he sure does love the food from the Pup-Menu. He has also experienced the trampoline with a few kids and taken a dip in the pool. It is a place where he experiences something new every time.


Take a look at http://www.therpup.com/ for more details on the Puppies, Menu and Services available.

QOTD: Would you like to see more Dog Cafes around?





Tuesday 1 October 2019

The Elephant House

October 01, 2019 0 Comments


As Harry Potter fans both N and I had decided that ‘The Elephant House’ would be our first stop once we land at Edinburgh. I remembered a bit about the café from the interview Jo Rowling did there after Harry Potter became famous and was looking forward to experiencing it myself.


The café is within the walking distance from the railway station. So, we decide to walk to the café for our morning cup of tea and breakfast. The first thing that you notice about the café is its bright red appearance. The sign proclaiming ‘birthplace’ of Harry Potter that the café has put up on is also quite attention grabbing. The café is very proud of the fact that it has served a number of authors. From ‘Writers & Reviews’ board in their café to the mention of these authors on their website, the café boasts of not only having served J. K. Rowling but also authors like Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall-Smith. Therefore, this café is not only hallowed ground for Potterheads, it is a great place for any bookworm and aspiring authors.


Once you enter the café, at the first glance, it feels small and very underwhelming.But it is soon apparent that there is more to the place. Once you have placed your order and move towards finding a table, the ‘Writers & Reviews’ board becomes visible. That is also when you notice the framed autograph of the lady herself and it is a ‘Limited Edition certification’. There is also a big frame with a number of pictures of Jo Rowling on it. But they all seem to be like from the day she did the interview there rather than of her writing days there. Apart from the café’s own wall of fame, a lot of Potterheads seem to have visited the café and left their mark. There were a lot of graffiti and scrawls from fans all over the world. They have left comments and words of appreciation for both the series and its author.


Sitting there was a wonderful feeling. To be where the magic was created and to see what the Rowling had seen. The best part of our experience there was the fact that we found a lady sitting alone at a table with a cup of coffee. She was furiously scribbling in her diary and I couldn’t help but smile at the scene! It was probably very similar to the scene that the patrons of the café witnessed decades back. I was also really tempted to go and ask the lady her name, so that if and when she becomes famous and is added to the café’s wall of fame I could reflect back on my visit to the café. But no, I did not disturb her from plotting.


The nearby landmark of George Heriot’s School building with four towers is said to have served as an inspiration for Hogwarts School. The Greyfriars Kirkyard cemetery may have served not only as the inspiration for quite a few names in the series but also may have served as the inspiration for the graveyard where Voldemort’s father was buried.

If you are not a bookworm or a Potterhead, even then you should pay this place a visit. The café has a terrific view of the Edinburgh Castle from its sitting room at the back. They have great food at really reasonable prices (irrespective of their demand) and friendly staff.





This post was originally written for BUZZ Magazine

Sunday 22 September 2019

Kailash Momo

September 22, 2019 2 Comments


Whenever we go out to eat, I like to go for anything but Indian food and N had been talking about Momos for quite some time. And so we did. We looked around on Zomato and short listed two restaurants. But we decided to go out to Kailash Momo because it has Sabhalay on the menu and that is something that I have been craving for quite some time.


Tucked between a hair salon and a nail salon, this plain looking restaurant is easy to miss. However, we had made the mistake of arriving at the restaurant without a reservation and as a result we were told that we would have to wait for 20-25 minutes. Instead of waiting there, we took a walk in the neighbourhood, always good for building up an appetite, and came back in 20 minutes. We were taken to our table immediately this time around. The establishment has set up the interiors in a way that gives its patrons the 'Tibetan' feel  - right down to their china pattern.


We ordered steamed chicken momo, fried chicken momo and chicken sabhalay. While the momo was up to our expectations, I was a bit disappointed by the sabhalay. The outer layer - the dough, was bit too hard fried and the chicken filling needed a little more spice. Momos used to be our staple food during college days and as such we have very high expectations and the restaurant delivered quite well on that front.


The food is VERY reasonably priced and the staff are quite friendly and helpful - these are certainly big plus points of the restaurant. However, I found the place to be a bit cramped and it is certainly not a place I would suggest to people who would like minimum level of privacy for their discussions over the meal. It was a bit discomforting for me as I am slightly claustrophobic and absolutely loathe alcohol. (I usually do not visit restaurants that serve alcohol ).

If these two points do not bother you - the place is a winner with its good food at a reasonable price. They have quite a lot to offer on their menu  in terms of variety and we plan to go back to try them all.


QOTD: Do you like Tibetan Food?

Address: 79, Woolwich New Road. London , SE18 6ED




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