P.S : I Love You!

The Love of my Life : Butter Chicken

Let me introduce you all to the love of my life. The best thing that ever happened to me. Actually the best thing that ever happened to mankind. You saw the picture, you know it, don't act coy. Yes, It is Butter Chicken. It is a love affair which has been going on for ages and will continue till the moment I draw my last breath.( Bit too dramatic isn't it ?).

This love affair started way back when I was in 4th standard. It was a pretty ordinary day. I went to school, came home did my homework, had lunch, took my afternoon nap(Pretty ordinary for a bong kid). When I woke up, I overheard my parents talking about going out for dinner. Later mom came and informed me and my little brother about the plans and told us to dress up. Back in those days going out for dinner was a really royal affair. Everyone dressed up, put on their best perfume, combed their hair properly, et al.

So there we were sitting in the restaurant and our parents were deciding what to order, meanwhile me and my brother were playing with the forks on the table. After a while for the first time my parents asked me what I wanted to eat and gave me a menu. I inspected it very closely with a lot of seriousness because being asked what do you want to eat and getting to put forth your opinion meant a huge responsibility and  honor. I couldn't figure out what i wanted(as is the case with most kids). I looked at my father, then i looked at my mother and looked back at the menu. Thinking to myself, I figured i'd randomly select something and tell them. After pretending to read some more, I put down the menu and pointed at the text "BUTTER CHICKEN"(It was destiny, I think). My father smiled, waved to the waiter and ordered everything they had decided as well as what I had selected. That was the longest wait for food in my life, I was really eager to see what had I ordered. Moments later the waiter laid the food on our table. It smelled awesome. I almost jumped up on the table to see what all had been ordered. I asked my father what every dish was and what was it called. He very patiently told me the names of everything on our table. He pointed towards Butter Chicken and I felt something. I requested them to give some to me. I got a piece of boneless chicken with some gravy and a Butter Naan. I tore some naan dipped it in the gravy and with a piece of chicken put it in my mouth. I kid you not, harps and violins started playing in my head(But later I realized it was the restaurant's live musicians). That was the day I tasted Butter Chicken for the first time. And it's been continuing ever since.

A few days ago my world came crashing down and my whole belief system was obliterated! Right when I thought Butter Chicken couldn't get any holier than it already is, My very good friend Dr. Avvayyam Rattan introduced me to this work of art at Bhape da Hotel. This seemingly small joint is located in Connaught Place, New Delhi (I had no clue that it existed). After a long and taxing day at a film festival, this was our idea to unwind and chill. 

We reached there about 9:30 and when I saw it I expressed my concerns to Avvayyam as to how small and congested the joint looked. He told me to calm down and follow him. I was pissed because one of my best friends, who knows me since we were in school, was taking me to this place out of all the places in Delhi. I followed him inside and sat down. Now before I start with the next part let me tell you a bit about Avvayyam, he is this skinny dude who eats more than I do and the bastard never gains weight. When together, I can successfully say that we can devour a Full Paaya at Karim's but that's a story for another day. 

So we are sitting inside, this waiter comes and asks us what we wanted to eat, we promptly responded by ordering 1 plate of Seekh Kabab, 1 Full Boneless Butter Chicken and 4 Butter Naan's. The service was pretty quick and we had our food in front of us before we could blink. I must say I was impressed. Avvayyam knew I was impressed. We started eating the Seekh Kabab's, they were extremely soft, mouthwatering and delicious, basically melted in the mouth. Now was the time to see if the Butter Chicken here was as epic as Avvayyam said it was or had he oversold it. Avvayyam gave me this spoon and he had a smile on his face that sort of made me want to punch him. I took the spoon dipped it in the gravy and tasted the Butter Chicken. If I was a cartoon character, my head along with my brain would have blown off. Let me tell you this, I have had Butter Chicken at every North Indian restaurant I have been to and this is by far the best Butter Chicken I have ever had. I literally had tears in my eyes it was so good. Everything following that first spoon of pure unadulterated bliss was all a blur, so I have no recollection of what happened. But i do remember we had numerous butter naan's and the whole plate of Butter Chicken. There came a point where we had to loosen our belts to continue eating. The aftermath was we couldn't move, breathe or talk properly. Gluttony is one of the seven sins, but I don't even mind visiting the devil's workshop for this one.

For everyone one of the readers who haven't had Butter Chicken(You are missing out) and the readers who already are fans of Butter Chicken. Bhape Da Hotel is a must visit. There is a bigger and fancier version of the same restaurant right across the road called Minar. For the vegetarians, The taste of Butter Chicken can't be reproduced at all but Butter Paneer available at the same place is very close to the taste of what you are missing out on. So head on over to Bhape Da Hotel, 5, Municipal Market, Connaught Place, New Delhi and enjoy the feast of a lifetime. 

Till the next adventure, Keep Eating and Keep Loving, But always remember, It's All About Food, Love ! 

            

18, Park Street, Kolkata

If there is heaven, It's here!

18, Park Street, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. 

For all of you who are unfamiliar with this address, This is the legendary Flury's - Bakery, Café or Bistro. But whatever one might call it, the fact remains that if you love food, you have to eat here. According to me, " If there's heaven, It's right here on the plate at Flury's". 

I fell in love with this place the moment I stepped through it's doors. The décor, the ambiance and sheer class gives you an aristocratic feeling. Let me paint you an image. Park Street, Kolkata is THE place for food lovers in Kolkata, who have the cash and aren't afraid to splurge and indulge. It is a juncture of new and old co-existing. You would find the modern McDonald's and KFC co-existing with legends like Flury's and Moulin Rouge. Just walking around Park street makes you start loving food. Also there are numerous candy shops, book shops and a historically iconic Auction house on Park Street as well. It is a foodie's delight. You just can't visit it once. Somehow you will come back for more.

Back to what this blog is about, FOOD. I was in Kolkata for my Durga Puja @ Kolkata photography project and whenever I am there, I make it a point to hit my favorite food joints, Flury's being the top among them. I have been to Flury's numerous times throughout my childhood, thanks again to my Father. But this time it was different than all those other times. It was Dashami or Dussehra as many of you might know it. This was the day I had set aside to go to my favorite places in Kolkata. I really wanted to indulge in good food after 5 days of intense walking, travelling and photography. I inquired whether my brother, Soumik Neogi, would like to accompany me to Flury's and then I realized how stupid the question was, because honestly no one would say no to Flury's. 15 minutes later, My brother and Boudi(Bhabhi) Aloka were all ready to go. We reached Flury's in about a rough estimate of 40 minutes. Thankfully there was not much crowd in front of Flury's which was a rare occurrence since it is almost impossible to get a table at Flury's during the peak hours. We swiftly got a table and sat down. 

Now was the time to decide what were we going to eat. Me and Soumik Da were extremely clear in our minds as to what we were going to order. So after no discussions whatsoever, We ordered 3 All Day breakfasts. Now the All Day Breakfast at Flury's consists of a Glass of juice, 1 Roasted tomato, 2 Poached eggs, 2 Slices of bread, 2 Chicken Sausages, 2 Potato hash browns and the jewel crown 2 Slices of crispy fried Bacon. But there was a slight problem, Aloka Boudi doesn't like Bacon( I mean who doesn't like bacon ??). So the waiter was called again and instructed to substitute the bacon in one of the orders with chicken sausages.

Wherever I go, the time between ordering and the completion of the order is always the most testing for me. My patience and my appetite both get tested to their extreme limits. But trust me it is always worth it. From the corner of my eye I saw the waiter carrying our order towards our table. I looked towards him and from where I was looking at it, I just saw a plate with white angelic wings slowly flying towards me. And then it began, A plate full of my favorite mouth watering food. I said my prayers(because what I was about to do, it sure did required prayers) and then the very fabric of finesse, class and aristocracy was blown out of existence on that particular table. I don't know what the other people were doing or thinking, but the next time I looked up was when my plate was empty. I actually wanted to smash the plate on the floor and say, "ANOTHER!!", But unfortunately I don't look like THOR nor is my Father King of Asgard. So I refrained from any Thor like shenanigans. My consolation was more bacon, which was ordered secretly when I was so primitively enjoying my food. When I saw more Bacon, I looked towards my brother and he had this 'I knew you wanted more of this' smile on his face, I actually would have gotten up and kissed him right there but apparently that was the time my brain decided to kick in my inhibition sensor. So there was no bromance either. 

Now this time while eating the Bacon I decided to be more civilized in my approach and engage other occupants of my table in a conversation. We discussed about our love for bacon and how it trumps everything else in the world, how bacon could be declared the national meat and stuff, I admit we got a bit carried away and emotional but as I finished the last bacon strip, reality hit me and it hit me pretty hard because I knew that I can't sit there all day and keep eating bacon. I knew it had to end. Like all good things must come to an end and so did my bacon . A little part of my  heart was a bit sad but all over I was extremely happy and overjoyed that I could come to Flury's to enjoy this long lasting blast of satisfaction.

Flury's offers an extensive range of exquisite continental food coupled with brilliant salads and tea or juice. I recommend this place to all the readers. If you love continental food and want to experience pure bliss, Flury's is the place to hit. A visit to Park Street and The All Day Breakfast to top it all.

Till the next adventure, Keep Eating and Keep Loving, But always remember, It's All About Food, Love ! 

     

     

My life's first most awesome BBQ Ranch Burger @ Chili's !

Have Mercy !! THE HEART-POUNDER !

So let me tell you how I came across this work of art, I like to call it the Mona Lisa of the food world! And for this wonder I really need to thank one of my very best friends and partner in crime, Manav Sud. 

So the day started with me and Manav being extremely bored at college, since we had no classes and all that we were doing is making fun of the stupidest things sitting in the classroom. To give you some background Manav and me commute together while coming to college and going back home. Manav drops me at a bus stop from where I take the bus to my home.

Now when I am bored, I get extremely restless and very hungry. The situation was quite similar that day as well. I went up to Manav and asked him whether he had some plan after college and would he like to indulge in some good food. After a lot of pondering and reviewing our financial standing(Our wallets) and consulting our financial advisers(Each other). We unanimously decided to go out and explore some new food. Now came the tricky part and this happens every single time with us, We cant seem to decide what to explore or what do we want to eat. After a long discussion we finally reached a consensus that we will go to Chili's, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, for it was close to where Manav stays. We went inside and sat down and since Manav is a regular at Chili's, the first thing that he does, is order 2 mugs of Bottomless Coke which is priced at a very reasonable Rs.75/-. For the people who don't know what the bottomless drinks concept is, what you do is pay a fixed amount and then you can drink as many mugs as humanely possible(Awesome Right...?).

By now I was starving and was desperately at the menu card which Manav was hogging despite of being a regular at the place. Finally it was my chance to choose as our mugs of bottomless cokes came along. I looked at the menu and a whole new world opened it's arms to engulf me in it's beauty. I wanted to have everything on the menu, but I could not. I had to decide on something, I just had to. After going over the menu maybe 4 times and very consciously trying to stop my mouth from watering and overflowing, I finally ordered the BBQ Ranch Burger with Extra Bacon priced at Rs.350 + Rs.50 for extra bacon. Now what this burger is made up of is, Seasoned and Grilled Tenderloin patty topped with Cheddar Cheese, BBQ Sauce, Smoked Bacon, Ranch Dressing, Shredded Lettuce, Tomato and Pickle. I impatiently tapped my feet and read over the ingredients over and over again. At this moment I was so lost that Manav's existence right across the table had ceased to exist for me. Finally the Burger came, I thought my heart skipped a beat. In all its glory and beauty rested in a small wicker serving basket with a large helping of fries. I looked at it and then looked at Manav and then at the burger again. I picked it up, it fit like a glove, as if it was destined to be devoured by me. I took the first bite, and then for a few moments I was lost, I don't remember what kinda noise I made, but with Manav saying, "I don't know this guy!!", I figured it was something very inappropriate. The burger is extremely filling and is good for one whole meal. It tastes like a rainbow in your mouth and is extremely well cooked. Kudos to the Chef's at Chili's.

The total Price of my meal was Rs. 575(Inclusive of taxes). But i'll say that it is totally worth every single penny spent. For the readers who like bacon but beef is a big NO NO, you can choose the chicken variant of the same BBQ Ranch Burger. And for all the vegetarian readers, you can choose from a varied range of vegetarian burgers which might provide you with the same satisfaction that this burger did to me.

Till my next adventure, keep eating and keep loving, But always remember, It's All About Food, Love !           

Introduction

Ahh !! Food !!

Hi, I am Bireshwar Chakravarty, A Student of Journalism and Mass Communication at Amity University, Noida. I am a Bengali guy, who has been born and brought up in New Delhi and it is my home town. I am a professional Photographer and a Film maker. But what everyone who knows me knows is, at heart I am a die hard foodie. I just love food more than anything in this world. Since the time I was a pee-wee little child, I have been exposed to lots of awesome food, and I have my father, R N Chakravarty to thank for it. Thanks Dad !! Good food has always been something I have been really really fond of. But again a father can't distinguish among his children but I can tell you, of all the food that I love and adore, I am a huge fan of BUTTER CHICKEN!! If you decide to give me butter chicken 365 days a year and 3 meals a day, I would actually love you till the moment I die. I have always wanted to pursue my passion and quest for Good Food, but now I can pursue it because now i have the financial standing to explore the breathtaking world of food that awaits me. So basically what this blog is going to do to you readers is tease your taste-buds to the extreme as I take you all through my awesome journey and it's various pit stops for awesome food. Because at the End of the Day .... It's All About Food, Love !