It continues to amaze me how incredibly diverse India is. This past week, I took a mini-trip to Kolkata in the eastern state of West Bengal. Kolkata is known as the City of Joy and was home to Mother Theresa. However, it became clear to me that Kolkata serves up the majority of its joy via gastronomical arts.
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta, was certainly the most developed and modern city I have been to in India. It was astonishingly clean, with sidewalks almost everywhere, buildings with big glass windows, yellow cabs driving in the proper lane ways and get this... not a single cow on the streets. Mind blown. But seriously, Kolkata definitely has a lot to offer, especially if you are in need of a Visa. It is home to the consulates of many countries, which was the reason I even ended up there: to accompany Nicole in getting her US Visa. All in all, I am happy I made the trip, which was not initially on my list of must see destinations in India.
On our first morning in Kolkata, we went for Nicole’s Visa appointment and then decided to walk to Camac Street to find somewhere to have breakfast. While Kolkata is extremely famous for their street food scene, boasting a myriad of tiny steaming stalls on every corner serving all sorts of chaats, snacks and momos (dumplings), I was not really in the mood for anything fried or spicy at 8:30am. So along we walked until we spotted an inconspicuous sign for “Mystic Yoga Cafe”. With the incredibly low expectations that I have developed during my travels here, we climbed the stairs prepared for the absolute worst, but we were greeted with the absolute opposite. Mystic Yoga Cafe is a small, organic restaurant adjoining a popular yoga studio, where you can find all of the incredibly health conscious products one desires, and eat some seriously good food. We were blown away by the menu, boasting dishes such as Whole Wheat Banana Packages, Parfaits with Housemade granola, and Poaches eggs with grilled tomatoes and thick-cut whole grain toast (yes, I ordered all of those items over the three days that we were there and continued to go back for breakfast). As we sat in awe staring at our delicious pancakes, stacked with sliced papaya and drizzled with honey, Chef Abhishek Roy let us in on the secret that he had been a chef on some of the world’s largest cruise ships for 10 years before returning home and opening the cafe. His multicultural experience certainly showed throughout his menu as well as his incredibly delectable and beautifully presented dishes. If you are in Kolkata, do not miss this place!!! After we finished our breakfast, Abhishek gave us some tips for exploring and off we went to the Victoria Memorial!
The Victoria Memorial is a truly astonishing marble temple (think Taj Mahal meets the White House) built in memory of Queen Victoria of Great Britain. Kolkata is very much a product of the British rule under which is existed and the architectural elements are present throughout the city as well. After strolling around the property and gardens, we moved on to the city center. This area is begins at Sudder Street, continuing to Lindsey Street and culminating at the entrance to the New Market. I am pretty enthralle by (borderline obsessed with) shopping in India and truly love roaming through the alleyways of the big bazaars. The New Market was by far my favorite Bazaar in India, with rows and rows of vendors housed under the massive structure, selling the cutest nick knacks as well as some incredibly beautiful jewelry and sculptures. Part of the fun of shopping is the bargaining that can be done at these Bazaars and I will admit that I have learned to don quite the poker face when haggling for a lower price. I think at this point, I only get ripped off about half of the time!
We spent most of our time in Kolkata simply roaming the streets and soaking in the culture of the city. We went from the south to the north, making our way through China Town and up to the famous Kolkata Flower Market overlooking the Ganges. It was really just a nice three days of exploring. When we weren’t meandering around, we were eating some really, truly delicious meals. Unfortunately, none of them were Indian! We took advantage of the multicultural nature of the city and enjoyed cusine from all over the world. I was especially excited to try Thai food, being in such close proximity to the country, or at least closer than I am in the US. So on the first night we treated ourselves to dinner at Baan Thai at the Oberoi Grand Hotel. The Oberoi Grand is without a doubt the most stunning hotel I have ever been to and it felt like I had been transported to another, far more extravagant world. My taste buds were also transported when I took a bite of my Pad Thai, which was without a doubt the best rendition I have ever had. Over the next few days we enjoyed some Thai Curries on the Blue and Beyond rooftop restaurant, overlooking the New Market Square, and even had a surprisingly great seafood risotto the last evening at the Corner Courtyard, an enchanting little French style Bistro. I left Kolkata with tired feet and a happy tummy, ready to take on my last two weeks in India!
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta, was certainly the most developed and modern city I have been to in India. It was astonishingly clean, with sidewalks almost everywhere, buildings with big glass windows, yellow cabs driving in the proper lane ways and get this... not a single cow on the streets. Mind blown. But seriously, Kolkata definitely has a lot to offer, especially if you are in need of a Visa. It is home to the consulates of many countries, which was the reason I even ended up there: to accompany Nicole in getting her US Visa. All in all, I am happy I made the trip, which was not initially on my list of must see destinations in India.
On our first morning in Kolkata, we went for Nicole’s Visa appointment and then decided to walk to Camac Street to find somewhere to have breakfast. While Kolkata is extremely famous for their street food scene, boasting a myriad of tiny steaming stalls on every corner serving all sorts of chaats, snacks and momos (dumplings), I was not really in the mood for anything fried or spicy at 8:30am. So along we walked until we spotted an inconspicuous sign for “Mystic Yoga Cafe”. With the incredibly low expectations that I have developed during my travels here, we climbed the stairs prepared for the absolute worst, but we were greeted with the absolute opposite. Mystic Yoga Cafe is a small, organic restaurant adjoining a popular yoga studio, where you can find all of the incredibly health conscious products one desires, and eat some seriously good food. We were blown away by the menu, boasting dishes such as Whole Wheat Banana Packages, Parfaits with Housemade granola, and Poaches eggs with grilled tomatoes and thick-cut whole grain toast (yes, I ordered all of those items over the three days that we were there and continued to go back for breakfast). As we sat in awe staring at our delicious pancakes, stacked with sliced papaya and drizzled with honey, Chef Abhishek Roy let us in on the secret that he had been a chef on some of the world’s largest cruise ships for 10 years before returning home and opening the cafe. His multicultural experience certainly showed throughout his menu as well as his incredibly delectable and beautifully presented dishes. If you are in Kolkata, do not miss this place!!! After we finished our breakfast, Abhishek gave us some tips for exploring and off we went to the Victoria Memorial!
The Victoria Memorial is a truly astonishing marble temple (think Taj Mahal meets the White House) built in memory of Queen Victoria of Great Britain. Kolkata is very much a product of the British rule under which is existed and the architectural elements are present throughout the city as well. After strolling around the property and gardens, we moved on to the city center. This area is begins at Sudder Street, continuing to Lindsey Street and culminating at the entrance to the New Market. I am pretty enthralle by (borderline obsessed with) shopping in India and truly love roaming through the alleyways of the big bazaars. The New Market was by far my favorite Bazaar in India, with rows and rows of vendors housed under the massive structure, selling the cutest nick knacks as well as some incredibly beautiful jewelry and sculptures. Part of the fun of shopping is the bargaining that can be done at these Bazaars and I will admit that I have learned to don quite the poker face when haggling for a lower price. I think at this point, I only get ripped off about half of the time!
We spent most of our time in Kolkata simply roaming the streets and soaking in the culture of the city. We went from the south to the north, making our way through China Town and up to the famous Kolkata Flower Market overlooking the Ganges. It was really just a nice three days of exploring. When we weren’t meandering around, we were eating some really, truly delicious meals. Unfortunately, none of them were Indian! We took advantage of the multicultural nature of the city and enjoyed cusine from all over the world. I was especially excited to try Thai food, being in such close proximity to the country, or at least closer than I am in the US. So on the first night we treated ourselves to dinner at Baan Thai at the Oberoi Grand Hotel. The Oberoi Grand is without a doubt the most stunning hotel I have ever been to and it felt like I had been transported to another, far more extravagant world. My taste buds were also transported when I took a bite of my Pad Thai, which was without a doubt the best rendition I have ever had. Over the next few days we enjoyed some Thai Curries on the Blue and Beyond rooftop restaurant, overlooking the New Market Square, and even had a surprisingly great seafood risotto the last evening at the Corner Courtyard, an enchanting little French style Bistro. I left Kolkata with tired feet and a happy tummy, ready to take on my last two weeks in India!