Calcutta Diaries: Park Street

In a city which sleeps well before mid night(barring a few places) , how do you define a place with lights,glitz,glamour,restaurants that stretches beyond mid night?

I cant find a right word for it, but, it definitely becomes the centre of this huge city. The High Street, Fashion, Movies and the hub of entertainment of Calcutta. One of the very few places that still retains its charm from the 1950s.Tales are replete with the light-action-music-parties of Park Street from the times Britishers came to the city. And today, when I am writing this piece, I feel proud that nothing  has died, the spirit of entertainment is still very much alive in this part of the city. It always feels lovely and happy to be there, the streets buzzing with cars, crowds and bars and restaurants always very much alive.

Every brick, every walls of the restaurants speak history of the times long gone and they reflect a legacy that you can only find in this city;for Park Street continues to attract the true Calcuttan in every way. Be it for the Hot Kati Rolls or the Masala Tea or a Glass of Lassi or for a glass of chilled  beer or to let your hair down after a hard day at work - Park Street has something for everyone. For someone new to Calcutta, evening is the best time to explore this place.

The Building That Housed T3 - The Tea Table@Park Street

I started my walk from Russel Street, with a cup of masala chae at Russel Punjabi Dhaba. In the evening, queues of cars fill up the approach to the dhaba for their masala tea served in big bhars and the vegetable sandwiches. You also get the samosas that taste great with the tea. Sip the tea and move ahead. The restaurants - Floriana and Sam's Pub lie on the opposite footpath of Russel's Dhaba. Nice places to hang out. They are mostly known for the Indian-ised versions of Continental food, which most of us love a lot, along with drinks. Christmas is a great time to explore this place, when roasted turkey, wine and sherry also appear in the menu. And it holds true for most of the restaurants that cater Continental food.If there is a "rush" all throughout the year, then in Christmas, there is a "carnival that goes on in these restaurants.

The Park Hotel is located right at the junction of Russel Street and Park Street. As one descends from the Park Street Metro station, the Asiatic Society Building looms out from one end. Heading straight, the famous roll shops - where during youth - we tucked in the egg chicken rolls first and then enjoyed the beers in Someplaceelse at Park Hotel.

The Park Hotel Arcade houses Trincas - a restaurant cum bar - where numerous singers apprenticed before becoming famous. Even today the band music is alive and kicking. Patrons enjoy their round of drinks over the music.Kebabs are the most authentic ones I must say and goes great with the drinks.

On the other side of the entry to Park Hotel, lies the the Oxford Bookstore and Kwality. The Oxford BookStore also houses a "Cha Bar" where books and tea can be enjoyed in real calm ambience. I love the tranquil environment upstairs where the Cha Bar is located.Over the years, I have seen book lovers as well as lovers spend hours in the store.

Nearby there is the famous Olypub, a favourite with college goers due to its cheap drinks. The beef steak served in Olypub is like a religion to many. The steak with it a poached egg and boiled vegetables served on the chunk of meat is heavenly and goes well with the drinks.The hygiene is not something that can be vouched upon, but if you  have come to Calcutta for a week, then you shouldnt miss the Olypub experience. Its always teeming with college folks and buzzing with people most of the time.Even now, when I drop by that place, I dont forget to have the beef steak.

Oasis and Moulin Rounge are located on the same side of the foot path. And also on the same side lies Bar B Q - one of the most authentic Chinese restaurants in town.

Trust a glass of chilled beer and the fried chicken wings, they will set your appetite on fire!Another favourite from this joint is the Egg Foo Young - a chinese styled egg omlet. Bar B Q has two distinctive chambers - the family section and the bar where its more of a male dominant crowd.Chilli chicken, chicken manchurian,mixed fried rice and chowmein are favourites. When in Bar B Q it is always advisable to stay with the Chinese.True, the Indian food also tastes good, but they are too heavy.The upstairs family section in Bar B Q window seats offer a view of Park Street, which is quite a lovely setting for a romantic dinner.

Moulin Rouge

On the opposite footpath are the restaurants - Mags and Magnolia, One Step Up. Mags is again a favourite haunt of college goers. Nothing great that can be recommended. But equally to be recommended is ONE STEP UP.In contrast with the other traditional restaurants in its construction and in house decor with steel and glass structures but the food will do wonders. They have a great menu and the Chicken Shaslik is on my favourite list.

Next to One Step Up is Flurrys the most famous breakfast shop of Calcutta. To enjoy Flurrys you need to be up in the morning, and have a cup of darjeeling tea, poached egg, toasts and sausages - makes the day, surely it does. The high glass walls that offer a view of the street - in the evening you can spot the office goers leaving home to catch the metro, the casual tourist shooting a view of park street and a passerby stopping in between his walk to light up a cigarette - is enjoyable. I have

Trincas Restaurant@Park Hotel Arcade

Stephen Court, Raged Down by a Fire

always loved my tea by the window and it gives you a feeling of colonial Calcutta.Flurrys is frequented by foreigners and with its limited number seats it ensures that most times you need to wait for sometime to get your seat in the evenings and mornings.

Peter Cat,Mocambo, Bar B Q and Tung Fong are the most famous of the restaurants. Whereas I have touched upon  Bar B Q, no description of Park Street, and no experience of Calcutta can be complete without a dinner of Peter Cat and Mocambo. They have been in existence for quite sometime now, but the stanard and quality of food has always remained of the highest order. You should see the waiters, who, some of whom have served more than 4 decades at these places.

A personal experience from Mocambo " I go there I am left amazed by the variety and quality of dishes. And how every time we come back saying "wow.had a really nice time".For the last 10 years that I been frequenting the place I keep on thinking how can they maintain such a consistency of the preparation of each and every dish. "

Peter Cat

Peter Cat is known for its Chello Kebab - an assortment of Buttered rice, Chicken Kebabs, Mutton Kebabs and vegetables - which tops the list of orders every day. Another unique style of Peter Cat is that the beers are served in brass mugs. There are huge waiting queues on any weekday and weekends the queues seem to burst. Patrons waiting for 45mins to 1 hr is a very common sight. But once you are inside its seems worth the wait. The ambience, chilled out AC and great food go together to create a experience. At Mocambo too, its the same. The huge waiting queues and the great taste of Indianised continental food go hand in hand.

Discussion of the foodie community in Calcutta is bound to bring forth the "hype" of restaurants in the Park street locality and the huge queues that one has to wait. There has been talks like "whether we really need to wait for 1 hr to get hold of a Chello Kebab@Peter Cat? which is nothing but butter rice and kebabs?" Mocambo too is notorious for its seemingly endless queues.The same scenario exists in Bar B Q and Tung Fong - but its a scaled down version. Judging from a neutral perspective -  the ambience and food quality is sometimes overstated, which is why, tourists find the places too highly rated. Calcuttans crave about these restaurants because its simply the best it can offer to the citizens; but for someone who has been to other cities, one can find several restaurants which are better than these four.But theres something which you cannot deny - and its the legacy, tradition and history.

The walls of each of these restaurants speak a history of times long gone!