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Oh! Calcutta!

Learnt here and here that Kolkata now has a KFC and a Subway outlet. What’s more, the other weekend the Subway store ran out of sandwich breads.

The article says: Having inaugurated the Subway outlet, US consul-general Henry V Jardine was happy to hear how Calcutta had taken to it. “It is a reflection of how dynamic, changing and cosmopolitan the city is today,” he said.

I'm sure it’s for the good. But, are we losing our Waldorfs, Tangra, Flury’s, Shirazs and Amenias? And the neighbourhood roll stalls and phuchka wallas?

Till date I’ve never had better biryani or better hakka chowmein outside of Kolkata. Au contraire, I had decent paturi/muittha only outside of Kolkata. Can anybody solve the paradox?

Read India Uncut’s take on this here.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hakka Chowmein, i aint sure but for biriyani u should try Hyderabad restaurants.
A cliche, but 100 percent true
12:08 PM
Tridib said…
Subways i feel are overpriced! Strange that Kolkata should take to it, because Kolkatabashis are not the types who would splurge on food that's not value for money, unlike Delhiwallahs! You forgot egg\mutton\chicken rolls and 'bhegetable' chops. Yet to come across the same taste anywhere outside the City.
12:47 PM
Anonymous said…
Mind goes back to Deckers lane...who would care about a sub for 100 bucks when u have a moghlai porota for 10 bucks...Thats Bong for u...Mr Jardine would definitely feel that way - wasn't he the one who inaugurated the joint in the first place...
12:59 PM
thorswheels said…
Burger King: Haven't had Hyderabadi biryani in Hyderabad, so can't say.
Tridib: I agree. Subways are mercenaries. You can add beguni and peyaanji to the list. Delectable.
Passerby: Oops! I forgot moglai porota! It's been ages since I had one.
3:12 PM
J. Alfred Prufrock said…
Right, now I can feel a foodie post welling up for the umpteenth time.

Have no fear, Flury's and Shiraz and Tangra are going strong. Perhaps I should post a few pics from Sunday breakfast in the renovated Flury's.

The other good news is that with places like Oh! Calcutta! and Bhojohori Manna (the latter now has four outlets) taking off, good Bangali ranna is available outside the home.

J.A.P.
11:07 AM
The Marauder's Map said…
For complete and detailed insight into Bengali restaurants, watch out for story on the same by a certain Ms Bagchi in this Saturday's Telegraph, written with her usual painstaking attention to detail and thoroughness.
11:29 PM
thorswheels said…
MM: Looking forward to a copy.
11:03 AM
Progga said…
JAP: T3, across the road from Flury's, is more like Flury's used to be, I suspect. And they serve a fine Viennese coffee.
BK: There is something about Shiraz biriyani - Lucknow-i - unlike the Hyderabadi mangsho bhaat. It floods the senses! For those in Bangalore, there is a Shiraz-owned place in Koramangala 5th block, right next to Casa Picola, which serves Shiraz style biriyani, kati rolls with parathas, and has Bong waiters. The thrill of being able to say, so far from Cal, "duto mutton roll aar ekta thums up", is unparallelled!
7:48 PM
Anonymous said…
Subways may come and Subways may go ........but Flury's goes on forever.

Dippy.
6:42 PM
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