I lived in Kolkata for a year and a half. That was about two years ago. Since neither me nor my husband have roots in West Bengal, Kolkata was an absolutely unknown place for us. I am often asked by people
“How was the experience of living in Kolkata?”
I always answer the same thing. It is great being a tourist there… but living in Kolkata is a whole different story! Let me talk about the good stuff today.
Kolkata is a foodie paradise. It is the place where my husband found a love for fish. The melt in your mouth Betki is quite unparalleled! The famous Kolkata rolls with succulent pieces of meat wrapped in fluffy maida rotis are delicious. The jhaal-muri, the unique puchka, the chop… yumm! Besides these, the city boasts of great eateries like the legenday Flurries – a must for every continental breakfast lover, Mocambo – made famous by the movie Kahaani. Oh and how can I forget Peter Cat! Peter Cat is an old restaurant known for its Chillo Kebab – a unique delight that is a wholesome meal in itself. A bed of Fragrance rice topped with a grilled tomato and a frid egg and two seekhs of soft and spicy seekhs served with a healthy dose of butter. And I have just talked about a few Park Street places. If you want to visit Kolkata as a tourist, there are a whole bunch of hotels in Kolkata that can offer you a comfortable stay and an easy access to the delightful eating places. How can I talk about eating options and not mention sweets? The Rashogulla – white and brown (made with jaggery), the Mishti Doi (sweet, rich, yogurt) and endless varieties of Sandesh! I had no clues they came in literally hundreds of shapes and sizes and flavours. In our eighteen months there, we barely scratched the surface of the food options available. There are so many more places to visit in Kolkata which offer a great culinary experience! I would love to go back and sample them 🙂
If you visit during festivals like Durga Puja or Christmas, you will find the city decked up! Durga Pooja transforms the city into something else altogether and the 4 day experience is quite unforgettable. The Pandal hopping, the food, the addas and the gaiety that fills the air cannot not affect you! The splendour of some of the pandals has to be seen to be believed. Creativity at its max and they leave no expense spared to make it the awesomest celebration ever.
Park street begins to resemble a huge christmas tree with festoons everywhere in December. There are people selling santa hats, merry christmas ballons, small christmas trees and all sorts of baubles to put up in them. I would not be surprised if we saw fake snow there one of these times!
If you are thinking what are the other places to visit in Kolkata, there are plenty of sight seeing options like the Birla Mandir, a tram ride at Victoria Memorial, Howrah bridge and the famous Dakhshineshwar temple. It has something to offer everyone and if you are on a quest to see India, so visit it!
Have you been to Kolkata? What are your favourite places to visit in Kolkata?
Your post just made my mouth water so much that I have to go hunting for non veg now….
Awesome post Ankita…
Haha… good! Did you manage to find something interesting? I hope you did 🙂