TURQUOISE CHILL

  Sometimes the best evenings are the ones that aren't planned beyond a simple dinner invitation. I had finally met Neema Kudva , someone I had been chatting with over WhatsApp for the past couple of months. My mother-in-law had connected us because Neema was planning a visit to Kolkata for a research paper and project centred around Durga Puja . Having spent years exploring the city and documenting its heritage, I was happy to share a few insights and connect her with people who could help make her visit more meaningful. When we finally met at my in-laws' home, it felt anything but awkward. Conversation flowed effortlessly and the evening quickly dissolved into laughter, stories and endless conversations. At one point, my father-in-law looked at us and asked, "So, how long have you known each other?" He simply couldn't believe that we were meeting in person for the very first time. Then came one of those wonderfully unexpected moments. Neema mentioned that she wa...

 It was my in-laws' anniversary, and we decided that the occasion deserved a special family lunch. The choice of venue was an easy one—Café De Lema. Ever since our last visit, my father-in-law had not stopped singing praises of the delicious soup and excellent food he had enjoyed there. With such glowing recommendations coming directly from him, there was little room for debate. The weather also seemed to be on our side. It had been raining earlier in the day, and dark clouds still lingered overhead, threatening another downpour. Fortunately, the gloomy skies worked in our favour. The roads were surprisingly clear, allowing us to reach the café without getting stuck in traffic. As an added bonus, we found a parking spot right in front of the eatery, making the outing even more convenient. Stepping inside, we were greeted with an unexpected surprise—the café was completely empty. Not a single table was occupied. While it felt unusual, it also meant we could settle in comfortably. We...

After a long morning spent tending to the garden and finishing household chores, I suddenly realised that lunch had slipped far beyond its usual time. Since I also needed to step out to pick up some composting soil and a few other gardening essentials, we decided to turn the errand into a little outing and find a nice place to have lunch. My wife came across a place in New Town called Sakuya | Asian Bistro, and since we hadn’t been on a drive together for quite some time, we thought it would be the perfect excuse to get out. Little did we know that the drive itself would become an adventure. The worst of the rain had passed, and there was barely a drizzle left, but the roads had other plans. Traffic had turned into a complete nightmare. It took us almost an hour and a half to reach the restaurant. Of course, we had forgotten one important detail — it was Friday, the last working day of the week, and everyone seemed to be heading home or heading out at the same time. Tucked away on a qu...

 Sometimes the best café discoveries happen when you are simply trying to pass some time. After spending almost two hours waiting patiently while my wife got her nails done at a nail salon, I was ready for a little refreshment. The wait, however, was not completely uneventful. It included a comfortable nap on their sofa and, in true spontaneous fashion, the purchase of half a dozen beautiful plants from a nursery right outside the salon. So, by the time the nail session was finally over, we had new plants in our car and a serious craving for a good coffee break. Since it was still too early for dinner, we decided to look for a place where we could relax with a drink. That’s when we came across Cava - Cafe & Patisserie | Artisanal Cafe & Brews , a place that immediately caught our attention — especially because they serve Matcha, which has now become my wife’s preferred drink of choice. We settled in and ordered our beverages. She went for their Strawberry Matcha , while I d...

After spending a wonderful evening at Tollygunge Club enjoying five exciting rounds of their monthly Tombola, we decided it was time to head out for dinner. The games had worked up an appetite, but more importantly, my wife had a very specific craving—her favourite Coconut Matcha. There’s only one place that makes it exactly the way she loves it, and naturally, that meant only one destination: Café De Lema. The moment the plan was made, I suddenly found myself craving their Signature Non-Veg Club Sandwich. I could already picture it in my head, layer after delicious layer, and that was enough to trigger serious hunger pangs. Unfortunately, getting there turned into a bit of an adventure. Just a few hundred metres from the café, we found ourselves trapped in one of those classic narrow-lane traffic situations—cars parked on one side, a line of vehicles trying to squeeze through from the opposite direction, and complete deadlock involving at least half a dozen cars. Progress was painfull...

  Every now and then, a craving strikes unexpectedly—and this time, it was for some authentic South Indian food. It had been quite a while since our last visit to House of Iyers, so the decision was easy. Tucked away on a quiet side road en route to Urbana, just past Anandapur Police Station, House of Iyers is one of those places that feels like a hidden gem for lovers of genuine South Indian cuisine. For lunch, my wife chose a classic Masala Dosa while I went for the Rava Dosa—though here, the masala needs to be ordered separately. What caught me by surprise was how refined and delicate their Rava Dosa was. I’m more accustomed to the coarser, crisp versions, so this lighter, more elegant take was an unexpected but welcome change. We also ordered a Dahi Vada to share. As it turned out, the sweetness was a bit much for my wife’s taste, which meant I happily finished most of it myself—definitely not a complaint! To complete the meal, she paired hers with a refreshing glass of Chhaas,...