When Momo Plans Go Wrong, Mandarin Comes to the Rescue

I don't know what exactly we were thinking.

It was a Sunday night, around 9 pm, and for some inexplicable reason we suddenly got a craving for Momos. So, without much thought, we decided to head to Momo-I-Am.

Because obviously, if you turn up at 9 on a Sunday night at one of Kolkata's most popular Momo joints, you're bound to get a table!

Except... no.

It was a bit of a fool's errand.

Momo-I-Am is tiny, popular and, as we discovered rather quickly, absolutely packed to the rafters. There wasn't much point standing around hoping that a table would magically appear, so we did what one does in Kolkata when Plan A disappears — we started thinking about food!

Luckily, there was another option not too far away. A place we hadn't visited in ages, but one that we knew could be relied upon for a completely different kind of craving.

Mandarin.

There are certain restaurants in Kolkata that have become almost institutions in their own right, and Mandarin is definitely one of them.

For me, Mandarin falls firmly into that category of places where you can walk in without wondering whether you're going to get "Chinese food" or some modern interpretation of it. You know exactly what you're going to get — proper, old-school Kolkata Chinese food, the kind that has been satisfying generations of Kolkatans.

And once we saw the menu, there really wasn't much discussion needed.

Mixed Chowmein.

Mixed Fried Rice.

Mixed Veg.

And, of course, Chilli Chicken Dry.

That, in our household, is pretty much a Kolkata Chinese food greatest hits package!

The food arrived, and suddenly the failed Momo expedition didn't seem like such a bad thing after all. There is something immensely comforting about a plate of mixed chowmein or fried rice from a restaurant you've known for years. No experimentation required. No surprises. Just the flavours you remember.

And naturally, when you've ordered enough food for what appears to be a small family reunion, there is only one logical conclusion.

We're taking some of it home.

So the Sunday night Momo craving remained unsatisfied, but we returned home with boxes of Mandarin instead.

Sometimes Plan B turns out to be exactly what you needed.

And in Kolkata, when Plan B involves Mixed Chowmein, Fried Rice, Chilli Chicken and some good old-fashioned Chinese food, I'm certainly not complaining!

Heading Home, With a Couple of Planes Added to the Logbook

With the Sony Meet done and dusted, it was time to head back home to Kolkata.

I had a morning flight out of Indira Gandhi International Airport, which meant an early start and the usual airport routine — check out, get to the airport and make sure there was enough time to get through all the formalities without having to sprint to the gate!

But being at an airport has one particular advantage for someone like me.

There are planes.

And if there are planes, there is always the possibility of some plane spotting.

So, before boarding my flight, I managed to spend a little time doing what I enjoy — keeping an eye on the aircraft movements and documenting a couple of aircraft that I hadn't yet added to my records.

Two more aircraft managed to make it into the collection:

IndiGo VT-IET — Airbus A320-232

And then there was:

SpiceJet VT-SGI — Boeing 737-8GJ (Winglets)

Not exactly the biggest haul of the day, but then plane spotting is rarely about quantity. Sometimes just adding a couple of new registrations to the records is enough to make an airport wait a little more interesting.

With the aircraft duly noted, it was time to put the camera and notebook — metaphorically speaking — away and head for the flight back to Kolkata.

The Sony Dealer Meet had taken me from Kolkata to Delhi, given me a whirlwind of product launches and demonstrations, a fantastic evening of music, an unexpected Metro ride across Delhi to Gurgaon and some quality family time with my brother.

And now, it was time to go home.

Delhi had been busy.

The Sony Meet had been spectacular.

And my aircraft records had gained two more entries.

Not a bad work trip at all!

Sony, The Delhi Metro & A Vishal-Shekhar Finale

The following morning started with breakfast and then, almost immediately, the pace picked up.

What followed was a veritable flurry of events, product launches and demonstrations, all done in typically spectacular fashion. Sony certainly knows how to put on a show, and the morning went by in a blur of new products, technology, presentations and demonstrations.

Then came the afternoon break.

We were all expected back later in the evening for the grand finale, which meant there was just enough time to do something other than sit around the hotel. And since I was in Delhi, I decided to make use of one of the city's greatest assets — the Delhi Metro.

So I set off towards Gurgaon to visit my brother.

The Delhi Metro is quite an experience in itself. Apart from being an incredibly convenient way of getting around this enormous city, travelling on the Metro also gives you a rather different perspective of Delhi. Instead of staring at the traffic from the back seat of a car, you get to see the city from above in places, with roads, buildings, neighbourhoods and the seemingly endless spread of Delhi unfolding below you.

But the real reason for the trip was, of course, my brother.

It was a worthwhile detour — a chance to catch up with family in the middle of what was otherwise a fairly hectic business trip. There is something rather nice about being able to squeeze in a family visit even when you're travelling for work.

Eventually, it was time to head back.

Once at the hotel, I went up to my room, freshened up and changed, before heading back down for the evening's big event.

And Sony certainly wasn't planning to let the day end quietly!

The evening saw a whole slew of new product releases, presented with all the glitz and production that one would expect from a major Sony event. But the big finale was reserved for the entertainment.

On stage came the dynamic duo of Vishal-Shekhar.

What followed was a mind-blowing performance that had the entire place buzzing. After a full day of product launches, presentations and demonstrations, the atmosphere had completely changed. Now it was all music, lights and a crowd thoroughly enjoying itself.

The performance carried on well into the night, past 11 pm, bringing the Sony Dealer Meet to a rather spectacular close.

From an early morning packed with product launches, to an afternoon ride on the Delhi Metro to Gurgaon for some family time, and finally an evening of music with Vishal-Shekhar — it had been quite a day.

And just like that, the Sony Meet was over.

One more work trip, one more city explored a little differently, and a little more of Delhi added to the turquoisechill travel archives.

Delhi, Dealer Meet & A Midnight Check-In

It was time to head off to Delhi, this time for a Dealer Meet organised by Sony India. A work trip, but as anyone who has travelled for work will know, there is always a little bit of adventure involved in getting there!

I took the late afternoon flight out of Kolkata, which meant that by the time we landed in Delhi, the sun had pretty much packed up for the day. Delhi at night has a character of its own, though perhaps that character is best appreciated when you're not the one sitting in a car wondering how much longer the journey is going to take!

Our destination was Vivek Vihar in East Delhi. Now, for those who don't know Delhi, that meant we had to pretty much cross the city from one end to the other. And so began our rather long night drive from the airport.

Delhi is a rather large city. This becomes particularly obvious when you're travelling across its breadth late at night, watching the landmarks and neighbourhoods change outside the window while wondering if the hotel is actually getting any closer.

Eventually, after what seemed like a considerable tour of Delhi by road, we finally reached the Kempinski in Vivek Vihar. By then, it was well past midnight.

The excitement of being in Delhi for the Dealer Meet was still there, but the immediate priority was considerably less glamorous — check in, get to the room and get some sleep!

After all, the next day was going to be about dealers, Sony and business. And hopefully, unlike tonight's journey, it wouldn't involve crossing the entire width of Delhi first.

Sometimes a work trip begins not with the meeting, but with simply getting to the hotel!

And this one had certainly started that way.

Coffee World at South City Mall

After spending an afternoon in South City Mall, we decided to grab a bite at Coffee World. A couple of Cold Coffees, a Sandwich and a Waffle topped with a scoop of ice cream.

A Seafood Detour for Dinner

Sometimes dinner plans are not really plans. They just happen.

I had gone to pick up my wife from work and, by the time we were heading back, it was already quite late. Which meant going home, cooking something and then eating it seemed like far too much effort. So, naturally, we did what any sensible couple would do — decided to eat out!

After a little discussion, we zeroed in on Ocean Grill in Salt Lake.

We had never been there before, so we didn't quite know exactly what we were getting ourselves into!

A Seafood Buffet!

And when you're hungry and faced with a buffet full of seafood, restraint isn't exactly the first word that comes to mind.

There was quite a fantastic spread of seafood, with enough variety to keep going back for "just one more plate"... which, of course, somehow turns into several more plates. There is something particularly satisfying about a seafood buffet where you can pick and choose, try a little of this, go back for more of that, and convince yourself that you're still being sensible because it's mostly seafood!

And then came the desserts.

A buffet isn't truly complete unless there is a dessert section that makes you pause and wonder whether you should have left some space. Luckily, we had.

There was a large selection of desserts, and after all that seafood, we somehow found the necessary capacity to sample a few.

So what started as a simple "let's grab something to eat since it's late" turned into a rather enjoyable dinner at Ocean Grill.

Proof once again that some of the best meals are the ones you don't really plan for!

A Close Call on VIP Road

I had gone over to Kaustav's place to spend the evening doing what I quite enjoy — Model Railroading!

This time, it was his wonderful Wrightsville Port N-Gauge layout. There’s something strangely therapeutic about sitting around, running trains, watching them disappear into tunnels, emerge from stations and generally behaving far better than real trains ever do!

After what turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable evening of running trains, we finally said our goodbyes and headed home.

And then came the slightly less enjoyable part of the evening.

As we approached the VIP Road Flyover, we were diverted onto the old road bridge below. Nothing particularly unusual about that — Kolkata traffic has a way of sending you on unexpected sightseeing tours.

But then we saw why we had been diverted.

A section of the flyover we were supposed to be driving on had collapsed.

And just to make the scene a little more dramatic, there was a trailer truck wedged at one end, apparently having come down with the collapsed section.

We stopped and looked at it, and suddenly the thought hit us...

Had we been there a little earlier, we could have been on that very stretch of road.

A few minutes' difference. That's all.

We had spent the evening happily running little trains around a miniature world, completely oblivious to the fact that, on the way home, the real world had just thrown us a rather serious curveball.

Talk about being saved by a whisker!

That evening, the trains may have been miniature, but the reminder of how quickly things can change on the real road was very, very real.

The Potter Across I had ignored ever so often

My trips to Beckbagan Market are usually for one of two things — meat or bird seed. Today, it was the latter. My ever-growing aviary, it seems, has an ever-growing appetite!

So, there I was, picking up some bird seed, when I happened to notice the shop opposite. I had seen it many times before, but had never really paid much attention. It sold earthen pots, and frankly, pots aren't exactly the sort of thing that normally catches my eye.

But today was different.

What caught my attention wasn't the pots themselves, but the person sitting inside the shop, quietly painting them. What looked like ordinary earthen pots were being transformed, one brushstroke at a time, into colourful little pieces that could easily double up as flower vases.

I stood there for a while, watching.

It was one of those wonderfully ordinary Kolkata moments that you can so easily miss if you're in a hurry. No grand studio, no fancy signboard, no elaborate setup. Just a shop tucked away inside a municipal market, a few earthen pots and someone patiently giving each of them a little bit of character.

It also reminded me why I enjoy walking (or driving) around Kolkata with a camera. The city has this wonderful habit of hiding little visual stories in plain sight.

You just need to keep your eyes open.

And sometimes, a routine trip for bird seed can end up giving you something far more interesting to take home — a photograph and a little story.