Finally, the Last Stretch of the Maa Flyover

This has been a long time coming!

For what seems like forever, the Maa Flyover has been teasing us with yet another bit of construction, another diversion and another promise that perhaps, one day, the whole thing would actually be finished.

But now, there is finally something worth getting excited about.

The last span of the exit ramp towards Ruby on the E M Bypass side of the Maa Flyover is halfway built. Yes, you read that right — halfway built.

After all the years of watching sections appear, disappear, get modified and then have more work added to them, seeing this final stretch actually take shape feels like progress.

There are still a few more sections to go before we can officially declare the project complete, but at least the finishing line is beginning to look like a real thing rather than some distant promise.

For those of us who regularly use this stretch of Kolkata, this isn't just another piece of concrete and steel. It means fewer diversions, hopefully smoother traffic movement and, most importantly, one less piece of seemingly permanent construction to wonder about every time we drive past.

So here's hoping the remaining sections move along at the same pace.

A few more spans, a bit more patience and perhaps — finally — the Maa Flyover project will be complete.

Now that would be something worth documenting!

From Birthday Calories to Mexican Sombreros

Our birthdays are barely a week apart, so once my birthday celebrations were done, it was time to celebrate my wife's birthday. Clearly, one birthday in the family is not enough — we need two occasions to eat our way through the city!

This time, she found a new Mexican place that she wanted to try, so off we went.

With a name like Amigo's in the City of Joy, there was really no mistaking what we were getting ourselves into. Mexican it was!

We started with a couple of fancy drinks — because birthday celebrations deserve something a little more interesting than the usual soft drink — along with a plate of Nachos to get us started.

Then came the mains.

We ordered the Tex Mex Lamb and the Sunrise Prawns, giving us two rather different dishes to work our way through. By this point, we were once again beginning to question our ability to estimate how much food two people can actually eat.

But birthdays apparently come with their own rules.

Dessert was not going to be skipped either. We tried their signature Churros, which were surprisingly authentic and a rather lovely way to finish the meal. Alongside those came a Strawberry Cheesecake, because apparently one dessert wasn't enough either.

And then came the fun part.

Amigo's had Sombreros — those wonderfully over-the-top Mexican hats — and naturally, we couldn't resist trying them on. Because what's the point of going to a Mexican restaurant for a birthday celebration if you don't end up looking slightly ridiculous in a sombrero?

There were smiles, a few laughs and, of course, photographs to prove that this actually happened.

Barely a week earlier, I had celebrated my birthday with a rather calorific feast at Rubi's Grill. Now it was my wife's turn, and Amigo's gave us something a little different — good food, Mexican flavours, a couple of fancy drinks and, most importantly, a bit of fun.

Two birthdays.

Two food outings.

And quite possibly enough calories to carry us comfortably into the next birthday season!

Birthday Calories Don’t Count at Rubi’s Grill

It had been quite a long time since we had been to Rubi’s Grill, so when it happened to be my birthday, I figured I might as well use the occasion as an excuse to go back and savour some of their specialities.

After all, if you can't indulge a little on your birthday, when can you?

We started off with a couple of Strawberry Shakes — cold, creamy and a rather nice way to kick off the birthday celebrations.

Then came the serious business.

Dinner started with Potato jacket wrapped in Bacon, followed by Lasagna and Cheesy Garlic Bread. By now, the table was already beginning to fill up rather rapidly, but clearly nobody had told us to stop ordering.

And then came the main event — Grilled Pork Chops with Mashed Potatoes.

Looking at the spread on the table, I had to wonder whether we were celebrating my birthday or catering for a small gathering. There was pasta, bread, potatoes in two different forms and enough food to make the concept of dessert seem like a distant and slightly dangerous possibility.

But it was my birthday, so I wasn't complaining!

It had been ages since our last visit to Rubi's Grill, and coming back for my birthday turned out to be a pretty good excuse to rediscover the place.

The only problem was that by the end of the meal, the birthday boy was completely stuffed.

Gosh... that was a LOT of food!

But then again, birthdays come around only once a year. The calories can wait.