Amai, We Meet Again… Or Rather, I’ve Been Driving Past You!

We were on our way back home on Sunday evening after some shopping when my wife suddenly decided that what we really needed was a coffee.

Now, this is hardly an unusual occurrence.

My wife has a remarkable ability to discover new cafés, particularly the ones that I have somehow managed to drive past numerous times without ever noticing properly.

And this time was no different.

She had spotted a new place a couple of times and, with the help of Google Maps, proceeded to take me through the lanes and bylanes of Jodhpur Park.

We twisted, turned, negotiated the sort of roads where you begin wondering whether Google Maps actually knows where it is going, and eventually arrived at AMAI – Asian Bakes and Brews.

I looked at the place.

Then I looked at my wife.

And said something along the lines of:

“You could have just told me this was the place. I've seen this several times over the last couple of weeks while driving past!”

Apparently, recognising a place while driving past it and actually knowing that it is a café are two entirely different skills.

Anyway, we parked ourselves inside.

The café was pretty much empty, which suited us perfectly. We weren't in any hurry and could take our time looking around.

My wife, naturally, didn't need much time to decide what she wanted.

Strawberry Matcha Latte.

Of course.

At this point, I think I would be genuinely surprised if we walked into a café and she didn't find Matcha somewhere on the menu.

I, on the other hand, went through the usual process of deliberation.

Coffee.

Something different.

Maybe this.

Maybe that.

Finally, I settled on a Salted Caramel Cafe Latte.

A rather more conventional choice than Strawberry Matcha, but I was quite happy with it.

While we sat there enjoying our respective brews, I started looking around.

And that's when I noticed the little details.

There were quite a few quirky decorative items scattered around the café, the sort of things that make a new place more interesting than simply four walls, tables and chairs.

Since we were the only ones there, I could wander around with my camera—or, more accurately, my phone—without worrying about getting in anyone's way.

So naturally, I clicked a few pictures.

Because what's the point of discovering a new place if you can't photograph the interesting bits?

And once again, we discovered that we had stumbled upon another brand-new Kolkata café.

AMAI too is only about a month old.

It seems that new cafés and restaurants are popping up all over Kolkata these days, and somehow my wife has appointed herself as our very own Café Discovery Department.

My role is apparently to drive her there, drink coffee, eat whatever she orders, and take photographs.

Not a bad job description, really.

And so, after a quiet Sunday evening coffee in the lanes of Jodhpur Park, we got back into the car and headed home.

Another new café discovered.

Another coffee sampled.

Another Matcha successfully consumed.

And another little corner of Kolkata added to our growing list of places we've found along the way.

And What’s a Saturday Night Without Coffee… or Matcha?

Can you imagine that our Saturday night dinner outing would be over without dessert or coffee?

Of course not!

That would simply be unacceptable.

So, after leaving Chow Town, my wife called EvaBrew, which fortunately was very close by, to find out if they were still open.

They were.

But only just.

They would be closing soon.

So we headed over.

By the time we got there, the seating had already shut down for the day, but thankfully the takeaway counter was still operational.

And that was good enough for us.

My wife ordered herself a Strawberry Matcha Latte.

I went for a Mocha.

Two very different beverages for two very different people!

We got back into the car, drinks in hand, and sipped them as we headed home after what had turned out to be a rather pleasant evening out on the town.

Although, if I think about it, our definition of “out on the town” ten years ago would probably have been quite different.

There might have been a considerably later night involved.

Maybe music.

Maybe drinks.

Maybe a lot more noise and considerably less concern about whether a restaurant was about to close!

But life changes.

And somewhere along the way, a nice meal, a pleasant conversation, a new restaurant to discover and a coffee—or, in my wife's case, something involving Matcha—has become a comforting Saturday night rhythm.

Not particularly wild.

Not particularly late.

But very much ours.

And really, that's what these little Saturday outings are all about.

We go out looking for something new, discover a restaurant, eat far more than we probably should, finish with a coffee, and head home feeling that the evening was well spent.

And as long as there is Matcha, my wife is happy.

Which, come to think of it, is probably the easiest way to ensure that Saturday night ends well!

No Hot Pot, But Chow Town Had Other Plans!

It was Saturday once more and we had reached the end of another day with that eternal question staring us in the face.

“So, what are we having for dinner?”

This time there was hardly any discussion.

We just got into the car and headed out.

My wife had spotted a new place called Chow Town that served Hot Pot, and that was what we were going to have.

Simple.

Or so we thought.

As we approached Chow Town, the entrance itself looked like it had been lifted straight out of a Jackie Chan movie. I half expected someone to come flying through a window, roll over a table and disappear into the kitchen!

Then we entered the restaurant and things got even more interesting.

For some inexplicable reason, the interiors reminded me of a Railway Dining Car.

An Oriental Railway Dining Car, to be precise.

I can't quite explain why.

You'll get it when you visit.

Anyway, we settled down and asked for the menu, ready to embark on our Hot Pot adventure.

And that's when we were told:

“Hot Pot is not available.”

Apparently, only Chinese Cuisine was possible that evening.

Well… we were already there.

So, Chinese it was!

We decided to start with Chicken Manchow Soup, one-by-two, followed by Pork Tangra Style Dry Chilli.

For the main course, we ordered Mixed Pan Fried Noodles, Chicken Japanese Egg Rice and Chicken Hot Black Bean Sauce.

We also wanted something to drink.

Unfortunately, they had run out of cold drinks.

Clearly, this was not going to be a completely straightforward dinner.

But one of the ladies serving us disappeared for a while and, after some effort, managed to come back with one bottle of Thums Up.

One!

Naturally, we took it.

At this point, we had figured out what was going on.

We had arrived at yet another restaurant practically at the moment it had opened its doors. In fact, Chow Town was only three days old.

Three days!

So the little hiccups were understandable. Stock, menus, kitchen operations, service routines — all the things that eventually become second nature in a restaurant were obviously still finding their rhythm.

But there was something else.

The ambience was nice.

And the people were even nicer.

So instead of judging a three-day-old restaurant by the standards of a three-year-old one, we decided to give them a chance.

And I'm glad we did.

The Chicken Manchow Soup arrived first.

And it was really good.

Two bowls of thick, steaming soup packed with chicken and vegetables, accompanied by crunchy fried noodles that provided exactly the texture they were supposed to.

It was a promising beginning.

Then came the Pork Tangra Style Dry Chilli.

Delectable.

The pork was beautifully flavoured and the chilli gave it just the right amount of punch without overwhelming the dish.

Now we were getting somewhere.

Then the main course arrived.

The Mixed Pan Fried Noodles, Chicken Japanese Egg Rice and Chicken Hot Black Bean Sauce were laid out before us, and suddenly our failed Hot Pot expedition had transformed itself into quite a substantial Chinese feast.

Everything was sumptuous.

Everything was delicious.

But what really caught my attention was that the dishes didn't simply taste like generic versions of Chinese food that one encounters everywhere.

Each one had its own flavour identity.

Their interpretation of these familiar dishes had a character of its own, and that made the meal particularly interesting.

The noodles had their own taste.

The Japanese Egg Rice had its own personality.

And the Hot Black Bean Sauce had a flavour that was distinctly different from what I've encountered elsewhere.

So, despite starting the evening with one plan and discovering that plan wasn't going to happen, dinner turned out rather well.

In fact, the meal and the service were delightful.

And as we finished, we had already decided that we're definitely coming back.

Next time, hopefully, the Hot Pot will actually be available!

And we'll explore some of the other Asian offerings as well.

For a restaurant that had been open for just three days, Chow Town had made a rather promising beginning.

Sometimes you set out looking for Hot Pot and end up discovering something else entirely.

And on this Saturday night, Chow Town had definitely given us enough reason to come back for a second helping.