Mani Square- Food Court

As food courts go, this one is worth a visit. Allegdly with 25000 sq ft, situated at the top floor of the mall, the seats are clean and still new. The seating is interesting with individual tables or tables surrounding pillars. The food range is more or less fine, not as extensive as the one in South City mall, but will do. One draw is my personal favs, SubWay, Crepe Station, and the juice bar. There is a yummy cake shop but its so far down the line that diet conscious people will always have second thoughts once you reach there. Bad positioning. Thali-s are good.

Its a good option when you are looking for a quick bite before a movie or a visit to the game zone. The multiplex is right there, on the same floor. Makes things easier. Once you are there and have time and money of course the other restaurants will beckon. But we quite enjoyed ourselves having lunch there.

Pocket Pinch- One plate food with a juice and a pastry/dessert will cost about Rs 150- 180 per head.
Service - Self service of course, but even then, some shops are a little slower than the rest in the preparation.

Restaurant- Machaan, Mani Square Mall

Finally made it to the Mani Square Restaurants and food court. Let me talk of Machaan first. One of the most interesting restaurants I have visited recently.
The entrance itself piques interest, it has a tribal mannequin complete with spear and gear... and once you enter, wow, its a jungle in there. Literally...

Atmo- The place is darkish, trees, leaves, over hangings everywhere the eye turns. Once the eye gets used to the light, you see things, oh really really. An elephant just by the entrance, a giraffe at yonder corner, which even calls (! never heard a giraffe call before, so cant vouch for authenticity) and moves its long neck, a monkey hanging... sorry... swinging from the branch there, birds of all feathers, including a woodpecker which pecks (not fast enough, that I can vouch for, Ive heard wood peckers peck!!!), an anaconda, is it, on that side? Holy moley... its an artificial zoo, the only real thing about which is the weaver bird nests, hanging in profusion. There are even plastic parrots everywhere.

The service is attentive and quick. The food is good, nothing extraordinary. My watermelon juice was good, we did not have any mock tails. The bill comes to around 500 odd rupees per head with a starter and a main course, and without dessert.

Verdict? Good for a visit with kids, it will give them a lot to talk about. The surprise factor works for it, but after that they got to improve the food and drinks, and reduce the prices a bit, to work in the recession market.

McDonalds new outlet open now

All fans of McBurger... rejoice.

On June 11 McDonalds opened a 3700 sq ft restaurant in Mani Square on the EM Byepass, near Salt Lake. This is its second outlet in Kolkata.
Its first outlet on Park Street which was gutted in a fire of 'unknown origin', is also being refubished, aimed at reopening by Durga Puja season.
The comany plans to open 15 more restaurants in Kolkata in the coming 3 to 5 years. Read the news here.

Mani Square is the next hu-uge mall in the city. Its got the usual line-up of brands, with some new names like Titan Eye. The 4th and top level has the speciality restaurants including, NOLA, Flame and Grill etc. The 3rd level has the food court. Whats new is the "horror house" which is yet to open, and the gaming zone. The car parking is large enough to handle 1500 vehicles. Watch this blog for more on this as and when it comes.

Restaurant- Comics- Off Southern Avenue, near Menoka Cinema hall

This is the continental restaurant from the chain which owns 6 Ballygunj Place (Bengali) and The Wall (Oriental).
Ambience/Decor- That this cute little place is aimed at kids and kids-at-heart is quite obvious from the decor. Cartoons line the walls, all old favourites, Tintin, Asterix, Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, to name some. Its good time-pass to read the walls while you are waiting for the food. Disco balls in one corner and etched glass partitions enhance the feeling of nostalgia, while the music is very 80-s. Comfy sofas and wide tables is all the better. Attention to detail- the tables are black boards, and there are chalk holders and dusters on every table. Scribble away while you wait for your food once you are done reading your favourite comic strip. Parking space is the narrow road in front, so on rush days may be a head ache.
Service- Definitely good. Service was quick and the waiters knew the restaurant specialities. One compaint, the guard ran to our car while we stepped out, almost pushed us out of the way to open the door, and demanded 10 Rs at the end of the futile exercise.
Food- Good continental fare. The portion sizes are large, so one order can be good for two. Chicken starters are crisp and tasty. Their drinks are tangy and worth a try, no alcohol of course, this place is for kids. I know its a sin, but I was too full to order dessert... next time, maybe. They didnt have caramel custard though, I wonder why, in a conti-speciality restaurant!
Pocket Pinch- On the expensive side. There are no alcoholic drinks. So dinner for 2, with fizzy drinks, starter, main course and dessert will be around 800 Rupees.

Restaurant- Tero Parbon- Bengali Food

Tero Parbon
Food- Bengali. More or less tasty, their fish items are better than others. Mutton is sometimes slightly undercooked. The portions are small, one is good for one person only. The Pineapple chutney is a must-try. Their 'hilsa festival' in the season, is good.
Ambience- With Rabindrasangeet, antique pieces here and there, and Tagore's paintings, they have tried with some success to make it very old Bengal. The seating could be better, there are no sofas and can be vey difficult with children.
Pocket Pinch- Not very expenslve, but as portion sizes are small it sort of balances put. Meal for two with a starter, drink(non alcoholic), main course and a sweet dish, would be about 600 Rs. Not including specials like prawn etc.

Restaurant- A Dash of This A Dash of That- City Center, Salt Lake

A tiny little place, as the City Center restaurants generally are. The food is cuisine of East Asian countries- Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar.

Though the space is less it has been done up tastefully with framed tiny clothes of East Asia.

Food- Its nothing to write home about. But it is different. Service is swift and polite. Music deos not go with the ambience, its Hindi.

Pocket pinch- Meal for 2- About 600-700 Rupees with a beer.
Value for money- 7/10

Restaurant- Marco Polo- Deshapriya Park

Ive been going there for some years now and the service remains impeccable. This restaurant has two floors. The lower floor has the bar and is a smoking zone but it has the better look while the upper floor is stark in comparison with no sofas and a smaller area. Suggestion- They could make it into a lounge type space.

Food- Absolutely delicious. I have not yet heard anyone deny that. Their kebabs are mouth watering, stakes are very good. The biryani is not that special, and has no variety. Its muticuisine, the logic being that they cover those places which Marco Polo may have visited on the course of his journey. So there is continental- stakes and salads, Indian of course, some Bengali, North West frontier... but menu is more or less limited.
Their desserts are good, but Im always full by the time I reach my Caramel Custard (very well made) or their chocolate mousse ( not that soft, but quite ok, very chocolatey).

Pcoket pinch- Expensive. A three course meal for 2, with a starter, two mail dishes and two desserts will cost around 1500 to 2000 Rupees.

Value for money- 7/10