Kolkata, Koramangala

We had a mediocre movie marathon this weekend. To start with, Pathshala. I am not sure if Aamir Khan has seen the movie yet, but after wonders like Taare Zameen Par and 3 Idiots, if Bollywood still churns out total crap like Pathshala, I wonder where they are learning their ropes from, if not from Aamir Khan. Blatant exaggeration is what this movie is all about. I agree that with the recent spate of private and international schools, education like we knew it has taken a back seat, and not in a good way. With billboards of private schools, hefty fees and donation, and constant business in the name of facilities, and of course ambitious parents sending their kids to reality TV challenges, I can only wonder how long it takes for a child’s perspective to change completely. Some basics should not change. But what use are film makers ahead of their times that thought of making a movie out of a theme as contemporary as this, but only totally ruined it with terrible editing, bad acting, and blind, stupid exaggeration. What a waste of Shahid Kapoor and Nana Patekar! Pathshala is avoidable, I am glad I missed it in theatres when it first released.

Next in line was Analyze This. The movie has its moments. But with Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro, one expects the kind of impact that When Harry Met Sally had. Or at least the ROFLMAO moments like The Focker movies. Either the comedy was too refined for me to notice through the movie, or it didn’t really exist except in the moments. I did not enjoy it as much as I expected it to.

And then the icing on the cake. Inception. I FINALLY saw it, and I blame blogsville for raising my expectations. Inception was a movie I would have definitely caught on DVD, but with everyone from Twitter to Facebook to blogs raving and ranting about it, I thought this was theatre material. For one, Hollywood churns out stuff like this every other year. So why the hype? Secondly the movie was far from rocket science. It was easy to understand but difficult to take in. Give me a Crash or an Invictus over this dream-inside-a-dream-inside-a-dream fantasy play. It wasn’t even on the lines of Martix to evoke so much conversation. I am willing to give it a second chance though. I will watch it on blu ray as soon as I can find it.

I think PVR in Koramangala is, in a lot of ways, to blame for the movie seeming unbelievably mediocre. There was static in speakers. What more do I say? By the way I miss the days when I couldn’t tell the difference between 360 p and 780 p. I miss happily watching Friends on half screen on a small monitor without cribbing about picture quality. The new set up at home has taken away the fun from first weekend movies. Now I would rather really take in the movie in the set up at home or just drop it. I blame it on the husband!


But the lifesaver this weekend was Sunday lunch at Kolkata.Let the pictures first speak for themselves.

View from the window at Kolkata

Outside seating at Kolkata

We wanted to have a hearty meal before Inception and I read what Manuscrypts had to say about this place. The paragraph on desserts was what got us going. The food is brilliant, to say the least. Kolkata is in a narrow bylane in Koramangala 4th Block. The ambiance is very rural Bengal, the kind of décor you would see at the Isckon Gurukul in Mayapur. It is a little over the top in some parts of the restaurant, but the outside seating was well done. There are sunflowers and thatch umbrellas and graffiti on the walls. The overall effect was quite nice. R and I had decided to order the same things that we had read in the review, except the fish fries. We went for fish cutlet and it was a tad too dry for our liking. The aampora sharbat was really good. What followed was awesomeness! Authentic luchis, succulent kosha murgi with thick, spicy gravy, fish with mustard curry – very pungent and absolutely delicious, and ghee rice. Yes, I threw caution to wind, like I do every other day, and ate like there is no tomorrow. And for your information, I don’t regret it :D 

Then came dessert. We stuck with rasgullas and mishti doi and it was like being transported to Sharma’s or Deshbandhu in Calcutta on a dashami morning. The doi had no sour flavour about, absolutely nothing out of place. It was the authentic sweetened curd that Bengal is famous for. The rasgullas were fluffy, soft, and unbelievably awesome. I really relished a dessert session with only mithai after a long time. Kolkata is a must visit for anyone who misses the Bengali food they make at home, or the Bong food they grew up eating during their summer sojourns to Calcutta to visit relatives. I belong to the second category :) The entire meal cost us Rs 777, so the place was not too hard on the pocket. A 5/5 it is for me.

The restaurant was empty during Sunday lunch, but a reservation will not harm. You can call them on 080 42555999.