I looked around in awe as I walked through the streets. Beautiful cafés lined the pathways and I couldn’t help but notice the diverse, lively crowd walking in and out of the coffee shops andrestaurants. Starbucks Coffee caught my attention but I tried to appease my desire for a strong cup of coffee in the morning by reminding myself that I was already headed to a breakfast place. And boy was I headed to a great place! As I entered Flurys, I was greeted by a waitress in pink attire and showed to a table near the window. It was quite crowded for a Saturday morning and I could see the tables filled with people of all ages enjoying their scrumptious meal. I ordered an American breakfast and was cheered up seeing that the food was headed my way. My tummy was already grumbling and I couldn’t be happier at the sight of the delicious French toast, grilled chicken sausages, two fried eggs, hash browns, seasonal fresh fruit and a steaming mug of cappuccino. I had beans too and after leaving the restaurant with a full stomach, I started exploring the surroundings. Flurys seemed to be one of those frequently visited places in Park Street and I couldn’t help noticing that the Bakery had been serving since 1927.
After having a day filled with shopping and getting completely drenched in the rain, and then drying up on the way to my living quarters I didn’t think of exploring a café till the next day. I pondered going back to the Indian Coffee House on the way and thought of the simple, yet, flavourful breakfast that I had the other day. It was already 11am by the time I reached the coffee shop in College Street opposite the Presidency University and most of the breakfast items were off the menu by then. So, I went for the traditional onion pakoras and egg sandwiches instead and they were lovely. I tried out the chicken cutlet too and it was dainty with my coffee. It was raining by the time I started on my beverage and the moment was aesthetic. I sat beside the wooden window, looked at the tree branches spread outside and started humming the classic,
“Coffee House er shei adda ta aaj ar nei, aaj ar nei.”
As the rain spattered the ground, I got out of the famous place known to host visitors such as Satyajit Ray and Manna Dey and started strolling around the renowned College Street. The book stores there captured my heart and I spent more than an hour running around the aisles in the stores.
I had a few more cafés in mind and I tried to pay them a visit before I returned to my homeland. I visited a beautiful café in Minto Park called Artsy- Coffee and Culture. As I walked in, rows of bookshelves caught my eye and I knew this was a place where I could spend an ample amount of time without hesitation. The place was decorated brightly with blue, yellow and white seating and had exquisite paintings on the walls. If you looked around, you could find a typewriter near one of the window seats too and enjoy your coffee and food while picking a read from one of the nearby shelves and leafing through.
Lastly, if you are up for some grooves, then I will tell you about the Hard Rock Café in Kolkata where you can find great food with rocking music. You will be surprised to see their collection of music memorabilia on the walls and you can collect signature HRC gift items for your friends and kins.
The city of Kolkata is known famously as the City of Joy and it lives up to the title too. It was indeed a place of joy and visiting the restaurants and cafés was truly delightful.
