The Rouge (AJC Bose Rd)

Rouge regular Red Velvet cupcake with chocolate ganache frosting

The Rouge, a little dessert or a cafe joint! Attractive place, with nice decorated seating arrangements, well furnished! The place looks like a fairytale because of its flower printed walls and colorful decoration and the locality is perfect for catching the after school or college crowd. But there are very, very few seats in here and it's situated on this dirty patch of road under the AJC Bose Rd Flyover near Minto Park, very easily missed. It has only 4 tables with yellow and green cushioned chairs. The front glass pane is decorated with croquembouche. 

Rubi's Grill (Gariahat - Dover Lane)

Pork Chop with Butter Rice

I heard about this small little quaint place called Rubi's Grill from a friend of mine and decided to try out some of their food, having received nothing but good reviews about it. The place is very small, yet has a warm and cozy ambiance. It has both indoor and outdoor seating arrangements. On a cool winter evening, it would be pleasant to sit outside and have a nice meal. Charpoys at the entrance to welcome a smoking crowd, mix of lounging rattan chairs and tables of fours, good enough for soul-satisfying pig-outs. The cute niche featuring Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children, Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code alongside Anton Chekov's Five Plays and the directly hooked online music add to the curiosity. The menu is a humongous 6 page menu with everything American you can find under one roof- from salads with a choice of your own toppings, finger foods, sandwiches, burgers, classic hot dogs, pizzas and pastas to a wide array of gourmet dishes. 

Rubi's Grill Interiors

We ordered Onion rings and a plate of Potato skin with Bacon for starters. Nothing can really go wrong with Onion rings- they were crispy, not too oily and not soggy. They had a good bite to it! The Potato Skins were excellent! Skins, with crispy fried bacon, topped with gooey cheese and some Oregano for flavour- baked to perfection. They were an absolute delight and MUST try! For the entree, we ordered a portion of the Spare Ribs with their authentic, home-made BBQ sauce and a portion of the Pork Chop with butter rice. Oh that marvelous dish of Spare Ribs was beyond anything that I had imagined. The pork ribs, slightly charred on the outside and tender, juicy, yet moist on the inside. The BBQ sauce was sweet and spicy which added that tangy flavor to the dish! One little flaw would be, the pieces had chunks of fat in it and one feels sick if one ends up eating that much of fat. A less of that fat and the dish can do wonders for meat lovers’ taste buds! The Pork Chop had a very good flavor because of the Rosemary they added and the sauce which accompanied it. The Pork was tender, juicy, all the flavors had seeped right through- all in all, a good dish. Again, too much fat for one to consume. A little less of that would be great! All meats came with wedges, mash or vegetables on the side, just as it should. The Lamb Steak, chunky and moist, as it should be, would have been better with a thinner sauce though.

Spare Ribs with Mashed Potatoes

Service, I must add is slightly slow or rather laid back. That isn’t much of a problem if you want to have long conversations with friends enjoying some great food in a warm and cozy place like this one! The approximate cost of a complete meal for 2 persons is Rs. 550.

Rubi's Grill has been a good experience for me and I would recommend everyone to try it atleast once. For people who shudder at the thought of eating pork, this is the place you must try your first piece and you will not be disappointed, for sure! One must not go by the decor, design, location of this place- it’s the food that matters in the end and Rubi's Grill is a pretty decent example of that!

--Review Done By Radhika Chakraberty.

Location: Building No. 7/2 B, Dover Lane, Gariahat, Opposite Dover Lane Post Office, Kolkata-700029

Also at Omega Building, Sector V, Salt Lake City.

Contact No.: (+91) 9007179876, (+91) (33) 40056001, (+91) 9831078111, (+91) 9831211333

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Kimli (Golpark & Hindusthan Park)

The entrance

Well, if you happen to be present in the Gariahat or Golpark region of South Kolkata and are looking for a place to dig into Chinese food then do visit Kimli. A few minutes’ walk from golpark, this Chinese Restaurant has a steady and loyal clientele, thanks to the quality of food it serves and the service they provide. The ambiance is cozy and comfortable. There's a terrace which is opened up in weekends because that's when most of the customers come. In summer evenings the terrace provides the perfect setting for a quite hearty dinner with the summer breeze playing a perfect host.

Wise Owl (Rashbehari Avenue Triangular Park)

Wise Owl Interiors

Wise owl is one of those hangout spots where you can relax and watch time fly by without even knowing. If you are looking for a place to sit and relax and also tuck into some food over a long period of time, then pay a visit to wise owl.  Located in the heart of south Kolkata, yet in a quiet part of Gariahat known as the Purna Das Road, this is a place where you would like to come back time and again. With both outdoor and indoor seating area, it can accommodate 30 people at a time. The outdoor lounge area is the most sought after and remains filled up since it is well decorated with plants and wall paintings, allowing a view of the road. Once seated you may light a smoke (yes, smoking is allowed in the outdoor seating area). The ambience of the interior quarter is plain and simple somewhat elegant. With wall paintings adorning the wall and soft music playing in the cool AC air. There is a shelf having all the different kinds of owl sculptures or show pieces. The crowd is a good mix of teenagers to working women to septuagenarians.

Fusion (Sovabajar - Hatibagan)

Fusion Restaurant at Hatibagan Kolkata

Fusion Restaurant Interiors

Paneer Butter Masala

Fusion is a three storey multi cuisine hub which was put together by modifying an ancient building. If you want to grab a quick roll or have lunch/ dinner after shopping at hatibagan area or after seeing a movie/ theatre at Star Theatre, then this is your place. The ground floor has separate take away counters and a roll counter. The rolls are quite good and value for money. Some of them are Cheese Roll (Rs. 25), Double Cheese Roll (Rs. 45), Vegetable Roll (Rs. 16), Paneer Roll (Rs. 20), Egg Roll (Rs. 16), Chicken Roll (Rs. 22), and Mutton Roll (Rs. 28). The first & second floors have restaurants that serve Indian, Mughlai and Chinese food. The entrance is through a narrow staircase. Each restaurant is small having regular wooden tables and cushioned chairs. There are glass panes entirely on one side having a view of typical narrow North Kolkata roads & old houses on its side. The tables were very near to each other and one could easily eavesdrop into the conversation on another table. Though their menu list is huge with all items of North Indian, Mughlai and Chinese, from kebabs, to biriyanis, from pepper chicken to crispy babycorn, half of the items were not even available. The three waiters really need to pick up on their attires, service and mannerisms. Whatever I questioned for availability they simply looked at me with a blank expression, as if to suggest they have heard the name of the item for the very first time. I kept on giving food item orders, the waiter kept on saying that it was not available that time. So finally he himself made suggestions on dishes and I accepted on having so. White marble flooring and latest wooden casing of walls were not enough as the air-conditioning system was not working on a hot March afternoon. So that’s why I decided to change tables after placing an order, and shift to a table which had a working AC near it. But the waiters said that was against their rule to change tables after an order has already been placed. So I had a kind of tiff with him and finally managed to get to a cooler table. Though the waiters were not even courteous enough to get the paper napkins, water glasses and other crockery on their own, and I had to insist them.

Mutton Sheek Kebab

After such a bad experience, I assumed that the food will also be not that good in quality. But fortunately, the food was astonishingly good both in quality and quantity considering its price. I had ordered Mutton Sheek Kebab (4 pcs - Rs. 120) for starter, Tawa Chicken (14 pcs - Rs. 130), Paneer Butter Masala (6 pcs – Rs. 95), Plain Naan (Rs. 18), Masala Kulcha (Rs. 30). Other popular Mughlai dishes are Biriyani (served in handi, good quantity), Fusion special Chicken kebab and Chelo Kebab. Hot orders from the Chinese section are sweet corn chicken soup, chicken schezuan fried rice, garlic chicken and sweet & sour fish, Chicken 65 and Chowmein. The cost of a complete meal for two persons will be around Rs. 500 (inclusive of taxes). You can check out the menu given below.

So the only thing worth mentioning is the Glass facade this restaurant sports, lending a bright feel to the place and that the food will not disappoint you. But you might get frustrated with the poor service and by chance if the AC is not working.

Plain Naan

Tawa Chicken

Location: 151/1, Bidhan Sarani, Near Star Theatre, Kolkata-700006

Contact No.: (91)(33)-25542791, (+91)9674776757

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Fusion Kati Kebab Roll Counter

Fusion Restaurant Decor