#BookReview: The curse of Damini by Debjjani Mohanty

"Damini is not a name, and the curse is no supernatural power. Damini symbolizes the vulnerability of women in our society. Damini exists within our minds. She lives in me and in you." 

(The curse of Damini, Chapter: 34, page: 179)

Title: The Curse of Damini

Author: Debjani Mohanty

Published by: Partridge India 2015

Price: Rs. 399

Pages: 185

Rate: 4/5

The Curse of Damini is the debut novel by Debjani Mohanty. First a glimpse on the summary of the book as the blurb reads:

"The world seemed not enough for free spirited Renuka, when she married the highly educated Shashank hailing from the mightiest Zamindars of Bengal. However, soon her life turned upside down when a neighbor revealed her of their sinister past.

It is a mysterious supernatural curse cast on their family almost a century back. Generation by generation, Damini's enraged curse had passed on, declining their family clan from hundreds to a handful few. Who would be Damini's next victim? And why innocent lives are at a stake for a crime committed by an ancestor a hundred years back? Renuka would not settle until she finds an answer and in her quest she struggles to eradicate all the evils that come in her way. Would she ever win a battle against an unseen enemy? Would the wrong done to Damini be ever avenged?

Set against the nostalgic era of 1940s, the story narrates the arduous journey of Renuka Pal, the protagonist, from a rash teenage freedom fighter to the seasoned writer of the 21st century India. In this thrilling saga of death, betrayal and power play the narrative would cover a large chunk of twentieth century history. The passing of time, historical events and the changing country is so well-woven to the story that one would hardly differentiate between fact and fiction."

I was quite pulled in after reading the plot and decided to review the book - The Curse of Damini. . After reading the prologue, I thought it was a kind of haunted stories and found the dialogues pretty cinematic. But as I dug deep in more, the book took me no time to finish it. After a long time, I read a novel with such a free flowing grip that can't be left in-between. Each chapter entices to move on to the next to find out what surprise is waiting for us. Debutante Debjani Mohanty skilfully delineated the focus on the struggle of the women, their fight for existence and the search for Identity which was warmly wrapped up with a fervid romance in between the two main leads. The main protagonist Renuka is the epitome of existence with whom the womanhood has been empowered to fight against the odds. The whole story evolves around her with her encounter with different incidents that a patriarchal society exemplifies as the oppressed ruler where women are the subjects to suffer. Damini turns out to be the silent protagonist who throughout the novel haunted the women of the Roy Choudhury family as a curse but at the end, Renuka elucidates the truth of Damini who is none but the prototype of female subjugation.

                                                   The fiction started from the very backdrop of pre-independence and early independent India  when Renuka’s journey for existence started right as a freedom fighter at the age of fifteen. Slowly the story built up with a confrontation of teenage love at first sight in between Shashank (the son of Roy Choudhury family) and Renuka. Then after few years, incidentally, they got conjugally knotted against some odds where the dreams of two hearts elated with joy. The curse that haunted the Roy Choudhury family started haunting Renuka too. But Renuka with her education and rationality spiflicated the curse and established her own institution. Renuka proved herself that financial independence not only gives an identity to a lady but the power to fight back against the male dominated society. Though the half of the credit goes to her success to her husband whose constant support and understanding helped her to surmount the success. Papiya, Ichamayi, Catherine, Mandira who all are the victim of the patriarchal society, became the strength of Renuka to fight back and stood against the norms and ordinances that a patriarchal society tabooed for women. The book floated with a great acquisition denoting the women struggle in terms of rape, prostitution, several childbirth and miscarriages leading to a depression, fate of a girl child etc. The fiction covered an era starting from the pre-independence India till 21^st century remonstrating that the female struggle for existence remained more or less same. The book even ended up with the Nirbhaya rape case and Renuka’s cogitation how rape could be demolished from this society.

What I liked most, is the way the author described with minute detailing the era of Zaminder, their culture and the rituals, the riot after the partition. Being a Bengali, I very much float with the memory line that many of us may have heard the stories from our grandmothers. The author has delimitated romance as the main drive that made the readers to get hooked till the end. The character of Mandira, I found too bold and plain spoken considering the time when she was born.  Renuka’s mentation on how to stop rape broke the rhythm how the novel was flowing freely. I also wished if the Title of the book would be more theme-centric as the title is not justifying the theme of the novel. But I would really like to appreciate the way being an engineering graduate and working as a senior IT professional with one of the biggest MNCs of India, Debjani Mohanty presented her debut novel. I will be surely looking forward to her next fiction.

Book Review - English Bites by Manish Gupta

Title: English Bites

Author: Manish Gupta

Published by: Penguin Books India 2012

Price: Rs. 250

Pages: 334

Rate: 4/5

English Bites should be devoured not gulped - that is the first thing I would like to tell about the book. Secondly if you pick up the book to enjoy in your pass time as a fiction, this book is absolutely not for that. When I first received the review copy I read few pages in a wink but again I started reading it from the beginning in a slow pace. I didn't understand then that English Bites is not a common story book that gives us immense pleasure in our leisurely hours. Rather it is a story book which entirely written to teach the English language and expand ones vocabulary that is amply dispersed with anecdotes and learning techniques.

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I must say Manish Gupta has made a different history in the world of English Literature and Language by showing a marvelous path of learning English and getting rid of the fear of English. English Bites, the apt title will surely wipe out the biting fear of English if you read the book with full concentration. Repeating once again - this is a book to go very slow, understand it and to learn English. This is a kind of book while reading it you don't have to waste time in battling with the unknown meaning and consulting the dictionary losing the momentum of the reading pace -as the USP of the book is the footnotes explaining the meaning of the words and their origin. This is a kind of book that will surely teach and improve your English in one leap if you dig deep the book with full engrossment.

The significant trumps of the book are its hilarious illustrations and the anecdotes. Right from the first chapter to the last chapter it introduced thousands of words with its meaning. I never felt bored for a while as I kept on reading the book with a mindset that I was learning something. I was learning nothing very trivial but enriching and developing a vast area of my vocabulary. Manish has almost covered most of the commonly used words with its meaning and etymological explanations. Whether you are aspiring for GRE/GMAT/CAT/XAT, or just a mere student or a commoner this book will definitely help you to improve your English. If you have a good collection of vocabularies then it definitely helps a language to be spoken fluently. And that is what Manish tried hard in his book. He covered all the fields from medical to sports and introduced so many words related to it. He even shared the longer words in English language that made me so much impressed (P.77) .

Learning any foreign language is always a daunting task. Mainly when you have to follow the boring grammar and other referenced text to learn it. I bet if we have one such interesting book like English Bites, the learning process would become easier for each one of us. It will not make you bore but will aspire you to learn more. This is one such a book which will be not kept after reading it once in the book shelf rather it will be proudly glitter on the study table as a English learning reference book and for reading again and again. I would highly recommend the book if you want to learn English then go and get it. A book which says learn English through stories.

Book Review - Amereekandesi by Atulya Mahajan

Title: Amereekandesi (Maters of America)

Author: Atulya Mahajan

 Published by: Random House India in 2013

Genre:  Fiction

Price: Rs. 199

Pages: 309

Rate: 3/5

After I got this review copy, the cover picture didn't attract me much. I was little unwillingly started this book. But then took a break until I finished the book. Yes I enjoyed the book. After a long time I revelled a very light and hearty read. Books on diasporic culture are my weakness. Being in USA for 6 yrs, when I started digging deep in the novel I was drown along with it recalling my journey to the foreign land.  The circumstantial facts are so well narrated that it became more a real life story rather than a fiction. 

The book’s blurb reads: “Akhil Arora, a young, dorky engineer in Delhi, can’t wait to get away from home and prove to his folks that he can be on his own. Meanwhile in a small town in Punjab, Jaspreet Singh, aka Jassi, is busy dreaming of a life straight out of American Pie. As fate would have it, they end up as room-mates in Florida. But the two boys are poles apart in their perspectives and expectations of America. While Akhil is fiercely patriotic and hopes to come back to India in a few years, Jassi finds his Indian identity an uncomfortable burden and looks forward to finding an American girl with whom he can live happily ever after.

Laced with funny anecdotes and witty insights, Amreekandesi chronicles the quintessential immigrant experience, highlighting the clash of cultures, the search for identity, and the quest for survival in a foreign land.” 

The genre of the book may come under comedy but it is actual a satire that focuses the society of the migrated Indian who made America - Amreeka. The culture of the Indian student society, the typical Indian notion about America, The world of erotica, everything projected with a very minute detail. One will have a story of pure love and also a story of boy who after meeting each girl thinks he finds the love of his life.  The notion about America ‘where dreams come true’ projected very well through the characters. Mainly I loved reading the student culture and their day to day living story. Atulya very minutely pinpointed the facts that the Indians face for the first time in America. I so much assimilated myself with the book as I have experienced sort of same scenario during my stay in US. Though the book is a bit lengthy with elaborate descriptions and few editing mistakes, overall it’s a very good light read and can be devoured during the leisurely hours.

Food Bloggers Association of India (FBAI) Award Ceremony 2013

Sometimes something estimable incident happens to one’s life unexpectedly and that leaves an everlasting glimpse of contentment in his/her life. I treasured one such exquisite experience recently that left recherché retention to my life. I was spending a blissful vacation in Pune at my Sister's place and supposed to return on 14th October'13 to Mumbai at my Parents' nest. The day before 14th Oct'13 I received a message from Sameer Malkani, the Co-Founder of Food Bloggers Association ofIndia (FBAI), if any member of Kolkata Food Bloggers could attend the Award Ceremony in Mumbai taking place on 14th Oct'13 at JW Marriott. Happy and excited I was, my mind didn't allow me to let the opportunity to go away as I would be in Mumbai on that very day. And yes heartiest thanks to my husband; only for his effort I was able to witness this unforgettable Indian FoodBloggers Award Ceremony (IFBA).

"The Food Bloggers Association of India (FBAI) has been created as a central point of contact, resource and 'goings on' in India through the blogging community.” It is a great endeavour to promote the world of food blogging in a different podium where the main goal is to reach out and show honour to the food bloggers by spreading their creative passion and hard works with the world. The Award ceremony held at JW Marriott which is situated just at the sea shore end of Juhu Beach. Elegant and grand with a posh exterior and interior, we (me and my husband) directed straight to the Grand Sangam Ball Room. We settled ourselves in the room and my eyes started to hunt for some known faces. Immediately we were welcomed with refreshing juices followed by hard drinks and mouthwatering starters. After a while we were warmly greeted by Sameer Malkani who led us and introduced with some Mumbai and Pune based Food Bloggers. I am happy to say I know most of them. In a while we all became busy in chitchatting and kept our mouth busy with the mouth watering starters. The starter list:

Potato Bravas

Chicken and Leek Yakitori

Murgh Nawabi Tikka

South Indian Batter Fried Prawn

Smoked Salmon Bruschetta

Arbi Ki Chapli

Drunken Goat Cheese with Olive Baguette

Tomato Aranchini

Alaskan Salmon and cucumber maki roll

Peruvian Asparagus and takuan maki roll

Lobster Chaat Tacos with refried beans

Paneer Pin wheel

Mini Caponata of vegetable tartlet with pine-nuts and basil foam.

No need to say, each dish was well presented and tasted sumptuous. I was literally satisfied with the catering service of the Marriott Team. They never let anyone stand for a while without having anything. Their sweet and gentle gesture proved the high end account of professionalism.  

The Award Ceremony started after an hour. The remarkably experienced jury consists of the best names from the gastronomic world. The panel includes Sanjeev Kapoor, Kunal Vijayakar, Zoravar Kalra, Kajal Tejsinghani, Rushina MunshawGhildiyal, Ritu Dalmia, Rashmi Uday Singh, Sona Bahadur (BBC Good Food Editor), HariNayak, Aneesha Baig, Vikram Doctor and Chef Aditya Bal. Among all the 11 jury members 5 were present at the ceremony. There were all most 700 Food bloggers shared their links and the panel of judges did get a hard time to chose the winners of this year.

Some new faces were introduced and got awarded. But the happiest moment I enjoyed when heard the names of my known and favourite Food bloggers got nominated and awarded.  Here the list of the winners:

Best Food/Culinary and travel Blog:

KalayanKarmakar

Best Recipe Blog :

FarukShadab Ansari

Best Writing and Story telling Blog :

CharisBhagianathan

Best Single Food Shot:

Sonal Solanki

Best Facebook Food Blog:

SandeepSreedharan

Best Regional Cuisine Blog:

AlkaKeswani

Best Photo Blog:

Yeshi

Best Baking Blog:

SaminaPatel 

Best Group Blog:

Kumar Jhuremalani

Best Restaurant Review Blog:

Adarsh Munjal

Best New Blogger:

KajalBhatia

My heartiest Congratulations to all the winners and also to those whose blogs got nominated.

After the inspiring speeches by the honourable guests and the award ceremony we were welcomed by the dinner buffet spread. A lavishly organized delectable spread made all of us drooling. The main course comprises from the cuisines of North India, Italy and Asia. We thoroughly enjoyed the sumptuous dishes but I got awestruck when I saw the dessert section. I think almost 20 to 25 desserts were served. The beauties were worth seeing. I wanted to taste each one of those but was only able to taste 5-6 items as I got full by then. No need to say that the desserts were tasted too good to describe in words. The evening was one of my cherished memories of my life. The event itself was very well organised and very motivating for the Food Bloggers like us who blog out of passion without having any monetary benefit in mind. A big applause to the FBAI team for their awesome effort to  bring all the Food Bloggers under one roof. I would like to specially thank Sameer Malkani from the bottom of my heart for the invitation to the Kolkata Food Bloggers group. I was literally overwhelmed by his sweet and humbled gesture. My husband and I enjoyed the event whole heartedly but at the same time I missed my KolkataFood Blogger friends too much. But yes it is a promise we will have such ceremonies in our own city Kolkata sooner or later. 

.For more Photos check our HERE.

Restaurant Review: Fire and Ice, Kolkata

“Pizza makes the world go round” 

Location:  41, Jawaharlal Nehru Road,Kanak Building,Ground Floor, Near Russel Street, Kolkata

Contact :033 66064206

Cuisine: Italian

Hours: 12.00 noon -12 Midnight

Rating: 2.5/5

This time we, a group of food bloggers as a part of Kolkata Food Bloggers and CaL Bloggers Table, ventured out to  explore out some flavours from  Italy in our own City of Joy - Kolkata. Destination targeted to Fire and Ice, one of the popular Italian Pizzerias of Kolkata established on July 2005, located just opposite to Jeevandeep building on Middleton Street. The ambiance was a perfect blend of the casual, vintage at same time trendy decor. Old pictures from the 60s or 70s hanging around the wall...Some Madhubani scrolls laminated on the wall with a modern touch, at the first look gives a very pleasing satisfaction in your mind. We, all the happy souls made ourselves comfortably settled with a stirred up excitement and waited for the right moment to dig down our fingers in the Italian delicacies. 

"Fire and Ice Restaurant-Pizzerias, founded by an Italian chef from Naples has been dedicated for years to providing our patrons with many of the best Italian regional dishes. We use the finest authentic imported ingredients available on the local market, others we prepare ourselves, like for example, the mozzarella cheese. Our expert Chefs stir up the fantastic flavors which will let your taste buds take a trip to Italy with one mouthful."( Source:http://www.fireandicepizzeria.com/ )

We started our order with Drinks. A good lot of tantalizing drinks are offered on their list. And we didn't waste any single moment to make a quick choice of drinks to order and then fixed our eyes on the 'Antipasti' offerings.

Farcita (Price: not sure but somebody told its 400/-) came first which was recommended by one of our members. We were told it was only served to the regular customers and therefore it is not in the menu. Italian round bread stuffed with Mozzarella cheese and fresh raw tomatoes didn't make happy my taste bud. I found the bread a bit hard and the cheese too chewy and over all  too pale in taste. Next came Speidini Alla Griglia (Price: 495), grilled  boneless chicken pieces along with coloured bell peppers, smoked garlic and pearl onions in skewers  served with herbed melted cheese. I liked the taste. The taste incorporated very well all together with the pungent of the herbed melted cheese. Then came Rondelle Di Patate Fritte (295/-). It is nothing but the sliced potato fries served with tangy tomato sauce and Pesto dip. I loved the crunchy and crispy taste which was very much similar in taste with the banana chips famous in India.

For our main course first came Bolognese (Price: 435/-), choice of pasta with traditional meat sauce. We chose to have penne pasta. But to our disappointed we missed the tomatoes in the meat sauce. The Pasta was not seasoned well. Overall the dish didn't make me a bit happy after I tasted it. Next came the house special Fire and Ice and Pepperoni Pizza (We preferred to go for half and half. Price: Fire and Ice Pizza: 400/- & Pepperoni Pizza: 525/-). I loved the taste of both. The pepperoni tasted the typical pepperoni pizza with smoky flavour of the pepperoni. But the star of the dish was the Fire and Ice Pizza. I never had pizza with fried potatoes on top along with the Mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce seasoned with Oregano and Rosemary. We all enjoyed each bite whole heartedly. When we were in the world of Italian cuisine if we didn't order Lasagna then the meal would not get completed. So Lasagna Tradizionale (495/-) came next. The very first look of the dish foiled our mind. Layered Pasta with the meat sauce and Parmesan cheese again left us with full of disappointment. The meat sauce tasted similar to the Bolognese. Though the Lasagna melted in the mouth but I expected more savoured in taste with some more addition of tomato sauce and the pasta's cooked a bit less.

Last but not the least came the turn to indulge ourselves with the mouthwatering dessert. It became a hard choice to go for which one. At last we came to a joint decision to go for Apple pie topped with Ice Cream and Chocolate Mousse.  I found the apple pie was a bit overpowered with cinnamon and the pie crust was not that flaky as expected. The Mousse was very nice and chocolaty in taste but a bit dense.

Our overall experience was nice but the quality of taste of the dishes did need to enhance more. The ambiance was really nice. But the service was little poor which also had to be taken care of. 

To read more reviews on it:

1. Amrita & Vishal

2.Sarani

3. Megha

4. Poorna

5. Sanoli

Restaurant Review- Tangerine, Kolkata with Four Seasons

Picture Courtesy: Archita Chanda Ray

Location:  2/1, Outram Street, Theatre Road Area, Kolkata 

Contact : 033 22815450, 033 22815460

Gourmate Indulgence Package: 1099/- plus Tax

Cuisine: Multi- Cuisine

Hours: 12.00 noon - 3.00pm and 7.00pm to Midnight

Rating: 4/5

An invitation from the Team GingerClaps led us this time to Tangerine, a multi-cuisine restaurant (that serves a wide range of food varieties covering the world cuisine) in one of the narrow streets of Kolkata just behind the St.Xaviers College back gate. We, Kolkata Food Bloggers are offered three restaurants in Kolkata to review and to visit each outlet with another Food Blogger only. So my fellow blogger Archita (blogs at My Food My Life) and I chose Tangerine  (and 4 Kolkata Food Bloggers the other two) and reached there around 2.30pm for Lunch. Tangerine, located on Outram Street, just beside the Outram Club, looks like an old fashioned Building. To reach to the main lobby of the restaurant one has to climb up the rustic wooden stairs to the first floor and then to enter in the romantic and low light set up. At the entrance upon our introduction we were greeted very warmly by their manager Kuntal Dey. We made ourselves comfortable at a corner table just by the wide window panel which was the most attracted sitting area of the Restaurant. We were invited to review the Four Seasons Gourmet Indulgence Food Package which comprises of a 4 Course meal paired with the Four Seasons Wine served shortly after we settled down. The main concept behind the package is to aware people more of the food pairing concept with wine and the meal package menu not only saves ones money but also offers a very satisfactory wholesome sumptuous meal spread.

The first course a glass of Shiraz was served to each one of us and we concentrated on the menu.  Shiraz hails from the red wine family and a bit dry in taste. As my personal taste is concerned I am not so much fond of the taste of Shiraz. We decided to go for one Veg and one Non-Veg dish. The very courteous manager helped us to choose the the right dishes that we could really enjoy. For the Starter we chose Cheese Barrel from the Vegetarian section and Chicken Ceaser Salad from the Non-Veg.

Though it is written Cheese Barrel, the Tangerine family calls it Cream Cheese Barrel. The concept of the dish has been adapted from the Italian Cuisine. The Chef informed that they always love to give some innovative names to their dishes. Crispy and Crunchy, coated with seasoned bread crumbs, at the first bite it will melt in your mouth along with creamy soft cheese with a tinge of mild spicy flavour. The taste was just perfect with the balanced commixture of all ingredients.  6 pieces of Cheese Barrel were served with Nachos dressed in Salad dressing. The dish is totally a comfort dish that will really satisfy ones taste bud.

Next was served the starter Chicken Ceaser Salad from the Non-veg section.  Grilled Chicken tossed in salad dressing along with the lettuce, croutons and cherry tomatoes honed our satisfaction too. Though we were so busy in discussing about the just finished Cheese Barrel, the salad got finished in no time and we saw our vegetarian entrée dish was ready to serve for us.

Torhino (they pronounce it as TOR-TINO, a name of an Italian dish), we were told that recipe was adapted from Mexican cuisine and the name was given by the Chef team.  It is basically a pie crust very similar to tart shell stuffed with juicy vegetable with rich tomato flavour and creamy cheese served with boiled veggies and some cheese sauce. We got a combination taste of Quiche and Quesadilla. The savoury is class apart with the balanced spice incorporation. We enjoyed the taste of this one too. It was very satisfactory and whole some too.

 Poulet Apulia (pornounced as pu-le a-pu-li-a) came next from the Non-veg Entrée section. Tender Chicken breast stuffed with mushroom served with mashed potato and boiled vegetable topped with brown gravy was a sumptuous preparation.  The chicken was so well cooked and juicy that at each bite we whole heartedly appreciated the dish. While talking with the chef he informed that this dish mainly was adapted from the French Cuisine. Poulet in French means Chicken and Apulia is a name of a place in Italy. So they have given a combination name to highlight the European style culinary adventure. It is the chef team who decides the menu and then they give the name of it.  So mostly all the names they have hired from their experimental journey. We were informed that the secret behind this soft well cooked tender chicken was the three stage processes that they highly concentrated on. Marinade, shallow fry and then oven baked. The taste of the dish really touches our heart.

The dessert came next. Apple Aspen Tart, as they call it is the Chef’s special dish and the signature dish too, again satisfied our taste bud. Two sweet flat tart shells sandwiched thinly sliced apple and then baked. Served with a dollop of scooped ice cream, Caramel and chocolate sauce. The taste was just heavenly and each bit gave an immense pleasure to bask in the contemplated dessert experience.

Lastly we were served our last dish from the dessert section. Noughat(as it is written in the menu card, not Nougat) Chocolate Mousse, topped with fresh fruits, Chocolate Wafer sticks and crunchy nuts in it, was good too. But what we felt it exactly didn't give us the taste of the mousse which melted in mouth because of the soft and creamy texture. This dish was a little thick though taste wise very nice, more tasted like a cake frosting than a mousse. But as I told you the taste was very nice.

After having all these scrumptious delectable dishes along with the smoky red wine, the best experience we cherished the conversation with the chief Chef Subhash Basu and the team Manager Mr. Goutam Kapoor.  We discussed about their food journey, the food culture of Kolkata People and the enhancement more on the package meals that people should know more about it and trust on the food. Our overall experience was wonderful. The food quality was excellent and the atmosphere was very cordial and the team Tangerine very courteous. I will love to visit Tangerine again with my family and friends.
Read Archita's version HERE.

For more Photographs pls visit to the following link. I will really appreciate if you take my permission first before using any of my taken pictures:

 https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.300485686757551.1073741838.157011837771604&type=1

Restaurant Review- Bongoan, Kolkata

Picture Courtesy: Sarani Tarafdar of  http://cocoawind.blogspot.in/

Location:  17/4, Opposite State Bank, Kalikapur Road, Kalikapur, Kolkata

Contact : 033 24842480, +91 8420291730

Price for two: 600/- to 800/- (Apprx)

Cuisine: Bengali, Goan, Chinese

Hours: 12.30pm - 3.00pm and 6.30pm to 10.30pm

Rating: 2.5/5

Picture Courtesy: Sarani Tarafdar of  http://cocoawind.blogspot.in/

Bongoan, a small cozy corner situated on the main road of Kalikapur Road, just in a stone's throw from E.M. Bypass Road, was our this time's destination for the Restaurant Review program that we really enjoyed as the members  of Kolkata Food Bloggers group and Kolkata Chef At Large Bloggers' Table. Specialized mainly in Bengali and Goan cuisine and also with a handful dishes from the Chinese cuisine, the name Bongoan apprises the customers with an intricate attraction to visit the restaurant. With a sitting arrangement of approximately 8-9 tables in a not so small room and with a cozy little kitchen, the limited stuff members were very active to attend each and every customer with full attention that we found right after entering the restaurant. They very nicely accommodated us, a member of 7 giggling girls and helped us to feel comfortable at every aspect.

The day after was my birthday. So we started our meet first cutting the awesome cake Sayantani baked for me. The girls sang the HAPPY BIRTHDAY song for me and at the same time we heard in the background the HAPPY BIRYHDAY music echoing in the room. That was such a sweet gesture from the Bongoan family.

Chicken Sweet Corn Soup

In the dreamy low light of the neon rope light all the 7 cameras started to play the music with the clicking sound as soon as our starters were served on our table. Chicken Sweet Corn Soup (120/-) was served not so hot and we were not able to do justice with the soup. It’s too thick and lumpy. Along with the soup we ordered three more starters.  

Spicy Chilly Baby Corn ( 90/-), did really the justice by crossing the  parameter of spiciness. It is spicy and hot and tasty too. If you are a spicy food lover then it’s the right choice for you. But if you are not then never try this as the heat of chilli may burn all your taste bud {WARNING}.  

Lottya Fry (Bombay duck) served with French fries (120/-), this fish I tired for the first time and didn't liked that much. It looked very crispy from the out side but the thickness of the batter  needed to be fried  more as the crunchiness got totally missed when the bite reached till the fish. Therefore it tasted little bit soggy and stinky.

Sesame Fried Prawn, Continental Style (300/-) was the real taste changer and star among all the starters we had. The crispy and crunchy fritters with the soft prawns inside left the sumptuousness in our mouth until we were served the main course. We all really enjoyed the Sesame Fried Prawn. Though it’s a bit spicy, the savoury of spiciness paired perfectly with the fry.

Next came the three main courses that we ordered along with two steamed rice. Pork Bhuni (150/-) as they call it a signature dish cooked with diced pork, potato and onion with some flavourful spices, tasted quite nice. Though we munched Pork fat much rather than the Pork cubes. The scarce little Pork cubes gave little wild smell what we felt tended to be spices up a bit with longer marinade. But over all we liked and enjoyed the taste.

Mutton Vindaloo (250/-) comes along with steamed rice. It is another rich Goan dish which usually tastes like a pickle as it gets marinated in a good amount of vinegar/red wine and garlic to give the pickling flavour. When we tasted the dish it gave us too much of the aroma and flavour of the vinegar which left a pungent tanginess with an unusual taste and didn't hit the satisfactory bud of the foodies like us. 

Both the gravy of Mutton Vindaloo and Chicken Xacutti (200/-) looked like same but believe me the Chicken Xacutti really touched our heart with the balanced incorporation of the spices with coconut amalgamated in the chicken. Each one of us really enjoyed the dish. 

The choice of the dessert that evening was Bebinca (120/-), the famous Goan Dessert that people die to taste. But to our utter disappointment the first appearance of the dish dismayed all our cravings for this delicious dessert. And after tasting it we landed up in a total disappointment. It tasted more like a caramel coated gooey sticky bite nothing near to the layered soft pudding flavour. 

We really enjoyed, giggled and shared hearty laughs with each other. It was a memorable evening for me as after a long time I celebrated my birthday with my friends and in such a surprising and unexpected manner. I was totally touched by the sweet gestures of my friends/fellow bloggers. But the food experience was not that satisfactory as we expected. The restaurant guys need to work a bit hard by comprising more of the authentic dishes by working on it.

More reviews on Bongoan by my Fellow Bloggers:

1. Archita Chanda Ray 

2.  Sarani Tarafdar
3. Amrita Gill
4. Sayantani Mahapatra
5. Antara Ray
6. Megha Jhunjhunwala 

[Disclaimer: This review is just an opinion of an individual and not compensated monetarily or otherwise. ]

Book Review: The Weight Loss Club by Devapriya Roy

Title:The Weight Loss Club

Author: Devapriya Roy

 Published by: Rupa Publications India in 2013

Genre:  Fiction

Price: Rs.250

Pages:297

Rate: 4/5

Devapriya Roy's second novel, The Weight Loss Club too, like her first novel The Vague Woman's Handbook, left a thoughtful impression in the mind. The vibrant creative graphic of the cover page is the first impression that would force a mind to grab it and dig deep in the fiction. The Fiction delineates the mental turmoil and the transformation of the characters and the story line. When I say story line I should make you all sure it doesn't have any particular story line, like it has never begun nor ended. It is a story of a phase and the lives of the residents of Nancy Housing Cooperative. And again don't judge the book by the title too. If it says The Weight Loss Club it is actually not.  The title is allegorical; symbolizing a united cosmic world that brought people together under one roof may be with one root motto "weight loss", but actually to find solace from the frustration of the daily life. As usual this Fiction again became the perfect example of Devapraya Roy's intellectual affinity, where the drama of life never makes one to feel fictitious but the noesis of our daily life. 

From Nandy to Nancy, from Mandakini to Mandy, the transitions of the characters in the housing complex are woven with each other as an integral part in a plausible parameter but in a very simple manner it evolves.  The whole setting of the novel is developed around Nancy Housing Complex. 7 protagonists if I say so and among them one who played the role of a catalyst, who brought solace and rain in a deserted world. A vignette of the characters: 

Monalisa Das, the  stay-at-home mum and over obsessed with  the education and scores of her sons. A typical home maker who always thinks of the cleanliness of her kitchen and house.

Meera Sahai, continuously bullied by her Mother-in-law and a victim of Postpartum Depression. 

Aparajita Mukherjee alias Apu: An academic and a PhD Student who opposes marriage to her family front where Apu’s mother is deep in search for a perfect match for the daughter.

Abeer Mukherjee: Bother of Apu, a college student and a secret admirer of Mandakini Mandal alias Mandy.

Treeza Mathew: Once a school secretary, now doomed in glumness and loneliness.

Anada Bose: a true blue bachelor and secret admirer too.  Always ready to help others and a social creature too.

Sandhya: The catalyst, returned from Oxford and nestled in Nancy, brought all under the Weight Loss Club.  She became the therapeutic guru of all.

These are the main characters of fiction around whom the fiction sprung up. Apart from them there are many characters who worked as the binder in the fiction.

The characters in the fiction seem like extracted from the real life. I feel like I am one of them and residing in Nancy Housing Complex with all the neighbouring mates I meet in my everyday life. The minute detail of the behavioural and the circumstantial aspects are so well projected that will never let one feel fabricated. The characters' psychological modulations are illuminated with an array of naturalistic ordeals. 

Kolkata as the prime location of the Fiction, Devapriya doesn't  leave any loop to  encompass  detailing the city, the city life, the Mom's gathering in front of the school gates, the delicacies of Bengali cuisine, Durga Puja, the over casted clouds of Kolkata, Garia Haat, Universities, Romaces, Bangla band not even she left Paoli Dam too. Kolkata- Bengali- Food are an integral part- the first four lines of the novel are the perfect example of that:

"September in Calcutta is a delicious time, Mrs Das realized as she stood in the balcony of her flat in Nancy Housing Cooperative (Building A-1). Sublty Delicious, like creamy sandesh flavoured with cinnamon and dusted with pistachios." (CH:1 ; P: 5) 

Overall I enjoyed reading the book though found a bit boring in many parts. The Fiction is very well narrated and I am a great admirer of Devapiraya Roy's writing skill, the subtle literary wits she delivers. The fiction is a bit lengthy but not over powering. The best part of the fiction what I loved most is the detail character orientation and the facts related to them with all the psychological imbalances and upheavals.