A Kolkatan needs two things to be happy — food for thought and thought for food. No wonder the launch of the SIGNATURE TELEGRAPH FOOD GUIDE 2013 at Park Hotel, Kolkata on Monday evening was such a happy affair. 

                                                                      The journey of mine which started through a contest at Live in Style #FoodisBetterthan ended with a big smile when I reached Park. I can smell the love for food in the air. The environment was just amazing. From tollywood stars like Raima Sen, Paoli Dam, and Abir to fashion designers like Agnimitra, Sharbari...From food critiques like Nandan Bagchi to famous Chefs like Shaun Kenworthy...From national award winning director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury to singers like Anupam Roy the event was totally star studded. But the main usp for the event was not the celebrities; it was the true and dedicated love for food of every Kolkatan without whom this event was impossible. 

                                                               What made me immensely happy is when I saw the faces of the restaurant owners (some jumping, some crying in joy) after their name had been declared. Absolutely yes! This was the moment for which they were waiting for a year. Oh! How could I forget the gorgeous host for the evening ‘lady in red’ Sonika Chauhan. Now, coming back to the winners of the TELEGRAPH FOOD GUIDE 2013 ‘Oh Calcutta’ bags the best Bengali food award while ‘Mainland China’ for continental, ‘Banana Leaf’ for the best south Indian, ‘Spaghetti Kitchen’ for the best Italian and last but not the least ‘Veda’ for the best Mughlai Food. The royal taste from the kitchen of Nizam’s restaurant in Kolkata ‘Oudh 1950’ bagged the Best New Comer Restaurant of the Year award.While I was having a sip of white wine I planned something interesting to do. What’s the most important reason for which we are here today? Off course the food and hospitality served by the lovely restaurants. So, I decided to ask the winners about their specialties and why they think that people should go to their place. They agreed to my proposal and we started. 

                                                                            We also had some celebrities and fans joining in at a later stage to make the discussion more interesting. Team ‘Oh Calcutta’ has ‘Gondhoraj Bhetki’, ‘Aam Kasundir Paturi’ and ‘Dab Chingri’ with a lovely ambiance perfect for the enjoying the Bengali Culture. ‘Mainland China’s’ usp is their buffet lunch which is pretty affordable with some sumptuous dishes like Prawn picked Chilli, Chicken lamb Salad and Tao’s Chicken. Kuzhi Paniyaram, Paratha Karam,Kesari,Semi Payasam are the golden cards of ‘Banana Leaf’. 

                                                                              As I was talking to them, the rats inside my stomach are running here and there. It seems that I can smell the item with their names being uttered. What an embarrassing situation! By that time the dinner was ready to be served. From the Soya Haleem to the divinely Sushi...From the ‘parshe mach’ to mushroom and pork…From the delicious biriyani to the mouth watering deserts, the dinner was a million dollar baby.

Food,Fun and Wine : Heavenly Combo

                                                                          What added an extra flavor to the dinner was the leg pulling jokes cracked by Nandan Bagchi and Shaun. As the team of ‘Spaghetti Kitchen’ shared their recipes of Black Pepper Chicken, Penny Vodka, Mushroom Capuccino soup and delicious deserts like Tiramisu, Casatta and Chocolate bomb we can’t control our appetite. Raima and Paoli joined us with their dating experiences with Galouti Kebab and Chicken Shahjahani Korma at ‘Veda’.The conversation continued until the director of ABP Mr. Abheek Sarkar gifted us ‘The Telegraph Food Guide’. Before signing off, I would like to thank ‘Live in Style’ from the core of my heart for giving me a chance to be a part of this event. It was such a wonderful experience for me to be a part of SIGNATURE TELEGRAPH FOOD GUIDE AWARDS 2013.The more I think, the more it grows.Cheers to Life. Cheers to +Live in Style !