Nirmal Hriday?

loonypooh

Are visitors allowed to visit n see Nirmal Hriday at kalighat?

somnath

Hmmmmm…… I’ve missed so many posts regarding Kolkata !!!! Our system admin should be hanged .

Hi loonypooh,
Welcome to Kolkata (I just saw another post in Kolkata section).
I had never been to Nirmal Hriday so can’t provide you a firsthand info but I came to know that they allow visitors on request. So...., I think if you could contact them in advance.

- Somnath

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loonypooh

thanks somnath. I am all more confused wat all to do in Kolkata. Just have 2 days , then heading to darjeeling. The more i read the posts the more i get confused.
But i have jot down a small list, let me know if i am missing something major.
1) day one i reach kolkata and and take a taxi from the airport to my hotel, bodhi tree which is in swiss park. Should reach there by noon.
2)later move towards college street and Indian coffee house, then to Missionaries of charity , take a taxi to Ahiritola . from there take the ferry to babughat, just so i hv a good time under via the howrah bridge , always wanted to see!From babughat take a taxi to park street n dine there. Head bak to the hotel.
2) second day start early to the maidan and take a tram ride, to the victoria memorial, Indian Museum and academy of fine arts. Take a taxi to park street again to dine , or maybe elgin this time at the kewpies.From there bak to the hotel.
Wonder if this sounds good. Wat about Kalighat or daksineshwar, is it a must see??

jyotirmoy

Try Aminia restaurant in Dharmatollah

loonypooh

what part of kolkata is dharmatollah , i tried googling and find it difficult to locate. wat kinid of food is served there? authentic bengali ?
I m not looking forward to eat chinese mexican, thai, pizza sizzlers.. had them enough in my own city. Would like to eat at places i could get home and yet cherish!
I heard oh calcutta is good, but then we have Oh calcutta in mumbai as well, must be the same franchise!

jyotirmoy

Aminia is near the New Market, they serve great Bengali Muslim food. Try their mutton champ & biriyani.
You may check out my post on eating places of Kolkata and my series on Kolkata nostalgia

loonypooh

thnx! i m heading to ur post right now

somnath

Wow, Darjeeling sounds really great !!!! Chilly weather….. clear sky……. Wish I could come. For Darjeeling, there are some good threads in West Bengal section. You can trust the info. But regarding Kolkata in 2 days – well……..
1. Airport > Hotel = perfect.
2. college street > Missionaries of charity = need to travel a lot (distance is not a problem but the traffic will take a lot of time)
Missionaries of Charity > Ahiritola = same as earlier point.
Rather, Bodhi Tree > Missionaries of charity AND college street > Ahiritola = comparatively better.
Ahiritola > Babughat = this is a lovely trip, I appreciate your choice. After that Park street….. OK, no problem.
But the main Problem is TIME. Correct me if I am wrong, you are going to spend the maximum time on roads to ‘cover’ your list not to ‘enjoy’ those places. The first lesson to travel in Kolkata: DO NOT calculate the kilometer. If you drop “Missionaries of Charity” then …… well, you’ll definitely gain some extra time.

Second day:
Victoria > Academy and then Museum followed by lunch at Park Street (which restaurant….Flurry’s or Peter Cat?) – that’s a recommended route. But again ……. Drop Kalighat or Dakshineswar (much better than Kalighat) this time.

Well, may be other members can also help you out but I’ve just tried to share my experience. BTW, don’t read that food thread else …. You are finished !!!! You need to cancel your trip and visit all those temples of food. But I don’t think it is possible……you are already caught by Jyoti da & Natasha.
You can try wikimapia to find Aminia in Kolkata.

Jyoti da, how was the tiger prawn at Goa? Are they different from Bay of Bengal?

loonypooh

well somnath u dunno wat a foodie i am!last weekend we went to mahesh lunch home in mumbai and i had the most amaaaaaazing seafood there... n my fav tiger prawns check this out

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...poo/prawns.jpg

about kolkata, so u suggest we shouldnt be visiting kalighat or dakshineshwar right?

if i hv understood u correctly.. i should be
1) airport to hotel, college street>ferry ride to babughat>park street for dinner
2)maidan>victoria>museum....>p ark street for food again... is that wat i should do?
for food, i hv already enlisted the places
1)kewpies
2)flury's
3)ballygunge place, not oh calcutta coz theres one in mumbai as well.
4)peter cat
5)roadside jhaal mudi
some sweetshops here n there for roshogullas and pati shaptas!
6)indian coffee house

somnath

My God !!!! You too !!!!
Jyoti da and Natasha…….. your friend is online……….. ha ha ha.

But LP, before making any comment on the list or itinerary I just want to know how you know about “Pati Shapta”? And what makes you write “Roshogullas” and not “Rasgullas”…… Hmmmm….?

- Somnath

Vishaka

Visitor are allowed at Nirmal Hriday at kalighat - atleast they were until June last year.

loonypooh

heehhe... my mom is bengali so i kinda speak lil bangla...
my grandmom used to make pathi shapta... i love em pathi shaapta khichuri and gurer payesh .... she used to make so often for me... and the lil shrimp... chingri maacher jhhol

somnath

Hmmmm……
Now I can understand why Pati Shapta or Roshogullas in your post smell like ‘known’ to me.

Your route selection is perfect. And regarding restaurants ……. He he.

But Chingri’r jhol , can you tell me the difference (taste) between these two Tiger Prawns – one from Arabian Sea and another from Bay of Bengal?

- Somnath

loonypooh

very different!!
you exactly know how they made in bengal..
here, in maharashtra there are different versions, some make use of coconut grated. while some make spicy masala curry. Then again we have the Konkani goan style which is sour+ grated coconut.. My husband is from tamil nadu and everytime i go thr, a totally different flavor! They use tamarind extensively.
Well prawn fry is same everywhr i guess! i am drooling now

tasuray

We also use coconut in prawn, it is called'chingrimacher malai curry'. Jyotida has missed to mention 'Sabir'at Chandni Chowk.It is also very famous for'mutton rezala' with tandoori roti.