Anicca

For us though the best aspect of the whole experience was the staff who were friendly, helpful and always around without making us feel crowded. We sat there, enjoyed chit-chatting and enjoyed our food without feeling rushed and well care for.

I would totally recommend this place for a nice meal and a pleasant time.

Veneto Kitchen & Bar
South City Mall, Prince Anwar Shah Road, Kolkata
Timings: 12noon – 11:30pm

I am taking my blog to the next level with Blogchatter’s #MyFriendAlexa.

I came to know about this cafe through a friend couple of years back. I had visited once about 3 years back, when I wasn't a fur parent yet, and quite enjoyed the experience. But the experience has been even better since we started taking our young Lab-Indie mix baby, Snoopy, for his day outings.

Located at Whitefield, the cafe is a total gem for dog lovers. The name of the cafe is a play on the words 'therapy' and 'puppy' and they do deliver at all times. They have  quite a few resident dogs of their own... Mojo, Cisco, Goldie and Charlie are always there to cheer you up.


Therpup cafe has two menus for you to choose from. One with food for the 'hoomans' which includes the staple food for cafes, like burgers, sandwiches and pizzas. I must admit that if it was only food I was looking for, this isn't a place that I would choose. They do not serve anything that is outstanding, but the food is just average. The pizzas are good but they lack consistency with the subs and sandwiches. They also have a very special menu for your furry pals in case you want to treat them with a snack (how does a pup-sicle sound?) or a full meal.


If you haven't seen enough reasons to visit, they also have a trampoline and a portable swimming pool as added attraction. They also run a small shop where you can buy doggy stuff and nice T-shirts for yourself.


There are certain Do's and Don'ts that you can follow to keep this place unique and a make it a friendly experience for all:

• Do not visit this particular cafe if you do not like dogs. There are thousands of other cafes you can choose to fit your preferences and only one Therpup Cafe where our pets can roam and play freely. We have come across couple of people in our numerous visits who seemed to be afraid of dogs. It was certainly not a pleasant experience for them and even more uncomfortable for us.
• Do not feed the pets. The resident pets are well fed and taken care of and, most pet parents have specific diets for their dogs. French Fries do NOT make for a good diet of a dog.
• If at all you cannot avoid the puppy eyes they make at your food, please ask the owners before feeding them. You can even sponsor a meal or two for the resident doggos.

Snoopy certainly has a good time every time we take him there. As a high-energy dog, he mostly runs around the secured area and he sure does love the food from the Pup-Menu. He has also experienced the trampoline with a few kids and taken a dip in the pool. It is a place where he experiences something new every time.


Take a look at http://www.therpup.com/ for more details on the Puppies, Menu and Services available.

As Harry Potter fans both N and I had decided that ‘The Elephant House’ would be our first stop once we land at Edinburgh. I remembered a bit about the café from the interview Jo Rowling did there after Harry Potter became famous and was looking forward to experiencing it myself.

The café is within the walking distance from the railway station. So, we decide to walk to the café for our morning cup of tea and breakfast. The first thing that you notice about the café is its bright red appearance. The sign proclaiming ‘birthplace’ of Harry Potter that the café has put up on is also quite attention grabbing. The café is very proud of the fact that it has served a number of authors. From ‘Writers & Reviews’ board in their café to the mention of these authors on their website, the café boasts of not only having served J. K. Rowling but also authors like Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall-Smith. Therefore, this café is not only hallowed ground for Potterheads, it is a great place for any bookworm and aspiring authors.


Once you enter the café, at the first glance, it feels small and very underwhelming.But it is soon apparent that there is more to the place. Once you have placed your order and move towards finding a table, the ‘Writers & Reviews’ board becomes visible. That is also when you notice the framed autograph of the lady herself and it is a ‘Limited Edition certification’. There is also a big frame with a number of pictures of Jo Rowling on it. But they all seem to be like from the day she did the interview there rather than of her writing days there. Apart from the café’s own wall of fame, a lot of Potterheads seem to have visited the café and left their mark. There were a lot of graffiti and scrawls from fans all over the world. They have left comments and words of appreciation for both the series and its author.


Sitting there was a wonderful feeling. To be where the magic was created and to see what the Rowling had seen. The best part of our experience there was the fact that we found a lady sitting alone at a table with a cup of coffee. She was furiously scribbling in her diary and I couldn’t help but smile at the scene! It was probably very similar to the scene that the patrons of the café witnessed decades back. I was also really tempted to go and ask the lady her name, so that if and when she becomes famous and is added to the café’s wall of fame I could reflect back on my visit to the café. But no, I did not disturb her from plotting.


The nearby landmark of George Heriot’s School building with four towers is said to have served as an inspiration for Hogwarts School. The Greyfriars Kirkyard cemetery may have served not only as the inspiration for quite a few names in the series but also may have served as the inspiration for the graveyard where Voldemort’s father was buried.

If you are not a bookworm or a Potterhead, even then you should pay this place a visit. The café has a terrific view of the Edinburgh Castle from its sitting room at the back. They have great food at really reasonable prices (irrespective of their demand) and friendly staff.

This post was originally written for BUZZ Magazine

Whenever we go out to eat, I like to go for anything but Indian food and N had been talking about Momos for quite some time. And so we did. We looked around on Zomato and short listed two restaurants. But we decided to go out to Kailash Momo because it has Sabhalay on the menu and that is something that I have been craving for quite some time.


Tucked between a hair salon and a nail salon, this plain looking restaurant is easy to miss. However, we had made the mistake of arriving at the restaurant without a reservation and as a result we were told that we would have to wait for 20-25 minutes. Instead of waiting there, we took a walk in the neighbourhood, always good for building up an appetite, and came back in 20 minutes. We were taken to our table immediately this time around. The establishment has set up the interiors in a way that gives its patrons the 'Tibetan' feel  - right down to their china pattern.


We ordered steamed chicken momo, fried chicken momo and chicken sabhalay. While the momo was up to our expectations, I was a bit disappointed by the sabhalay. The outer layer - the dough, was bit too hard fried and the chicken filling needed a little more spice. Momos used to be our staple food during college days and as such we have very high expectations and the restaurant delivered quite well on that front.


The food is VERY reasonably priced and the staff are quite friendly and helpful - these are certainly big plus points of the restaurant. However, I found the place to be a bit cramped and it is certainly not a place I would suggest to people who would like minimum level of privacy for their discussions over the meal. It was a bit discomforting for me as I am slightly claustrophobic and absolutely loathe alcohol. (I usually do not visit restaurants that serve alcohol ).

If these two points do not bother you - the place is a winner with its good food at a reasonable price. They have quite a lot to offer on their menu  in terms of variety and we plan to go back to try them all.

Address: 79, Woolwich New Road. London , SE18 6ED