Tanya Munshi's Lifestyle Portal

If you thought you’ve seen it all in the Vidya Balan starrer ‘Kahaani’ which takes you through the City of Joy and its many nuances, here’s our take of the city in a different light. When you hear the name Calcutta, it exudes a certain charm, history and culture. It reminds you of the bhadra lok, the rossogullas, Tagore songs, the Howrah Bridge, trams, Santiniketan…the works.

Even after being named Kolkata, the group called Calcutta Walks, strives to retain the essence and flavor of [More...]

Golden Dragon is a popular Chinese restaurant that mostly sees a heavy rush during lunch hours by the office crowd along with plenty of home delivery orders in the neighbourhood of JP [More...]

Someplace Else is a haven for wannabes, snooty people, women with loud costumes. I am sorry to say, Someplace Else is by far the worst place I have ever visited. Where do I begin from? Their menu card which is a cross between a boomerang and a Frisbee. Come on, being stylish is one thing, but one should know where to draw the [More...]

Our flight was late thanks to the single operational runaway at the Mumbai domestic airport. We reached Calcutta after 10pm (scheduled time of arrival was 8:30pm). Our hunger pangs were running overdrive and so on our way home, we stopped by at Arsalan an extremely popular Biryani joint to pack up some biryani and kebabs to take [More...]

When it comes to sari shopping in Calcutta, you are spoilt for choices. While there are quite a few popular names in the city, like Adi Dhakeshwari Bastralaya, Sari Kutir, the other authentic brands are Tant Ghar and [More...]

If you ask a Bengali what the word ‘Fish’ means to him,  his eyes will light up through his glasses and his mouth will start watering instantly and you would have got an answer; well in most cases. In Bengali cuisine, fish – especially Rohu and Catla, and of course the Ilish during special occasions, are cooked in several styles – with mustard seed paste , onion seeds, curd or milk – but all cooked in Mustard Oil, because that’s what [More...]

Gondhoraj lebu (lime) is endemic to West Bengal and once upon a time used to grow in abundance in every household in Bengal that had a garden. As children, we remember plucking Gondhoraj lebu from our garden in Asansol, just before lunch and rinsing it with tap water and slicing it in half to release the divine aroma. It used to have very little juice, but the aroma was so fresh and lemony that it could be detected from far away [More...]

Situated in Park Street, Rajniklal is a name to reckon with. You hear the name Rajaniklal, and the first picture that flashes across your mind is the vibrant coloured Ceramic ware. Rajniklal is probably the only company that I can safely add that creates ceramic ware that is both microwave and oven proof that allows you to bake and serve a meal in the same [More...]

As the New Year begins, one of the first things that most of us Bengalis do, is scan our calendars to mark the dates for the Durga Puja as that helps us to plan our leave forecast for the year. So if we have family and friends living out of the city or the country, we inform them in advance the good time for a family reunion. The month of October therefore, holds a very special place for most [More...]

My only interaction with Mama Mia was at the Calcutta Club’s Bakery Carnival. They made my visit to the Carnival memorable by being snooty. Frankly speaking, they had the best stall at the Carnival with some of the best baked exhibits on display, but mama mia, it won’t earn your bread and butter – sorry, pastry and gelato (pun intended) by being snooty and rude to your [More...]