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Auntie Anne's
This Christmas one of the hottest additions to town is the posh Acropolis Mall on the Kasba connector. Though, half baked still, it is cooking fast with new spaces and brand names vying for space. And Santa#39;s choice for the holidays will definitely be the brand new counters of Auntie Anne#39;s Cinnabon, on the third floor. With pretzels cinnamon rolls just in for Christmas, for the first time in the city, we make a beeline to try old American classics in the new setting.
DÉCOR
It#39;s hard not to be immediately won over by, first the vastness of the spanking new mall and second, the visuals at the food court counters. As we approach Auntie Anne#39;s and Cinnabon at the strategic curve, just next to the movie theatre, Cinepolis, what catches our eyes are the wall mounted digital menus, state of the art temperature controlled display counters, the frosty and midnight blue signages, with visuals of cross-your-heart pretzels and pillowy sugar dusted cinnamon buns. However, Auntie Anne#39;s savoury side only has a scanty display of sample pretzels, while Cinnabon counters are piled up much with caught-in-the-blizzard snowy desserts. The food court seating is simple - sprawling mall style, modern.
FOOD
The number of pretzel options and flavours of Cinnabon can be bewildering for a first time visitor. Seek assistance. The attentive counter staff help us decide on our pick: Cheese Pretzel Dog Chicken (Rs. 110), Pepperoni Pretzel (Rs.100), flavoured Sour Cream Onion Pretzel (Rs. 70), Cheese Stix (Rs. 90) and Minibon Roll (Rs.75), Mini Pecanbon (Rs.90) and Cupcake Red Velvet (Rs. 75) and a regular Mochalatta Chill (Rs. 135) to drink.
PLUS MINUS
The hand rolled savoury pretzels bring in novelty to snacking. The Pepperoni-stuck long arms get adequate attention, but the sour cream onion powder brushed one lacks flavour. The Cheese Stix demands a dip (also available) and the Pretzel wrapped sausage dog is worth appreciation. While the Red velvet cake is a bit dry and ordinary, the Cinnabons are actually bundle of joys. Impressionably soft with cinnamon and sugar ratio intact, the minibon roll looks like it is caught in a blizzard with outside icing and the Pecanbon is syrupy sweet, studded with the whole bunch of pecan nuts. We break through the generous icing to discover fluffy layers inside without being cloyingly sweet. The Mochalatta Chill gives the ultimate high of a perfectly smooth blended coffee, the kind I#39;ll go back for every time.
Critic reviews are anonymous and all bills are paid by them.
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New In Town: December Edition

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Cafe 4/1
There#39;s a new wave of vegetarian meals in the city and I#39;m excited. And hungry. These next generation spaces are focused on doing one or two things only. And they believe in doing it well. In fact, Calcuttans can#39;t get enough of them yet. This week we visit cafe 4/1 for a weekday lunch. Perched on Camac Street and Shakespeare Sarani crossing, this one is a perky combination of style and innovation.
DÉCOR
A rare entry as the uniformed guard on the street corner pavement almost bows to welcome us in. Flight of cheery stairs with yellow smiley faces glued on them brings us the the first floor cafe. Bathed in warm daylight and spacious, indoor and a stretch of indulgent outdoor seating, it is reassuringly packed with the young and the happening lunch crowd. As we settle down, we realise off-the-beaten-track decor, mind blowing intensity in the presentations and casualness sprinkled in with familiarity in the menu - are the right mix of ingredients making this work. Tin chairs, benches, light wood furniture and splashes of green at every opportunity is soothing to the eyes.
FOOD
The clipboard menu may seem a bit limited, but brings in more cheer. And ample to drink too. We start with an Avocado Land cold soup (Rs.160) and move on to 4/1 Asparagus-Iceberg-Bell pepper Roast Salad (Rs.230), Thai Local rolls (Rs.200), a MI 3 or Mushroom Impossible Pizza (Rs. 375) and a potent Mexican Pouty Poblano Sizzler (Rs. 350).
PLUS MINUS
The eye for detail is impressive. Each dish is presented in individual portions, with a unique service style. The waitstaff is easy to spot and eager to help. The Avocado soup whacks a punch with refreshing thick blend of avocado, bitter gourd, celery, leek and cucumber, chilled on a bed of ice. The deep fried Thai rolls dramatically arrive on a tea rack, crisp, dipped in a darn tasty peanut sauce. The AIB roast salad add a crunchy zing from a glass jar with a tingle on the tongue pesto dressing. However, there is no rocket, olive or artichoke as promised, but with a peek of goat cheese instead. The mushroom pizza is a large portion with Shitake, Porcini and Button variety, yet mild with a limp base, the goat cheese and pesto fail to pep it up. The sizzler is adventurous with cottage cheese stuffed chillies with a generous helping of Jalapeño cheese sauce, pilaf, veggies and potato wedges on the side. For dessert there#39;s simple freshness of Baked Cheesecake (Rs.195) served with cured rose petals.
Critic reviews are anonymous and all bills are paid by them.
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Bhojohori Manna
Bhojohori Manna, the name refers to the eponymous song sung by Manna Dey and certainly brings forth nostalgia and the prolific tune in every Bengali’s mind. What deepens the thread are the Sukumar Ray sketches on the walls, the popularity of their Bengali home-cooked food and nostalgic recipes of the ‘pice’ hotel concept. Delicacies like the Fowl Cutlet, Labra (a mix of leafy vegetables), the subtle Daab Chingri, Goalondo Steamer Curry and Mutton Dakbangla recreate the Bengal of a certain era. Over forty varieties of fish preparations, 35 vegetarian delicacies that grandmothers used to boast and delicate specials from family secret recipes make this brand of restaurant unique on its own. In season, their several preparations of Hilsa add to the attraction. And the exciting range of specials, sometimes there are dishes already extinct or unheard of in the modern days. But beware, if the main kitchen goofs up, then many things on the menu may go unavailable. Better to go with the day’s special from the hand-written whiteboard with seasonal surprises. They do home delivery and catering as well.
Critic reviews are anonymous and all bills are paid by them.
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Brickwood, Wood Street: First Look

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Matsuri
This is serious business. With the novelty of 2014, there is an emergence of professional food players in Kolkata. While the domestic players are bringing in their plethora of star restaurants into the city already, international chains are not far behind, whether in introducing franchise models or opening doors to new cuisines, cultures and business models. We heard about this Japanese food chain expanding into restaurants, setting up shop in south Kolkata a few months back. While we were giving it breathing time, another outlet named Matsuri is launched by them at a popular city mall space.We are inquisitive and excited.
Decor: Japanese cuisine relates directly to the ambience, it is all about simplicity and freshness, presented with an inspired artist’s visual beauty. This Japanese restaurant in dark shades of grey, is splashed with colours of the gorgeous yet subtle culture. The modern architecture of the space is frilled with detailed touches of booth seating, festooned paper lanterns, fragile hand crafted ceramic on the tables and the original handpainted imprint of a shrine on the wall. The island counter in black and white marble, takes centre stage, but lacks action packed gourmet afternoons. However, the kimono clad servers add the flutters of the butterflies to this Zen garden.
Food: At this point, I must admit, Japanese cuisine, a well-cultivated taste, is my weakness. The laminated plastic folder menu running into pages with colour photos and description actually fails to impress. Too many choices, makes it a tough. We choose in random order: Kaisen to avocado no tarutaru (Rs.300), Suzuki Sea bass Sashimi (Rs.500), Original Makimono Kolkata Maki sushi (Rs.450), Tomato and Bacon Yakitori (Rs.250), Yasai Tempura Moriawase (Rs.400) and Buta Kimchi Yakimeshi fried rice (Rs.650). And Watermelon Ice Tea (Rs.95) to wash down the shower of food.
PlusMinus: We start with the quivering fresh Sea bass sashimi, with the faintest pink blush, excellent to our palate, with pinch of potent wasabi salty dip in the soya. The well-touted assorted seafood and avocado appetizer is a damp squib, overwhelming with the Japanese version of Tartaru sauce. The vegetable Tempura Moriawase, arrives with light and fluffy, crispy fried batter noticeably thin on asparagus, peppers, zucchini, broccoli, onions, babycorn, okra and more. The watered down version of the iced tea, sweet almost sherbetty, works perfectly to cleanse the palate between dishes. The Kolkata sushi is batter-wrapped prawns – a little heavy - textured in the sticky sweetness of sushi rice, wee bit overdone in my opinion, keeping the Indian audience in mind. The Yakitori of glazed bacon and cherry tomatoes, actually come rather under-grilled and needs more zing. The perked up pork and kim-chi fried rice finally brings in a generous helping of comfort food.
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