oLYpUB
in my blog, i have always published new recipes, and my thoughts on them. but since college has come to an end now, and doesn't know where my destiny is gonna take me, so i decided to list down the names of those places where i have been a regular. along with the food, & ambience , what else mattered is the company. that is what had catapulted a small resturant to a big 5-star for me, and have thus added to my closet of memories.it starts with the place where i have been a regular with two of my most close buddies. have so many memories of this place.
it was actually named "OLYMPIA" in the begining, but then changed its name to OLYPUB. in the 70's & 80's Park Street in Calcutta was different. the average middle class Bengali could hardly afford the expensive bars & resturants. among those "OLY(as commonly termed by its lovers)" was a place which gave you value for money. the bearers would pour drink into your glass from the bottle generously.and nobody would ask you to leave even if you have been occupying the place for hours. the clientele base was a mixture of small traders, merchants, traders, students , poets & authors(known aw well as unknown), bookies of trade & rich Gujarati businessman. unlike most other places, no hierarchy, no caste system & thus no difference existed there. all were equally knowledgeable, worried about reaching home late at night , always ready to prove a point. the men also used to be worried about how to pacify wives for being drunk.what mattered to people then were the generous pegs & food & not the decor.
However most of the essence of OLY is still the same today also. it is when you open the gate & enter into this place you could witness the vintage feel of this place. there has been no renovation as such. most of the sofa's have torn sides, the plastic chairs have taken the place of old wooden chairs, but their essence has not changed. people pf all class still hit the place, its still easy on pocket, a heaven for students o catch up with friends, beat the heat with chilled bear or a drink. the best place is that you can occupy your place for hours. and trust me for all those people, who are regular here, gives a damn to the not so interesting interiors.
and for me i love the old world charm of this place. for me and my friends, its an escape from the busy world outside, from the frustrating amount of assignments. it is also a place that cemented our friendship. i first hit the place with Raisa & Atrayee, and felt nice to be a part of this heritage. with the passing time, there has ben a change in the waiters working here. you start knowing them, while you also start seeing new faces. this place is always on a go & buzzing with activity.
the beef steak is still the biggest attraction of this place. for this new world children, like us, who are notreally cowed down by the conflicting & age-old thoughts of religion & all , we find it tasty & tasty & tasty... and everytime it tastes the same. what my friends & fight about, is the egg-poch on top of the steak. the humble blanched peas add colour to this kind a humble dish. for me . this is the first thing i offer even before ordering my drink. the mashed potato is also a delicious part of the dish.
and french fries are a staple with us. my fried loves to loves to gorge in it & since she loves spicy food, the chilli sauce is something she just swears by. it kinda gets us into the mood for the drink.
chicken ala-qiev is also an age old delicacy of this place. originally an anglo-indian food, but is loved by all and sundry. what is intriguing about this dish i the melted butter that oozes out, as soon as you cut into the fat betel leaf shaped chicken preparation. it has a stuffing of this solid butter & meat & some other secret ingrediant. one gets various kind of food here, depening on their pocket size, but one plate generally satisfies two hungry stomachs. generally divided in two storeys, with sitting arrangements on both the floors, i generally go for the second floor one. as evening creeps in, the crowd thickens, so inorder to choose a place of preference you need to be a bit fast in arriving.
it was actually named "OLYMPIA" in the begining, but then changed its name to OLYPUB. in the 70's & 80's Park Street in Calcutta was different. the average middle class Bengali could hardly afford the expensive bars & resturants. among those "OLY(as commonly termed by its lovers)" was a place which gave you value for money. the bearers would pour drink into your glass from the bottle generously.and nobody would ask you to leave even if you have been occupying the place for hours. the clientele base was a mixture of small traders, merchants, traders, students , poets & authors(known aw well as unknown), bookies of trade & rich Gujarati businessman. unlike most other places, no hierarchy, no caste system & thus no difference existed there. all were equally knowledgeable, worried about reaching home late at night , always ready to prove a point. the men also used to be worried about how to pacify wives for being drunk.what mattered to people then were the generous pegs & food & not the decor.
However most of the essence of OLY is still the same today also. it is when you open the gate & enter into this place you could witness the vintage feel of this place. there has been no renovation as such. most of the sofa's have torn sides, the plastic chairs have taken the place of old wooden chairs, but their essence has not changed. people pf all class still hit the place, its still easy on pocket, a heaven for students o catch up with friends, beat the heat with chilled bear or a drink. the best place is that you can occupy your place for hours. and trust me for all those people, who are regular here, gives a damn to the not so interesting interiors.
and for me i love the old world charm of this place. for me and my friends, its an escape from the busy world outside, from the frustrating amount of assignments. it is also a place that cemented our friendship. i first hit the place with Raisa & Atrayee, and felt nice to be a part of this heritage. with the passing time, there has ben a change in the waiters working here. you start knowing them, while you also start seeing new faces. this place is always on a go & buzzing with activity.
the beef steak is still the biggest attraction of this place. for this new world children, like us, who are notreally cowed down by the conflicting & age-old thoughts of religion & all , we find it tasty & tasty & tasty... and everytime it tastes the same. what my friends & fight about, is the egg-poch on top of the steak. the humble blanched peas add colour to this kind a humble dish. for me . this is the first thing i offer even before ordering my drink. the mashed potato is also a delicious part of the dish.
and french fries are a staple with us. my fried loves to loves to gorge in it & since she loves spicy food, the chilli sauce is something she just swears by. it kinda gets us into the mood for the drink.
chicken ala-qiev is also an age old delicacy of this place. originally an anglo-indian food, but is loved by all and sundry. what is intriguing about this dish i the melted butter that oozes out, as soon as you cut into the fat betel leaf shaped chicken preparation. it has a stuffing of this solid butter & meat & some other secret ingrediant. one gets various kind of food here, depening on their pocket size, but one plate generally satisfies two hungry stomachs. generally divided in two storeys, with sitting arrangements on both the floors, i generally go for the second floor one. as evening creeps in, the crowd thickens, so inorder to choose a place of preference you need to be a bit fast in arriving.
liked it.....so its a heritage..
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