India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [594]
26 Jawaharlal Nehru Rd. 033/2249-5572, -9744, -0369, or -0370. Reservations essential. Main courses Rs 200–Rs 525. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 12:30–3pm and 7:30–11pm; closed at lunchtime on Tues.
Zen House ASIAN This is the second notable offering from The Park: Bangkok-born master chef Nut Kunlert serves Asian specialties like lemon-grass fish, barbecued prawns, double-fried pork in chili garlic or excellent duck in hoisin sauce with the delicious green tea tiramisu as a perfect ending. The ambience is informal with a very active open kitchen that dishes out a whole lot of aroma and orchestrated sizzle and pop of culinary creation.
The Park hotel, 17 Park St. 033/2249-9000. www.theparkhotels.com. Main courses Rs 350–Rs 995. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily (except Mon) 7:30–11:45pm (last orders); additional lunch on Sun 12:45–2:45pm.
SHOPPING
Kolkata is also renowned for its fashion designers. Look for garments by the promising local Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who is taking Kolkata’s fashion industry to new heights (there’s an outlet at 37/1C Hazra Rd.; 033/2285-2381). Another name to reckon with is Anamika Khanna, recognized for her flamboyant fashions for both men and women. If time is short, drop in at 85 Landsdowne Road ( 033/2486-2136), a one-stop shop stocking all the major Indian labels like the two mentioned before along with others like Kiran Uttam Ghosh and Ritu Kumar. However, if you’re looking for something very ethnic and traditional, you should head to Shamlu Dudeja’s workshop (4/1 Alipore Park Rd. near Taj Bengal; 98-3002-6288; call for appointment). With a team of rural women (SHE-Self-Help Enterprise), Shamlu has successfully revived the art of Kantha embroidery, making it into a much sought-after craft both locally and abroad. Smaller but also worth visiting are Women’s Friendly Society (29 Park Lane; 033/2229-5285) and Good Companions (13 C, Russell St.; 033/3292-9612) for hand-embroidered linen from the villages of West Bengal—both can be done when you head out to explore the New Market or if you are staying at The Oberoi or Peerless Inn. In fact, a few steps from here will also get you to the government-operated Central Cottage Industries Emporium in Chowringhee (7 Jawaharlal Nehru Rd.; 033/2228-4139 or -3205) where you can pick up a wide range of Indian curios, along with everything from saris to silk carpets. But the place to visit if you are madly interested in textiles is Darshan Shah’s brainchild Weaver’s Studio (5-1 Anil Moitra Rd., Ballygunge Place; from Garihat road, take a left at the Industrial Training Institute; 033/2440-8937;www.weaversstudio.com). Other than a fabulous resource center for all kinds of Indian textiles, thousands of hand-printing wooden blocks and books, you can also watch the intricate processes of weaving, printing and natural dyeing, which makes the final shopping aspect very special, if not altogether enlightened (note: You can only visit the factory by appointment). If scouting around The Park, visit Bengal Home Industries (11 Camac St.; 033/2282-1562) or Sasha (27 Mirza Ghalib St.; 033/2252-1586) for Bengali handicrafts, In the same area, hop into Dolly’s Collection of Earthcraft (18J Park St., next to Petercat) for natural products—a hole in the wall but with some simple and sweet items like mats made out of banana fiber or tiny terracotta turtles with cocky grins. You can pick up a wide range of Indian curios, along with handlooms and handicrafts, from Dakshinapan (2 Garihat Rd.), an open-air shopping complex (on the same lines as Dilli Haat in Delhi). It’s a great place to browse, and while there, you absolutely must pop into the 20-year-old Dolly’s Tea Shop (G62, Dakshinapan), which has