Brunch at Brown Town

Every once in a while who doesn't like catching up with their colleagues for a light brunch. Heavens know I do. A late morning chatting and catching up session is essential for our sanity.

Saturdays when we have early morning Staff Meetings, is perfect opportunity for such outings. Hena, my colleague and I, use this time to rant and unwind. It's a great stress buster. What has been adding to our experience is the great fare at Brown Town, Paragon Group's new bakery.

Let 's start with dessert. So the Cappuccino Mudpie is like an all time favorite but we have also recently added their Chocolate Ganache and Apple Pie to our list. Their pastry chef is out of this world, you need to try it to believe it.

While they don't have much choice with main courses I do vouch for their Chicken Club Sandwiches which is accompanied by Potato Chips and a Salsa Salad. Their regular Cappuccino and Fresh Lime Mint Juice are perfect accompaniment to this dish.

We wait each Saturday to splurge at Brown Town and am sure after this post you would too.

Punjab Di Rasoi

Nirmal Reporting...

Every time I visited Delhi I was given strict instructions by Jinu to pack Chaat Papadis and Aloo Chaat on my way back. I used to buy leak proof boxes of Chaat which would then be frozen overnight and taken through the stringent airline security to finally reach Calicut. And then Punjab Di Rasoi happened and I am now a free man.

Finally, Calicut has a genuine North Indian vegetarian place.

We have tried a lot of things here. In fact my wife is constantly found here during lunch hour with her office colleagues. She vouches for the North Indian Thali priced at Rs. 120/-. She also occasionally goes there in the mornings for breakfast (faults of having a good eating place near a foodie's office). They serve classic Madras fare in the mornings - Dosa, Idli, Vada, Poori Bhaji and the like.

The last time we were at Punjab Di Rasoi (together), we tried Lassi and Paav Bhaji.

The Lassi here is a perfect blend of taste and texture. They have two variants, Malai and Mango. Malai is our family favorite. Our cousin Dafy, who was visiting from Delhi had Lassi with us here and agreed to its authenticity. Mind you, one glass of regular Lassi can really fill you up. Nanma, the little foodie loved it, as is evident from the picture.

The Paav Bhaji took me back to my Nasik days. Perfectly buttered bread (paav) with tangy-spicy bhaji and a sprinkling of raw onions and lime juice...yummmm.

They also have some smashing desserts like their paan-flavoured Rasmalai. In the evenings they serve a variety of Chaats and other variants of street food. The Northern-style Pickle, Vinegar-ed Onions and Pudina Chutney platter - a mainstay of all North Indian Hotels- is also available on demand.

Though there is no other food joint in Calicut of the order of Punjab Di Rasoi, we have seen an evident deterioration in the ambiance of the place over time. However, the food experience remains. Adjacent to the hotel is their new Sweets Store which offers you a wide variety of North Indian sweets, otherwise rare in Calicut. A must  try!