AN EVENING AT CHA BAR, PARK STREET

Any book lover in the city would have had visited the Oxford Bookstore which is situated in Park Street. And what can be better than a cup of tea while reading a book, right? Cha Bar is located on the first floor of the Oxford Bookstore and has one of the best collection of teas in the city. I have visited the bookstore many a times but never had the chance of trying the teas or the food in Cha Bar. So when I was invited by blogger Indrajit Lahiri for this event, I was pretty excited. 

The first thing that would strike your eyes as soon as you enter the place is the brilliant decor and the ambience. The wall art provides you with interesting tea trivia and many exciting design elements. Such an unique way to enlighten us with the brilliant facts! As we were having a chat among ourselves, Mr. Nitin Warikoo, (Head Cha Bar and Business Development) joined us and shared with us many facts about Cha Bar. 

The decorated walls in Cha Bar, Kolkata

Some tea trivia

If you go through the menu, you will come across more than 150 kind of teas, but thankfully, they selected a few special teas for us and that made our decisions easier. I, being not so experimental with tea, opted for a simple Masala Cha which I was told is amazing. After having the first sip, I agree to the fact that it was brilliant with the perfect amount of spices. An interesting item on the menu was the Bollywood Mix Masala Cha. On being asked about its specialty, Nitin told us that this has a bit subtle taste with slightly lower degree of spices and it is served in the kettles painted by Pakistani truck artists. 

Masala Cha

Bollywood Art on the Tea Pots

There are many other types of teas which include some Ayurvedic and herbal teas and a wide range of green teas. You also have the option of trying the local teas from various parts of the world like the Kashmiri Kahwa or the Bhutanese Noon Cha. One interesting thing is that all these teas are served in the traditional ways and that enhances your experience to completely another level. If you are a fan of green tea, you might try the Arabic Spice tea which is basically green tea infused with some spices. The Moroccan Mint tea is yet another good pick in the list. Nitin also recommended to have Panchdhatu which is infused with five different Ayurvedic herbs that relate to the five different elements in the Human Body.

Moroccan Mint Tea

For us Indians, tea pairs the best with some sort of savory items. Cha Bar offers you an amazing variety of sandwiches to go along with your tea. Though there are a lot of options to try from, you must surely have the Roast Chicken and Mayo Sandwich which had a generous amount of Mayo to please your taste buds. I also loved the Squished Egg and Kasundi Mustard Sandwich as you know that the pairing of eggs with the flavor of mustard is just perfect. If you are looking for vegetarian options, you may try the Cheese and Tomato Grilled Sandwich.

Roast Chicken and Mayo Sandwich

Squished Egg and Kasundi Mustard Sandwich

Cheese and Tomato Grilled Sandwich

The latest entrant in the menu of Cha Bar is the Fish and Chips, which is highly recommended by Nitin. What can be better than a thick fillet of basa, thinly coated and fried to perfection, paired with some crunchy french fries and Mayo? Sounds delicious, right? It was frankly the best fish and chips I tried in the city and I would love to go back for more. 

Fish and Chips at Cha Bar, Kolkata

As Nitin said, there are some teas which go really well with desserts and so, you might try out the different muffins and pastries available there. 

This is the perfect place to spend some lone time, with a book and a cup of tea or you may also come here and meet over an Adda. Your pick! For students like us who search for budget cafes and restaurants, this is truly an ideal place.