Guest Post by Jason Galletti

Chef Jason Galletti’s passion for exceptional and unique catering experiences inspired him to bring together G`Day Chef to life in 2005. For over ten years now, Jason and his team has provided catering and event services in Melbourne that use the very best Victorian Produce, delivered with consideration of the newest and most delicious culinary trends.

It was a sunny afternoon when our plane landed in Bagdogra. As we descended the aircraft, we were greeted by military helicopters and airplanes. It turns out Bagdogra Airport is a civil cum military airport.

Our first stop in West Bengal was Darjeeling. We stayed in a 5-star hotel which was the only good thing about our stay in Darjeeling. During our two day stay in Darjeeling, we visited several places like the mall road, ghum monastery, Japanese temple and the tiger hill. I do have to admit though that Tiger Hill is a beautiful place to visit if you reach there on time – at dawn. Sadly we were a bit late to arrive at the place, but we still managed to catch a glimpse of the shimmering sunrays.

From what I got to know from the locals, there has been a lot of urbanization recently in Darjeeling which is why the place has lost its charm.

We tried a lot of Indian dishes but what stood out for us were Momos. These dough based steam buns and the accompanying chutney made us cry but in a good way. Both my wife and I love spicy food, and these buns were the ultimate treat you could give to spicy food lovers like us.

Our Next and final stop in West Bengal was Kolkata previously known as Calcutta. As soon as we came out of the airport, we knew this place is going to be fun from the chaos we saw on the roads and streets.

My wife who loves everything Indian bought 9 Sarees from the Burrabazaar. Burrabazaar is the perfect example of the beautiful Chaos India represents. We reached the market taking the metro and got down at the Mahatma Gandhi Road Station. I feel Indian government should build Metro in every city as it is a pain in the butt to travel by the road in India. Okay, keeping my rant aside, let’s talk about Dakshineshwar temple

I loved the ambiance of the Dakshineshwar Kali temple. I know that the local crowd loves goddess Kali, and I could it feel it in the temple. The vibes gave me the chills, to be honest.

As far as food is concerned, I noticed that the food here is remarkably different from Darjeeling which lies in the same state. While Kolkata has an extensive array of sweets, Darjeeling has none at least I could not find any.

Moreover, the Nonvegeterian food is so much better here. I liked Fish Curry the most though. I tried it at Lokahaar which has intricate Bengal handwork on the walls, the colorful, sturdy grass table, and chairs add to to the theme of the restaurant. In fact, I liked the dish so much that I decided to meet the chef to know the secret behind its lip smacking taste. The chef was generous enough to reveal the complete recipe to me!!

We traveled to other cities too and overall we had a great time in India. The food, the culture, the people, everything is simply fantastic.