Back from Delhi, ready for Deli

February 6, 2014: I arrived Kolkata yesterday night. The flight was delayed. By the time I reached home it was past midnight.

In Delhi, after attending a private function on Sunday evening, I had a lot of meetings on Monday and Tuesday at the India International Centre, Taj, Maurya and so on. I also heard the sad news about the demise of Jagdish Sharma, ex-ambassador of India to Vietnam, and Kavita Sharma’s husband. More sad news followed with the death of Puneet, son of Congress politician, Santosh Bagrodia. I visited their residences and paid my condolences.

Today evening I had committed for four functions, including the opening of Smoke House Deli chain of restaurants run by my friends Manjri Agarwal and Abhilasha Sethia at the Quest Mall.

Smoke House Deli comes to Kolkata after launches in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Though I do not take alcohol, I had read in some review and was curious about this restaurant's signature cocktails with “floral inclusion” because the idea of sipping flowers in cocktails is little out of the way and I would be more interested in seeing how it is prepared with fruits, flowers and herbs.

ess bee