Raj's Spanish Cafe, 7 Sudder Street

I heard about this place, called Raj's Spanish Cafe, a long while back from a friend. I had been wanting to go and one day DH wanted to go and we looked up the directions, but then decided he would eat something at home, so we never went.

Then one day I went out with my friend, P, to New Market to buy a few things and we ended up here. The first time I didn't take any photos, but the food was amazing. I ordered a Spinach Ricotta Cannelloni (Rs 125 or $2.29), while P ordered the Pollo (chicken) platter (for Rs 150 or $2.75). The cannelloni weren't the best. It was a square of about 4-5 inches by 3-4 inches. There was hardly any ricotta cheese, it basically was a bit mixed in with the spinach and blocking the ends, and there wasn't enough sauce. Hardly worth the 125 rupees I paid. P got her chicken, it was 2 long thin strips of chicken, with a small salad on the side (lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, capsicum) and a good amount of french fries. I can't remember what coffee drink she had, but she loved it, while I ordered a iced tea. The ice tea was made with a tea bag (Twinnings Breakfast tea) and was quite sour (even for me...) and after I added 2 small packages of sugar it was palatable. Since I was still hungry I also ordered the mediteranean salad (Rs 80 or $1.47) which was AMAZING. It was this big plate of lettuce, with capsicum, tomato, carrot, black olives and a dollop of feta cheese on top. They had some oil and vinegar on the side and I poured that stuff on like there was no tomorrow! Loved it! The customer service is pretty good...Also I think here you can get internet for like Rs 25 ($0.46) an hour (seeing as some lady told the guy at the register 2 hours and gave him a Rs 50 note.)

Now, I went with a friend on Saturday and ordered a bowl of hot and sour soup (Rs 40 or $0.73) and the mediteranean salad, and a iced tea (this time made with twinnings lemon tea) while my friend, A, ordered the chicken salad (Rs 120 or $2.20) and the tuna sandwich (Rs 70 or $1.28), which was basically just 3 slices of wheat bread with a slight layer of tuna on it.

The soup was ok, it was a from a Knorr's package, I saw them pouring it in the pot, but it came with 2 slices of bread, slightly soft and hard, so perfect! The salad came, and I noticed they gave me a bigger dollop of feta cheese today, so that made me super happy! A got his salad and was happy (he'd never had so much of lettuce before!) and also some iced mocha cafe (Rs 70, or $1.28) which he said was pretty good. All in all, I was happy and it only cost me Rs 425 ($7.79).

Here are some photos :

My hot and sour soup

My mediteranean salad

chicken salad

My iced tea

A's Iced Mocha Cafe

Road side shopping

Well, today DH told me he needed a screen protector for his phone. So being the dutiful wife that I am, I went out and got it.

This is how it happened.

First, I went to the mall and asked, at one store they wanted Rs. 395!! What?! I had paid Rs 90 at a road-side stall last time, so I gave it back and wandered out to the street. I got on a bus next, and went to Gariahat.

Here I went to the same stall I had purchased it from last time (remember I paid only Rs 90 then!) and asked the guy if they had the appropriate item. He didn't have it in stock at the moment, but once the other customer had completed their transaction he went into the main store and brought the requested item. Here is how the conversation went.

Me: Koto? (How much?)
SK: 160
Me: Dada, aami age 90-ta taka diyechhi. (Dada, I have given 90 rupees before)
SK: 90?
Me: Haa, 90. (Yes, 90)
SK: 120
Me: Kintu Dada, aami *ekhon* theke age kinechhilam, aar aami 90 diyechhi. (But Dada, I have purchased one for 90 rupees from here before)
SK: 120
Me: Fine

and I started to walk away

SK: thik achhe didi, ayk sho (ok didi, 100)
Me: ok

So I gave him the 100 rupees and walked away.

I felt relieved, I had seen that he was trying to rip me off, and I didn't let it happen. I bargained (and successfully I might add, saving 60 rupees!) for the first time. :-)

Do All Salesmen Lie?

Well, right around the Durga Puja's DH told me that he wanted to go see Peepli Live! so I looked and found that one was playing that afternoon. So off we went. I had also been telling me (for a very long time!!) that he needed to buy new jeans. So we went and watched the movie, which was in Hindi, so it needed to be translated for me! We were wandering around the mall when we spotted a Levi's store, and so we went in. DH starts looking around and then said, "lets go" so we left. I asked him what was up, and he told me that he didn't like the store because it was trying to be something it wasn't. We proceeded on our expedition for jeans, and ended up at the Lee store. They were very helpful and we managed to find 2 pairs of jeans that DH purchased. Well, here, if the pants are too long they will alter them for you (no additional charge) within a day or 2 (or if in cases of emergencies or flights same-day is possible). So we left the jeans with the store and were told to come back 2 days later to retrieve the jeans.

FAST FORWARD TO 2 DAYS LATER :

I arrive at the mall about 30 minutes or so before the scheduled time to pick up the jeans, so I wandered around. Just at 5pm I went to the store and was told that the jeans had not been completed that day and that they had spoken to DH and told him they would be ready tomorrow. Fine, no big deal! So out I went and then I called DH and asked him why if they had told him that they weren't ready he hadn't relayed the message to me? He proceeded to say he received no such call (missed calls yes, but he was in meetings and unable to take them!). So, then I was angry! I went back to the store and started going off. With my New York attitude, not so hard! I was furious because they had point-blank lied to me!

I went in and started let them have it, I attempted to scold them in bangla, but my bangla was not holding up well, and I was seriously screwing it up! So then I proceeded to english. I asked them WHY they had told me that they had told DH they would be ready tomorrow, when in fact they had not spoken to DH at all? Merely had called him! Why not just tell me the truth! Then the store manager said to me, "Madam, come back in 1 hour, they will be ready." I said ok, and wandered around the mall some more.

Meanwhile, they had again called DH and apologized and he explained to them why I was so angry. After an hour I went back and picked up the jeans.

The it is decided I need to buy some new jeans as the ones I currently own are getting worn-out. I decide to head to the same Lee store, knowing I will get the best service. I walk in and they are all like, "Madam, yes, how can we help you?" and proceeded to help me pick out a pair of jeans, after discarding most of the options (cause I ain't gonna wear no skinny leg jeans!!). Thank goodness those jeans were already the correct length, so there was no need to alter them.

Well, yesterday I went back to this same store to purchase another pair of jeans. I told them I don't want skinny leg pants at all!! So they look over the whole store looking for my correct size and desire. I found a pair I liked, and since they were long on me, they would have to be altered. They said they would come back tomorrow, and I said, "pucca?" (you sure?), yes they responded.

Well...as I'm ringing up the purchase, the poor guy who got the brunt of my rage last time walks in, and tells me, "yes, madam, they will be ready tomorrow" and proceeds to tell the other salesmen that I had already had a problem. He was claiming that the problem was because of the puja's and that the alterations were not ready, and I told him that was incorrect, it was because they had lied.

So I went back today to pick up my jeans, almost hoping that they weren't done, so I could be a total raving lunatic again for a good reason...ok, not really, but you know, it woulda been fun!! And they were ready :-)