Breakfast at Flurry's

I am from Meerut, a small town in Uttar Pradesh. Kolkata is my mother's hometown so every summer vacation right from junior school was spent at my grandparents place there. The few things which had left an impression about Kolkata on me were Victoria Memorial, Rasgullas (droolllll), no power cuts (I am from UP, this aspect seemed like a miracle) and pastries from Flury's.

Now Flury's as a name did not really ring a bell at that young age. For me, it was just another pastry shop which made the most amazing rum balls and chocolate truffle pastries. The first time the legacy of this place struck me was in college, when I went to see "Parineeta". Set in Kolkata of the early 1900's, this movie had a constant mention of Flury's throughout. I was doing my graduation in History so this fact set me thinking. My curiosity about the place rose by leaps and bounds since I realized that by some amazing chance I had never been to Flury's in all the sixteen summers that I spent in Kolkata. For my family Flury's was such a common name and so far away that the pastries always came home.

Due to some unlucky circumstances I was not able to go to Kolkata in succession for a long time. So my dream to finally go and have breakfast at Flury's kept on getting delayed but was never forgotten. A lot of time passed by and I reached my final year of Post Graduation. Usually we hardly have time to breath here but swine flu came to Pune with a welcome break for all of us (desperation personified). Finally I got the opportunity to go to Kolkata and explore my much awaited dream of breakfast at Flury's.

The first day itself i told my cousins that whatever we may do I have to go to Flury's for breakfast once. We fixed up the plan and finally the long awaited day arrived. Since Flury's is a little far from my place in Kolkata we had to go really early. It was a weekend that day and even though we were there at around 9 in the morning, the place was absolutely crowded and there was a long line waiting outside. I was without a doubt, totally and completely amazed. We had to stand in queue from around an hour before we got a place to sit inside.

Flury's has been renovated from its earlier British setting. My mother told me that previously there had been two entrances, one which led to the breakfast section and the other which led to the pastry section. But now there is just one single entrance. Tall arches and high cielings, they transported any visitor there back to the pre independence period where Kolkata was the britishers seat of power. The authorities at Flury's have preserved some items from the earlier British Flury's like a teapot, some cutlery etc in an Almirah. Eyes get drawn towards the ambience which includes some photographs from the earlier period.

The actual breakfast itself was an unforgettable experience which went by in a blur. Muffins, different kinds of oven warm breaks, baked beans on toast, croissants, the list just refused to end. The pastries and cakes section was another paradise altogether. One can easily spend hours just drooling over the smells and decorations on those delightful sweets, I can guarantee that (I did'nt drool, just gaped openmouthed at the counters). Our stomaches were full but we still wanted more.

I came back from Flury's with both my appetite as well as curiosity satisfied. It was very easy to dissern that Flury's is not just any regular eating joint but is a landmark which the people of Kolkata understand and respect. To be able to enjoy a quiet breakfast at Flury's is an experience which can never be forgotten by anyone. As for me, I finally understood the legend that Flury's is and lament on all the wonderful breakfast opportunities i missed out in my earlier years. But now I have promised myself that whenever i find my way back to Kolkata I will make sure that I go and pay my tribute to one of the landmarks of the city by having Breakfast at Flury's.