6 days ago
Resto war heats up in Hills as Darj icons vie with brand from Kolkata
Kolkata: Darjeeling's iconic confectionery Glenary's and breakfast joint Keventer's now face competition from Kolkata's heritage tea room Flurys, with the latter setting up shop a few metres away on Nehru Road.
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Flurys, the European-style tea room on Park Street in Kolkata, was founded by Swiss couple Mr and Mrs J Flury in 1927. The Apeejay Group acquired Flurys in 1965. Despite its popularity, it continued to exist only on Park Street until the turn of the century. It was around 2013 that it began expanding. This expansion drive picked up speed in recent years, with the setting up of outlets in neighbourhoods across Kolkata. Beyond Kolkata, Flurys now has around 15 outlets in Mumbai, apart from two each in Hyderabad and Bhubaneswar, and one each in Delhi, Indore, and Gangtok.
In recent years, it has expanded beyond Kolkata to the rest of Bengal, with outlets and kiosks in Durgapur, Serampore, and Chandannagar in south Bengal, and six locations in north Bengal, including two in Siliguri.
The Flurys outlet in Darjeeling is the seventh unit in north Bengal and the 103rd overall. Situated in the Shangrila Complex, just a few steps from Darjeeling Mall, it will not only give competition to Glenary's, which was set up in 1885, but also to Keventer's.
The 26-seater outlet retains Flurys' signature rose-pink interior and vintage-style decor. On its menu are signature Flurys items, like buttery chicken patties, zesty lemon tarts, rum balls, and the classic English breakfast. It will also serve Darjeeling tea in Darjeeling.
Darjeeling has seen several cafes come up in recent years, including Himalayan Coffee, which serves confectioneries in a cosy setting, Himalayan Java Coffee, which specialises in Indian coffee beans roasted in-house, Tom & Jerry's Cafe, which serves all-day breakfast, the rooftop tea bar and cafe Golden Tips Teattoria Chowrasta, and Frank Ross Cafe, which serves vegan food.
