A day’s break at Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass

The trigger to take a break at Vivanta Kolkata, Bypass 

Madhushree was back from a successful food festival in Mustard Mumbai and I was exhausted managing two kids. This was, in fact, the first Durga Puja that Madhushree and I spent separately. Since the time she came back, the Shubho Bijoya Phone calls and the kids going rampant rarely gave us a chance to have a proper conversation. So, when this invitation came in for a staycation at Taj Vivanta Kolkata, we had enough triggers to grab it with both hands 

The Welcome –

Address of Vivanta Kolkata, EM Bypass

This was the erstwhile The Gateway Hotel, Bypass which has now been revamped to Taj Vivanta Kolkata.

Address is –  1930 Rajdanga Main Road Kolkata – 107 . You can call up 033 66653025 or check their website (Link) for any further details 

Room and comfort at Vivanta Kolkata, EM Bypass 

The proximity of the property from our home has always given us the liberty to drop in here frequently. Therefore, we have some excellent memories of food here and it has been with 3 executive chefs (Chef Ashis, Chef Deep and current Chef Parthiv). The pristine white walls on the corridor holds some great photographs of West Bengal and Kolkata. So even though the structure remains the same, the interiors have completely changed. There is so much more of Kolkata in this property. Don’t miss out the Kantha stitch on the bed runners. There is jhalmuri and chanachur as refreshments in the mini bar.  

The premium rooms have beautiful Kolkata hand painted canvas series. Each one of them catches your eye, at the passages as well as in the rooms. From yellow taxis, Kolkata tram to a hand pulled rickshaw walla, these canvas paintings are visually striking.

The Fitness centre and the swimming pool at the rooftop of Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass

One of the major attractions of the property is the rooftop gym and swimming pool. There is a stunning view overlooking the bypass and the Gym has internet TV with all modern equipment. So if you are one of those persons who hates working out during holidays, this can be a good change. 

Aamish Thali and Mynt – the All-day dining

The all-day dining is called Mynt. It is a long rectangular space with an exterior glass capsule seating area.  A small community table at the end of the restaurant with high chairs is quite sought after. It faces the open interactive kitchen, where the chefs perform their magic.  The buffet counter is housed in one corner with the walls covered in utensils from the past. However, the most attractive part of Mynt is the 187 ft wooden mural across the length of the coffee shop. All you have got to do is look up to your left as you enter.  There are several shades of intricate wood work depicting Kolkata and its local life. 

Mutton Gelassi and Dhakai chicken

The thali had mutton gelassi (an all-time favourite), chatu parota, a fine light daal, mochar chop, chingri macher chop too. It also had a Dhakai chicken which surprisingly was better than the mutton gelassi on this day. If you are new to Kolkata, then this thali is a must try to get a flavour of Bengali and Bangladeshi dishes. Having said that, the menu covers a lot of North Indian food, continental and Oriental dishes. However, the Oriental is the one to definitely explore. What we also heard was that a pizza oven is soon to take center stage of this all day dining. 

Jhalmuri, cha and the singer. Evenings at Vivanta Kolkata

Evenings for Bengalis are meant for street food and some cha and adda. The jhalmuri cart comes on the ground floor every evening, making some jhalmuri for the guests with some cha (tea) in small glasses. The cha tastes just like roadside tea stalls and invokes so many memories. There is a lady who sings melodious Bengali folk and Rabindrasangeet here every evening. Her beautiful voice floats around in the large lobby area. In case Jhalmuri is not your preference, then walk upto Swirl the deli. Pastries, croissants, egg chops, puff pastries and some great breads – the options are galore here.

Can you Wink straight? Wink the bar

A cosy place with soft lights and all on the theme wink. That’s the bar for you at Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass. There are several cocktails to try from and a hat tip will be to check out the crisp lambs and tempura prawns. We had a couple of cocktails, one especially from the Signature menu- Bangalore Buzz. It is a speciality of the Blue Bar at Taj West End Bangalore. Both of our drinks were successful enough to set the mood for the dinner. 

Dinner and the breakfast

We ordered a simple pad Thai noodles soup loaded with chicken, pork and prawns on a base of a soothing light broth which brought a perfect closure to the day. The morning next day had a flute player in the lobby welcoming the morning with soothing tunes. Breakfast laid out was indulgent and had all the mood lifters. So just like my stay at Taj Bengal Kolkata – the eggs made my day. 

Room Fact Sheet of Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass 

There is a total inventory of 197 room keys out of which 158 is operational now and the rest will be in circulation soon. The different categories of rooms are Superior, Deluxe, Premium, Executive Suite, Deluxe Suite and Premium Suite. One can get the details from the website – link shared above.

Premium Suite –

Premium rooms 

The wall paintings