A Click Away

While Delhi and Mumbai foodies had the luxury of booking tables,getting updates on discounts and even going through the menu of the restaurant before leaving their homes (thanks to a number of food-based websites to their disposal),we would make do with perfunctory Sulekha searches. But not anymore,the enormously popular http://www.foodiebay.com,which has been the unofficial food counselor to Delhi food connoisseurs for the past few months,has started finally started Kolkata services.

Which means eating out in Kolkata has become an easier experience. The website offers stunning food pictures,restaurant reviews and most importantly,menu cards of the eateries. And their user friendly search options make the website a delight for anyone who needs to information in a jiffy. Started by a four-member team from IIT,Delhi,the site which generates revenues from restaurant advertisements,has registered a 20 percent growth in the last few months. Theirs’ is a twelve-member team which is supposed to grow in the coming months. “We get 35,000 visitors every month. We also offer discount coupons,” says Pankaj Chaddah,co-founder and marketing head,Foodiebay.

Other food-based websites in the city don’t quite live up to the standards of Foodiebay,but offers sufficient information. http://www.burrp.com offers visitors a more or less comprehensive listing of Kolkata eateries and also invites reviews from patrons. The website is updated regularly and is abreast with latest happenings in the restaurant of Kolkata. However,the same can’t be said about http://www.kolkatafoodguide.org. The website commits the cardinal sin of listing an eatery which no longer exists in its favourite section. It’s glowing review of the Café Coffee Pai,a popular Camac Street café which closed down last year,ends up being an unintentional obituary to one of the city’s most love hangout joints.