Golf Course, Tea Garden and a Tea Lounge in Kolkata – that’s ‘Yule Tea Lounge’ for you!

Often when you feel like running away from this mundane filth and dirt all around, you realize that you have actually got nowhere to go in this crowded city that’s filled with opportunities and demons, both at the same time! Kolkata is no exception, though it’s called the ‘city of joy’ but there are elements, like in every other city, that can tear you apart and leave you stranded, searching for ‘joy’! But there are bits and pieces of the city, which I call my ‘hideouts’, where I can go and find some solace in the time of distress. One such place which is very close to my residence is the Tea Garden and an isolated, wooden Tea Lounge! It’s called the Yule Tea Lounge! Andrew Yule & Co, that owns 15 tea gardens in West Bengal and Assam made the investment in this property along with HIDCO.

And by the way, you read that right. There is actually a Tea Garden here in Kolkata! I was myself amazed to discover this and I genuinely think this is one of best city secrets that very few people actually know of! A few days ago I was at this place which is there is Eco Park, Newtown. You need to enter this place through Eco Park Gate #3.

The Yule Tea Lounge looks absolutely brilliant or rather eye pleasing with that Toy Train placed right outside its boundary, close to the entrance giving the feel of a hill station. And the tea lounge in itself looks classy and comforting, the main reason being its architecture and structure. It’s like a wooden country-side English tea parlor with a hill-top aroma smeared all over it! The Tea Garden is right there adjacent to this Tea Lounge.

Well, like we all might know tea plantation in Kolkata is a difficult proposition. And kudos to Mr. Neil for taking this up and giving all the efforts to make this happen. The plantation is of course on a slightly sloped land with shady trees all around and water sprinkler operating almost round the clock, the soil has been brought in from Dooars as well. This man-made arrangement looks absolutely amazing and I was actually left stunned to see tea plants growing and leading a happy and healthy life right here in my city. I am sure majority of the city dwellers are unaware of this. When I was standing amidst that tea plantation, believe me, I felt so relaxed and for a moment I simply forgot that I was in Kolkata!

By the way, this tea garden produces nearly 300 kgs of hand-made tea every year! Now again coming back to the Tea Lounge, I loved the setting of this place most along with the décor and ambiance. Inside the lounge it is very spacious, they haven’t cramped up the place with loads of furniture. You can also get your gang for some tea party or for some serious conference or meeting at this venue. The tea lounge has three areas – AC, non-AC, and a tent. Basically, there are outdoor seating arrangements with classy white tent like shades that you can’t ignore.

You can also do some tea tasting at this venue free of cost. You can surely have a huge variety of tea at this place – Darjeeling tea, Assam tea, Oolong classic, varieties of green, white, Jasmine tea, flavored teas and much more.

You get various flavors of Iced Tea as well at this place. Also to pair with that, you get some amazing and filling snacking options as well that includes Momos, Fish fingers, Fish Fries, Sandwiches, Pasta, noodles or even Pakoras. Momos at this place are a must-have. On special order, they can prepare pork and beef momos for you as well, which are not there in the menu.

Few days back when I was here at this place, I tried some of their food items and variants of tea and I mostly loved them all. I had – Chicken Momos, which were meaty and juicy, they were perfectly prepared and extremely flavorful. It was served with clear momo soup and red chili sauce perfect to go with the momos. Then we tried the Fish Fingers which had tender and fresh fish fillet rolled in there having a perfectly deep-fried crispy covering. It was served with mustard sauce and potato wafers, absolutely perfect for evening snacks.

Then I tried the Chicken Salami Sandwich which was basically fresh chicken salami sandwiched with white bread having a dressing of mayonnaise and fresh veggies. It was served with simple tomato sauce and potato wafers. Coming to the variants of tea, I tasted Green apple iced tea, Darjeeling tea, Chilli masala iced tea, Gondhoraj iced tea. I loved my cup of Darjeeling tea and the Gondhoraj Iced Tea.

Now, coming to another surprise element of this place. Besides this fascinating tea garden and tea lounge, you can play a game of golf as well at this place. Yes, I was again surprised to discover that Kolkata has a huge Golf Course close to this tea lounge where you need not pay any membership fees or have the hassle of pre-booking. Just go and play as much as you like in exchange for a nominal and reasonable fee!

Also, they train you as well, so you can start playing Golf like a pro in no time. So you can sip your Darjeeling tea at the Tea lounge and enjoy golfing in this plush golf course right here in the city of joy! Apart from Golf, there are several other activities as well at this place like Kayaking, Cycling, Archery, etc.

So, overall if you are coming to Eco Park (Kolkata) this is one place you should not miss. If you want to get directly to the Golf Course it’s better you enter through Gate #6, or else enter through Gate #3 if you wanna first go to the Yule Tea Lounge and Tea Garden. I am sure you will love this entire experience, but yes, please do not visit this place if you are in a hurry, in that case, you won’t be able to soak into the peace and calmness of this place at all. This gem of a place demands some time from you as well. So, this weekend plan a visit to this place with your family and friends and let me know how you liked this place in the comments section below.

Cheers!

 

P.S. Foodiedada was at this place on PR invitation, for review purpose.