Magnolia Restaurant

Our place is at 12K on Park Street, right across from the Park Hotel. It is a busy spot in Kolkata and the traffic outside never really stops at any hour. We have been here for a good number of years now. Most mornings start early with us dragging the heavy chairs out and wiping down all the tables. The old fans hum all day long to keep things cool. We get a mix of people coming in, some who are in a hurry and others who just want to sit for an hour and talk. The menu has stayed mostly the same because that is what people expect when they walk through the front door. We have some old staff members who have been with us since the very start. They know where every little thing is kept, even when the lights flicker. Sometimes the kitchen gets a bit loud when the orders pile up during the lunch rush. We try to keep things organized but it is a busy restaurant, so things often get messy. We spend a lot of time dealing with various suppliers and checking the fresh vegetables. It is not a very quiet job at all. There is always something to fix, like a leaky tap or a loose floor tile. We just keep going because this is what we know how to do. It feels like home to us even if it is just a workplace. The street outside is always changing but inside things stay steady.