Calcutta has been the original standalone diner’s paradise since the boxwallah days—Skyroom, Mocambo and Blue Fox were legends of their time—but fine dining (like everything else) had taken a bit of a blow outside the five-stars in recent years. That changed in the new millennium with the entry of Mainland China on Gurusaday Dutta Road. Says Anjan Chatterjee, who has experienced super success with this chain in every Indian metro and who’s coming to Delhi in the next few months: "The response in Calcutta was outstanding. The profile, volume and indeed the contours of dining out in the city have undergone tremendous change." The Calcutta foodie was discerning, though always value-conscious. But now almost in a schizophrenic way, people are spending more on eating out and making an adventure of it. Mohamed Asif, general manager of Grain of Salt, Sanjeev Kapoor’s signature restaurant agrees entirely.
Calcutta
Oh Calcutta! was born along with Forum, the mall on Elgin Road. Not just Bengali food, it also offers a sampling of cosmopolitan Calcutta. While you get the best dab chingri (prawns in tender coconut milk served in green coconut) here, the shorshe parshe (a freshly cooked sweet water in mustard sauce) is to die for. Of course, there are old Anglo-Indian favourites such as the smoked hilsa (a mug speciality from the Raj days).
Bhajahari Manna, named after the legendary character of the popular ’60s Bengali film song, whose repertoire includes biryani, korma, potoler dolma and Paris er chichki encompassing Istanbul, Japan and Kabul. Filmmaker Gautam Ghosh wanted to diversify and came up with this one! If you want the real taste—from the subtle shukto to the tangy mustard—of home-cooked Bong food, Bhajahari will serve it up for you in its clean, air-conditioned interiors. Since the space at The Ekdalia outlet was clearly too little, he’s opened up at Hazra Road too.
Shisha, the city’s only lounge hookah bar, opened up last year. It’s next to Grain of Salt and run by the same people. Very stylish, very hip. Just flavoured hookah, cigars and imported scotch is not what draws the crowds on Wednesday and Saturday nights, DJ Girish plays r&b Funky Progressive and Free Style respectively. You also get to see the best-pierced navels in town here.
Cloud 9, the bar at The Astor, which has been re-launched as a night club last year, is a new hot spot. Being close to old favourites like Tantra and Someplace Else, it’s an important stop on the bar-hopping circuit in Central Calcutta, as is The Bar at the new Hyatt.
Bars
- Cloud 9: Nightclub at The Astor, Shakespeare Sarani
- Dublin: Watering hole for the rich and famous, ITC Shonar Bangla
- Shisha: Hookahs, cigars and navels, 22, Camac Street
- The Bar: Be seen here, The Hyatt Regency, Salt Lake
- Winning Streak: For the young and wild, Hotel Hindustan International, AJC Bose Road
Restaurants
- Bhajahari Manna: Bangla Ranna, like they make it at home, Ekdalia Road, Hazra
- Grain of Salt: Sanjeev Kapoor in your mouth, 22, Camac Street
- Oh Calcutta!: The real taste of Calcutta, Forum Mall, Elgin Road
- West View Grill and Bar: Interactive cooking haven, with celebs thrown in, ITC Shonar Bangla, Sheraton and Towers