Oh Calcutta! transitions from one novelty to another. Picture by Rashbehari Das

A great meal with some good music... It?s a desi version of Hard Rock Caf? as Oh Calcutta! puts a song on the lips of its gourmet gang while providing a launch pad for budding singers.

Touted as a ?celebration of the city?s culinary heritage?, the popular restaurant on the fourth level of Forum has stirred up a novel recipe to add a musical key to its cuisine cauldron.

Friday through Sunday, over a scrumptious dinner of Kankra Chingri Bhapa, Gandharaj Maachh, Daab Chingri and Bhapa Sandesh, one can also savour the strains of Tagore or a Hemanta golden oldie, rendered live by a young singer.

?There are world restaurants which have propelled singers and musicians by giving them the critical primary push. We are trying to provide a platform for local talent to be showcased. We have started the concept with Bengali songs, cutting across genres,? says Anjan Chatterjee, director, Speciality Restaurants Pvt Ltd, owners of the Mainland China and Oh Calcutta! brands.

If the ?extremely promising? Kanchan Banerjee has been entrusted with the opening bars of the Oh Calcutta! odyssey, there is a host of talented singers waiting in the wings. Auditions are being held and a panel of ?highly qualified? judges is busy with headphones for the evaluation. Several voices, once picked, will be rotated through the week, offering a choice of multiple melodies, all in Bengali.

?While our literature is so rich and multi-layered, and has a worldwide audience, there?s hardly any opportunity for youngsters singing Bengali songs to make their mark. This is where we want to come in and act as a culture carrier,? says Chatterjee, who admits to having borrowed the concept from Hard Rock Caf?, responsible for launching a clutch of international artistes.

Speciality Restaurants is keen to carry forward the song saga by offering recording contracts to ?genuinely gifted? youngsters through sister label Accord Records, which pushes only Bengali music. Oh Calcutta! already has an instrumental compilation of Tagore songs and is planning to market it commercially.

?We want to keep the agenda very open and not limit ourselves to Rabindrasangeet. From modern Bengali to folk to Bangla rock, we will encourage home-turf talent from all categories and give them a chance to take their music to our discerning clientele, while we provide them with umbrella assistance,? Chatterjee stresses.

Diners will be asked to award points to the performers through a feedback sheet and the scoring pattern will determine fine-tuning of the food-floor fiesta of Bengali music. ?We have had tremendous audience response till now and people are participating wholeheartedly, often lending their voice or placing requests for favourites,? says Sanjoy Roy, manager of the restaurant.