When talking about relishing opar Bangla food in a restaurant, Kasturi consistently ranks among the top favourites. From probashi Bengalis to foreigners, Kasturi has established itself as a go-to place for diners in search of home-style, budget-friendly and authentic Bengali food. The restaurant chain has been serving Bengali Dhakai specialities across its 14 branches in Kolkata, Siliguri, Puri and Guwahati. Marking a milestone, it has launched its 15th outlet at Principal Khudiram Bose Road in Hatibagan, the heart of north Kolkata’s shopping hub. The doors opened on May 7, with actress Koneenica Banerjee gracing the inauguration. My Kolkata caught up with second-gen owner Bishal Saha to learn more about the rich legacy of Kasturi.

(L-R) Bishal Saha, Koneenica Banerjee and Teena Saha at the inauguration

1. Did you know? Kasturi started as a pice or bhaater hotel and not as a restaurant. It opened in 1994 on Free School Street (Mirza Ghalib Street), an area popularly known as ‘Little Bangladesh’.

2. History of the flagship outlet: “My father, Late Gopal Chandra Saha, opened the first Kasturi with only four tables,” says current custodian Bishal. Today, the restaurant has 120 covers. The Dhakai menu back then at the pice hotel was limited; there was rice, a variety of vegetables, dal, big and small fish curry, one chicken dish and a mutton dish.

3. Family culinary heritage: The Saha family’s brush with the food business spans over 70 years. Bishal’s grandfather used to run restaurants in Dhaka, and then his father started Kasturi in 1994. Bishal joined the business in 2010.

4. Pice hotel to restaurant format: Gradually, as business expanded, the hotel expanded its menu and the hotel took the shape of a family restaurant. By 2015, Kasturi had four outlets.

The location of the 15th outlet was decided keeping in mind the hustle and bustle of the shopping hub of Hatibagan

5. Beyond borders: After the demise of his father, Bishal took over making Kasturi an even more popular name, opening more outlets in the city and looking beyond the borders at Guwahati, Puri and Siliguri.

6. Number of outlets today: Currently, there are 12 outlets in Kolkata serving Bangladeshi, Mughlai and Chinese cuisine, and one each in the cities listed above.

7. Crowd favourite outlet: The flagship Kasturi remains the crowd favourite, followed by the Gariahat outlet in south Kolkata.

Kasturi’s Chicken Dak Bungalow

8. O par Banglar ranna: Today, Kasturi strongly represents o par Banglar ranna. Dishes like Kochu Pata Diye Chingri Bhapa, Siley Bata Chingri, Siley Bata Chicken, Kanta Chorchori, Dhakai Morog Pulao are hot favourites. Other popular dishes include Kaski Maacher Chorchori, Golmorich Bhetki Bhapa and the Maharaja Thali.

9. Diversity on the menu: “As years passed by, diners wanted variety. Apart from steamed rice, customers started asking for pulao, luchi, and paratha, different chicken and mutton preparations, alu posto etc. That's how the menu got even more additions.”

10. The most talked-about dish… in Kasturi – then and now – is the Kochu Pata Diye Chingri Bhapa. It is a shrimp dish prepared using kochu pata (taro leaves), with sharp mustard flavours, and is best paired with steamed rice.

11. The secret ingredient? Saha attributes their authentic taste to the recipes by the women in his family. “The chefs at Kasturi are mostly trained by my mother and grandmother. The recipes, including Kochu Pata Diye Chingri Bhapa, are followed to the T without any tweaks. That has preserved the taste till date.”

Actress Koneenica Banerjee, who inaugurated the Hatibagan outlet, picked Kochu Pata Diye Chingri Bhapa as her favourite Kasturi dish

12. Awards and accolades: Recently, Kasturi received the Swiggy Restaurant Awards 2024 where it was among the top three restaurants serving Bengali cuisine in Kolkata.

13. Enter, the buffet format: With the Hatibagan outlet, Kasturi has launched a buffet that will have about 10-12 vegetarian and non-vegetarian items like Lonka Posto Murgi, Gondhoraj Chicken Fry, Chicken Dak Bungalow, Chingri Malai Curry and more. The buffet is only available at this outlet at a pocket pinch of Rs 499 (all taxes included). The buffet is a part of modernisation of the restaurant as Bishal Saha feels that “many people nowadays do not want to order individual dishes and prefer opting for different flavours in smaller quantities.”

The buffet area of the Hatibagan outlet

14. Location is key: The location of the 15th outlet was decided keeping in mind the hustle and bustle of the shopping hub. “Many people come to Hatibagan to shop all round the year. The shoppers aren’t only Kolkatans but many people outside the city, state and country come here. It would be a great addition to this part of the city's foodscape.” Some of the other locations include Jadavpur, Behala, Dover Lane, Chinar Park, Ballygunge, Nagerbazar, Sodepur and Barasat.

‘The restaurant has been decked up to look Instagrammable and draw the attention of the young crowd,’ said co-owner Teena Saha

15. Instagram-friendly decor: Teena Saha, co-owner and Bishal’s better half, is also part of the day-to-day operations of the business. “The new outlet is another initiative to serve the best of Bengali food to the city. The restaurant has been also decked up to look Instagramable to draw the attention of the young crowd. You can see the city’s emotions depicted on the walls,” she says

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The decor has a distinct Kolkata theme