Seven years ago, when the cafe-scape of Calcutta was just starting to be explored, a 20-something Pooja Baid opted out of joining her family business of retail electronics (Great Eastern Appliances) and opened a vegetarian European street food bistro called Piccadilly Square on Sarat Bose Road.

Today, she has opened her third cafe, well, second technically, because the lease on her three-year Alipore outlet recently ran out. But with the end of that came the start of this — a brand called The Chutney Co, offering south Indian fast food.

“For seven years I’ve been doing Piccadilly Square. I wanted to do something new. I thought of south Indian because it’s a cuisine that has not been fancified. It’s always been about the food and never the experience, always about basic interiors and thalis. There’s a lot of room,” said Pooja.Equally roomy is the 45-seater two-in-one bite right at 21 Hemant Basu Sarani, where you can order from both menus. Think, a Mexican Burger from Piccadilly Square and a Mysore Dosa from The Chutney Co, side-by-side. Grab a sunlit window seat overlooking a bustling Dalhousie and the back of The Lalit Great Eastern hotel, and sip on a south Indian Filter Kaapi. Cool it by pouring the milky concoction from the metal tumbler to the dabara (wide saucer) and then keeping sipping, eyes on your pre-ordered book of Grey.

That’s only until the nine shades of chutney steal your attention. Any three are complimentary with your idli, dosa or uttapam, so if you’re lunching in twos, that’s six chutneys to cheer about! Skip the regular Coconut Chutney and spoon your way through the Mysore Chutney, a delicious combo of onions, tomato and cucumber, the Spicy Tomato, a mild and comforting Raw Mango and a curious Curaikkay Chutney that will make you wonder what it’s made of. When you hear it’s lauki, you might acquire new respect for the vegetable so easily shunned at home.

As Pooja gets familiar with the new audience — from residential Alipore to commercial Dalhousie — the menu will transform. “Here, salads move fast because they’re healthy and quick to make. Smaller portions of pastries do better. Requests have been coming in for cakes and gift chocolates for a colleague’s birthday. And for some reason, doughnuts do better than cheesecake, which was just the opposite in Alipore!” she says.

What’s heartening to see is that the place has created its own identity in a city where every other new cafe seems to be a cut-copy-paste of the old. 

Solo booths for single diners are probably a first. #ForeverAlone

And it’s refreshing to see a Mysore Idli, which is the soft thatte idli, the size of a plate, found on the Bangalore-Mysore highway, and a Sukku Coffee, or dry ginger coffee with spices, on the menu. 

 

 

Kessar serves it up at Hindusthan Club in a new avatar

Hindusthan Club. Saturday evening. Everyone seems to be heading for the sixth floor. And it’s been like that since Friday the 19th when a new-look Kessar opened its doors. The 4/1 Sarat Bose Road club’s restaurant has undergone a makeover and going by an almost full house with lots of families dining on a busy weekend evening, it seems Kessar has hit the sweet spot with both the young and the young-at-heart.

Club president Sushil Poddar, a foodie, had designed his election campaign with ‘good food’ as one of his top priorities. Which is why a revamped Kessar was one of the first things on his mind. “This place was 10-12 years old and not in good condition. We wanted to bring in that wow factor. There was tremendous cooperation from the members and the office bearers,” he tells us in between making rounds of the tables, seeking member feedback.

Spread over 4,000sq ft, Kessar took four months to revamp and has been done up in earthy tones with a touch of saffron, in sync with the name. Huge glass panes with a touch of greenery on the other side add to the ambience. A glass wall on one side separates the rest of Kessar (a private area for up to 30 diners) from its main dining zone.

The food-proud club has introduced several new cuisines at Kessar like Thai, Mongolian, Italian, Continental and Mexican. “Previously we had only Indian with a little bit of Chinese. We want to attract the youngsters and they should come and taste our vegetarian food. They should see for themselves that these dishes can be cooked without onion and garlic and taste even better,” says Poddar as he settles down with a plate of his favourite pasta.

The menu, which has around 300 items, will see frequent updates, promises Mr President. What’s making him club proud? “We have spent yet added to the fixed deposit of the club,” he laughs. Next in line? Terrace badminton courts, signs off the club’s honorary treasurer Sudhir Satnaliwala.

Saionee Chakraborty
Pictures: Rashbehari Das