Birthdays are always fun, and when a fave vegetarian restaurant on Park Street completed one year in business, the celebrations went on for three days! The revelry began on August 3 with a gourmet tram ride around town, followed by a party at the restaurant on August 4 and rounded off with a special treat on August 6 — beer for Re 1! Here’s hoping the party never stops at Hakuna Matata... 

On Day 1, owners Prabhas Dutta and Pallavi Ruia Dutta welcomed 24 guests on the Hakuna Matata Express, which started off from Ballygunge and ended at Esplanade. Once the tram trundled out of the depot, guests were served an eclectic five-course meal featuring cuisines from around the world. “Koko (Hakuna Matata’s mascot) will be travelling all over the world and gathering inspiration for our menu. In the coming year, we intend to have food festivals that will feature dishes from across the globe and we thought we’ll give you all a sneak peek,” smiled Pallavi.

Text: Deborima Ganguly and Riddhima Khanna
Pictures: Rashbehari Das and B. Halder