Sanjha Chulha turned 20. Snapshots from their celebration album

From humble beginnings to a success story. That’s the journey of Sanjha Chulha, one of the oldest North Indian comfort food dens in the city that turned 20 last month. An experiment by two fresh hotel management graduates —Asif Ahmed and Anup Mehrotra — that started with an EM Bypass outlet in 2002, now a sprawling 2,000sq ft space that can seat over 150 guests, with a banquet space that can host around 150 guests, Sanjha Chulha has now two dine-in and three takeaway stops in the city.

“When we first opened on EM Bypass 20 years ago, there was hardly any population around the area, and we were wondering if that was the right destination. Soon with the grace of God, however, and our hard work and the support of the residents around us in the neighbouring areas, our brand expanded by leaps and bounds. From 38 seats to now two full- fledged restaurants and three takeaways, we have come a long way,” smiled co-owner Asif Ahmed. He also added that theirs was “one of the first places to deliver all over the city in those days when home delivery was almost unheard of”. Over the years, they have “stuck to bestsellers on the menu”. “We have also introduced new dishes depending on the demand from our customers. Our food has remained the same over the years, and even our rates have been competitive which is one of the key reasons why our patrons have always favoured us. The pandemic was a major testing time but we didn’t shut for even a single day and continued delivery operations from our CIT Road outlet,” he said. Ahmed also spoke about Roll Factory, a roll-special cloud kitchen that’s become equally popular. “We are extremely proud of it,” he smiled. Their future plans include an outlet in South Kolkata.

To mark the two decades, the EM Bypass outlet hosted the celebrations on October 17. On the menu were dishes like Angaara Tandoori Chicken, Kandahari Murgh, Sarson Fish Tikka, Paneer Shaslik and Garlic Naan.

The Telegraph dropped by.

Bestsellers We Tasted

Methi Malai Paneer: A creamy mild fenugreek- scented paneer gravy, that’s a new addition to the menu.

Murgh Tikka Makhni: Chicken tikka chunks cooked in the tandoor and then simmered in an onion, tomato and butter-based gravy. Relish it with jeera rice or a bread of your choice.

Gilafi Seekh Kebab Chicken: Minced chicken with garam masala and spices coated with diced onions, peppers and tomatoes, in seekh kebab style. This is an original favourite.

Paneer Shaslik: Succulent chunks of paneer with onions, tomatoes and bell peppers in a spicy red chilli marinade, baked to perfection.

Sarson Fish Tikka: A mustard flavoured soft and juicy fish tandoori kebab preparation. This is a new addition to the menu.

Angaara Tandoori Chicken: Black pepper flavoured tandoori chicken for the spicy chicken lover. This is a new addition to their range of tandoori chicken dishes.

Tandoori Chicken Classic: Yoghurt and red chilli marinated traditional Tandoori Chicken. This is a classic old favourite.

Kandahari Murgh: Chicken chunks cooked in curry leaf, tomato and yoghurt-based gravy, and mildly spicy. Tastes best with butter or garlic naan.

The Celebration Album

(L-R) Richa Mehrotra, Anup Mehrotra (partner), Md Aminuddin (partner), Acharapan Yavaprapas, Thai consul general, Asif Ahmed (co-owner) and wife Anisha Ahmed, cut the cake to mark 20 years of the brand.