Love and cocktails in Kolkata — sampling city love on a heritage walk
A tour of New Market’s gems and toasts inspired by the city headlined a Valentine’s Day walking tour by Priyanko Sarkar and AMPM Kolkata
By
Vedant Karia |
Published 21.02.24, 06:51 PM
1/9
Lovebirds in the city gave the traditional cafe-hopping a skip on Valentine’s Day, as journalist and ‘probashi’ Bengali Priyanko Sarkar organised a unique heritage walk around New Market titled, ‘Shades of Love’, in association with AMPM Kolkata. Commencing from Charlie Chaplin Square in Dharmatala, the walk was all about love in the city. ‘While people consider Bombay as the centre for cinema, it actually used to be Kolkata. This area housed Elphinstone Picture Palace, India’s first theatre, which was set up in 1907. Later, it was renamed to Chaplin Cinema, and eventually demolished in 2013,’ said Sarkar beginning the journey
All photos by Krishnungshu Gangopadhyay
ADVERTISEMENT
2/9
After strolling through the streets, the troupe banded into UP & Bihar restaurant, which is known for its delectable meat dishes. ‘This is one of the oldest restaurants in the area, with both an open dining hall, and separate cubicles for privacy. I enjoy taking in the vibe whenever I come here,’ Sarkar added, as the group munched on chicken kebab and Mughlai paratha
3/9
Sarkar whisked everyone off to (left) New Market (originally known as Sir Stuart Hogg Market). ‘Originally, this market was an elite shopping space reserved for British customers. Gradually it expanded into the New Market we know today.’ The walk comprised a Bandel cheese tasting session at J. Johnson, one of the few places in the city that sell the indigenous cheese
ADVERTISEMENT
4/9
No visit to New Market is complete without snacking on a lemon tart at Nahoum & Sons, the famous Jewish bakery. For (right) Diya Sen, a student at Manipal University, the experiences on the walk were a ‘valuable lesson on self love’. She called it a ‘beautiful experience, teaching me so much about a city I love. It was also a great way to celebrate V Day, as it allowed me to enjoy the little things by myself’
5/9
Priyanko also touched upon Kolkata’s love affair with flowers, taking guests through the many flower shops in New Market. ‘These shops send flowers everywhere, from Bengaluru to Bangkok’
6/9
The walk culminated at AMPM on Park Street, with Priyanko taking over the bar and stirring up cocktails inspired by the city. On the menu were four tasty concoctions — (L-R) Corner Seat, Hogg Warts, Flower Power and Banditos. While Hogg Warts’ citrusy magic encapsulated the hundred different stories from New Market, Banditos was infused with the flavours of Bandel cheese
7/9
L-R: Corner Seat blended orange liqueur with a hint of popcorn, reminding guests of the nostalgia and allure of single screen cinemas, and (right) Flower Power paid a floral tribute to Kolkata’s flower markets
8/9
It was a special Valentine’s Day for Megha Dasgupta and Raunak Das Sharma, as they explored their city together. ‘This was such an insightful experience for us, with emphasis on the lesser-talked about history of New Market. The Kolkata-themed cocktail menu at AMPM was a bonus,” said Megha, a doctor and influencer
9/9
This was Mumbai-based Sarkar’s debut walk in Kolkata and he admits he ‘couldn’t have thought of a better spot than New Market’ to kick things off. ‘It is fascinating how you can walk past so much history in this city without realising,’ he signed off
