Kolkata
has always been a foodie's paradise and it loves nothing more than a
taste of nostalgia. In these days of boutique cafes, ever more exotic
spreads and iPad menus, some retro restaurants have more than held their
own with their time-tested flavours.
It may be a drool-worthy sherbet or a prawn cutlet that had your grandfather salivating (and your son asking for more today), they all have one thing in common — honesty. The taste is just as true as it was decades — or perhaps a century — ago.
When you speak of retro food, north Kolkata springs to mind. And one of the most unique is Paramount on College Street, which has been serving lip-smacking sherbet since 1918. Paramount was a front for the Anushilan Samiti, an organization of revolutionaries. It once hosted Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Shri Aurobindo, Rashbehari Bose, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Satyajit Ray, Uttam Kumar, Suchitra Sen and several more icons of Bengal. Students still save pocket money to sip the alluring drinks. "Nihar Ranjan Mazumdar, who set up Paramount, used to tell customers — 'If you are satisfied, tell others. If you are not satisfied, tell us'. He believed good service will always keep our customers loyal," said the present owner.
While at College Street, you have to dig into Putiram's 'kachuri and chholar dal'. This shop, established in 1889, needs no introduction among the older residents of Kolkata. Customers flock to Putiram for rajbhog, radhaballavi and 'hash-haati sandesh'.
Retro sweets in north Kolkata are synonymous with Chittaranjan Mishti. Established in 1907 by Harilal Parui, the shop is now run by Sumit Ghosh. "We are a shop with a heart and the passion that we put into our sweets is the only 'magic ingredient' in our rosogolla," said Ghosh. A customer, Rahul Sharma, recalled coming to this shop with his father back in his teens. "The quality hasn't changed in 15 years," he exclaimed.
Any roadmap on Kolkata street food is incomplete without 'Potlar telebhaja' at Baghbazar. Established in 1893 by Sasibhusan Sen and lovingly named after one of his sons, 'Potlar Dokan' remains a favourite of several writers and artists. A walk through the old streets of Shyambazaar leads you to Bhavatarini, a hugely popular sweet shop. It has been around since 1945 and has got generations of customers hooked on gujiya and rosogolla. Though it retains the old world charm, it has also evolved with time, offering vanilla, mango and even butterscotch rosogolla. Kalika at Surya Sen Street is another eatery that has retained its flavour. Set up on Kali Puja in 1965, this shop has diehard loyalists for its beguni, prawn chop, fish cutlet and more. Kalika is currently being managed by three brothers and they have kept certain family traditions alive. Those who love sweets are never disappointed with Amrito's 'mishti doi' at Fariapukur or its 'kheerer singara'. Moving with the times, the shop now offers a wide range of sandesh including flavours like butterscotch, pineapple, and strawberry.
But north Kolkata doesn't hold monopoly on retro food. A five-minute walk from Kalighat Metro station takes you to Dilip's tea stall at Southern Avenue. Dilip, who set up shop in 1984, has served icons like Mrinal Sen and present day stars Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Anupam Roy and Parambrata Chatterjee, to name a few.
Near Lake Mall, is the 80-year-old Mahaprabhu Mistanna Bhandar. Established by the present owner's grandfather, Bhadreshwar Ghosh, the shop's nolen gurer sandesh is a hot pick. And the latest diet sandesh is very popular among elderly customers. Das Cabin at Gariahat is another hot spot for retro food. For 58 years its Mughlai parantha and chicken Afghani cutlet have given restaurants a run for their money.
It may be a drool-worthy sherbet or a prawn cutlet that had your grandfather salivating (and your son asking for more today), they all have one thing in common — honesty. The taste is just as true as it was decades — or perhaps a century — ago.
When you speak of retro food, north Kolkata springs to mind. And one of the most unique is Paramount on College Street, which has been serving lip-smacking sherbet since 1918. Paramount was a front for the Anushilan Samiti, an organization of revolutionaries. It once hosted Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Shri Aurobindo, Rashbehari Bose, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Satyajit Ray, Uttam Kumar, Suchitra Sen and several more icons of Bengal. Students still save pocket money to sip the alluring drinks. "Nihar Ranjan Mazumdar, who set up Paramount, used to tell customers — 'If you are satisfied, tell others. If you are not satisfied, tell us'. He believed good service will always keep our customers loyal," said the present owner.
While at College Street, you have to dig into Putiram's 'kachuri and chholar dal'. This shop, established in 1889, needs no introduction among the older residents of Kolkata. Customers flock to Putiram for rajbhog, radhaballavi and 'hash-haati sandesh'.
Retro sweets in north Kolkata are synonymous with Chittaranjan Mishti. Established in 1907 by Harilal Parui, the shop is now run by Sumit Ghosh. "We are a shop with a heart and the passion that we put into our sweets is the only 'magic ingredient' in our rosogolla," said Ghosh. A customer, Rahul Sharma, recalled coming to this shop with his father back in his teens. "The quality hasn't changed in 15 years," he exclaimed.
Any roadmap on Kolkata street food is incomplete without 'Potlar telebhaja' at Baghbazar. Established in 1893 by Sasibhusan Sen and lovingly named after one of his sons, 'Potlar Dokan' remains a favourite of several writers and artists. A walk through the old streets of Shyambazaar leads you to Bhavatarini, a hugely popular sweet shop. It has been around since 1945 and has got generations of customers hooked on gujiya and rosogolla. Though it retains the old world charm, it has also evolved with time, offering vanilla, mango and even butterscotch rosogolla. Kalika at Surya Sen Street is another eatery that has retained its flavour. Set up on Kali Puja in 1965, this shop has diehard loyalists for its beguni, prawn chop, fish cutlet and more. Kalika is currently being managed by three brothers and they have kept certain family traditions alive. Those who love sweets are never disappointed with Amrito's 'mishti doi' at Fariapukur or its 'kheerer singara'. Moving with the times, the shop now offers a wide range of sandesh including flavours like butterscotch, pineapple, and strawberry.
But north Kolkata doesn't hold monopoly on retro food. A five-minute walk from Kalighat Metro station takes you to Dilip's tea stall at Southern Avenue. Dilip, who set up shop in 1984, has served icons like Mrinal Sen and present day stars Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Anupam Roy and Parambrata Chatterjee, to name a few.
Near Lake Mall, is the 80-year-old Mahaprabhu Mistanna Bhandar. Established by the present owner's grandfather, Bhadreshwar Ghosh, the shop's nolen gurer sandesh is a hot pick. And the latest diet sandesh is very popular among elderly customers. Das Cabin at Gariahat is another hot spot for retro food. For 58 years its Mughlai parantha and chicken Afghani cutlet have given restaurants a run for their money.
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