It’s true that Bengalis can make every festival their own and celebrate it with the same pomp. And when it’s a Bengali festival, the madness multiplies. Bengali New Year is just around the corner and we bring you the one way to celebrate that comes most naturally to us- through food.
Amidst the heat waves and humidity, Kolkata is getting ready to welcome the Bengali New Year in its own style. Wearing new clothes on this day is a custom. And where do we go getting all decked up? To go out and eat, duh! We have curated a list of all the restaurants in Kolkata that are perfect for visiting on Poila Boishakh, aka, the first day of Baisakh, or the New Year.
As poll-bound Kolkata took a break today to celebrate Poila Baisakh, the Bengali new year, standalone eateries and restaurants of major hotels rolled out new dishes to greet the Bengali gourmet.
Poila Boishakh marks the beginning of the Bengali year and is celebrated a day after the north Indian Baisakhi. Bengalis mark this day is by feasting on everything from fish, seafood and mutton to seasonal vegetables cooked with spice mixes typical to the Bengali henshel.
As the smell of fragrant chaaler paayesh wafts through every Bengali house on Poila Boisakh, the excitement of new beginnings fills the air. The first day of the Bengali calendar marks the start of the harvest season, a time of celebration and prosperity. Like any other Indian festival, delectable food is a central part of the celebrations. Everything from delicious ilish paturi and shukto to fresh seasonal chutneys line up kitchen counters in every home. If you want to give your cooking a rest this new year, venture out to try these specially curated Poila Boisakh menus at some of the finest restaurants in Kolkata.
Aaheli, The Peerless Inn, Axis Mall
Established in 1993, Aaheli was the first fine dining Bengali restaurant in Kolkata. This New Year, Aaheli’s menu pays homage to its best-selling dishes of the past 30 years. This includes rajokio radhaballavi (spiced urad dal in a puffy bread) kept from the original 1993 menu. There are also a variety of pulaos, such as Murshidabadi mangsher pulao and the koochbihari chingri pulao, authentic fish dishes like the famous dhumra gondhi eelish and a rich and creamy chingri malai curry.
Sienna Café, Hindustan Park
In a magical blend of Asian and Bengali flavours, Sienna Café’s menu celebrates the local baajars of Kolkata. The adorable “choto plates” include breakfast dumplings with pak choy, scallion & mushroom caramel shiitake and a unique phool & pata’r tempura bowl consisting of dhone pata, bok & kumro phool with shorshe sour cream. Their filling “boro plates” offer a range of options, from the creamy ravioli gigante (they spoil you with an option of either mushroom and black truffle butter or malay chingri) to a delicately spiced kala bhuna mangsho with petai porota. To end on a mishti note with the coffee poached nashpati with ricotta or the rich dark chocolate and double caramel flan.
Grand Market Pavilion, ITC Royal Bengal
The Grand Market Pavilion is renowned for creating a gourmet food district atmosphere with an exquisite display of local, Indian, and global cuisine. In honour of Poila Boisakh, this restaurant will offer a special “Bhadrolok” Buffet that captures the essence of Bengal. The dishes are derived from age-old recipes and guests will be delighted to find an array of delicacies, such as mangsher chop, kochi pathar jhol, basanti pulao, bhapa bhetki, mishti doi, rosogolla, and more. To complement the scrumptious fare, decanters of Gondhoraj lassi and aam pora sharbat will also be available, imbued with the indigenous and aromatic flavours of the region.
The Westin Kolkata Rajarhat
The three-day extravaganza at the in-house restaurant Seasonal Tastes promises to be an immersive sensory experience. With mouth-watering offerings such as Calcutta fish fry, macher dim er bora, chingri chop, posto bata, and phoolkapir malai curry, the menu is a testament to the region’s love affair with food. This grand celebration weaves together food, music and culture to offer an unforgettable experience for its guests.
JW Marriott Hotel Kolkata
On 15 April, JW Kitchen will welcome guests to indulge in an endless saga of flavours from their buffet menu, replete with an assortment of signature delicacies. Among these are the macher chop, vegetable chop, kancha lonka murgi jhol, katla mocher kalia, mangshor jhol and a Kolkata-style mutton biryani. The buffet also offers a live bhaja fish counter featuring classic fish dishes such as amudi macher bhaja, mourala macher bhaja and sabuj spicy macher bhaja, to name a few. End your meal with classic desserts like mishti doi, hot baked rosogolla and mihidana. The buffet also includes a separate premium beverage inclusion to complement the culinary delights on offer.
The Corner Courtyard
One of the most favourite cafes in Kolkata is hosting a Baishakhi menu for the auspicious day of Bengali New Year. While the eatery stays true to its style of food, it has also introduced a dash of Bangaliyana. The menu features Mushroom Cappuccino Soup, Broccoli Almond Soup, Beetroot Salad, Fish Finger, Fish and Chips, Tempura Prawn, Aqua Pizza, Baked Bengal Bhetki, Peruvian Bhetki, Lamb Tagine & Achari Fish. After all, what’s a Bengali without their fish?
Tipsy Tiger
They are featuring Poila Baisakh Buffet Specials, celebrating the festivities. The menu is as lavish as it can get. Some of the items you can expect are the Tok Doi er chop, Mochar Cutlet, Topse Machh Bhaja, Zakaria Street Mutton Haleem, and several other Bengali home foods. There’s also going to be a live phuchka and churmur counter and a mixed chaat counter.
LMNO_Q
Ring in the festivities at the Nobo Borsho pop-up at LMNO_Q with chef and cookbook author Ananya Banerjee. Delight your taste buds with appetisers such as ghoogni tart, mochar finger, saru chakli roll, amisher aabeg and posto pora bhetki. As your stomach grumbles for more, dig into mains like chaana narkel er patapora, gramin niramish thali, macher ganga jamuna and kosha mangsho with soru chakli pitha. To end the feast with the mishti doi and mixed berry cannoli served with pista rabri mousse or the equally rich and creamy amrapali kheer sushi with nolen gurer sauce. Puchka G&T, shotto whisky sour and kasundi gin fizz is the must.
6 Ballygunge Place
Designed like a pandal, this restaurant is adorned with haath-pakhas and looks like something out of a period film. They have curated a simple yet delicious menu for their buffet consisting of jhur jhure aloo bhaja, lal saag bhaja, bori diye misti kumro bharta, potoler dolma and a sumptuous Afghani chicken cutlet. There are also vegetarian specials like chhana motorshutir chop, mochar ghonto and aloo jhinga posto.
Bakstage Gourmet
Offering a Poila Boishakh buffet, Bakstage Gourmet in Salt Lake is all set to embrace the spirit of the Bengali New Year. Soups, Salads and Chaat Counter for appetisers, Sarshe Diye Bhapa Maach, Sonali Moong Dal, Mochar Ghonto, Echorer Dalna, Kolkata Mutton Biryani, Chicken Chaap, Paneer Paturi and more Bengali delicacies for the main course. End the meal on a sweet note with dessert options such as Jalbhara Sandesh, Kachagolla, Kheer Kadam, Chena Jalebi, Monolova Malpua and more.
Warehouse Café
This Poila Boishakh, dig into mouth-watering bites like Gondhoraj Malai Fish Tikka, Darjeeling Pork Momo, Bhetki Kabiraji, Pokchoy Wrapped Steamed Shorshe Bhetki, Aam Kasundi Paneer Tikka, Pulled Jackfruit Tacos, Chingri Malai Curry, Mango Coconut Tres Leches and much more.
Lord of the Drinks
People might have been heading to this place just or its drinks, but come Bengali New Year and LOD is ready with its Bengali surprise! An array of lip-smacking festive delicacies graces the menu. On the menu are Aam Kasundi Paneer Tikka, Fried Hilsa, Tangra Style Garlic Chilli Crab, Darjeeling Pork Pot Stickers With Spicy Peanuts Dip, Poha Crusted Chicken With Raw Mango Chilli Salsa, Pokchoy Wrapped Gondhoraj Steamed Chicken, Kolkata Ghugni Tacos, Bhetki Paturi, Daab Chingri, Kosha Mangsho With Basanti Pulao, Rasmalai Creme Brulee and more.
Ilish Truly Bong Restaurant
This New Year, celebrate Bengali cuisine by indulging in the specially curated thali by Ilish Truly Bong Restaurant that boasts of a delicious selection of authentic delicacies straight from the kitchens of Bengal. If that’s not enough, their à la carte menu offers an array of bestsellers like pathar kasha mangsho, bhetki paturi, bhaja ilish and daab chingri.
