Interdisciplinary artiste Sujoy Prasad Chatterjee and Zoom Tea-o-Graphy (49A Mahanirban Road, Calcutta 700029) came together on January 19 to introduce an afternoon tea offering that will be available till February 19.
Afternoon tea is a throwback to colonial times and the platter being served at Zoom, priced at Rs 400, is designed keeping that in mind. It includes items like fish croquettes, finger sandwiches, cupcakes, mini scones and a cup of Darjeeling tea. It has been curated by chef Rupam Mazumdar.
Sohag Sen and Chaitali Dasgupta
Among the guests at the do to introduce the platter were theatre actor Poulomi Bose, thespian Sohag Sen, contemporary dancer-choreographer Paramita Saha, South Asian arts entrepreneur Piali Ray, Odissi danseuse Enakshi Sinha and media personality Chaitali Dasgupta.
“My concept of afternoon tea is very solitary. It could be reading a book or engaging in self-thought or adda with the like-minded. That’s exactly what you should do at Zoom. Bring your book and sip your cuppa,” said Sujoy.
“The menu has been created for tea lovers and the season. Winter is a time to catch up with friends and tea is a stimulant of adda in our city. Afternoon tea shall also evoke nostalgia for diners who have grown up on Dickens, Jane Austen and Enid Blyton,” said Shankhadeep Mitra, the owner of Zoom.
Enakshi Sinha, Piyali Ray, Paramita Saha and Rita Bhimani
(L-R) Shankhadeep Mitra and Rupam Mazumdar. “Traditionally, afternoon tea is served around 4pm. Small sandwiches, scones, biscuits and tea were typically on small ornamental three-tier serving trays. The concept of afternoon tea came to our mind to engage people in the lost culture of Calcutta that was usual earlier. Maintaining the heritage of our city was always a thought and so was recreating it to cherish those customs,” said Rupam.