By now Prithvish Chakravarti will be familiar to My Kolkata readers as the go-to man for all things meat in Kolkata. An aerospace engineer-turned-restaurateur, Prithvish not only unearths compelling chronicles that shaped the fabric of what we know as contemporary Bengali cuisine but also serves them on a platter, open to be relished by all.
Prithvish’s latest venture pays homage to all things repurposed. Calcutta Art Cafe, which launched on July 7, is located near Acropolis Mall in Shantipally (opposite Delhi Public School Ruby Park) and is a collaborative effort between Chitralekha Biswas’ Cee Bee Design Studio and Calcutta Stories. Whether it is restored vintage furniture from the villas of erstwhile Kolkata zamindars or the yellow pages of handwritten recipe books passed down as generational wealth, halcyon days come alive in this cafe, open between 7am and 7pm.
Blending modernity with vintage in furniture
Some of the furniture pieces on display (for sale) at Calcutta Art Cafe Amit Pramanik
The caramelly aroma of fresh-ground coffee beans, chequered floors, bricked walls and stained-glass hurricanes welcome guests into a space where wafts of smoked ham and cured pepperoni sticks transport one to meat heaven while Cee Bee’s offers pieces to ponder upon.
After designing a diverse range of homes and opening up shops in five cities across the country, alongside one in London, it was back to her hometown for Chitralekha. Blending modernity with vintage, some of the most eye-catching offerings include intricately carved Kashmiri cabinets embossed with multicoloured stones, grandiose teakwood dividers painstakingly adorned with Madhubani art and glass-dewdrop encrusted chandeliers. Each of them comes with a note: “Expect slight imperfections, for that’s the beauty of repurposed.” Wooden platters, shabai plates, cane mirrors, marble diya holders, pinhole lamps and terracotta jugs grace the walls. All of the decor is for sale and all of it is handcrafted, sourced from local artisans in quaint Bolpur homes.
Prithvish’s food journey and the making of Calcutta Art Cafe
Leaning on one of the restored mahogany dressing tables, 42-year-old Prithvish shares the path that led him to Calcutta Art Cafe. In 2016, Prithvish’s frequent visits to Tung Nam revealed to him that before Tiretti was a Chinese locality, it used to be a Jewish ghetto, whose inhabitants had exercised considerable influence on the Indian-Chinese that Bengalis lap up on weekends. “Have migrant communities influenced Bengali cuisine too?” he thought to himself. To discover the answer, he reached out to acquaintances from Armenian College, Parsi colleagues and Baghdadi Jewish friends with restaurants abroad, including Flower Silliman. In the process was born Keyatala’s Calcutta Stories — the name alluding to the tales that each dish on the menu bore.
“These fleeting migrant cuisines have left indelible marks on the simplest of dishes that we cook at home today. I set out to pay tribute to them, but alas, it was no biriyani or roll, and Calcuttans were not willing to experiment. I shut down operations and set out to curate what has been reshaping the culinary landscape of the city — pizzas!” recalls Prithvish.
But another twist was lurking. Prithivish’s frequented Kalman Cold Storage in Esplanade was on its last legs. The multi-religious and multi-meat Free School Street haven had been a source of inspiration for Prithvish. When attempts to restore Kalman gave way, Prithvish took it upon himself to establish his very own deli. Inheriting recipes and rebuilding machines with his engineering prowess, Calcutta Stories earned itself the title of a veritable meatery, regularly puffing out meat-smothered pizzas from its smoky wood-fired oven.
Today, Calcutta Stories boasts over 50 variations of in-house cold cuts, ranging from Bhoot Jolokia Pork Sausages and Traditional British Bangers to Smoked Chicken Frankfurters, salted beef and Yuletide hams, sold by the kilo for Rs 1,000 onwards. Joining hands with Bohemian’s Joymalya Banerjee, the migrant cuisine also found its way back onto the menu in the form of pop-ups titled Weekend Shenanigans, seating close to 50 and serving a different fusion dished every week, including bacon and kolmi (water spinach) bhaja, Sausage Aam Kasundi, and Amrakhand in choux pastry! “But the most innovative of the lot has to be the Tnetulpata Pork and the Lychee and Cheese-Stuffed Chicken,” describes Prithvish.
“My vision is crystal clear. I’m a simple ruti-mangsho man. I thrive on my breads and meats and look forward to building partnerships with organisations such as Cee Bee to offer both club and grub under one roof,” says Prithvish as My Kolkata picks its favourites from Calcutta Art Cafe.
A feast of sandwiches, tarts, cookies, and more
L-R: Smoked ham and cheese sandwich, and koraishutir-kochuri filling-stuffed puff pastries Prithvish Chakravarti; Amit Pramanik
We kick things off with the pizzas. Possibly inspired by the Italian spreadable pork sausage of the same name, is the Nduja, where a spiced pork spread replaces the marinara and joins hands with farm-fresh dollops of gooey mozzarella sourced directly from Bakreshwar, priced at Rs 340. The Quatro (Rs 395) is a medley of goat cheese, cream cheese, gouda and cheddar while sandwiches like the Shrimp and Pulled Pork Po’ Boy (Rs 580) and BLT (Rs 350) offer great bang for your buck. The in-house bakery also churns out ciabattas, baguettes, sourdoughs, lavash crackers (Rs. 245 onwards) Koraishutir-Kochuri Puff Pastry (Rs 69) and an extensive array of tarts and cookies starting at Rs 60. “The La Dolce Vita pizza (Rs. 590), topped with salty prosciutto and bocconcini with sprinkles of garlic and thyme is my personal to-go,” mentions Prithvish.
Overlooking the chicken and garlic spreads, there are smoked ham and cheese sandwiches (Rs 350 each), with nearly 150g of meat, sharp Swiss cheese, briny Dijon mustard and roasted garlic enclosed within a six-inch chewy baguette. There are also Bacon Sarnies (Rs 300 each), featuring hefty servings of crisp umami bacon layered with pillowy slices of buttered Shokupan (Japanese milk bread). “It’s a sin to not be messy here,” quips Prithvish as he makes his way back into the kitchen, perhaps in search of the next flavour that will take Kolkata by storm.