What comes to your mind first when you think of Poila Baisakh? Bhuribhoj would be the answer for most. The Salt House on Shakespeare Sarani has come up with a unique pop-up — The Tangra Project Origins with celebrity chef and Calcutta boy Vikramjit Roy whose homecoming is an “ode to Calcutta”. The pop-up that is on till April 17, has a thoroughly researched menu with a Calcutta connect. “I am from Calcutta but I left Calcutta in 2003, then worked all around the world and in 2020 May I ventured on my own, we opened Context.Eat. My restaurant The Tangra Project in Delhi essentially celebrates Tangra. And with this menu we are going to celebrate all the influences Calcutta had gone through right from the Mughals, French, the British…. I am giving you flavours and profiles that you are aware of but not in a way you have seen it. We have worked doubly hard to create something that resonates with Calcutta and also pushes the boundary,” said chef Vikramjit Roy while taking us through the explicit menu with almost 70 dishes! Some signature dishes masterfully curated for this exclusive pop-up are, Parwal Guacamole Chips and Chaat, Burrata Ghughni, Chingri Paturi, TTP Chilli Bell Pepper Paneer, Shrimp Chilli Ball, Lamb Chops Rezala, Railway Turnip Cake Curry, Punjabi Kadhi Risotto with Golbadi Mutton, Roasted Artichoke Manchurian, Kulchette and Chaplin Haleem, Pickled Shallots Sourdough Toastie and others. The dessert list has The Rose and Dodhikorma Cheesecake and Paan. Wash down your palate with innovative concoctions like Woke Melon, Going East and Golden Hour. Guests can choose from an a la carte menu or indulge in the tasting menu which consists of dishes specially picked by Chef Vikramjit.
Owners of The Salt House Prachi Saraogi (left) and Saloni Jhunjhunwalla with chef Vikramjit Roy. “Over the last four years we realised that we did new things that kept enticing the guests and hence they would keep coming to us for something new. The pop-up has been in our mind for a long time but due to the pandemic it kept getting delayed but this is now just the beginning for a lot of new things,” said Saloni, while Prachi is kicked about the pop-ups. “If you see, pop-ups with celebrity chefs are mostly restricted to star hotels but we wanted to get here. The idea is to have multiple pop-ups the next six months with renowned chefs and upcoming talented chefs too because Calcutta loves these things. For Salt House it was never about just our food but all about offering different kinds of experiences — book workshop, fashion or food pop-ups. We want them to come here again and again and discover new things here,” said Prachi.
What: The Tangra Project Origins x The Salt House pop-up
On till: April 17
Timings: Lunch: Noon to 3:30pm and Dinner: 7pm to midnight
Pocket pinch: Meal for two is Rs 2,400-plus without alcohol & Rs 3,600-plus with alcohol. Tasting menu starts at Rs 1,950-plus onwards
For reservation call: 8047092574
You can carry home some chemical- and preservative-free spices and products like turmeric, mustard, chholar dal, gobindobhog rice, radhatilak rice to a variety of pickles and Majilpur dolls sourced from artisans and farmers directly by The Bengal Store.
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Bekti on the outside, chopped shrimps inside, defines Daab ‘Fish Wrapped’ Chingri that is a labour of love. Made like a galantine with a lot of precision, this juicy delicacy is given a hard pan sear with a daab chingri malaikari sauce on the side. It is topped with fish roe.
Dodhikorma Cheesecake is a fine marriage between flattened rice, mishti doi, fresh seasonal fruits set like a cheesecake, served topped with flattened rice granola, salted caramel ice cream. Who could think the staple pujo prasad can be this fancy?
A filling dish in itself, this Kulchette has a stuffing of onion, pat patta saag and black garlic, which is topped with black garlic glaze and brie. Enjoy it as it is or have it with Edamame Cholar Dal like we did! Either ways it’s yum!
Gondhoraj Fish & Chives are shaped like fish (with eyes on it!) and served in a bowl. “This is like a couple of fish swimming in a pond. This is for us to show the culture of Kolkata art and how as Kolkatans we perceive things in a creative way,” said chef. The pond is made out of delicious garlic-soy cream at the bottom, Cantonese chilli and ginger and chive sauce!
One dish that got us guessing was Parwal Gaucamole Chips & Chaat that comes from the Kolkata Chaat & Cold Plates section. Served with crispy sweet potato chips, and everything homemade starting from the humble potol being the main ingredient in the gaucamole along with spices, vinegar, coriander to a handful of pomegranate seeds that add to the texture. Use the chips as the spoon and scoop out the goodness straight into your mouth. If only parwal could taste this yum always! Sigh.
Fish Ceviche, Coconut Milk is “a very well-researched dish that’s kind of a Ceviche from the Mughal era”. This one is made with bekti, Andaman tuna and salmon. “Coconut milk, curry leaf oil, oranges, sesame chilli and herb oil form the main part of the dish,” explained chef Vikramjit. The rest? The flavour profile is different for each fish, there’s a burst of flavours in your mouth and a plate that looks like fluid art.
