In its 24th year, Savourites Group, the mother company of 6 Ballygunge Place, is on an expansion mode. After opening 6 Ballygunge Place Chowringhee outlet last year, the iconic Bengali brand has moved to a new address in Salt Lake, spread across three floors.
Keeping up with the bangaliana theme, this outlet has a story to tell. The interiors have been done by Ranit Maiti and Subhrajit G Mitra of Square Consultancy Services, a Kolkata-based boutique architectural firm. The new outlet “is a story about a simple Bengali woman. A woman who lives her life to the fullest, enjoying every moment. She cooks, she reads, she gossips, she pets, she romances , she dances, she plays cards, grimaces, stands in front of mirrors to see her dresses, she does everything a normal girl would do. Sometimes she is jovial, sometimes sombre, sometimes sultry, sometimes thoughtful. She is no celebrity, but she is the personification of Bengali culture. It is through her moments that the multitude of Bengali culture is captured”, says Subhrajit.
“We had a outlet here in Salt Lake but it was not sufficient. This outlet is a way to thank our guests in this area as gratitude. This entire building is ours,” said S. Ramani and Sushanta Sengupta (picture above), partners (along with Aninda Palit) of the Savourites Group.
“Foodwise like all our outlets we are sticking to our dishes because our menu has become like a memory because people come back to have the same dish they had last time. In our buffet we also try to include new dishes,” said chef Sushanta.
What: 6 Ballygunge Place
Where: DD block 24B Salt Lake, Sector 1
Timings: Noon to 3.30pm and 7pm to 11pm (all days)
Meal for two: Rs 1,500-plus (a la carte) and Rs 850-plus (weekday) and Rs 1,050-plus (weekend)
The restaurant is spread across two floors (1,700sq ft each) and the banqueting space, indoor and terrace combined, is around 2,250sq ft. Every floor is a work of art with jamdani saris adorning the ceiling, while original age-old Bengali recipes are framed as wall accents.
There is a stunning rooftop that can serve as an extension of the banqueting space. Beautifully decorated with madur, chequered flooring and plants, this section can accommodate 100 people and will be a hit during winters specifically. “For a party of 200 people we plan to open up the terrace because we generally do not give our banquets separately for two separate parties,” said Sushanta.
The mood of the restaurant is set right from the foyer but it’s sans the cliched Bengali motifs like fish, women wearing lal paar sada sari etc, instead it depicts a chronological saga of Bengali culture, art and architecture, spread across the floors. The facade of the building draws inspiration from three motifs — alpona, colonial louvers and modern industrial mesh.
The staircase sets the mood for the floor above and the theme beautifully transcends to the other floors. Wooden plates, vinyl records are few of the props here.
The banqueting space is airy and has mild colours with mouldings and alpona patterns on revolving wooden planks. This space can accommodate around 100 people.
Nom Nom
We pigged out on perfectly phulko luchis, aloo dum and chholar dal with grated coconut. A perfect Sunday meal.
A meal at 6 Ballygunge Place is incomplete without Bekti Paturi, Chingri Malai Curry and steamed rice. Yum!
Soft, succulent and spicy summed up Morich Mangsho that was a mutton gravy dish which you can savour with luchi or bhaat.