The Italian consulate in Kolkata hosted two events to celebrate the legacy of Kolkata’s iconic Firpo’s restaurant as a part of Week of the Italian Cuisine in the World. Enrico De Barbieri, the great-nephew of Angelo Firpo, flew down from Genova, Italy, to be part of the celebrations. The first event was held at Glenburn Penthouse where INTACH presented memorabilia and the second was a gala evening at The Oberoi Grand. As Kolkatans joined the celebrations, veterans shared their memories of Firpo’s with My Kolkata.
Firpo’s on Chowringhee Road was the hub for Kolkata’s glamorous crowds Source: Enrico De Barbieri
‘A bottle of beer, please’
Ninety-five-year-old Manmohan Chatrath, chartered accountant, with a treasure trove of memories fondly remembers visiting Firpo’s on Friday evenings with his friends back in the 1950s.
For Manmohan Chatrath, a nonagenarian, the nostalgia is almost palpable Soumyajit Dey
“I loved everything about Firpo’s — the ambience, food, service…everything,” he said, his nostalgia almost palpable. “Back in the day, the beer cost 2 paise and every time you ordered a beer, cocktail sausages came free. So we became strategic drinkers, making sure to order one beer at a time so that with each bottle we got the sausages!”
The famous Firpo’s lunches
Pankaj Parekh, chairman, Cavaliere OMRI Soumyajit Dey
Pankaj Parekh, chairman, Cavaliere OMRI, now in his 80s, shared that while he never experienced Firpo’s famed nightlife, he was a regular diner at the restaurant’s lunches. “A visit to Firpo’s was always for lunch,” he said. “We used to make excuses about meeting clients just to sneak out time to go to Firpo’s.” During its heyday, the weekend evenings at Firpo’s, in particular, were all about jazz and making merry. Parekh, however, enjoyed the quieter mood of the afternoons. “The atmosphere during lunch was completely different from the nightlife at Firpo’s. That’s why we went back every time. Apart from the food, we were astonished by the elegance of it all… I remember seeing servers wearing white gloves to serve the food.”
Nayak’s good news
Veteran actor Avijit Dutt
Avijit Dutt, a veteran actor, recalled Supriya Devi telling him about the premiere night of Nayak, when she met Uttam Kumar and Satyajit Ray at Firpo’s. “She told us that they [Supriya Devi and Uttam Kumar] were at the premiere of Nayak and the proprietor of Indira cinema came and said that they had to leave immediately after the interval because there were too many people. The veranda might collapse.” Both Uttam Kumar and Supriya Devi came out to find that their driver wasn’t around. Dutt continued, “A crowd gathered around them. Just then a gentleman drove up in a Fiat, and gave them a lift. The duo asked him to take them to Firpo’s. Later, once the premiere was over, Manik babu (Satyajit Ray) came to Firpo’s and said Nayak was a hit! The success of the film was celebrated at Firpo’s.”
History overlapped!
Anand Puri, third-generation owner, Trincas
Trincas opened as a tea room and bakery in 1927 on Park Street while Firpo’s was thriving on Chowringhee. In the 1960s, the city was grappling with challenges like the Naxalite movement, food shortages and labour unrest etc. Despite these turbulent times, Trincas endured, while Firpo’s permanently closed in 1977. At a gala dinner at The Oberoi Grand, Anand Puri, third-generation owner of Trincas, shared his findings on the overlap of the history of both iconic restaurants in Kolkata. He said, “I just met somebody who told me about a performer at Firpo’s and realised he was also a performer at Trincas. Trincas started in 1927 and by the time it became something like Firpo’s, it was 1959. So, there was a lot of live entertainment, there was a lot of good food, good times and crazy stories that came out of that.”
