Pico Pizzeria and Coffee Bar near Vivekananda Park has joined south Kolkata’s cafe scene, offering a haven for coffee and pizza lovers. Prateek Didwania, the man behind Pico and Snacking (opposite South City Mall) who refuses to call himself a connoisseur or an expert, shared with My Kolkata his plans to build a community for coffee enthusiasts in the city. He also discussed the many ways to brew a great cup of coffee for everyone to enjoy. Read on…
How it all began…
After opening Snacking about six years ago, Prateek realised the potential for enhancing Kolkata’s cafe culture. “There are so many ways of making coffee and yet Kolkata has been all about cappuccinos and lattes. We felt the need to raise awareness about different brewing methods,” said Prateek.
The idea of Pico Pizzeria and Coffee Bar came to him three years ago, but as a perfectionist, Prateek wanted to do it right rather than rushing into it. “We wanted to do a deep dive into coffee and create a coffee culture in the city. It took us three years to get Pico up and running. I am not in competition with anybody, I am running my own race with perfection on my mind,” said Prateek.
“With coffee, we had to serve some food. We didn’t want to be any run-of-the-mill cafe, so we were very specific with our menu. Along with coffee, I am very passionate about pizza. We researched what kinds of pizzas are not being served enough in Kolkata. That’s how we decided that pizza would be our star product along with the coffee. Hence, this place is called Pico — Pizzeria and Coffee Bar,” Prateek further explained.
From being a ‘cha lover’ to a coffee enthusiast…
Passion often makes a person step out of their comfort zone and discover something new amidst chaos. For Prateek, it all began in 2012 when he left Kolkata for his masters degree in Kerala. “South India is known for its coffee culture. That’s when I first tasted real coffee. Before that, it was just regular coffee at home. I prefer black coffee over cold coffee. We also frequented Bangalore, where I fell in love with the filter coffee,” Prateek shared.
His coffee journey continued when he moved to Mumbai for a job at an MNC bank. “My office was in south Bombay and there were a lot of Udupi eateries around it. I would often enjoy filter coffee there. Back then, I had no idea that coffee would become something so important in my life or that I would become a restaurateur,” said the owner of Pico.
Returning to Kolkata in 2017 after leaving his corporate job, Prateek opened Snacking. “Around that time, Kolkata’s cafe culture was just beginning, dominated mainly by Cafe Coffee Day. At Snacking, my focus was only on coffee. I started brewing my own coffee. For the first year, I was the brewmaster at Snacking. I had no training, I’ve made a lot of mistakes and will make a lot more in the future but that is how you grow. And I aim to keep learning,” said Prateek.
Pick your cuppa
Prateek’s favourite brews include the Hario cold water drip, which takes three hours to make a cup of pure black coffee. Then there’s Vietnamese coffee — a strong, smoky brew made with beans from Vietnam. Pico also offers coffee concoctions, like espresso mixed with fresh orange juice, muddled basil leaves or cinnamon. They even have a coffee lemonade, which is a mix of espresso, honey, lime and tonic water.
Soumyajit Dey
Some of the brews available at Pico are:
- Pour Over: When water is poured over coffee — also known as drip coffee
- Aeropress: Coffee brewed by forcing air through grounds using air pressure
- Syphon: Coffee made by heating coffee beans and water over induction, using gas pressure
- Mocha Pot: Similar to Syphon, it uses gas pressure and induction heating instead
The coffee bar experience
Pico features a coffee bar where you can sit and enjoy watching your coffee being made. For Prateek, this was a way to glamorise coffee, just like liquor is glamorised. “I’ve always been an early morning person, thanks to my early classes at Xavier’s. I usually sleep by 10 pm. So, obviously, the party doesn’t start at 10 pm. There are a lot of people like me who like to sit at the counter — be it a liquor bar or a coffee bar.”
Building a coffee community in Kolkata
One of the special coffees served at the cafe
With Pico, one of Prateek’s aims was bringing coffee lovers together and introducing coffee to people, and the coffee bar is the experiential centre of it all. “We want to invite coffee enthusiasts and non-coffee drinkers to come down, experience, and learn about coffee. The sessions will be about learning from each other. I am not 100% knowledgeable about coffee. My journey started six years ago, and I am sure there are people who are better than me at coffee. The idea is to start these sessions and learn from each other, and what better place to do it than a coffee bar,” said an excited Prateek.
At the end of the day, Pico is all about spreading the love of coffee, and Prateek doesn’t believe in secret recipes. “We don’t mind people coming and asking us how to brew coffee at home. We have a grinding machine here, and anyone who wants to have their coffee beans ground, we will do it for them at no charge, even if they don’t purchase the coffee from us. Whatever is available on our racks are the products we use ourselves. We don’t want to sell something we don’t use. So if you want to have a great cup of coffee or learn about coffee, you can come over to Pico. We are an open book waiting to welcome you,” Prateek signed off.
