The three-level lounge at Camac Street, Scrapyard — the chill zone for good food, craft beer and live music — completes a glorious five in the city. Opened in 2017 as an auction bar, with a promise of a microbrewery, it is all set to step into its next phase with promises fulfilled and promises anew. The lounge will celebrate its fifth anniversary (on July11) with a series of band performances and the introduction of new additions on its menu. The Telegraph takes a look back at everything it offered and gets a glimpse what’s waiting ahead.
The Telegraph chats with owners Ankit Madhogaria and Rohit Ojha
Scrapyard is turning five. What has the journey been like?
Rohit: The five-year journey has been quite remarkable. We opened on July 11, 2017. Initially, we did not have the brewery license. From there, now we are serving craft beer. In these five years, we have come up with almost 10 to 15 different types of beer. We got a very good response from the city people.
Ankit: We get repeated requests from our guests to bring back our seasonal specialities as well. We have learnt a lot in this journey and we will try to keep excelling in what we are doing as well.
What are some of the popular choices in food items and beer from the menu?
Rohit: We have introduced a lot of dishes that pair up well with beer. A lot of munchy and light items. People love binging on those till they leave the table. Crispy Rumali Cheese Papad is one such dish which everyone loves whether they prefer veg or a non-veg because that goes so well with a drink. It is not filling. There is an item called Cheese Chilli Crispy Corn. A single person can have many portions, it is so light. After completing the drink and snacks, people can have the main course. That’s how the menu has been designed.
Ankit: In the lounge or any club, people don’t usually get the option of a main course. But our concept is people should get the food options where they are drinking.We have a wide variety to offer for every palate and it is within an affordable range as well. For the fifth anniversary celebrations, we came up with a new menu and two kinds of flavoured beers — mango and berry.
How is Scrapyard planning to celebrate its fifth anniversary?
Rohit: Live music has been a part of our offerings since the first day. We started with Sunny Boys, who are now playing all over India. Gradually a few more bands became our regular performers. We are doing a performance on the day of our anniversary celebrations (July 11) with all the six bands who have been playing for us. They have been with us in the past five years and we have been with them also. It has been a lovely journey. We have always offered our place to local artistes and this performance will also be our tribute to the local artistes again. It will be a special performance as all six bands (Kanishk Arora, Sunny Boys, Devesh Lal, Bandeh, All Square, Vishal Sharma) have agreed to perform on the same day.
What are the challenges you have faced in these five years?
Ankit: In 2017, we never imagined we will have three different floors. We had the vision to create a buzz in the city with our quality food and beer and being located in a popular area like Camac Street. We wanted to keep a reasonable pricing as well. We made this brand for the masses and we have successfully achieved that. However, the pandemic was a challenge. But we had a wonderful team with us who showed patience and stayed with us right from the beginning. They grew with the brand and, of course, the people of the city really supported us.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for Scrapyard?
Rohit: We are coming up with a second outlet of Scrapyard in South City Mall. The work has just started. We will try to start the outlet before the Pujas hopefully. We now know what Kolkata people want. South Kolkata doesn’t have any microbrewery yet. It will also be the only outlet in South City with an outdoor and indoor seating arrangement. We are also starting the franchise model for Scrapyard nationally and coming up with two more brands.
POPULAR FROM THE OLD MENU
Scrapyard Chicken: This spicy starter dish is prepared by marinating chicken with Malta orange zest and juice, before coating and frying with bell pepper, onion and chilli flakes. Rs 391
Risotto: The creamy risotto dish is steam-cooked with arborio rice, cheese and mushroom paste. It is garnished with sautéed mushrooms. Rs 321
Rumali Cheese Papad: This popular snack from the outlet is perfect for binge-munching with friends over a few glasses of beer. The crispy flour papad is served with crunchy spicy onion and cheese on top. Rs 231
Corn Bruschetta: This delish veg bruschetta is binge worthy and perfect for pairing with a mocktail, cocktail or beer. The bread is topped with a cheese mix and corn. Rs 271
Chicken Gilafi Kebab: This melt-in-your-mouth dish is prepared by marinating chicken pieces with herbs, rose petal puree and Indian spices for a unique aroma and spicy taste. It is then slow-cooked after two to three hours. Rs 411
NEW ADDITIONS TO THE MENU
Chicken Salami Seekh Kebab: In this delish starter dish, chicken is marinated and cooked with herbs and Indian spices for a salty and spicy taste, served with tortilla chips on top. Rs 465
Kashmiri Lamb Barra with Mustard Rice: The traditional spicy Kashmiri mutton dish is served with pulao cooked with fried mustard seeds. Rs 550
Red Wine Spaghetti with Goat Cheese: This hearty dish is prepared by boiling spaghetti in beet juice for infusing flavour and is cooked with red wine and goat cheese. It is served garnished with cherry tomatoes. Rs 521
Quinoa Avocado Salad: This healthy and tasty salad is a mix of avocado and quinoa in a coriander and wine dressing. Rs 399
Melting Chocolate Ball: Scrapyard’s favourite Sizzling Brownie is presented with a twist in this anniversary-special dish. Brownie and vanilla ice cream are covered in a chocolate shell, served with walnuts and rum on the plate. Rs 550
Old and new from the craft beer menu:
Victorian: This Belgian beer with a hint of brown sugar is strong and aromatic.
Taxi’s: The Belgian wheat-based ale beer has citrusy notes coming from orange, and a taste of coriander and creamy oats.
Eden: This flavoured beer from Scrapyard’s old menu comes with a hint of coffee notes in the glass.
Berry: This new addition on the menu with fruity notes is prepared with mixed berry compote.
Mango Ale: The season’s special addition to the menu has a faint mango flavour and is made with a hint of mango pulp.
Pictures: B. Halder