A narrow lane leads to a non-descript eatery where a blackboard announces the menu of the day. It includes Thod Chingri (Banana Stem with Shrimps) and Kochu Saag (a dish of Kochu leaves).
Patrons sit before wooden tables with banana leaves as plates, upon which are served rice, dal of the day and an array of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Frequently, the eatery resonates with “ekta chorchori table number char e (one vegetable mishmash at table No. 4)” or “ekta pabdar jhaal dosh number e” (A pabda curry for table No. 10).
Welcome to Hotel Tarun Niketan, a pice hotel on Rashbehari Avenue that has been patronised by none other than Amitabh Bachchan, says the current owner, Arun Chandra Deb.
Hotel Tarun Niketan and Swadhin Bharat Hindu Hotel, off College Street, joined chic restaurants like Bar-B-Q and Amber, along with 16 others, at The Stadel in Salt Lake on Sunday, where they were felicitated and awarded Culinary Heritage certificates by the Calcutta Chapter of the Indian National Trust for Architectural and Cultural Heritage (Intach), sponsored by the Darjeeling tea brand Makaibari.
From pice hotels to Park Street restaurants, from dhabas to cafes, from South Indian eateries to sweetmeat shops, Kolkata has a rich trail of iconic eateries. Intach, as part of its effort to establish a food heritage trail, recognised these establishments by awarding them certificates and Blue Plaques.
The Blue Plaque is a commemorative tablet or signage indicating the historical significance of a building or establishment.
In a previous edition, 20 other outlets had been awarded the plaque, including Allen’s Kitchen, Bhim Chandra Nag and Eau Chew.
“We are recognising these places for their contribution to the city’s food heritage. Makaibari has joined us in this endeavour. The objective is to create awareness and facilitate experiencing this ‘living heritage’ both for residents and visitors,” said G.M. Kapur, convenor of Intach, Calcutta chapter.
The establishments that have an uninterrupted business from 1960 or before, are located in the Kolkata municipal area and have a historical or cultural significance are considered for the recognition, said Kapur.
In the second edition, the pice hotel category was introduced.
Swadhin Bharat Hindu Hotel, in Bhawani Dutta Lane, was founded in 1912 by Late Mana-Govinda Panda from Cuttack. Its signature dish is Pui Sag-er Chorchori.
Adi Haridas Modak on Upper Circular Road was selected in the sweetmeat category. Established by Satyendra Nath Das Modak in 1772, the shop was named after his son Haridas and is now run by the 6th generation family member Indrajeet Modak. Sri Ramkrishna was one of Modak’s patrons, said Indrajeet.
A non-Bengali sweetmeat shop, Kaligodam on Mullick Street, made it to the list. Founded by Rampratap Udani, from Rajasthan, around 1926-28, the shop was inherited by his daughter Dhapu Eevi Jajodia.
Also on the list was Sen Mahashay, which was founded by Ashutosh Sen and Nilmoni Sen in 1885. Right next to its Shyambazar shop was the office of Bichitra, a publication edited by Sajani Kanta Das. Authors like Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Tarashankar Bandopadhyay and Banaphul would visit the office and order sweets from the shop.
Lakshmi Narayan Shaw & Sons on Bidhan Sarani had Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose as its patron, said Keshto Shaw, grandson of Khedu Shaw, who established the shop in 1918.
Ralli’s, Aminia, Royal Indian Hotel, Saldanha, Mitra Cafe, Amber, Bar-B-Q, Anand Restaurant, Prema Vilas, D’Ley, Nizam’s and Balwant Singh’s Eating House were also felicitated.