Sienna Store and Cafe has been serving up Bengal’s flavours, crafts, and art from their Hindusthan Park address for nine years. Housed in an almost century-old, three-storey home in the south Kolkata neighbourhood, the award-winning restaurant took a break for a few months at the end of 2024 for a makeover. Sienna reopened in November turning the page to a new chapter — Sienna 2.0. From the menu to the space — with three floors of distinct experiences — the Sienna family is all set to offer a new culinary and cultural adventure to the City of Joy. My Kolkata dropped in to check out Sienna in its upgraded avatar.
A spread-out Sienna store
The store has a rugged look with exposed red brick and concrete interiors
Regular patrons know that the store at Sienna has always felt like a warm hug from Bengal. Even if one drops in for the cafe experience, checking out the store is too tempting to resist. The good news is that the treasure trove of crafts, ceramics, and handlooms at Sienna is now not limited to the front space. The store has been expanded to the reception area and the space that connects it to the cafe.
There is a diverse range of products showcasing the craftsmanship of Bengal
There are now more ceramics to choose from, all from Sienna’s Santiniketan workshop. With a much larger space to display there is something for everyone — from dokra figurines, and handmade ceramic, fabric and brass jewellery, to wood-carved utensils, and miniature ceramic ranna-bati sets that are sure to wow collectors. Bengal textiles are well represented in the store with the brand’s signature clothing line tailored out of jamdani, khadi and other handloom fabrics. Handmade mirrors, bags and purses are also more well-stocked on the shelves than ever.
From wooden knick-knacks to ceramics — the shelves are well-stocked
The store’s interiors with walls of exposed red bricks and concrete give exude a vintage purono bari feel. Not only does it add a touch of ruggedness, it makes for a great backdrop to showcase the store’s offerings. Speaking about the store, co-founder and creative director Shuli Ghosh said, “We have more space now to showcase more products as the store is expanded. We have tried to showcase the craftsmanship of Bengal in the diverse collection of products.”
The Sienna cafe experience
The outdoor cafe has also got a new feel, with a more spacious setting and a touch of greenery
Through the store is the cafe at the back. The Sienna cafe, which they lovingly call Boshar Ghor (living room), is a primarily outdoor space with a small indoor nook. The expansive outdoor area now has a greenhouse- like setting with a fiberglass ceiling that allows ample natural light to illuminate the space. Plants line up the edge adding some greenery to the space. From the ceiling hang chandeliers made of cane, and come evening fairy lights transform the cafe into a cosy space. The walls boast of murals made from broken pottery — a sustainable design choice with a bittersweet story. “We had a really sad incident when we went to Bangalore for a pop-up and on our way back, all our pottery broke. So I’ve used all of that broken pottery downstairs in the murals on the walls so that we don't waste anything. I am just trying to make it like a warm hug from Sienna workshops,” said Shuli.
While you enjoy freshly brewed coffee with a comforting menu at the cafe, you can also enjoy the company of Sienna’s furry friends. Additionally, you can bring your own furbabies along too as the outdoor space is pet-friendly and the cafe now features a pet-special menu too. At Sienna 2.0, it is not just the humans who have all the fun!
The ‘Khabar Ghor’
The first floor is the ‘Khabar Ghor’ serving flavours of Bengal presented in Sienna’s signature style
A flight of stairs in the reception area takes you to the first floor, which is now the Sienna restaurant with a dine-in only menu that features flavours of Bengal. True to its name, it exudes the feeling of a quintessential Bangali khabar ghor (dining room) with wooden tables and old-school rattan chairs. It also transports you to rural Bengal with ceiling and wall treatments that will remind you of a pucca hut. Elements of the 100-year-old south Kolkata home that houses Sienna such as the beams on the ceiling and the large windows with wooden panes remain, adding a touch of old Calcutta vibe. Continuing the ethos of sustainability, leftover fabric is used in the making of the hanging lights. “We’ve used a lot of artisanal products. I try my best to use as many artisanal things instead of machine-made ones. So for these, I’ve worked with an artisan to get some of our waste fabric to make the lights. Then we worked with someone to make the cane lights as well. There are some cement lights on the bar counter too,” explained Shuli, highlighting the newest addition — a chic bar counter that will stir and shake cocktails for the signature Sienna speakeasy weekends.
The first floor with its clay-hut interiors and elements from the 100-year-old has the best vintage and earthy aesthetics
The first floor also has a high table seating arrangement overlooking the road, in the space that was earlier the balcony. The divide between the balcony and the seating area has been brought down creating a homogenous space, with the addition of a private seating area and the bar. The bar counter echoes the clay finish aesthetic giving you rural Bengal vibes at the heart of south Kolkata.
The Sienna design story
Shuli Ghosh, co-founder and creative director of Sienna
Sienna’s new look brings you closer to the land. Sienna’s idea to represent the real Bengal is reflected in their decor, lights, tiles, furniture, menu cards and even on their napkins. Everything is carefully designed and curated on each floor, including the still-to-open top floor, to enhance the experience.
What used to be the balcony, now has a seating arrangement with high chairs overlooking the road
“The idea was to do as much as we can, but leave the old structure in place,” said Shuli, talking about the architecture and design of the space, adding that the fact that her her mother (co-founder Shanta Ghosh) is an architect was like a “guiding force” for the revamp. “We had a lot of constraints and difficulties with this building because it’s very old. My mom was instrumental when it came to architectural details, and we worked with Pradipta Pal and Sohomdeep Sinha Roy and Aesthetics on this project. We got some advice on how to expand the space without breaking pillars and load-bearing walls. Our kitchen consultants, Chef Viraf and Prakriti Patel helped us design our kitchen.”
What’s more to come from Sienna 2.0
Every floor at Sienna is now a different experience. The ground floor gives you the satisfaction of a shopping spree while enjoying a coffee break and cafe specials, while the first floor is for sit-down lunches and dinners. The other big culinary experience waiting in the wings is the new second floor, which will feature a 12-seater arrangement to host a chef’s table and tasting menu experience for small groups. And the team is really excited about it. “We feel our talented chefs want to play around with ingredients but they don’t always get a chance to do that downstairs, so the second floor will allow us to push the boundaries a bit.”
The Sienna 2.0 menu
Chhola'r Dal Hummus and Reuben
With a different menu for each floor, the culinary offerings at Sienna are a delightful mix of old favourites and new dishes. You can enjoy a range of baked goods, small bites, their signature pastas and telebhajas, along with coffee, tea and other beverages at the ground-floor cafe. The first floor features the Bengal-to-table menu, from which we tried the wholesome reuben — a pastrami sandwich with a mutton filling with flavours of Sunday kosha mangsho, and finished off with cheese from Kalimpong.
Lotus Root Meatball and Doodh Puli
Next on our tasting menu was Lotus Root Meatball, a comforting bowl with chicken meatballs covered in shaved lotus root in a bone broth — a dish inspired by the fish ball soup sold at Tiretti Bazaar and a perfect bowl of goodness for a winter afternoon. Dessert was the Sienna family’s favourite Doodh Puli, with pulis resembling small mochi balls stuffed with coconut and the doodh (milk) flavoured with pandan leaves.
Sienna has returned to Kolkata’s culinary scene, and so have their speakeasies, which feature a curated menu of craft cocktails and delish food.