As offices reopen, New Town and Sector V food stalls slowly regain their biz, and buzz

As offices in the city reopen after their pandemic-induced closure, street food stalls in Kolkata’s newer office paras, Salt Lake Sector V and New Town, which suffered a big dip in business, are beginning to see customers and office-goers return for a meal. Be it sitting down for a filling lunch or grabbing a quick bite, these street-food hubs have something for everyone. My Kolkata took a tour of Sector V and New Town to find out their present condition and bring you a taste of what to expect.

Sector V

Twenty years ago, the street adjacent to where RDB Boulevard (Street Number 22) now stands didn’t see a fraction of the activity it does today. Kartik Majhi was one of the first to start a food stall there, bringing multiple Chinese delicacies to the street. Today, this area serves hordes of office-goers, who work in Infinity Benchmark, Omega Tower and other office buildings.

“The place where my stall stands was a dumping ground before. Initially, I used to run this stall alone, but after the rise in customer numbers after the IT boom in 2008, I now have five workers,” said Majhi, the owner of Kartik Tea & Fast Food.

Kartik’s varieties of chowmein, starting at Rs 50, are especially popular, along with his chicken rezala curry (Rs 120). “This entire street was shut during the pandemic and since the IT industry is still largely working from home, we are only halfway back to pre-Covid sales. We still serve about 100 customers every day and use 5 kg of chicken, as our chicken curries are always in demand,” adds Kartik.

Nandan from Kartik Tea & Fast Food is well known for his chowmein-tossing tricks Vedant Karia

For Gopalji, of Gopal Ji Dhaba, seeing regular customers return feels like being reunited with old friends. And his sentiments are echoed by his customers. “We have built a name in the market over the past 12 years for providing quality north Indian food at reasonable prices. This is why we have bounced back to our pre-pandemic sales days. We are serving close to 500 customers every day. We even change our curry every day to keep foodies happy,” he smiles. The day’s specials? Paneer Makhani (Rs 20), Masala Kulcha (Rs 10) and Chicken Biryani (Rs 60).

The delectable combo of paneer makhani and masala kulcha from Gopal Ji Dhaba is a filling meal for only Rs 30 Vedant Karia

The friendship between shopkeepers and customers is evident too, as an engineer from Infinity Benchmark asks Dhaneshwar Jadav of Dosa Centre, “Kalke dokaan bondho keno chilo?” Jadav smiles apologetically before preparing the customer’s usual: a masala dosa with extra spice (Rs 35). Besides other south Indian staples like idli and sambar vada, Jadav also serves Mumbai’s beloved pav bhaji and vada pav. “I reopened my shop three months ago after keeping it shut throughout the pandemic. Given my variety of dishes, I have been able to attract new customers too,” he says.

Dhaneshwar Jadav of Dosa Centre serves south Indian as well as Mumbai classics Vedant Karia

Mohammad Imteyaz, on the other hand, reopened his Hyderabadi House only last week. Imteyaz has been braving the heat with his belief in the Hyderabadi biryani’s supremacy (Rs 100). He is also trying to widen the palate of foodies with shawarmas, making 15 different types of the Middle-Eastern dish. “The classic shawarma (Rs 80), with its combination of rumali pita bread and fresh mayonnaise, is a good choice for people who are tired of eating the same thing everyday. Although we started slowly, the numbers are growing,” Imteyaz says.

Hyderabadi House serves Hyderabadi biryani and shawarmas Vedant Karia

Unique combinations seem to be a recurring theme, as the Chinese Zone’s mishti counter welcomes a crowd of sweet-lovers. The spread of the succulent treats makes it extremely hard to choose between Rasmalai (Rs 20), Mishti Doi (Rs 16) and Chenna Payesh (Rs 25).

These Mishti Doi cups fly off the rack at Chinese Zone Vedant Karia

Prasad Mondal’s Kali Maa Hotel is one of the largest eateries in the street and offers nourishing and balanced meals. His basic lunch option starts at Rs 25, comprising sabji-bhaat and goes up to Rs 160, with mutton tarkari, papad, dhokar dalna, fish fry and beguni. “Because we provide so much variety, we start preparing from 6am. We are back to operating normally now. Our lunch footfall starts at 12pm and continues till 3pm,” Mondal says.

Kali Maa Hotel has a range of fried snacks like fish fry and beguni to go along with their sabji-bhaat Vedant Karia

Almost at the end of the street, Rohim’s Fruit Corner never seems to be empty as he constantly chops and serves sliced cucumbers, guavas, jambuls and water chestnuts plain or with chaat masala.

Fruits with chaat masala make for a quick snack at Rohim’s Fruit Corner Vedant Karia

At the other end, on the stretch overlooking TCS Gitobitan, are more unique options. Right opposite the building is the quaint Prakash Litti Shop. Expertly applying ghee over the gleaming littis, Prakash keeps his restless customers engaged in conversation while they wait for their order to arrive. “Our basic litti chokha is for Rs 25. Our innovation has paid off with the Mutton Litti though, which is priced at Rs 120 and has been a favourite since day one,” he says.

Prakash Litti Shop is among the first in the city to introduce a mutton litti variant Vedant Karia

While Shivam Sandwich has all the standard sandwich options, priced from Rs 25 to Rs 60, it is his vada pav with mayonnaise, butter and cheese (Rs 30) that has made him popular among office-goers. His regulars also include students who come all the way from Institute and Engineering and Management. “While the reopening of colleges and offices has helped, most of my customers have always been from TCS. Since most of its employees are still working remotely, my business isn’t back to its old self yet. But I’m hopeful that it will, once things unlock a bit more,” smiles Shivam.

Shivam Sandwich’s vada pav with mayonnaise attracts foodies all the way from IEM Vedant Karia

For Sajan Tea Stall, innovation was more of a necessity than a choice. Parked on the edge of the lane, Sajanda started by selling tea for Rs 6 and omelettes for Rs 12. After shutting down during the pandemic, he managed to reopen just two months ago. “It was hard to get by at first, so I decided to introduce our new speciality, the dhakai paratha, paired with chanar dal,” he says. At Rs 30, the huge parathas make a compelling case, and the aroma wafting from Sajanda’s frying pan has led to more people visiting his stall.

Sajan Tea Stall has started making Kolkata’s beloved dhakai paratha after reopening Vedant Karia

New Town

In New Town, the lane behind the New Town Bus Stand (Street Number 64) has also come back to life with people hurrying to grab some grub before their lunch breaks end.

Babu Ghosh of New Maa Tara Restaurant is a fortunate man. “We didn’t close during the pandemic, so sales actually increased in lockdown because people had limited options. Now that offices are gradually opening, I expect things to get even better,” he says. He is popular among locals for his thaali system that starts at Rs 35 and goes up to Rs 70. Office-goers can opt for various types of thaalis, including maach, mangsho, dim, biryani and sobji. “There are two big windows daily when we don’t get time to breathe — first from 1pm to 4.30pm for lunch and then from 8pm to 11.30pm for dinner,” says Ghosh.

Babu Ghosh of New Maa Tara Restaurant offers a thaali system Vedant Karia

Next door, Sambhu Mahara has a different story to tell. Having cemented his spot in the street for seven years, he had shut down during the pandemic and reopened last year after the second wave. But he has seen no improvement in sales. His singhara and jalebi are priced at Rs 8, while the kachori costs Rs 6. “People don't have a lot of money now and most people in the IT industry are still working from home. I don’t know when things will get better,” he laments.

Shambhu Mahara offers fried goodness like singharas, jalebis and kachoris Vedant Karia

However, the city’s love affair with momos hasn’t dwindled yet. At the edge of the street, Centre Momo remains a popular choice. The eatery provides both veg and chicken options in steamed, fried and pan-fried choices. They even have a paneer variant (Rs 40). The workers say that despite a lull during the lockdown, they are back to selling approximately a thousand momos a day.

Centre Momo sells 1,000 momos daily, in steamed, fried and pan-fried varieties Vedant Karia

At the other corner, Rupesh Das has been selling daab for 16 years. Starting from Rs 35, you can always find someone at his shed, enjoying a cooldown after a hearty meal.

Rupesh Das’ daab stall has many takers with mercury going up Vedant Karia

Delhi Ice Cream Shakes and Juice Corner is easily the most crowded outlet in the lane. Given the sweltering heat, this isn’t surprising. Their beautifully garnished ice-cream shakes and fruit juices provide some much-needed respite, and a wide range of options from Oreo to mixed-fruit to kiwi to green apple add to the attraction. Prices start at Rs 40.

The vanilla ice-cream shake from Delhi Ice Cream Shakes and Juice Corner Vedant Karia

The lane opposite Ecospace Business Park (Street Number 372) is another popular hub for foodies, and its location attracts those whose offices are more removed from the rest of the township.

Apart from the routine north Indian and biryani options, beverages seem to be just as popular here. Kamal Tea Stall is a popular adda spot for chai lovers. The adrak chai, starting at Rs 6, truly wakes you up. Green tea is also available for health-conscious customers for just Rs 10.