Kolkata Social is chef Ahana Dutt’s love letter to Bengali cuisine – food you can eat with your hands, made from the heart.
Time Out says
The poetry of Tagore. Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. The roar of a cricket match at Eden Gardens. Kolkata – once the capital of British India and formerly called Calcutta – pulses with poetry, politics and passion. And now, you can have a taste of the ‘City of Joy’ on Newtown’s vibrant King Street.
It’s a sunny Sunday when we are seated in a cobalt blue room with a view to the open red-tiled kitchen where the chef Ahana Dutt is in charge. Kolkata-born, Dutt earned her culinary cred at Firedoor and Raja before Christie-David roped her in. With every set menu ordered, Kolkata Social donates meals to those in need – one in Sydney and one in Kolkata via their charity partner, Calcutta Rescue.
There’s no chicken tikka from North India, or idli sambar from the South. Instead, Kolkata Social is a celebration of Bengali cuisine – and we’re here to savour it.
First up, our entrées. The dry chilli chicken features boneless chicken bits, batter-fried then tossed in a garlicky sauce with green capsicum and onions. One bite and we’re transported straight to Kolkata’s Chinatown, the birthplace of ‘Indian Chinese’ (IYKYK).
Next, moong dal el boram. The menu says ‘think falafels, but Indian’, and most Indians will recognise them as dal vadas (lentil fritters) sold at street corners as an afternoon snack. Made from a mix of ground moong dal with spices and finely sliced green chilli for punch, these moreish morsels are deep fried and sent to our table piping-hot. We dunk them in the tamarind chutney and think how we’d gobble them up on a rainy day with a cup of chai.
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Written by Alison Rodericks
This article is from www.timeout.com
Tuesday 15 July 2025
