Devour The Daab Chingri, Aam Kasundi Chicken At This Bengali Restaurant

As a Bengali who grew up in Kolkata, I never experienced a day without delicious cuisine, whether it was prepared at home or at a restaurant. Kolkata's culinary skills will always prevail. For those who are new to Bengali food or who would like to take a break from preparing the daily dishes of mutton kosha, bhetki paturi, and daal-bhaat-aloo bhaja, Kolkata, a city that offers a wide variety of cuisines, naturally has Bengali restaurants. And so, with its traditional yet delectable meals, 6 Ballygunge Place, a traditional Bengali restaurant, enters the picture.

6 Ballygunge Place in Ballygunge is without a doubt one of the top Bengali restaurants in Kolkata. Situated in a British mansion, the restaurant features exquisite interior design and well-placed buildings that evoke the splendour of Victorian-era Bengal. It may surprise you to learn that the first and main branch of 6 Ballygunge Place opened for business in 2003 and quickly rose to prominence as one of the most well-liked eateries, offering its patrons gourmet cuisine.

Your attention will be drawn to the decor's old appearance, which gives an air of antiquity. Under the capable direction of Chef Sushanta Sengupta, every resource that was available—from the first Bengali cookbook by Pragya Sundari Devi to allusions to Vaishnav literature—was examined before making its way into the intricate spread.

The restaurant has received multiple accolades and honours since 2003 from prestigious institutions such as The Telegraph, American Express, National Geographic, Lonely Planet, and many more. Celebrities such as Bret Lee, Rishi Kapoor, Asha Bhonsle, Sourav Ganguly, Nasiruddin Shah, Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu, Twinkle Khanna, Shaan, and many more have visited 6 Ballyugunge Place in Kolkata.

The property's clean division into banquet hall, buffet, and a la carte sections is interesting. Reminiscent of the zamindari chateaux of the past, the top a la carte section has a calming atmosphere. A wooden staircase with an antique phone, a chessboard floor with checks, and chairs with backs painted in the old Bengali style are all fascinating.

A spacious drawing room designed to resemble a traditional Bengali household is located in the reception-cum-waiting area on the ground level. It is outfitted with teak wood chairs, Victorian-style corner tables, and silver decor curios.

An enormous haath-pakha (hand fan) is suspended in the middle of the hall, and this there on the remaining two floors. Bright yellow paint decorates the walls, and works by Pingla artist Mamoni Chitrakar depicting cats and fish on Kalighat saras (convex-shaped earthen pitchers) takes up spaces on the wall.

Another massive patachitra by Mamoni Chitrakar that shows pictures of rural ladies stretches from floor to ceiling. The louvres called khorkhori janala in Bengali, walls decorated with patachitra, Sahaj Path drawings by Tagore, and numerous other works of art will catch your eye. 

Thikache, onek golpo holo, ebar khabar dabar er pala!( Okay, we have spoken a lot about the ambience and decor and popularity, now its time to talk about the food). Before beginning a traditional Bengali a meal, start with shukto, a bitter broth with a hint of sweetness that clears the palate. A mixture of seasoned vegetables, bittergourd, drumsticks, or shojne data, paanch phoron, and milk or coconut milk are used to cook it.

The combination of daal-bhaat and jhuri aloo bhaja will then be phatafati (awesome)! Additionally, some narkel posto bora (fritters made with coconut and poppy seed paste) on the side is chef’s kiss! After your appetiser is finished, you can have pur bhora doi potol (stuffed pointed gourd) or steam aam kasundi chicken for your main course.

Enjoy their buffet, which is reasonably priced at INR 585 to INR 740, minus tax and accessible every day of the week. Along with other meals, the lavish buffet primarily consists of fish, mutton, chicken, rice, luchi, and desserts. But since we can't imagine going to 6 Ballygunge Place and without indulging in Gondhoraj Chicken, Dhakai Pora Mangsho with Steam Rice and Daab Chingri, we personally favour the ala-carte menu.

We typically adore the daab chingri, which is cooked in the soft coconut pulp with coconut milk, the bhetki paturi, and any Hilsa or Ilish dishes. Enchor chingri, bhapa chingri, mocha chingri, and chingri malaikari are some more prawn dishes. For seafood devotees, we strongly suggest the kakrar gaal pethechi, a baked stuffed crab delicacy.

And, tarpor(after), seal the deal with nolen-gur ice cream, mishti doi, roshogolla and malpua!

Currently, there are over 26 branches of 6 Ballygunge Place scattered across the city of Kolkata in the form of restaurants and take-away spots.

Time: 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM and 7 PM to 10:30 PM

Price: INR 1000 onwards

Contact: 033 2460 3922

LBB Tip: Take a sip of beverages like Apu Durga, Shyambazarer Shashi Babu, Noti Binodini, Aampora Sharbat. Among other fish dishes, you have to taste Tel Koi, Chitol Macher Muitha, Loyita Shutki(Bombay duck).

Google Rating: 4.4