JW Marriott Kolkata Brings Award-Winning Restaurant

Kolkata, June 2023: JW Marriott Kolkata continues its commitment to showcase and celebrate culinary excellence by partnering with like-minded collaborators who are poised to revolutionize the culinary scene. In their latest endeavor, JW Marriott Kolkata is delighted to announce its first-ever pop-up in Kolkata with The Bombay Canteen (Hunger Inc Hospitality), the award-winning restaurant & bar at Kamala Mills, Mumbai. Experience a Taste of India (without borders) with a five-course meal and cocktail experience that offers the classic yet unexplored charm of our country’s diverse culinary offering marrying them expertly with familiar flavours for a truly gourmet experience. And its bar offering has a unique selection of re-imagined classic cocktails with firm Indian roots. The pop-up at Vintage Asia on July 1& 2, 2023, curated by one of India’s most dynamic young chefs Hussain Shahzad, Executive Chef, Hunger Inc Hospitality, promises the best of The Bombay Canteen’s eclectic Indian fare that has won rave reviews, the world over, with critics and guests alike. The vegetarian and non-vegetarian 5-course set experience includes dishes like Baigan Choka Cornets, “Chakli Chutney”, Amiri Khaman, Squash Blossom SAN-SAV, Toddy Shop Chicken Fry, Chilled Seabass “Sev Puri”, Dry Aged Duck Xacuti and Kolkata inspired Coffee Rasgulla Sundae along with re-imagined cocktails like the refreshing tequila-based Waiting List and Spicy Gimlet- a surprising twist on the classic.

JW Marriott Kolkata and The Bombay Canteen collaboration will showcase seasonal dishes that reinterpret the country’s age-old culinary traditions with a ‘flavour-forward’ approach. Hussain Shahzad brings his signature blend of curiosity, high energy, and global experience to every dish he creates. A graduate of the Welcome Group Graduate School of Hotel Administration in Manipal, Karnataka, he earlier worked at Eleven Madison Park, New York, where he developed and refined his culinary techniques. Coupled with his passion for food is his love for adventure – and this took Hussain on a culinary journey across the globe including Portugal, USA, and Turkey, with a brief stint as personal chef to tennis star Roger Federer. As Executive Chef of Hunger Inc. Hospitality, he envisions and develops the cuisine offering at The Bombay Canteen, O Pedro, a goa-inspired restaurant and bar in BKC, Mumbai and Veronica’s, an all-day sandwich shop and deli in Bandra, Mumbai.

The Bombay Canteen, located in the heart of Mumbai, presents an unparalleled dining experience for those who wish to eat their way through India. In a span of just nine years, the restaurant has earned an iconic status winning multiple awards and accolades both nationally and internationally. These include ‘Restaurant of the Year’ in Mumbai at the Times Food & Nightlife Awards 2023, ranked No 76 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars edition 2022, ‘Best Modern Indian Casual Dining’ in Mumbai at the Times Food & Nightlife Awards 2022, and Best Restaurant of the Year at Conde Nast India Top Restaurant Awards 2018. The restaurant has also been featured in Greatest Places To Eat In The World by Condé Nast Traveler (USA), and on the Discovery List for Asia for 50 Best Restaurants.

The 5-course meal featuring The Bombay Canteen’s signature offerings presents the untold story of regional Indian cuisine on a plate. The vegetarian diner can expect to savour dishes such as Amiri Khaman, a popular Gujarati snack of crumbled khaman dhoklas served on a bed of chilled yogurt mousse, topped with tangy raw mango kachumber, toasted seeds, coconut chips, and pomegranate seeds. Another favourite from Gujarat on the menu is Corn Locho reimagined with the Locho made with corn, topped with crispy corn, scallion chutney, and Indian-made Belper Knolle, an aged Swiss pepper cheese. Celebrating the flavours of Kashmiri cuisine, Gucchi & Girda comprises traditional Haak saag, whey yakhni, and kohlrabi served with a Kashmiri-style poppy seed bread called girda. Also on the menu is Squash Blossom SAN-SAV, a traditional Goan-style sweet, sour, and spiced curry with pumpkin and raw mango, accompanied by Sunday pilaf, balchow, and sunchoke foogath – a vegetable stir-fry from the Sunshine State.

The offering for the non-vegetarians includes Corn Locho with soft-shell crabmeat, topped with crispy corn, scallion chutney, and Belper Knolle. The Goan cuisine-inspired Dry Aged Duck Xacuti is a mélange of spices and coconut with tender, crispy 14-day dry-age duck, served with sunchoke foogath, Sunday pilaf, and balchow. A tribute to Kolkata’s famous Rasgulla is the signature Coffee Rasgulla Sundae, with rum-mascarpone ganache, and salted caramel coffee cream, topped with toasted almond brittle.

The bar offers a unique selection of re-imagined classic cocktails with firm Indian roots. Features drinks from The Bombay Canteen’s recently launched cocktail menu such as Waiting List, a highball-style concoction with coconut fat-washed tequila, curry leaf soda, and a curry leaf salt rim, to cleanse one’s palate between sips; Spicy Gimlet, a new age interpretation of the classic drink with gin, house-made chili marmalade, bird eye chili tincture and lime juice. If you’re a teetotaler or designated driver, try the Free-Spirited Cocktail Chamomile & Cranberry Tea with a signature Canteen cordial.