It’s not hard to see why Kolkata, the city of adda, would warm up to supper clubs. Sharing hot fritters, phuchkas or momos over a long leisurely conversation and meeting new people over communal meals often defines a perfect evening for Kolkatans. So, when Manisha Mittal Chokhani moved to the city in 2024, starting a supper club seemed like the perfect plan!
Manisha, who hails from North Bengal’s Birpara, hosts The Bungalow Suppers, a vegetarian supper club hosted in a 100-year-old South Kolkata bungalow. “I grew up in a family where people love food and having people around,” she says. “The chai wala saucepan was always on in our home because someone or the other was visiting. And it was never just chai — there was always a platter of snacks to go along with it,” she tells us
Manisha’s love for hosting has quietly shaped what is now one of Kolkata’s more intimate dining experiences. Unlike many structured dining formats, this supper club follows a simple model. There’s no membership, no subscription model, just a phone number and an open seat. Guests can book a single seat, come as a group, or even reserve the entire 12-seater setup. The idea is less about exclusivity and more about access, and perhaps, a gentle push toward shared spaces.
It’s also deeply hands-on. A trained nutritionist by profession, Manisha cooks every meal herself, balancing her day job with weekend dinners.
“This is not something that pays my bills,” she says. “But it’s something I wanted to do for myself.”
The bungalow belongs to one of her friends and offers a terrific set-up for a curated themed experience. The menu doesn’t chase trends. Instead, it leans into something more rooted, a curated journey through Kolkata’s food culture, inspired by North Kolkata’s heritage lanes and South Kolkata’s vibrant contemporary food scene. The line-up celebrates home cooking and street food favourites reimagined with Italian, Chinese and North Indian influences.
“It’s about familiar flavours. For instance, something that our guests have loved is the quintessential Bengali vegetable chop, the kind usually found in small neighbourhood stalls, made with beetroot, which is rarely recreated in more polished cafes. Here, it’s one of the most requested dishes, and we have had guests asking for seconds!” Manisha shares.
Then come the momos, a nod to Manisha’s North Bengal roots. Growing up between places like Kalimpong and the hills, momo-making was less a recipe and more a ritual for the host’s family.
“Momo is something which is a very communal cooking for us. My aunt, my mother, they are from Kurseong and on certain days we just have a momo dinner! So, momo is something which we have grown up with, and at the supper club we are offering authentic Darjeeling momos, the ones with the thin skin and peanut chutney that everyone loves,” she adds.
Manisha started hosting in January, and the menu currently stays consistent for a few months at a time, allowing dishes to build familiarity before seasonal changes come in. There are also collaborations in the works, including a Himalayan-themed pop-up with a former MasterChef contestant, inspired by the heritage Darjeeling steam train.
How to book a table: The Instagram page of the supper club @thebungalowsuppers posts regular updates about upcoming editions. No membership or subscriptions are needed; simply DM or call to make a reservation. (Address and prices on request).
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