Passion is what drives people to great heights and Saptapadi Restaurant’s story is a genuine example of just that! Steered by Chef Ranjan Biswas, the casual diner that serves Bengali cuisine with a delectable twist opened its third unit in Salt Lake a few months back and is all set to launch its fourth outlet in Behala next year January. “I wanted to learn the ropes of the trade from seasoned chefs at five stars before opening my own diner. My stint with Hyatt Goa and other star hotels made me confident enough to start Saptapadi along with a friend,” shares the culinary expert sitting at his Purna Das Road outlet.
The casual diner is strewn with memorabilia and pictures of yesteryear Bengali cinema and a selfie zone with a blown-up picture of iconic Bengali star pair Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen. What distinguishes Saptapadi f r o m t h e scores of Bengali diners in the city is its range of unique recipes. “Kolkata is a melting pot of cultures which is also evident in our culinary space. It’s a bit tricky to experiment with Bengali cuisine but many erudite chefs are trying out new ingredients and novel techniques to come up with unusual flavours. Also, gastronomes here are more open to culinary experiments,” feels Ranjan. Though his own forte lies in Continental cuisine, Ranjan considers Bengali fare to be his true love and that’s why most of his Bengali dishes have a continental twist. “I have tried giving a Bengali twist to the continental dishes like Ilish Cheese Ball, Bhetki Chingri Popcorn, Muri Fish Steak and others. Among desserts too, you will find entrées like Gondhoraj Lemon Custard and Ice Cream Stuffed Patishapta, which are our signature dishes,” the chef tells us.
Ranjan is planning a new menu that will feature recipes as old as 150 years and adds, “This menu will feature recipes that were served during the time of Nawab Sirajud-Daulah and Rabindranath Tagore. A lot of research has gone into it and we will be launching it from January 2022.” A stickler for quality food at affordable pricing, Ranjan believes it’s possible to give gourmands a taste of authentic dishes at low prices. And it is precisely this that kept his brand afloat during the trying pandemic times. “We switched over to complete home delivery mode during the lockdown and the pandemic lockdown period and the response was overwhelming with an increasing number of repeat customers. I had to be very perfect in terms of freshness and taste and also packaging since Bengali dishes are mostly curry based,” he adds.
Though outlets are running to full houses now, with everything opening up, Ranjan wants to continue with online orders too, since he feels that patrons will still want to have food in the comfort of their own homes.