Here's Kolkata's first hot pot spot, The Sumo's

Those craving for brothy noodles and soups, try this newly-opened a Korean diner at Salt Lake called The Sumo’s. Claiming to be the city’s first restaurant to serve hotpots with veggies, meat or seafood, the 70-seater diner is the brainchild of food vlogger-turned-entrepreneur Priyanka Singh.

Painted in shades of lilac, baby pink and white, the place exhibits Korean minimalist aesthetics. “The name SuMo is the acronym for sushi and momos — two dishes that my brother and I love. My initial plan was to set up a cloud kitchen. But goaded by my father, a former chef, and my love for Asian food,
I started a full-fledged restaurant,” says Priyanka.

From the elaborate menu, we chose the Volcano non-veg katsu roll — a chef ’s special spicy sushi roll overloaded with prawn, imitation crab and veggies, topped with tempura flakes, creamy cheese sauce and drizzles of sweet soy sauce and spicy mayo sauce. The veg Gyoza tasted fantastic, too. Stuffed with a veggie mix, the outer crust was crispy. Have it with the soy-sesame dip with a hint of chilli, for that comforting warmth.

A steaming bowl of Chicken creamy miso ramen was our first choice from the mains. It is a classic choice but the restaurant’s take made it our favourite. The slurpy noodles dunked in a creamy, thick soup full of shiitake mushrooms, shredded chicken and veggies tasted like a warm winter hug with a dash of chilli oil drizzled on the top. The Thai Seafood Hot Pot, too, surprised us pleasantly. Adequate for a group of three, the flavourful Tom Yum soup was loaded with veggies, king prawns, squid, fish bits and meatballs, and tasted spicy and tangy in equal measure. Trying this out with your friends and family is an experience in itself.

The flavoursome and comforting meal was brought to a halt with a rich and decadent cup of hot chocolate.

Price for two: Rs 800+

Pictures by: Pritam Sarkar