Curated from scratch with lots of love, this Kolkata cafe has stolen our hearts

No Strings Attached, a newly opened café in Salt Lake, felt like a breath of fresh air the moment we walked in. While most cafés are all about maximalist wall paintings and décor elements, this one looked serene, with a hint of light teal blue, lots of indoor plants, paper lampshades, and colourful origami birds handmade by one of the owners, singer Upal Sengupta. It’s the kind of place you’d love to drop by for a hearty breakfast, a wholesome lunch, or a cup of coffee as you unwind after a hectic day.

What we liked in this newly-opened Salt Lake cafe, No Strings Attached?

Like us, don’t forget to grab a seat by the window to enjoy sundowners or the rains. A passion project by five friends, Birojit Paul, Kaushik Basu, Debaditya Chatterjee, Upal Sengupta, and Jayalipi Datta, the initial concept was to open a studio space-cum-café where people could jam and enjoy food and coffee, but that didn’t work out. The café has been painstakingly decorated by the owners, right from handpicked crockery and upholstery to deciding upon the menu and space management.

As we stepped in, a drink and a snack were waiting for us on the table — Spanakopita and Watermelon Cooler. The cooler was light, with a hint of salt, while the Spanakopita were little samosas made with filo pastry sheets, stuffed with a mix of spinach and cheese. These fritters went well with the refreshing mocktail. We also tried two more starters — Tempura-fried prawns and Crispy squid rings. While the crispy-coated calamari was addictive, the juicy prawns, lightly coated and dunked in mayo, were unputdownable.

The café also serves crab, and we had to try it. Butter garlic crab served with a cheesy jacket potato and steaming hot buttered rice was a match made in heaven — best enjoyed on a cool, rainy evening. But what stole the show was the Mutton chops sizzler in red wine sauce.

We were a little doubtful about the Mutton chops, but they decimated all our suspicions. Juicy, succulent, falloff- the-bone mutton chops, dunked in a fabulously flavoured red wine sauce with a hint of smokiness, went perfectly with the accompanying grilled veggies and herbed rice.

We wrapped up our meal with a Strawberry popcorn shake. Though a drink, it doubled up as a dessert for us. A little on the sweeter side, this is a must-try for those with a sweet tooth.

Meal for two: INR 800 AI.

From12.30 pm to 10 pm.

At BH Block, Sector 2, Salt Lake.

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.