From posto sandwich to aam tel pizza, contemporary Bengali cuisine steps forward in this Kolkata cafe

Chef Joy Banerjee’s name is synonymous with contemporary Bengali cuisine. When we visited Luchi o Locha, a chill eatery in Baghajatin which is run by Joy and his brother Deb Banerjee, we got a taste of the same. We sat down with the brothers for an interesting conversation over some great dishes and a great cup of coffee.

At Luchi o Locha, Bengali staples are reworked without losing their soul

The restaurant is located in an area filled with students and is a stone’s throw away from Jadavpur University. So when you open the menu card, don’t be shocked about the price points. Deb stressed upon the fact that one needs to set the prices according to the location while also maintaining a high quality check. He makes no decisions about what goes on in the kitchen and has given the reins to his younger gastronomically genius brother Chef Joy.

The Chef had kept a variety of dishes ready for us to dig in. We started with the Posto bora sandwich and we didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as we did. Posto is a quintessential part of every Bengali household, and we never imagined it to be encased between two slices of bread. The sandwich has one layer of great umami rich posto bora and chopped onions.

Chef Joy says, “I do not want to take you away from the food you have grown up eating, while asking you to step out of the box.” We were amused to hear about the Masoor dal pasta with spicy soya toppings but one bite took away all our inhibitions. We never knew lentils could pair so well with Italian carbs.

Then came the star of the afternoon, the Aam tel shorshe chicken pizza. What hits you first is the whiff of aam tel and it reminds you of your grandmother’s terrace filled with jars of aam tel kept in the sun. None of the flavours overwhelm your senses, the ingredients play out beautifully. We then moved on to Kancha lonka maangsho which is a winner and date back to Chef Joy’s Bohemian days.

If you love Bengali cuisine beyond the box it is restricted to, this is the place to be.

Meal for two: INR 600

Timings: 12 pm to 10.30 pm

Location: At Central Park, Baghajatin