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Did you cognize West Bengal grows much than 1,500 varieties of rice? Yet, erstwhile you spell to the marketplace you lone spot 5 kinds of basmati and gobindo bhog.
“I retrieve increasing up with chamarmani, shiddho chhal, the GI-tagged tulaipanji and truthful galore different varieties. In the adjacent 10 years, it’ll each beryllium gone,” says Chef Avinandan Kundu of Cafe Sienna and Rannaghor. He adds, “As restaurants we request to beryllium liable astir what we navigator and what we enactment out. At Rannaghor (Bengali for kitchen) by Sienna we are keeping live aged stories and ingredients from Bengal.” Since August 2025, the apical level of Cafe Sienna has transformed into an intimate eight-seater eating space, unfastened 3 days a week, with Avinandan and Chef Koyel Nandy moving the amusement with a squad of six.
The paper present is simply a opposition from what the cafe beneath serves. While the paper successful Sienna is urban-centric, successful Rannaghor, recipes are inspired by puerility memories. “I retrieve my ma and grandmom successful the kitchen, giving maine a wound of mach bhaja consecutive from the korai”, says Avinandan.
The chefs started by exploring the Bankura and Birbhum districts. In Bankura, the chefs tried ant chutney made by the Santhals (indigenous ethic groups successful West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Odisha.) “We got the ants frozen, it’ll beryllium connected the Rannaghor paper erstwhile we fig retired what the vegetarian counterpart is,” smiles Avinandan, adding that successful Bankura they don’t usage garam masala. “The flavour comes from conscionable onion, garlic, and chilli. We person been to 2 different districts wherever they don’t usage panchphoron.”
The paper changes seasonally | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The Sunderbans, and North Bengal, is adjacent connected their list. “People lone cognize of momos. There is truthful overmuch dairy fermentation that happens there. There is power from Tibet and China. Dooars, Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri are besides connected the list. If we halt exploring and learning, each this (he points to the kitchen) volition halt to exist,” helium states.
Given Bengal’s diversity, the chefs deliberately debar acquainted dishes. Since it irks them erstwhile visitors trim Bengali nutrient to kosha mangsho, daab chingri and aloo posto, the paper astatine Rannaghor steers wide of these. So they acceptable themselves rules — determination is thing kosha connected the menu, nary panchphoron, and nary (gasp!) potato.
The old-world, handwritten paper deliberately retains Bengali names for the ingredients and dishes, though it has been transliterated into English for the convenience of the diners. For example, scampi is mentioned arsenic galda chingri, bitter gourd arsenic ucchey, cabbage is kopi, and food — maach.
On the time I dine here, the 13-course paper makes adjacent a Bengali similar maine consciousness inadequate astir my cognition of the cuisine. The archetypal people is pickled bittergourd served with Bandel food and moringa flowers. Flavours are crisp but not harsh, and the crockery activates my palate. There is bacon, but it is made from the belly of a 20 kilogram catla fish. It is cured and smoked, and served with food made of Dhakai paneer, pineapple jelly and aloobukhara jam. Avinandan’s favourite crockery rezala finds spot connected the paper too. It is my favourite too, particularly the profoundly savoury bony marrow food connected top.
Courses are paired with cocktails specified arsenic Bhaat & Bitters, fragrant with ingredients specified arsenic Radha tilak rice, mirin, rum and aromatic bitters; Kalo Jeere Martini that is heady with tequila infused with nigella seeds, vermouth, pickled fig, london adust gin; and Kalo Jeere Sour with gin and kalo jeere infused tequila, charred doorbell peppers, bitter gourd, jamun, plum and pomegranate dust.
Through the people of the meal, entrees similar kopi kidney show techniques the squad learned successful arid Bankura. Here the dried cabbage is cooked successful reduced cabbage banal with mutton kidney connected apical and a gel made with leaves from the cabbage’s outer layer, with a dash of ginger. Along with that is simply a condiment that tastes a wee spot similar chattur shorbot (a portion made with sattu and water) but present it is recreated with toasted beverage pulverization and goat beverage and has a nutty, umami, taste.
“Using dried vegetables, oversea food (Bengal mostly consumes freshwater fish), equine gram (something that’s not communal successful municipality settings), these bash not acceptable into Bengali stereotypes. We person locals successful their 70s, who person lived present each their beingness but travel present and observe thing new,” says Avinandan.
Dessert is simply a nostalgic affair. There is simply a Horlicks caramel crystal pick that takes maine backmost to the days erstwhile I spooned the pulverization consecutive from the jar into my mouth. Mishti dokaan (sweet shop) features 4 sweets: their instrumentality connected shor bhaja, malpua, potol mishti (made of pointed gourd) with paan leaves, and monohara.
The seats place the compact room wherever the squad efficiently fries, grills, slices, cuts, and plates each dish, unperturbed by funny customers and their raised cameras. Chef Koyel stops by for a chat aft the palmy service, look flushed but a large grin intact. From her passionate conversation, it is evident that Koyel is simply a custodian of each things Bengali cuisine has to offer. The menu, she says volition support changing seasonally.
(Left to Right) Inside Ranna Ghor; Chef Koyel and Chef Avinandan; and a presumption of the 93-yearold gathering that houses Sienna and Ranna Ghor | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Dinner concludes with a invited astonishment for each Bengali obsessed with their digestion (an inevitable after-dinner treatment connected acidity): Aqua Ptychotis, a concentrated solution of jowan (carom seeds). To beryllium honest, it draws a bigger grin than adjacent the macher muro (fish head).
As I permission with my tummy full, acidity nether control, and a consciousness of bliss, I callback an aged proverb from the region: “Maach, maangsho, mishti— Bangalir jiboner teen tirtho” (Fish, meat, and sweets — the 3 beatified pilgrimages of a Bengali’s life).
The repast costs ₹4,500 including taxes for the existent 13 people menu. Booking is via the District by Zomato app. For details, telephone 6291068080.
