Yokocho in Kolkata pairs charcoal-fired Asian cooking with local produce and cocktails laced with khejur gur

I have just snagged a reservation at one of Kolkata’s hottest new openings. After weeks of trying, I grab the only slot that is available. On a Thursday, at 6pm I reach my destination. “You have arrived,” says Google Maps in its usual lacklustre tone. But, have I?

Yokocho is not a speakeasy. But finding it is an adventure — perfect to whet your appetite before diving headlong into its Asian menu. The bar and barbecue is ensconced within the thriving food hub that is Celica Park. A plush lobby, and a lift ride later, I find myself in a dimly-lit alley with mosaic flooring, shuttered storefronts, and brick walls. And then, I finally stumble upon the door I am looking for.

The setting fits the description. “Yokocho in Japanese means an alleyway that’s lined with izakayas and eateries,” says Chef Auroni Mookerjee, who recently turned restaurateur with this project, along with Abhimanyu Maheshwari, founder of Zing Restaurants and Conversation Room, and Ramesh Agarwal, of Refinery 091, Roots, Romaania, and Conversation Room.

Yokocho is raw yet trendy. There is a hint of nostalgia in the curved space, with old-fashioned switch boards and tungsten bulbs suspended from the ceiling. The interiors suggest you could be anywhere in the world; but the view outside – a tangle of wires and loud restless traffic — is vintage Kolkata.

The curved bar at Yokocho
| Photo Credit:
ANIK DUTTA

We sit at the Gangster booth — a cosy four-seater attached to the bar, with a private bartender. As the drinks start flowing, Auroni opens up about the venture and how the bajaar (local market) is where his ideas come alive.

“From Calcutta to Kyoto, every city has their khau gali culture. That’s what we are trying to celebrate here,” he says. “But we wanted to create something without the pan Asian tropes of dimsum and baos. For us, it was about creating that energy with charcoal at the heart of the kitchen.” It took the team a considerable amount of time to get the fire right. While Auroni wanted the scent of the charcoal grill to echo in the space, he did not want it to overpower the setting.

It works. I am distracted by seductive cubes of juicy pork belly currently being grilled for other guests. The charcoal not only fuels the food but also flavours it, smiles Auroni.

Fortunately, our table is brimming with a selection of small plates and Korean-inspired banchan. “On Park Street you have to serve free chakna,” says Auroni, as the waiter sets down small bowls of banchan comprising Korean pickles made with local seasonal produce like sheem (broad beans), begun (eggplant), winter cabbage, dried shrimp.

The chef, who has lived and worked in Mumbai and Gurgaon, says one of the reasons he decided to stay to Kolkata (after his stint with Sienna as its executive chef) is because of the produce — be it fiddleheads, snails or fresh water pond mussels. “Everytime I go I find something new,” Auroni smiles. 

Chef Auroni Mookerjee
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The drinks also have locally-sourced ingredients like khejur gur and honey from the Sunderbans. My first cocktail has a rectangular and a spherical ball of ice. Called the Spring Water Highball, it is made with water that has been softened for 48 hours. Once whisky is added to it, the blend is carbonated at a lower pressure than soda. It is interesting how much of science and technique goes into bar programmes these days. My favourite is Old Fashioned, New Leaf which appeals to my sweet tooth: Bourbon, pandan leaves, khejur gur and Angostura bitters rally together to create this refreshing drink that is perfect for a humid summer evening. 

I start with the first appetiser — whipped tofu with greens like pui shaag (Malabar spinach), kolmi shaag (water spinach), borboti (yardlong beans), and dheki shaag (fiddleheads), cooked over a charcoal fire that gives a delightfully smoky taste, then topped with pickle and chilli crunch. A simple dish but with many interesting flavours it feels avant garde. The food, Auroni says, is craft forward and performance forward. Everything is done from scratch. Handmade is very important, he says pointing to the little origami cats on each table that are made by the team everyday. 

Next, the salmon crudo, with capers, shallots, sea asparagus and lots of tamari, deserves a standing ovation. A dish that Auroni learnt to make watching Anthony Bourdain, it has been inspired by one of the late chef’s favourite seafood restaurants, Swan Oyster Depot 975 in San Francisco.

Pork belly char siu with mango ginger relish
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The chicken dashi soup dumplings brimming with slow-cooked chicken broth is comfort food at its best. It is served with soy ginger scallion broth for added measure. I am not a fan of eggplant, but the BBQ Begun with garlic and gochujang has me hooked with its smoky, sweet and spicy notes. Among my other favourites are the pork belly char siu and the duck hangover rice. “We smoke the pork first like how they do in the Northeast and then we leave it on top of the fire. The char is added before sending it to the table,” explains Auroni. Technically a Cantonese dish, it has a Bengali twist with aam aada (mango ginger) and a slightly sweet soy caramel sauce.

Most people choose dessert to end their meal but I am so taken up with the duck hangover rice, I know this is the flavour I want to go home with. Kanakchur rice (a variety from Bengal) is cooked with caramelised onion and in a duck stock with an infusion of Asian aromats. Added along with it are potatoes gently roasted in duck fat and an onsen egg with a custard-like yolk. The Bengali in me is delighted with the aloo situation here. I pair it with my pandan cocktail and single-handedly polish off the hangover rice, much to the chef’s joy. After this large meal, I sit by one of the large windows and consider a takeway parcel of their Vietnamese coffee tiramisu. The mind says no. But the heart and Auroni always say yes.

Meal for two costs ₹3,500 with alcohol. 24, First floor, Park Centre, Park Street Area.

The interiors of Yokocho
| Photo Credit:
ANIK DUTTA

Soup dumplings
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Published – May 06, 2026 04:34 pm IST