Frankly speaking, today old China Town of Kolkata is quite gloomy compared to Tyangra - the new China Town in terms of food offerings. Tyangra has some very good restaurants with good ambience. And Khoka goes there to have Chicken Chowmein and Chili fish (Ref: Dwitiyo Purush).
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Kitchen of a Chinese Eating House, Tyangra (1978) (via facebook) |
Jokes apart, Tiretta Bazaar has its own old school charm and they don't burn your pockets at all. Being quite affordable and location near to College street, hence college goers have quite heavy footfall here. Another thing is none of these Tiretta 'eating houses' serve alcohol while Tyangra is famous for cheap boozes with good Chinese starters.
Kolkata, being kind enough to allow the Chinese migrants to stay in the city, is become the spot of origin of Indo-Chinese cuisine. It should be noted that Hakka Chinese people came to Kolkata in 1770s.
Chicken Manchurian, one of the most famous Chinese dishes is also an invention by a Kolkata-born third generation Chinese chef, Nelson Wong. He started his own restaurant, China Garden in Mumbai in 1983. He invented Chicken Manchurian on the request of a customer at who wanted to eat something new and off the menu. This dish is served along with the rice (fried or steamed).
In Chicken Manchurian chicken cubes, covered in corn flour are fried first, then these fried cubes are mixed in a sauce made of Indian ingredients like onions, green chillies, and garlic, with a tinge of vinegar and soy sauce, and is tossed on the oven.
Before I write down the restaurants nearby - who serve Chinese dishes, I must tell you the story of Nanking - one of best Chinese restaurants in India in its days. Nanking started its journey well back in 1925 in the ground floor of Toong On Church. Nanking was one of the posh restaurant of Calcutta - violinists hired to stand at the gate to play to welcome the visitors, luxurious indoor decor with expensive furniture, and of course authentic Chinese dishes. Many celebrities visited here. It's been heard that Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar came to Nanking, and so much crowds gathered in front of the restaurant to get a glimpse of them, they had to go to 1st floor's balcony to wave to the crowd.
After Indo-China war in 1960's Nanking started loosing its charm as government assuming every Chinese as spy, and the Chinese community found themselves boxed in, with special permission needed to step outside Tiretta Bazar. As a result Nanking's footfall started to loose. The restaurant that once served the biggest film stars became a “house of ill repute”, especially thanks to the curtained cabins along its walls. Nanking finally shut down in the late 1970’s.
Old Cheenapara's Chinese Eateries:
All of them are very pocket friendly.
Tung Nam ＆ Pou Hing are very nearby and easy to locate.
1. Tung Nam is located at 24 Chatawaala Gully. You can't miss it if you have visited Tirretta Bazaar's Chinese breakfast. It is open on everyday except Tuesday and for 12pm to 3pm and 6pm to 10pm. So before you visit, make a plan as they are very strict about the timing. This place is like a room with some chairs and tables (8 tables for customers) - so expect nothing except the food. Recommended dishes are as it goes - Yaam Wonton, the Kaptai and Wonton Soup, Prawn Hong Kong, Fish Hamei Sauces, Kaptai Hamchoy, Pork Chow Mein and the Chinese Chopsuey.
2. Pou Hing - Located at 15 Sunyetsen Street, it is just beside the breakfast street of Tirreti Bazaar. Many says Po Hing is criminally under rated, as shadowed by Tung Nam & Eu Chew. But they serve excellent Indo-Chinese dishes. To name a few - Pou Hing Special Soup, Wanton, Chicken Volcano, Kung Pao Chicken and other prawn dishes are very popular.
The restaurant recently had a make over and now it's 100% halal - no pork items available here. That's very sad for pork lovers like me!
Pou Hing has a sauce shop just beside it - Pou Chong Brothers.
3. D'Ley - it is also nearby and you can get better and authentic breakfast here on week days than the famous breakfast of Tiretta's.
You can also have lunch and dinner here. Even at 11 am you can get best pork dishes of Kolkata, if the owner opens the door. It would be a great brunch indeed.
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| Momos at D'Ley |
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| Dry Chili Pork at D'Ley |
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| Chicken Chowmein at D'Ley |
4. Sei Vui Restaurant - Once a Chinese temple, Sei Vui has opened its own restaurant too, after a much-needed long renovation. Located at 17 Blackburn Lane, Tiretti Bazar, Kolkata 700 037 this eatery is actually a part of Chinese temple/church named Sea Voi Yung Leong Futh church.
Origin of Sei Voi is dated back to early 1800s, when Chinese immigrants (mostly men) shifted to Calcutta. They formed their own social group, which are known as "Huiguan". These Huiguans turned into Chinese clubs which had offered help the local community in different ways like, providing shelters, arrangement of jobs and even funeral. Sei Voi was a club like these, where people from Sihui country in South China were placed under a huigan.
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| Meifoon at Sei Vui |
The building is made of iconic red bricks, which you can see in the walls of many nearby building. In 1908 the building and the area was bought by 19 Chinese family of Voi origin. Presently only 4 families of them are staying in Kolkata.
The ground floor has the Tien Wou Maid Temple and on the first floor, you will find a temple dedicated to three Chinese deities namely- Tien Hou (Queen of heaven), Kun Se Sin (Lady in White of Buddhism), and Tuh Teh Chun ( God and Goddess of wellness and happiness).
Sei Voi is now maintained by the secretary Mr. James and President Mr. Chen. It was renovated thoroughly in 2018 - and Sei Voi restaurant is established on the ground floor, which was a dormitory, to serve Cantonese-Hakka cuisine. The restaurant helps to pay for its own upkeep.
You will find the ambiance of the restaurant would give you traditional Chinese feeling with minimalist Chinese wall hangings and a big dining place.
Top dishes: Hokkain noodles, pork items. And I feel that they offer slightly different but more authentic Chinese taste compared to other Tiretta Bazar eateries.
5. Eau Chew - means “Europe” in Mandarin
Eau Chew is located at 12, Ganesh Chandra Ave, a 10-12 min walking distance from Tiretta Bazar. Mr Achumpa Huang, came to Calcutta in early 20th century from south China’s Moi Yen village, set up Eau Chew as a low-priced eating house to provide tiffin for the Chinese immigrants who were working in the city. That could be 1927 (as Nanking was started in 1925).
Often missed on regular glare, inside a homely chamber tucked on the second floor, Eau Chew offers scrumptious Chinese specialties like Butter Garlic Prawn, Eau Chew Special Noodles, Eau Chew Fried Rice, Fried Chicken, Ginger Pork, Fried Fish, Chilli Chicken and Mandarin Fish, among other specialties. The Chimney Soup is the most sought-after dish here.
The restaurant has no frill - hard to park your car in busy office zone, no gatekeeper to open up the doors for you, no fancy decor, no gimmicks - only great Chinese food. Here I am sharing another information regarding Eau Chew - they has not hired any cooks to date. The family refrains from sharing their recipes with anyone. Joel Huang, the fourth generation owner at Eau Chew, is carrying forward the family’s legacy with the secret recipes.
Presently Eau Chew is oldest Chinese restaurant in Kolkata (probably in India too) which is still run/owned by Chinese family. However Chung Wah is the oldest restaurant now, though the present owner is not from Chinese community.
Mrs Josephine Huang, the grand-daughter in-law of Mr. Achumpa Huang took over the responsibility after her husband Mr. Joseph’s death. She made an innovative dish - Josephine Noodles which is basically a pan-fried noodles full of fish, meat, vegetable, etc. You can complete your meal with the famous Chinese Jasmine tea served in the authentic Chinese style ceramic cups.
Note that most them don't accept cards. So you must carry cash for payment. However they may allow payment via UPI, PayTM etc.
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| Eau Chew's famous Chimney Soup |
6. Chung Wah (চাং ওয়া) is a famous bar nearby (from Tiretta Bazaar to here you have to walk for maximum 15 minutes), just beside gate no 2 of Chandni Chawk Metro station. Mr. Wen Hua Chung started it around 140 years back, but now it is owned by a Bengali family since 2005.
As you open the moderately big wooden door with red signage saying Chung Wah, you will find yourself in a room with dim lights, tables in the center in a row and cabins on both side with Bengali names. The door is like to take you to a different realm - slow and cut from Chandni's hubbubs.
Service is bit slow and not all alcohols in the menu card are available all the time. A common man's den I must say, and regulars are very much regular here - I don't know why people call it 'hidden' vintage gem. Though many complains now the ambience is lost - it turned into a shady drinking den, and so the taste of the food. Still chilly pork of Chung Wah is a must try with beers.
Chung Wah is also the part of cabin culture of Kolkata's restaurants. Chung Wah has several cabins named after Bengali classics like Chokher Bali or Bonolata Sen, or some intriguing Bengali words like Bhalobasha, meaning love, and Nesha, meaning addiction or, Kichukhon or Sudhu Tomari Jonyo. Many of today's gentlemen of 60-80's might have their first date in these cabins.
Banking with the popularity of Chung Wah, there are restaurants of same name on Puri's VIP Road and in Bangaluru.
Started by H.S. Lee in 1973, Chung Wah of Puri is now run by two of his sons — Alfred Lee and Steven Lee. They have roots in Kolkata, as they owned a shoe shop on Bentinck Street and a tannery in Tangra. It's a very popular restaurant in Puri, among the locals and tourists both. Many Chinese food lovers had compared it with Kolkata's Park Street's Waldorf (now Marco Polo is located here), Russel Street's Big Max (permanently closed) and CR Avenue's Crystal Chimney.
A little way, Tai Sen Chinese Eating House, located at 4. Bentick St is another hidden gem - run by Edwin Liao who also the head chef.
Chinese sauce stores -
The secret of cooking Chinese food is the right sauce. In Tiretti there are two sauce sellers. Both are big name among the city's 'saucoscape'. Many five star hotels and top restaurants of the city are regular customers of these two shops.
Pou Chong Brothers - seller of KIM branded sauce
Address: 14/1 Chatawala Lane, Poddar Court, Tiretti Bazar, Kolkata 700 012. Contact 9007368759
Presently the business is run by Dominic Lee (son of Mr. Lee) and his daughter Janice Lee religiously to maintain their goodwill with its tongue tickling, tasty sauces..
Pou Chong Brothers also has a tannery, presently located at Bantala Leather Complex - Sheong Shi Tannery (which in Chinese means Double Lion Tannery) founded in 1991. It carries the tradition of excellence since 1795 when first colonial Indian tannery was set up. Sheong Shi Tannery specialize in the manufacture of Eco-friendly leathers. Sheong Shi practises rain harvesting where the harvested rain is used in the leather making process.
The design of the tannery building has been done in the shape of a “U”. This has been done to increase the surface area of the building, thus, enabling better natural ventilation. And the presence of large windows allow ample sunlight to come and light up the work-place. Sheong Shi Tannery, has formed partnerships with other like-minded people like Paulien Wesselink of O My Bag, Paul and Sarah Beisly of The Loyal Leather Workshop (https://www.theloyalworkshop.com) and HumbleGoods. Most of their products are being exported.
Pou Chong Brothers have a separate manufacturing unit for crafting jewellery in 18, 22 and 24-karat gold.
Sing Cheung (HQ at Tyangra) at 12 Lu Shun Sarani (previously P-12 New CIT Road)
Store address: 12 Lu Shun Sarani, Kolkata 73
Factory address: 15 Matheswartala Road (formerly New Tangra Road).
It is now run by Chong Hsin Wong and his wife Chun Mei Cynthia Wong, the second-generation proprietor. While Pou Chong had history in the city since 1850's, Wong's family came to Kolkata from Mai Zhou village of Guangdong only after second world war. They started with the essential soya bean sauce, which was brewed with traditional techniques, and initial customers were only the local Chinese community. In 1954 the family established the Sing Cheung Sauce Factory. In 1997 the company was registered as private limited company.
Though both of the companies makes similar but wide range of sauces - each brand has its unmistakable signature tastes.
Trendy Asian bistros may have the buzz across the city, many Kolkatans feels that authentic Chinese remains in the hands of Chinese - in Tyangra (ট্যাংরা) and in Tiretta Bazaar (টেরিটি বাজার).
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