The last time we gathered at @6ballygungeplace in Kolkata was 9 years back. It was for my niece’s annaprasan (rice-eating ceremony). We sat in a PDR, did the rituals there, and took our food from the buffet.
We got together as a family again last December. The occasion was solemn this time. Didu, my granny, had passed away. We had gone there for the ‘niyom bhongo’ meal where one has fish after the shradh is done. The mourners are supposed to be vegetarian till then. A bit like the Parsis who have mutton dhansak on the fourth day after a death.
Organising the meal was a challenge as most of us had come from out of town.
Didu’s place seemed to be the obvious venue, but where would one order the food from? Which dishes? Quantities? Plates? Glasses?
My brother suggested that we go to a restaurant instead. My mum suggested 6 BP.
I got in touch with them, explained the brief. They got back with a menu and costs. We modified it a bit according to our requirements and budget.
We assembled there the next day. They seated us in a PDR on the first floor. A dedicated hostess looked after us. The fish dishes— bhetki fry, macched mudo diye moong dal, and doi pona— seemed to be hits.
‘Seemed’ as I didn’t get to try them. I was vegetarian that day as I still had some rituals to complete. They made plain dal, veg, and mocha chops, mochar ghonto for me. There were shukto and fulkopi too, and a lovely pineapple chaatni. The meal ended with excellent mishti doi and shondesh. I was impressed to know that they make sweets in-house.
Didu would have been happy with the large size of the katla pieces. She only got small fish in her local market. It was mystic that they made mochar ghonto as didu used to make it for me, and I loved it. She would have smiled to see me having shukto as I didn’t have it as a kid. She would have appreciated the freshness of the cauliflower. She loved mishti and would have enjoyed what was on offer. Above all, she would be happy to see the family assembled together. I think she would have approved of the lunch her foodie nati had organised.
I was impressed with the decor of 6 BP. Matched up Tam Vi, Hanoi and Wana Yook, Bangkok, which offer regional food in elegant settings. That’s exactly what we need to promote regional Indian cuisine.
This was first published on instagram on 14th January 2026
