A vibrant Park Street party spot is back, and the timing is deliberate. Having worked our way through the menu, we can confirm the favourites have made the trip too. “Monkey Bar wanted to come back to Kolkata and we just started having this conversation with them just out of nowhere and I just felt that it was the right time for them to come back,” says Saloni Jhunjhunwala, the brand’s local partner in Kolkata. “Kolkata is all about Pujo, and we really wanted it to be the perfect time for the brand to make its comeback.” She adds that the city is ready for as many new F&B brands as it can take, and that people are “really, really optimistic” about businesses doing well here.Park Street, she says, is part of the draw. “Park Street has an energy and character of its own – it’s where people come to celebrate, catch up, discover something new and, most importantly, have a great time. That spirit is at the heart of Monkey Bar.”The menu plays on that spirit with familiar comfort food and regional flavours. The Monkey posto caesar salad pairs crisp romaine with tandoori posto chicken, crispy capers and a garlic-lime Caesar dressing. Prawn stars brings prawns in a rich ghee roast masala, served with country sourdough. The Butter chicken khichdi comes with papad, kachumber, raita and achaar, and Aunty Vinnie’s berry pulao layers chicken kebab and shredded chicken with saffron, fried onions and potato salli.Regional plates run across the menu. The Bengali radhuni chicken is tandoori chicken marinated in yoghurt and radhuni spices, served with smoked tomato chutney. The Banana blossom satay is cooked in the tandoor and topped with Parmesan snow, with a honey-kasundi dip on the side. The Gongura chicken satay brings in Andhra flavours, and the Bandel malai fish pairs white fish with a creamy yoghurt preparation spiked with Bandel cheese and kasuri methi. For dessert, there’s a Nutella & Old Monk Cake and a Biscoff Cheesecake. To drink, try the Dirty Daisy, a nod to the 1800s Daisy cocktail, with tequila, Madurai tamarind, lime and agave lifted with kaffir lime.
