Bringing back the magical era with'Oudh 1590'

'Oudh 1590', the high-end fine dining outlet offering the rich cuisine of Oudh (Lucknow as it is known today), aims at creating a reflection of the royal banquets of Awadh which were famous for their high standards of gastronomical etiquette. The interior decor of the theme restaurant speaks the language of prosperous culture and the luxurious lifestyle of the Nawabs like Asaf-ud-Daulah and Wajid Ali Shah - the gourmet kings of Indian history.

Spread over an area of 1000 sq ft, the 55 seater eatery is conveniently located at 23B Deshapriya Park West, beside Carmel Primary School, just at the heart of South Kolkata. The front architectural facade of'Oudh 1590' has heavy wooden motifs with elaborate colourful patterns inlays. Courteous greetings of the royal guards, dressed in traditional attire of Lucknow, will welcome the foodies to experience the unrivalled repertory of Awadhi delicacies. The period costume for the service team has been designed by Mir Badshah, who is a very famous'karigar' and works with all the veteran fashion designers from Kolkata.

Once inside, the diners are reminded of the bygone era where the space has been intricately designed and decorated with  Mughal-era paintings done by the veteran artists of Government Art College-Kolkata, delicately crafted wooden wall panels, chandeliers of stained-glass paintings imported from Lucknow, custom-made bronze plated crockery and cutler, hand crafted mirrors, huge chest boxes and skilfully designed metal vases as props placed on the wall arches. Adding to this, ghazals of Farida Khanum or Begum Akhtar surely makes this first period restaurant of Kolkata an insatiable delight for food lovers.

"We have been researching on this culture and cuisine for the past five years and are totally in love with the Awadhi delicacies. Rakabdars (master cooks), Khansamas or Bawarchis working extensively at Tunde Wali Gali at Lucknow have been roped in for this initiative as it is believed that only a handful of chefs with imperial lineage know the secret ingredients who still follow the conventional method of cooking, handed over to them by their ancestors. In terms of the décor, the place is a culmination of all that was best in art, culture and science of that Nawabi period. The theme was conceptualized by our in-house team.

The execution work handled by interior designer Rajlaxmi Mukherjee and famous Art Director Nitish Roy's craftsman team ensured this dream concept's transformation into a reality within five months. We have been very lucky to get hold of this 90 year old property having a very rich architectural beauty and age old tradition which suited our requirement of a period fine dining eatery catering the high-end customers. Our aim is to serve and aware people about the true gourmet of nawabs like Wajid Ali Shah whose khansamas brought with them the taste of Lucknow to Calcutta such as Nehari, Magaj (brain) Masala, Handi Biryani, Keema Kaleji and so on,” shares Shiladitya Chaudhury, one of the owners of'Oudh 1590' who has teamed up with his brother Debaditya Chaudhury.
 
The brand will soon open two more similar theme outlets in North Kolkata and Salt Lake followed by in two tier II cities of West Bengal namely Durgapur and Siliguri. The concept of'Oudh 1590' would also be replicated in other cities across the country.
 
Photographs by Madhumita Chatterjee