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Oh! Calcutta is the brand that introduced many Indians to the joys of Bengali cuisine. This illustrious brand traces its roots back to a humble 32-seater restaurant called ‘Only Fish’ in Mumbai. Two years later, in 1994, this would transform into the first ‘Oh! Calcutta’ outlet. In an era when multi-cuisine restaurants were the norm, Anjan Chatterjee – the main behind Oh! Calcutta and Speciality Group of Restaurants wanted to build speciality restaurants that would offer a focus and unadulterated experience. The Hyderabad outlet of Oh! Calcutta occupies the bottom floor of a multi-storied building devoted entirely to Speciality Group restaurants. The 2 dining rooms are sparsely decorated. Besides the bookshelves that double up as a partition and a fireplace, framed black and white photographs are the only decoration elements. Whether it is charmingly simple or just dull depends on the eye of the beholder. Consistency is one of the hallmarks of Oh! Calcutta. It offers 2 very different kinds of Bengali food – luxuriant fare that is seldom seen outside of restaurants or special events and the regular homely fare. It is best to decide what kind of Bengali food you want to savour and stick to it. The 17-page food selection has plenty to offer in both categories. I usually settle for the former – the kind of dishes I am unlikely to get at any other Bengali restaurant. 'Crab Meatballs' in a sweet and tangy gravy (Aam Kasundi Kakra), 'Lamb Chops' cooked in a rich gravy flavoured with whole spices and rose water (Mejwaini Lamb Chops), 'Mustard Marinated Fish Steamed in Banana Leaves' (Maacher Paturi), and 'Green Pea Cakes in onion and tomato gravy' (Koraishutir Dhokar Dalna), to name a few.