Creating food that tastes simple on the tongue is often harder than it looks. It takes thought, balance, and restraint. And presenting it in a way that makes people pause and truly enjoy it? That’s another art altogether. New cuisines come into play, new ingredients find space on the plate, and even familiar flavours are seen differently. Some dishes stay, some quietly fade away. That’s just how the food world moves. After completing 4 years in Kolkata, Italian restaurant Veneto Bar & Kitchen brought in all of that learning together with a pop-up called Nonna’s Table, led by Chef Goku and Chef Dylan Pereira. Chefs Goku and Dylan Pereira brought in fresh appreciation to Italy's rich culinary heritage. Maintaining a centuries-old tradition of making meals from scratch, just like how a traditional Italian grandma would, with love and with basic ingredients and tools, they picked up regional ingredients, turned them into a dish of their own, and served it to Kolkata as a time-honoured practice.
Image Credit: Veneto Bar & Kitchen, Kolkata
The Concept Behind Nonna's Table
Of course the first question that comes to mind is why they wanted to choose this concept and name to celebrate the restaurant. Having worked in fine dining for all his time, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Goku has worked in some of the most prestigious kitchens in New York for many years. Aureole, The Clocktower, and Rezdôra are just a few of the Michelin-starred. He now wants to use Italian cuisine to reinvent and re-establish a connection with the Indian palate. His method gives well-known flavours a careful, novel interpretation by fusing traditional technique with investigation and narrative. While background and location have influenced Chef Dylan Pereira's journey, having Italian and Indian ancestry and currently residing in Italy, he has become well-versed in local bakeries and kitchens. His cuisine, which draws from the unique flavours of each location while delicately tying them back to an Indian palette, demonstrates a profound regard for tradition.
“We wanted to present a rustic-style menu since we have worked in fine-dining for so long. We wanted to make the menu universal. Something simple, no thinking needed. Simple things coming together,” shares the duo. They also share how Kolkata's pop-up culture is gradually developing as more eateries become open to partnerships and creative concepts. It's allowing chefs to experiment with other menu items, even if only briefly. With Nonna’s Table pop-up, Veneto, an Italian eatery in a city that genuinely loves food, capitalises on that changing landscape. It unites people, ideas, and viewpoints in a way that is both new and established. The use of seasonal, hyperlocal ingredients from Kolkata and throughout India, which are skilfully incorporated into Italian recipes and give well-known flavours a fresh context, is what sets it apart.
Italian Flavours Through An Authentic Lens At Nonna’s Table
The wheat customs of Puglia, the produce-led simplicity of Tuscany, the comfortable depth of Emilia-Romagna, and the citrus of Sicily all served as inspiration for some of the flavours. It returns the emphasis to straightforward, home-style cooking, which is influenced by the kitchens where meals are meant to be shared and recipes are passed down in silence. Slurrp started with Suppli, which was creamy risotto rice and a mozzarella croquette, dusted with crunchy golden breadcrumbs; they are a classic Italian rice ball from Rome. When you bite into it, the cheesepull is well-worth the wait and balances out the tastes of San Marzano tomatoes and roasted bell pepper passata.
It would be an understatement to say that the Cured Crudo, which features cured tuna, lemon dressing, grapefruit, capers, celery, and Calabrian chilli, is excellent. None of the flavours was overbearing, and the sweetness of the grapefruit and the spiciness of the chillis brilliantly balanced the tanginess of the fish, dressing, and capers. With the Tortellini Di Parma, which are delicate, home-cooked parcels filled with ricotta, sun-dried tomatoes, and parmesan and served in a rich, slow-cooked tomato gravy, Chefs Goku and Dylan combine comfort and depth for the main course. The Seafood Risotto is equally distinctive. Bold, well-balanced, and undoubtedly one of the menu's most memorable dishes, it is made of arborio rice boiled in a delicious bisque and topped with grilled lobster, crispy fried squid, and pickled prawns. For Kolkata, this one’s surely a hit!
Image Credit: Veneto Bar & Kitchen, Kolkata
Different Cities, Similar Souls
Naturally, the topic of how Kolkata welcomes seafood in all its forms came up next. Although the flavours and methods are somewhat known, the experience is nevertheless novel. What truly makes it work is the harmony between surprise and comfort. Dylan's first trip to Kolkata and Chef Goku's second made that difference even more evident. Their cookery gains depth from ingredients like fresh water fish, gondhoraj lebu, and kasundi, which are uncommon in the rest of India.
Image Credit: Rajlakshmi Dastidar
A similar idea they both spoke about was tomatoes, something so central today, yet not originally native to either cuisine. As Chef Dylan pointed out, “Tomatoes came into Italy much later, just like in India. But today, it’s impossible to imagine our food without them.” It’s a simple thought, but one that stays with you; you really can’t think of either cuisine without this one ingredient.
For pizza, Slurrp chose Forest and Flowers, which is a simple Neapolitan pizza with a substantial amount of mushrooms, taleggio, thyme, and truffle sauce on top. With mushrooms in every bite that nearly blossomed with flavour against the earthy truffle foundation, it was incredibly soothing in the best way. The cheese melted beautifully, adding that rich, creamy pull that makes you go back for another slice. What about the base? One of the lightest and softest Neapolitan pizzas available, it truly has the potential to revolutionise Kolkata's pizza scene.
Kolkata and Italian cuisines come together surprisingly in Pesce Palermitana, where grilled bhetki covered in herbs is served with a fresh tomato and basil salad and topped with a zesty kasundi sauce. It simply works. It is almost as though the two cuisines were always meant to be together; the brightness of the tomatoes, the tenderness of the fish, and that distinctive kasundi kick.
Image Credit: Rajlakshmi Dastidar
The Black Forest Pannacotta (Eggless) was a delicious eggless dessert that had juicy cherries, silky vanilla pannacotta, and 70% dark chocolate. It's a delicate yet decadent modern take on the traditional Black Forest, ideal for dessert enthusiasts looking for something both recognisable and elegant. A Michelin-trained culinary storyteller and an Italian-Indian chef steeped in local customs combine their skills to create food that honours technique, heritage, and cross-cultural flavours, turning every bite into a trip from India to Italy.
Address: 375, Prince Anwar Shah Rd, South City Complex, Jadavpur, Kolkata, West Bengal 700068
Timing: Til 14 March 2026
Price: INR 2,500+taxes