Social enterprise Plate It Forward is behind Colombo Social, Kabul Social and Kyiv Social. At Kolkata Social, chef Ahana Dutt’s (ex- Firedoor, Raja) West Bengal hometown and her mum Sharmila Basu Thaur’s cooking are centrestage.

The barramundi fillet dish is a showstopper, served half-submerged in a deeply flavoured smoked yoghurt broth laced with tangy mustard oil. Also on the menu: on-the-bone spiced goat kosha and chicken in kata moshla’r jhol (a garlicky chilli coconut broth).

Some dishes are mild, like the yellow dahl that comes with a side of fine, crisp angel-hair potatoes. Others are punchy, like the lentil-stuffed zucchini. Don't worry about the spice, though – a ginger spritz soothes and readies the tongue for another bite.