Oh' Calcutta

 

Located at 310A West Fourth Street in Downtown Winston-Salem, Oh’ Calcutta offers modern Indian cuisine. It is open for dinner (4:30-9) Tuesday-Thursday, lunch and dinner Friday-Sunday, and closed Monday. There is a full-service bar, and food specials change daily. Online reservations and online ordering are available.

 

I really wanted to like this place. Oh’ Calcutta boasted strong reviews and an appealing menu. Unfortunately, it’s a classic case of style over substance as eating here made for an underwhelming experience, more Eh than Oh.

 

Oh’ Calcutta brands itself as modern Indian, which helps it stand out in a few ways. Though a smallish space, it offers a chic, intimate atmosphere that would be quite comfortable if it wasn’t also loud enough to make conversation a struggle. The menu contains both Indian classics and fusionist Badhi plates (think Masala-braised pork belly, lobster shorba, or tandoor surf n turf). There was enough here that looked good to make decisions difficult.

 

My wife and I opted to split a gunpowder chicken starter and a garlic naan with saag paneer and lamb biryani as our mains. While the food offered a few bright spots, there is definite need for improvement. Indian establishments defaulting to mild unless you say otherwise is something I’ve come to expect, but even by those standards, Oh’ Calcutta is pretty bland. The gunpowder chicken (chili, ginger, garlic) actually had a good amount of flavor as did the biryani (which was also distinguished by the welcome additions of potato and a boiled egg). However, neither offered much spiciness, and the meats were overcooked. Both the saag paneer and its accompanying rice definitely needed more seasoning: they were practically flavorless.

 

While not surprising given its Downtown Winston location, Oh’ Calcutta’s pricing added insult to injury. At $19 and $22 respectively, the saag paneer and the lamb biryani were each a couple of bucks more than I’ve found (better) elsewhere.

 

To Oh’ Calcutta’s credit, the service was great. Nicole (?) and her team were prompt, polite, and attentive.

 

It’s possible that Oh’ Calcutta’s fusion/modern dishes are its true strength, and it’s possible that we caught the kitchen on an off-night, but unless the food takes a leap forward, I don’t think I’ll be back.