The Yellow Turtle Opens in Baguiati With Bold New Pan-Asian Menu

KOLKATA, June 12, 2026 — The Yellow Turtle has opened a new outlet in Baguiati, relocating its eastern Kolkata presence from a former rooftop property on Ring Road in Sector V to a ground-floor space by VIP Road a move driven by licensing complications at the previous site. The new 45-seater, which opened in June, comes with a bar licence and an adjoining banquet hall for up to 150 guests, and marks the simultaneous launch of a new Pan-Asian menu rolled out across both the Baguiati branch and the existing Hindusthan Park outlet.

"Even after rooftop eateries across town were allowed to reopen, the property we had rented was found to have issues with some licences. So we had to shut down there. Since then, we had been looking for a ready-to-move-in space to cater to our clientele in the eastern part of the city," said Apeksha Lahiri, owner of The Yellow Turtle. The Baguiati location draws from catchment areas including Baguiati and Dum Dum Park, and sits within ten minutes of Chinar Park, extending the restaurant's home-catering reach across a wider eastern corridor.

Charcoal Dimsums and South-East Asian Street Flavours Take Centre Stage

The new menu, developed by chef Arun Show, draws its inspiration from the street food and home kitchens of South-East Asia with experimental additions that give familiar formats a fresh character. In the days since launch, the dish drawing the most attention has been the Charcoal Cheese Dimsum in Thai Green Curry jet-black parcels made with edible charcoal powder, gathered into neat top knots and served against a vivid green curry that is prepared entirely in-house.

"The green curry paste is made in-house using ingredients ranging from lemongrass and basil leaves to kaffir lime and galangal. The taste differs markedly from ready-made pastes," Show said. The dimsum wrappers are soft and creamy, absorbing the sauce while retaining their distinctive shape and colour contrast.

The restaurant offers ten types of dimsum in total, each with a different fold and often a distinct colour. "The colours come from natural sources such as beet extract and soya. The varied appearances are visually appealing and also help our staff quickly identify orders," Lahiri explained. The range gives the dimsum selection both visual theatre and operational practicality a combination uncommon in Kolkata's Pan-Asian dining landscape.

Kushiyaki Grills, Nasi Goreng and a Pancake Pizzette

The kushiyaki selection offers char-grilled skewers in mushroom, tofu, chicken and pork options, served over a live charcoal fire presented in a clay cup. "These can be called Asian char-grilled kebabs. There is a choice of sauces too the slightly sweet teriyaki, earthy umami-rich miso and spicy hoisin," said Lahiri. The clay cup presentation adds a theatrical dimension to the table, making the course as visually engaging as the charcoal dimsums.

The Indonesian fried rice Nasi Goreng appears on the menu alongside skewered glazed chicken yakitori and salad, with house-made prawn crackers as a standout accompaniment. The crackers are produced by blending fresh prawns with tapioca starch, steaming the mixture into a dough, then rolling, slicing, dehydrating and deep-frying it a process that delivers actual pieces of prawn in each bite rather than prawn flavouring alone.

The Spinach-Mushroom Pizzette offers one of the menu's more unexpected touches. The three-inch square pizza arrives topped with mozzarella, sautéed mushrooms, spinach, roasted broccoli and zucchini but built on a pancake base rather than conventional pizza dough. "We use pancake instead of a pizza base. It's very popular with children," Show said. A barbecue chicken variation is also available.

Eight Bao Varieties, Fried Tofu Cake and Summer Drinks

The bao selection runs to eight varieties four vegetarian and four non-vegetarian giving the menu breadth across the soft-bun format that has become a fixture of South-East Asian dining in Indian cities. Fried tofu cake and sesame prawn dumplings round out the savoury additions to what is a notably varied launch menu for a 45-cover restaurant.

For those interested in the South-East Asian culinary traditions that inform The Yellow Turtle's approach from Thai green curry paste to Indonesian nasi goreng and Japanese kushiyaki HCP Good Food's Southeast Asian recipes collection offers useful context on the flavours and techniques at the heart of the cuisine.

The drinks menu addresses the summer heat with Iced Teas and Jelly Coffee. The Baguiati branch is located by VIP Road and follows the existing Hindusthan Park outlet, which has also adopted the new menu from June. Further details are available via The Yellow Turtle's official Instagram.

More information about Indian cuisine and its regional diversity can be explored through Indian cuisine history and traditions.

Businesses monitoring hospitality expansion trends can also explore restaurant industry growth trends for 2026 to understand how regional food concepts are shaping dining markets.