If you are looking for an interesting way to start your day in Kolkata, then head straight to Sun Yat Sen Street for some lip-smacking Chinese delicacies. Popularly known as Tiretti Bazaar, this is one area where Kolkata’s Chinese community lived for long (now the main concentration of Chinese community is in Tangra). While the size of the Chinese population has reduced in the locality, the market is still at it best. For a few hours in the morning (from 5am-8.30am) the area reclaims its old identity in the form of an open air market selling authentic Chinese fare. Definitely not the usual way of eating out in Kolkata, however, you are bound to taste some of the best street food of Kolkata at the Tiretti Bazaar.

On rickety tables, mats, stools and even packing cases, locals sell authentic homemade Chinese delicacies such as tofu and pickles, chilli sauce, soy sauce, roast pork sausages and prawn wafers. An array of woks perched on pavement stoves produce a range of delicious soups. Opt for steamed chicken momos with spicy sauces, the fried pork pao or the rice balls—each and every delicacy will leave your taste buds asking for more. Once at Tiretti Bazaar, do remember to take some extra serving of the red roast pork and the soup with fish and pork balls. The lively Tiretti Bazaar is definitely a tribute to Kolkata’s cosmopolitan culture. While the nearest metro station to Tiretti Bazaar is Central (Bow Bazar), it is better to drive down as the metro services start only after six in the morning.