Pride of Place

Vidur Yadav and Tanvir Bhasin are behind Bengal Brothers, which has branches in Wan Chai, Kennedy Town and at Base Hall. Here, they speak to Tatler about the "deluxe edition" of the concept in the Wan Chai location, which in September was rebranded from a takeaway to an Indian street food eatery and boozy canteen 

- Tara Sobti

Let’s start from the beginning. How did you two meet?

Tanvir Bhasin: We met on the stoop of a popular Soho eatery that Vidur used to manage in 2016. We started talking over a cold pint. It’s now 2023 and we have three eateries together [in Wan Chai, Kennedy Town and at BaseHall in Jardine House]. It was only years after we met that we realised our mothers were university friends too. We also have similar upbringings, as we’re both from military families.

Where did your interest in the dining scene begin?

Vidur Yadav: I grew up in India, and it’s hard not to fall in love with food when you’re surrounded by delicious street food and hearty soul food from all your aunties and grandmas. This love was formalised at university—I worked on the openings of cafés for Nespresso in Vienna and London. Seeing all the moving parts come together was so exciting. What really interests me is the ability of food to capture the soul of a culture. Dai pai dongs, canteens, trattorias and taquerias are all eateries that bring people together and blur boundaries. Capturing the essence, the emotion and the excitement of such culinary establishments is what keeps me going.

What motivated you to embark on Bengal Brothers?