- HOMEGROWN WORLD
- #HGCREATORS
- #HGEXPLORE
- #HGVOICES
- #HGSHOP
- CAREERS
- ABOUT US
- CONTACT US
Barfind is a travelling cocktail bar by Elemental that emerged after the team was unlawfully evicted from its original hidden location in Kolkata just weeks after opening. Now operating as a residency across India, the project combines a progressive cocktail menu developed with former Noma and Bar Paradiso researcher Matteo Ciarpaglini, collaborations with local chefs and restaurants, and thoughtfully designed spaces, beginning with a three-month residency at Kitaab Mahal in Mumbai before returning to Kolkata.
In May, Elemental opened a bar at one of Kolkata's most storied addresses, hidden behind a patisserie with no signage or directions, making the search for the space part of the experience itself with the name 'Barfind' — a bar to find. Inside, they created a carefully assembled world with a cocktail menu, original artwork, installations, printed materials, and an atmosphere that took shape over months of work, discussion, disagreement, and attention to detail. But soon afterwards, the bar was forced to close following an unlawful eviction by its landlord, before most of Kolkata had the chance to experience it.
While grieving the loss of a space they had built with their own hands, the team realised Barfind wasn’t limited to a hidden room in a legacy building. It had become a way of thinking about what a bar could be, supported by a team that knew how to bring that vision to life. Now, Barfind is moving across India as a complete travelling bar experience until the team returns to Calcutta in six months.
Their menu has been created in collaboration with Matteo Ciarpaglini, a food and beverage developer from Spain who previously worked at Noma, one of the world's best restaurants, and later headed research and development at Bar Paradiso in Barcelona. Guests move through a deliberate progression of flavours that begins with savoury drinks, shifts into spirit-forward cocktails, moves through aromatic serves, and finishes with dessert. Barfind also plans to work with restaurants and chefs in every city who share a similar philosophy and creative approach, allowing each edition to develop a local expression while staying true to the project's identity. In Kolkata, the food menu was created with Sienna.
Mumbai is the first stop on Barfind's journey. The project is spending three months at Kitaab Mahal in Fort in the heart of old Bombay. The venue continues Barfind's journey from a legendary building in Kolkata to another historic address, where guests can visit from 6 pm until closing. The Mumbai edition will feature a menu of 10 drinks, a curated food menu designed specially for Barfind by KMC, and reservations through Dineo. As the team prepares to return to Calcutta, Barfind continues as a bar without a fixed home or permanent address, travelling from city to city with the belief that people everywhere deserve to discover something worth finding.
Follow Barfind here.
