Dhaka
Dining In Dhaka
Meandering through the streets of Old and New Dhaka, a food-loving traveller can get taken up by the sights and smells that abound. Meat lovers, especially, will want to go back to this Bangladeshi capital, for seconds, for sure
Text: Kalyan Karmakar
Being of blue blood quite naturally follows that among other pursuits of the good life, good food will certainly feature high. As is the case with Arunima and Ganesh Singh and their children, and their children!
An opportunity to do so came out of the blue when my wife, Kainaz, was invited to speak at the Bangladesh Brand Forum meet in Dhaka. They invited me to join her and most kindly offered to give me a flavour of its local food.
Our flight from Bombay took about 3.5 hours. Dhaka had something special to welcome us with. This was the spanking new expressway that connected the airport to the city. It had been inaugurated the previous day and made our journey into the city much easier. The traffic at Dhaka is the stuff of legends after all.
We were put up at the Westin Hotel which is located bang in the middle of Gulshan. Gulshan is the primary CBD of Dhaka and, along with neighbouring Banani, is considered to be the most cosmopolitan part of the city. Dhaka can be divided into Puron (Old) Dhaka and New Dhaka. The food culture of each differs from the other. The cuisine of Old Dhaka is influenced by that of the Mughals and Awadh. Some of this food is available in New Dhaka through chains such as Star Kebab, Sultan’s Dine and Kacchi Bhai. These have tried to attract the younger generation by creating bright, often air-conditioned outlets which are located on High Street. They have taken on the international fast-food chains that are omnipresent in the city.
Then there are cafés and bistros in New Dhaka which reflect the aspirations of its youth. These offer cuisines from different parts of the world and the quality of the food that we tried there was top-notch.
I headed to Old Dhaka with Sheikh Sakib on my first evening in Dhaka. He is a management student from Dhaka and was deputed as our protocol officer from the Bangladesh Brand Forum. Luckily for me, he loved food and was happy to take me around.
It had rained earlier that afternoon and it was pretty dark by the time we reached the entrance to Old Dhaka. We had to leave our car behind and walk down the narrow road which was broken in parts, slushy and very crowded all through.
The stretch was buzzing with life. There were shops selling salwars and ornaments, plasticware and utensils, electronics and mobile repair shops, there were bakeries where fresh bakarkhani (biscuits dipped in tea and consumed) were being baked, fish shops with fresh fish that fluttered in buckets of water, tea shops, sweet shops, biryani and kebab eateries. A riot of colours and smells. An experience like none other.
I would recommend that you go to Old Dhaka with someone willing to show you around. It would be nearly impossible to navigate by oneself. You need to leave all reservations behind if you want to enjoy the food here. The eateries are pretty rustic. I feel most alive at places such as these, though I know that they are not everyone’s cup of tea. Most of the famous dishes in the eateries of Old Dhaka are either goat or beef-based. If you are vegetarian, then this might not be the place for you. Unless you want to take in the atmosphere and have bakarkhani, cha and mishti (sweets).
Our first stop was Bismillah Kebab Ghar (H. No, 28 Kazi Alauddin Rd, Dhaka 1100)
I was in for a surprise. The ‘kebabs’ here were what we refer to as tawa fry back in Bombay, on skewers. Not those that are grilled over coal fires or in tandoor. The service was very friendly though it would help if you knew Bengali. There is a written menu and you can point out the dishes that you want if you do not know Bengali.
The most popular dish here is the beef chaap. It is a hunk (sic) of meat which is deep-fried to perfection in the shallow tawa. A nice crust forms on the surface of the chaap and the meat is juicy inside. It offers a beautiful contrast of textures. Another dish worth trying there is the Khaashir Mogoj, goat brain fry. It has a pasty, near-soupy texture and is subtly spiced. The beef boti kebab here paired very well with the parathas. The parathas are made of maida. They are perfectly round and fairly big. The texture is a nice combination of crisp and chubby and is perfect to mop up the meats with.
Our other destination in Old Dhaka was Haji Biriyani (70 Kazi Alauddin Rd, Dhaka 1000) which was established in 1939. You would not have a problem if you do not speak Bengali here for there is only one dish on the menu and they make it very well. This is the Khaashi (goat) Pulao. Otherwise known as tehri.
The closest comparison in terms of flavour would be the Moradabadi Biryani that I once had in a small stall in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area. The Beef Yakhni Pulao in Noor Mohammadi in Bombay comes close too, but there are some key differences. The rice in tehri is small-grained in comparison to the long-grained Basmati used in yakhni pulao. Mustard oil is used in making tehri. A degh of biryani is kept at the entrance of the shop and the food is taken out on order and served. There is a strong whiff of mustard oil when the biryani is freshly prepared. The mustard oil adds a pungent touch to the rice. The mutton pieces are small and very tender. There are pieces of green chilli that add heat to the pulao and you can wash this down with the yogurt-based drink, burhani.
You can try the Mughlai food of Dhaka in New Dhaka in case you are not up for a trip to Old Dhaka. Star Kebab is the most famous among kebab shops. They have multiple branches across the city and do not serve beef. We went to the Banani Road branch (H. No.15, Rd. No. 17, Block-C, Dhaka 1213) for brunch (they are open for breakfast as well). The menu is diverse and includes fresh fruit juices and falooda, too. Of the dishes that I tried, my favourite was the Mutton Leg Roast. The meat fell off the bone and came in a gravy that was robust but not too spicy. The Moong Dal Ghosh was beautiful. There was a subtle sweetness to the dish and the balance between the meat and pulses nuanced.
Located close by is Kemal Ataturk Avenue which is surrounded by modern office buildings on both sides of the road. The lane is dotted by street food stalls which are frequented by office folks and offer dal puri, shingara, rice and beef curry, chai and a lot more.
Kacchi Biryani is very popular in Dhaka. In its pristine form, it consists of layers of soaked raw rice, raw meat and masala which is cooked together. Some of the newer restaurants are said to make it by adding meat which is 70% cooked to rice and spices, and cooking it together. I tried it at the Bailey Road branch of Sultan’s Dine (9 Bailey Rd, Dhaka 1205).
The Kacchi Biryani reminded me of the masaledar Bombay biryani made famous by places such as Jafferbhai’s Delhi Darbar and Lucky Restaurant. The combination of mutton, rice and masala made for quite a lavish feast.
There were a couple of other interesting dishes that I tried at Sultan’s Dine. One was the jali kebab. Jali means net in Bengali and the kebab reminded me of the Parsi lacy cutlets in terms of the egg batter coating. The minced meat in the kebab was finely ground, spicy and lip-smacking. The BeefRezala at Sultan’s is rather different from the rezala one gets in Calcutta. While the latter has a cream-coloured thinnish gravy which tends to be on the sweeter side, the gravy of the Dhaka rezala is spicy and dark brown in colour.
To get a taste of the more ‘Bengali’ (not Awadhi) food, you can go to Paturi (H. No. 3, Rd. No. 10B, Block-H, Banani Dhaka, 1213). ‘Bengali food’ is a generic term which glosses over the fact that there is a lot of regional differences in the food found across the country. The menu at Paturi is a good starting point in one's journey to discover Bangladeshi food.
Paturi is a spacious restaurant which borders on urban chic. It houses an art gallery as well. The paturi refers to a style of cooking where fish/meat/vegetables is smeared with a mustard seed-based marinade, steamed in a leaf. Banana leaves are most commonly used.
You can try the Bhorta Platter here. Bhortas consist of vegetables such as potato, brinjal or fish such as salted and dried Bombay Duck (shutki) or hilsa, which are smoked and then mashed. The range of bhortas in Bangladesh is quite diverse and is hard to find outside of home kitchens. Which is why the platter at Paturi is a great bet.
The ilish patoori that we had here was delectable. It consisted of a slice of hilsa that was marinated in spicy and pungent crushed mustard seeds which was balanced by desiccated coconut. The fish was juicy and belonged to a large hilsa. Which meant that it was less bony.
The restaurant offers Bhuni Khichuri which is usually found in homes. It is made with moong dal and rice and rendered to a pulao-like consistency in Dhaka. Its richness makes it quite different from the khichuri of Bengal which is a simpler dish. I loved it as it is similar to the khichuri I cook. I guess that this is in my DNA.
The beef with whole garlic is another standout dish in the restaurant. The garlic adds a distinctive flavour to the rich gravy and forms the perfect foil to the juicy bits of meat in it.
Paturi offers a fair selection of vegetarian dishes. We were impressed by the korola bhaji (stir-fried bitter-gourd) that we had here. This intrinsically bitter vegetable was rendered beautifully. The end result had bitter notes and yet was not intimidating.
My Calcutta friend, Kaniska Chakraborty, has a special connection with Dhaka. He has worked in advertising agencies here and married a colleague from here. They live in Calcutta now, but Kaniska often goes back to Dhaka on brand consulting assignments.
Kaniska took us to some of the modern cafés and bistros of Dhaka. This made Kainaz very happy as she is a big city girl who feels at home in such places.
Our first stop was Oro Holey Artisan Bakery (1st Floor, Rangs Arcade, 153/A Madani Ave, Dhaka 1212), which we loved so much that we returned to it before we left. The minimalist décor of the café reminds one of the modern cafés of Europe. The crowd here consists of a mix of expats and affluent locals. It is a nice place to unwind over some lovely coffee and bakes.
They use imported produce here and command a premium for the same. They make freshly assembled sandwiches as well as mains such as pastas and grills. I loved the beef burger here which was cooked very competently. The patty was juicy. The fillings such as tomato and melted Cheddar embellished the patty. The buns were fresh and did not crumble. The roast beef croissant was lovely too as was the salmon bagel. The coffees here are top notch.
We had a memorable Italian dinner at Bistro E (Bay’s Edgewater, 1st Floor NE (N) 12, North Avenue Gulshan 2, Dhaka 1212). The Prawn Aglio that we had there was all about perfection. It was seasoned right. The prawns were fresh and juicy. The spaghetti was al dente.
The other dish that we tried was the Herb-encrusted Rib-eye Steak. It was done medium rare and would match up with some of the best steaks that we have had across the world.
Our third stop was China Garden (H. No. 1,2 Rd. No. 101, Dhaka 1212) where we were hosted by some of Kaniska’s friends from the advertising world of Dhaka. It is an old-school Cantonese place. The décor is very functional and is reminiscent of similar places one has been to in Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne and in central (not Tangra) Calcutta. We sat in one of the private rooms. The order was placed by our hosts who are regulars here.
Some of the highlights of our meal were the very succulent Sautéed Beef in Onion, Steamed Fish in Chilli Oil, Scrambled Eggs with Prawns, Clay Pot Chicken, Pepper Squids, Squid Fried Rice, Flat Noodles, Chinese Greens… pretty much everything that one had there!
Memories of Dhaka have remained with us well after we returned home. The warm welcome that we got from everyone we met touched our hearts. Then there was the fabulous food that we had, and there is so much more to explore…
The many sweet shops of Dhaka, shops that offer chotpoti…the local version of pani puri, and restaurants that offer regional Bangladeshi food to start with.
It is no surprise that I cannot wait to go back!