RESTAURANT WEEK 2015 DRAWS TO AN END

The first of its kind, Dhaka Restaurant Week 2015, was organised between 28 May and 6 June, 2015 by thedhakafoodies.com, the leading food portal of the country. Food lovers could go to any of the partner restaurants and avail the offer as per their choice. The grand launching of the Restaurant Week was held at Amaya Food Gallery, the signature buffet restaurant of Amari, on 27 May.

The list of restaurants was extensive with names dotted across the city - Droom , Soi 3, Chiswick, Saltz, Mesquite Grill, El Toro, Coentro, Crise Cardiac Clinic Café, Angels n' gypsies, Melange, The Mirage, Tune and Bite, Fish Fish, Meat Lovers, Grind House, Ecstacy Café, The Olives, Tabaq, Amari, Platinum Suits, Tarka, Glasshouse Brassier,  Veni Vidi Vici, Kabab Factory, Fish and Co, Kobe, Columbus Coffee, Platter, Thirty 3, Dosa Express, Hakka Dhaka Uttara, Fusion Hunt, Moka Café and Bistro, Georges Dolce La Vita and the Dining Room at Calcutta Club. 

On the inauguration, Ashiqur Rahman, founder of Dhaka Foodies, said "We want food lovers of Dhaka to try as many restaurants as possible, as it's a great opportunity to try some of the best dishes at great promotional offers. Restaurants have reduced their prices for signature dishes by at least 30 to 50 percent during the entire week." 

Alongside, various contests were also organised with participants vying for special prizes in contests like Food Photography, Top Lumia Foodies, Biggest Group Selfie, and Area Foodie of the week, all to be declared and awarded at the award night.

Microsoft was the Mobile Device partner, and Samsung, the electronics partner of the Week.  Dhaka Foodies is the online community of Foodies which is constantly working on the web platform and App (www.thedhakafoodies.com) to engage foodies and the restaurants.

By Mannan Mashhur Zarif
All photos provided by The Dhaka Foodies

Restaurant week at Chiswick

Located at Dhanmondi 5/A, Chiswick might not be the restaurant one would notice very easily. It is on the sixth floor of house 74 along Satmasjid Road. But enter, and Chiswick is almost a little known gem when it comes to the atmosphere, the food and the service.

The interior is decorated sparsely, with lots of leg space to sit comfortably with friends. The atmosphere is laid back and the music in the background makes it a good place to spend quality time. Step outside, and it only gets better. The balcony has seating arrangements and the view from there is astounding. The skyline of Dhanmondi provides a perfect backdrop for the lake just opposite.

Chiswick had three dishes on offer this restaurant week, all priced at Tk499. The meals consisted of Fried Rice, Prawn Dry Chilli, Beef Dry Chilli, Vegetable Curry; French Fry, Spring Roll (2 pieces), Spicy Grill Chicken, Fried Rice, Side Salad; and Wedges, Chef Special Fried Chicken 2 pieces and vegetable curry. The proportions were enough for a wholesome dinner. The chicken might be a little spicy for some people, but the beef was well cooked and tasty.

Overall, for Tk499, Chiswick was worth the value. The service was consistent and the food was in good proportions and flavorsome. But its biggest selling point has to be the great view and the laid back atmosphere. Head over for a quiet hangout with a group of friends.

By Moyukh Mahtab

Kobe

Banana Road 11 has to be the hub of the foodie world in Dhaka. The streets are lined with restaurants, cafes, ice cream parlours and every place has its own unique taste and environment. So it is no surprise, that one of the few Japanese cuisine places in Dhaka, Kobe Japanese Restaurant, is located there. 

For the entirety of the Dhaka Restaurant Week, Kobe had three special meals on offers at prices of Tk 499, Tk 999 and Tk 1499. With a buffet style salad bar full of all sorts of food from soups, bean curries and dessert, the offer was a one not to miss.

The interior is nothing fancy – which is not a bad thing considering the seating arrangement is spacious and filled with natural light in the morning. The service is friendly and hospitable and the ambience is that of a family dining place more than that of a hangout with friends.

The meals on offer for Restaurant Week were the Chicken Nanban; Sushi Kobe and Ribeye Steak and sushi (shrimp), all three with unlimited salad bar. The Chicken Nanban was flavoursome, and the proportions were enough to fill anyone up. The gravy on top was spicy, but the chicken seemed to be a little inconsistent on the inside, sometimes overpowered by other ingredients.

The cream of mushroom soup was a delight though. Rich without being overly so, it is a must to try out from the salad bar. The chilli con carne was just as good. Other items which were on the bar included spaghetti salad and potato salad. The drinks on the menu were few, but the fresh fruit juices do justice to the name.

Overall, for a change of cuisine, Kobe is a place to definitely try out. Although, some of their regular dishes might be on the expensive side, for the true foodie, Kobe is a place to visit at least once.

By Moyukh Mahtab

Ecstasy Cafe

If you have been to the new Jamuna Future Park, then you are no stranger to getting lost in its premises. Almost all good food places you know and love have outlets there. But it's always nice to eat someplace new and thankfully, there are some new restaurants there which are worthy of attention. One such is Ecstasy Café, on Level 5.

Ambience: The moment you walk in, you are welcomed by friendly personnel, soft lighting and nice smooth music. Décor includes some unique touches from a designed surfboard to antique trinkets adorning the walls. Seating arrangements are pleasant, with booths lining one corner and the table and chair arrangement on the other. In short: a nice environment to take a break.

Menu: The menu is littered with options that would cater to almost 90 percent of their customers. Prices for most are a little on the expensive side. Ecstasy Café is a participant of the Dhaka Restaurant Week and had two different sets available. The first set, which we were offered, was priced at Tk 499 and consisted of Toast Pizza, Devil's Chicken and Chocolate Tart. The other set is priced at Tk 999 and includes Vegetable Chicken Soup, Chicken Pancake Wrap, Stuffed Chicken Breast and Brownie with Ice Cream. 

Food: Now don't get fooled, Toast Pizza isn't really pizza. It's a very well dressed toast, with a spicy tangy taste and lots of chopped up meat to add that pizza taste. Anyone who loves Pan Pizza will surely love this. The Devil's Chicken, which is boneless spicy chicken served with rice, was pretty great, but the spice felt a bit lacking. For dessert was the Chocolate Tart. The tart was pretty good but nothing to write home about. It felt a little dry and the chocolate hadn't penetrated the whole tart so the taste was a bit inconsistent. Otherwise, no complaints.

Verdict: To sum up, the location is spot on as Jamuna Future Park will only get more popular. Add to that their cosy environment and good food and you have the perfect place to go to next time with friends for a hangout. Don't worry about the check-ins and selfies posts, they have Wi-fi too.

By Intisab Shahriyar

Scrumptious treats at The Olives

The Olives is a new, upscale hotel that has recently opened at Gulshan- 1. And the elegance, the service, and the luxury of the hotel are also extended to its eatery at the ground floor, The Olives Restaurant. The Olives had celebrated Dhaka Foodies Restaurant Week. 

For this special and unique campaign, The Olives offered two platters. For Tk499, the menu comprised of Thai soup, grilled chicken, fried rice with sautéed vegetables, along with a glass of water and cream caramel for dessert. No doubt, it was good value for money.

Another platter, which came with a price tag of Tk999, was a lavish affair. First came the cream of mushroom soup, and then the main platter, which was an assortment of lamb, fish, chicken and prawn, along with French fries and sautéed vegetables. This was followed by a fruit truffle. From the much sought after cream of mushroom and the fried prawns and the mouth-watering lamb chops, the platter was surely a treat for the guests that came in. 

Although the restaurant week is over, the eatery is surely worth going to. The restaurant manages to be very simple and stylish at the same time, with the décor being neither very overbearing nor pretentious. 

With great food, a cosy atmosphere and a doting service that runs throughout the hotel, The Olives is a great place not just to stay, but to eat out as well! 

By M H Haider

George's La Dolce Vita

Italian cuisine is a favourite among the Dhakaites and with good reason. However, with such a list of admirers, such restaurants also get their fair share of critics. George's La Dolce Vita is no exception. With a large fanbase, the restaurant too has come under criticism on some occasions. But that is just a professional hazard. Taking part of Dhaka Foodies Week, George's La Dolce Vita set out to showcase their quality in front of a brand new base of customers. If the food was anything to go by, then the restaurant surely made a large number of new fans. 

George's La Dolce Vita had two menus for the Dhaka Foodies Week, priced at Tk. 400 and Tk. 899. The first option included 2 steamed buns stuffed with sweet and succulent caramelized garlic chicken, mushrooms, arugula and chicken bacon. This is followed by a Pizza of your choice and finally there is dessert. The dessert is a triple chocolate cookie. The meal is a complete spread and tends to be quite filling, unless you are ravished. Here, the garlic chicken isn't only described as "succulent" but it really is. Here, everything is measured and everything is done to perfection. A meat lover's pizza is of course the way to go and that is what we ordered. Unlike the fancy fast food pizza places with more emphasis on random toppings and oily servings, La Dolce Vita serves a proper pizza. It is shorn of unnecessary ingredient and the pizza remains the focus regardless of the additions. Wrapping up with a triple chocolate cookie, describing the meal as delicious and filling would both be understatements. 

The second option consisted of 2 steamed buns stuffed with sweet and succulent caramelized garlic chicken, mushrooms, arugula, chicken bacon and their homemade mozzarella with sun-dried tomatoes & basil. This is followed by rib eye steak (150g), seafood quiche with shrimp & fish with tomato, onion and carper sauce. Then comes the dessert which is the perfection cake- a vanilla cake with chocolate ganache frosting. Now, that sounds delectable because it probably is. George's La Dolce Vita is a hidden gem as of yet but even before the Dhaka Foodies Week, it was hard to get a seat there. Now it is going to be harder. Fortunately, it'll be all worth it.

By Osama Rahman

Restaurant Week : In conversation with Ashiqur

Dhaka Foodies is mainly an online portal www.thedhakafoodies.com-whose purpose is to engage foodies with restaurants. Everyone can write reviews and suggestions. 

They do different campaigns, fesitivals and photo exhibitions. Last week, the restaurant held the Restaurant week which received tremendous response from food lovers all over Dhaka. Speaking to Ashiqur Rahman, founder of Dhaka Foodies, he informed that this event involved 35 restaurants across 38 different locations of the city. 

"Dhaka restaurant week is a completely new concept. We weren't sure if the crowd would understand it, but thankfully, everything went fine. The response has been great so far," Ashiqur Rahman said. Some restaurants were visited almost as soon as the week started, some took a little time, but almost 90% of the restaurants are very happy with the turn out. The restaurants in questions offered their food for set prices staring from 499 BDT. 

The turn out has been so well that a lot of the restaurants had been completely booked due to the event. The restaurant week was engaging in different ways also, such as the photography contest that was held side by side with the restaurant week. "After eating, people would go to our site and review the restaurants and surprisingly, we received no complaints," Ashiq added. 

In the future, Dhaka Foodies plans on doing something more beneficial. On July 2nd and 3rd , they will have a Sehri festival and whoever participates, a part of the fee they pay will go to the poor as zakaat. They are working with the Zakaat foundation for this project as well. This noble initiative will be held in Bashundhara Convention Centre. 

There are plans to open up new chapters of Dhaka Foodies in different cities of the country.

By Osama Rahman
Photo courtesy: Dhaka Foodies