Restaurants in Dhaka – Part Three

100 restaurants in Dhaka was my goal… I’ve now tried almost 50 restaurants (read about them in part one and two of my round ups). Many people were concerned about eating out during Ramadan (Ramzan here in Bangladesh) because most restaurants offer an Iftar (breaking the fast) menu and buffet. There were many restaurants that did not offer Iftar so we had many places to try.

The Village (8/13): Pakistani. Kebabs. Much talked about place. Food okay. Large space is good for business and clients. Noisy. Humid interior has a roof but no airconditioning in the main area. Note: Quirky interior.

Mainland China (8/13): Cantonese. The restaurant revolves at about one rotation in 70 minutes. The food is okay although everything seems covered in “chili sauce” which is fairly common in Bangladesh. Its a sweet red ketchupy sauce. Mainland China is to the north of the airport so almost impossible to get to for dinner during non-Ramzan traffic. Note: the place has a good view.

California Fried Chicken (2/13): Fast food. The service is slow, the marketing looks promising, and the food is awful. Weird rubbery dark meat with bone in the “burger” and the strawberry shake was like bubble gum. Note: also sells cakes and snacks from a separate counter.

Shing Heong (5/13): Cantonese. Average to not good southern Chinese food. Note: they plan on serving dim sum soon.

Club Gelato (3/13): Gelato and cakes. Seems promising but then the flavors are all fake and faker. Disgusting really with a chemical aftertaste. Note: serves coffee and looks like a good place to go.

Urban Spice (8/13): Indonesian. Food is acceptable. Tom Yum soup was good, though not Indonesian. Note: Decor is modern and chic.

Hotel Al-Razzaque (5/13): Local Bangladeshi. Very local place downtown Dhaka. Note: So authentic that expats are “protected” from using the bathroom.

Coopers (6/13): Bakery. Dry cakes. Note: popular with locals.

Nandos (7/13): Chicken South African style. Yup, just like in South Africa. Note: Yes, it’s the chain from South Africa.

Time Out Cafe (9/13): Indian-Bangladeshi-Asian. Note: Dhosa, wings, and noodles can all be had in their courtyard. It’s in the hip area of Banani. Young Bangladeshis like it.

BBQ at the Ascot (3/13): Continental. Note: Strange small pieces of meat. Some things okay. Some not.

Boomers (4/13): Bangladeshi Chinese fast food. Very popular with locals. Note: The pizza with sweet canned milk on top is too sweet for most expats.

@Corner (6/13): Thai. Considered by many to be the top Thai restaurant in town. Note: It is located on the top floor of a shopping mall walking past the open latrines can scare newbie expats.

The 8 (7/13): Pan Asian. Great variety. Pepper steak will make you choke from the fumes. Note: looks nice and elegant inside but the food is only okay.

Izumi (8/13): Japanese. Elegant interior. Large. Good for business clients. Note: Interior is dark. Black walls.

Kasturi (7/13): Bangladeshi. They claim to be the best Bangladeshi restaurant in the world… Note: They have an outdoor patio dining area. It is truly local food if you avoid the Indian and Chinese items on the menu.

I do try to not let my opinions be influenced by how much fun I had going out to these places. Clearly, I’m enjoying myself.