Well, I have been waiting for quite a while to open a thread like this.
Feel free to share your experiences with 'Deshi' and foreign cuisines in Dhaka while I share mine. I'll keep it really short (Okay, never mind) to make way for important infos on Deshi food if it ever comes to your help. And asking for pardon in advance for the informal way of representing the whole thing. Here goes:
1. Deshi Food:
a. Street Food:
Well, we all know jhalmuri, fuchka and chotpoti come first when we speak of street food in Dhaka.
My personal experiences suggest, if you're really in for taste, nothing beats fuchka and chotpoti sold right in front of schools/ colleges & markets. If you are concerned about hygiene and are willing to spend some money, specialized air-conditioned fuchka and chotpoti shops are found in many places. In short, from my experiences:
Jhalmuri: Tk 10 - 20 (Per cone)
Hygiene- Poor
Taste- Good (Although varies)
Fuchka
Street: Tk 15 - 25 (Per plate)
Hygiene- Poor
Taste- May vary but generally really good.
Suggested places: Manik Miya avenue
Shops: Tk 40 - 150 (Per plate)
Hygiene- Generally good
Taste- Not better than street shops.
Suggested places- Shopping Malls, Bailey Road.
Chotpoti
Price: Tk 20 - 80 (Depends on shop & quality; per plate)
Taste: Good
Suggested Places- More or less scattered everywhere.
b. Deshi Meals & Appetizers:
Although comparatively cheap and there are hygiene issues, I have always been a fan of deshi food in local hotels. Yes, I'm talking about biriyani, morog polao, kachhi and the list pretty much goes on. From my experiences:
Biriyani & Morog Polao:
1. Found everywhere
2. Taste: Generally, really good.
3. Hygiene: Varies. Good hygiene in specialized shops.
4. Price: Local Hotels- 100-150 per plate. Specialized shops- 250+
5. Suggested Shops: Hajir Biriyani in Motijheel. They have started to open chain shops. (:up)
Dhanshiri for better hygiene. (Chain shop)
Kachhi Biriyani
Could have added this up into the previous category but this needs special attention. Personal favourite too.
Taste: Out of the world!
Price- 120 - 180 & 250+
Suggested places: Nothing beats biyer daowat in this case. (Marriage Ceremonies)
Local shops have some really delicious ones too.
Kababs
In short, Star Kabab (Chain Store) is good and famous. Best selling Kabab store in the country by a country mile.
Price- Well, depends. Around 100 generally.
Lassi & Faluda
Faluda is more of a sub-continental appetizer I guess (?). I just love Faluda. Lassi is okay too.
Price- 50 to 100 (Per glass/ bowl)
Suggested Places- Star Kabab, Hotel Star (Karwan Bazar) etc.
Faluda is just too good in my foodictionary.
c. Sweets
Chain Shops Generally. And you all know that sweets will take ANOTHER thread itself
In the shortest form.
Quality Shops: Premium Sweets, Rosh, Bhagyakul (Mainstream) and MANY others I can't remember right now.
I cannot finish naming all the deshi delicacies so I'll stop here. :P
2. Foreign Cuisine:
I'll summarize for this category.
Mainstream Meals:
Arabian: Shwarma (Shwarma House, love it.)
Chinese: Bamboo Shoot, Gulshan-1 (Bhai actual Chinese Cuisine er jonne Gulshan ei jaowa lagbe
). I do like the so-called Chinese cuisine too and these are the most common resturaunts. Xinxian is pretty good.
Thai: Soup. Personal favourite and found everywhere.
Indian: Khazana is good. Many Indian Cuisine shops around Banani
Korean: Many shops in Gulshan 1 and around.
French: Crepe-au-lait, newly opened. Sells well.
Fast Food (Chain):
Of note:
1. BFC (Plenty of shops everywhere)
2. KFC (BFC>KFC because of price
)
3. Nando's (Banani 11, Dhanmondi)
4. Pizza Hut (Gulshan, Dhanmondi, Bailey Road)
5. Pizza Inn
6. CP (Very fast food rather
)
7. Boomers (Old is gold)
8. Helvetia (Quality dipped. Personal favourite shop from the early 2000s)
9. Dominos Pizza
10. FFC
Prices: Starts at around Tk 200 for full meals.
Chicken Fry prices-
BFC- 80 (Was 65, which was the cheapest in town
)
KFC- 110
CP- 110 (Not worth)
Et cetera.
KFC has some good Ice Creams for Tk 100 (Around)
Ice Cream:
1. Movenpick
2. Cream & Fudge Factory
3. Club Gelato (Banani)
Prices: Tk 150 - 1K (Approx.)
Coffee: Gloria Jeans, Gulshan-1.
Okay, I'll stop here!
Feel free to let us know about your food experiences in Dhaka. Okay, definitely in short. No need to make it as long as I did.
Note: If I have missed anything I should not have, do the honours and add them.
I may be wrong in some cases, so hoping you'd cut some slack.
Last but not least:
Tora je ja bolish bhai, maayer haater rannar upor kotha nai.