Dallas Grill

If you are in Baridhara D.O.H.S and plan to dine somewhere in Anannya, I would suggest to stay away from Dallas Grill.
They promise you good food and big portions on the screens and advertisement tools used, but the servers have no idea about the food mentioned. Even their menu does not have what is promised outside and in the photos inside. 
I was really hungry the Friday before yesterday when I was at the mall and wished for either a shawarma or a doner kebab. The moment I saw doner mentioned right under Dallas Grill, I walked in without feeling welcomed inside.

The interior suits a fine dine restaurant and the seats are comfortable. However, the servers are less than warm and welcoming to you. It almost made me feel like I made a mistake being there. 
I looked for doner in the menu, and on failing to find it, asked for a server's assistance. The man gave me the "What on God's Earth is he asking for now!!! What on Earth is that even!! I have never heard of anything like that in my entire life" look when I asked if they had doner kebab as promised outside. 
I was starving and had to eat. I looked into the menu again and was tempted by the photo of fish and chips in it. Well, they probably didn't have space for that in the menu. That is the only explanation I get when I see there is a photo of a dish and a title as seafood, but no seafood on the menu. So I guess it is still on its way to a tiny corner there.
I didn't bother asking about fish and chips after the first reaction I received.
I asked for cream soup and American burger. The photo outside showed a huge burger with grilled patty and cheese. The price mentioned for it on the menu was too less by all standards in a restaurant and I had to try to know why. 

The cream soup came quick and the soup was nothing to tell much about. It was just a ordinary cream soup with chicken in it. The taste was just bland. So I was eagerly waiting for the American burger to satisfy my hunger.
When it arrived, all the excitement left me like a scared feeble rat running to escape. The burger was just slightly bigger than a slider. They served curly fries which resembled home style potato crisps (they were far from being crispy) and separating the fries was a struggle. Yet I was expecting something good from my burger. 

If there was anything good,then it was that garlic aioli inside. Otherwise the burger was just a sorry excuse for one. Chicken and salad were diced as if they were for a Pan Asian noodle dish. Everything would keep falling out of the burger and finishing it proved to be quite challenging. It would be a shame to call it a burger, because what came was a chicken and salad sandwich in a bun that was smothered with garlicy mayo and tomato sauce. The only flavour you would get is that of garlic, which was kind of mellow and pleasant.
I left very disappointed. It may not have cost me much in terms of money, but I went in expecting a lot from a place that looked very promising from the outside, but the service was lousy and the food was nothing interesting.

Butler's Chocolate Cafe, Bangladesh

This is the new talk of the city in Dhaka and why would it not be- the first and only chocolate bar franchise in Bangladesh! (How I have been longing for something like this here!)
Though my very first experience wasn't great because I had tried their Dark Chocolate with caramel filling from the packets and it was hard and chewy, sticking to the tongue, palates and teeth, the idea changed right after my second visit. This place holds a lot of promise to the guests, and is right now the best place for celebrations. And there couldn't have been a better time to open than December, when the cold weather just sinks in, people get in the festive mood, and you can sniff Christmas and the last day of the year from the preparations in the city. People certainly love to dig into chocolates and cakes at this time of the year.

The place is so vibrant right now that there is no way you can miss as you drive across Gulshan 2 towards the High Comission of Pakistan in Dhaka, even though the cafe takes a small place under the popular Sanjeev Kapoor's Khana Khazana. As you enter, you will be taken over by the creative chocolate collections and the designed gift boxes.

Until now I have only taken gifts mostly, and just had one little chance to sit and dine, but only for half an hour. I had the good fate of trying their BBQ chicken pizza and a few chocolates. You can see there a tray of chocolates, but I had the chance to taste two may be. And the rest? YES! Wrapped and presented!
I was helped by a tall pretty lady in a black top there who happily guided me with suggestions and picked the best ones suited to my taste from the trays.

Their pizzas are on a very thin crust. It is literally a tortilla base with very light sauce spread and cheese. The best way to describe this would be BBQ flavoured Pringles on plate. The base was crispy and the sauce had the mellow note of barbecue sauce. There was no overpowering of flavours.

The two chocolates I remember tasting were dark chocolate truffles (Oh! I just love truffles! If you like chocolates, there is no way you can say no to them!), and coconut chocolate.
Now I would never go for coconut chocolate, and I always hated this combination ever since the first time I had the Bounty chocolate and coconut bar. I like coconut, but do not want in my chocolate since then. This was recommended and I had to try.
Must say that I am glad I did. The taste was just sublime. Dessicated coconut in a dark chocolate coat had that perfect balance. The taste of the coconut did not go over the chocolate and you could taste the chocolate through and through. This has become my new favourite after ages of hating the coconut chocolate combo.
The truffle was really good, but I had better truffles. The truffle here has a nice gooey chocolatey filling inside a thin coat.

If there is one thing I would complain about, then it is their service on a busy day. The servers lack the proper etiquette and show themselves too busy to talk to the guests, much less make them feel welcomed and comfortable. The hospitality is a major factor in service industry and you just cannot ignore it.

If you are planning to have a good time on a date here, please make sure you have at least 3 grands in your pocket.

This is a place I like to keep going to for my chocolates.

This is an interesting post from tastebud.
They are asking for your reviews in a review contest on their new menu and it seems like a good promotion to me.
You are welcome to go try their pizzas and give them your first hand reviews, but here is mine.
I tried two of their pizzas this Friday, 6th November 2015; Pizza Di Mari and Pizza TB (I know it can offend people suffering from TB, but blame them for naming it such. I am pretty sure they could have come up with something better to stand for 'tastebud').
Their pizzas have thin crusts with crunchy edges. The best part about their pizzas is the amount of cheese. I don't remember having any pizza in the city with that much cheese on it. It becomes a little tricky when pulling a slice out because of the stretchy cheese and the good mozzarella speaks for itself with the buttery aroma. The pizzas are topped with small tomato cubes and capsicum, and the mellow peppery flavour of the capsicum is surely delightful here. The protein is either beef or chicken. 
One improvement that the pizzas probably need is the amount of sauce. I would want a little more sauce under the cheese. 
However, the pizzas seem to be very slightly overcharged. Tk100 less of each of them would have been perfect and in a restaurant like tastebud, I expect pizzas to be served with sweet corn, black olives, mushrooms and fresh basil.



Photo source: https://www.facebook.com/tastebudbd/photos/a.350199101776213.1073741828.349738805155576/778032855659500/?type=3

Sub sandwich at Tacos Shop

Tacos Shop in Uttara may not be the best sandwich shop out there, but I would often stop for a sub.
The sandwich is made with long bun, filled with chicken and salad vegetable, smothered with loads of mayonnaise and chilli sauce, before grilled, but that is not why this sub would be on my list. They may not have the best culinary skills or amazing gastronomic ideas, but they have picked one ingredient smartly that has worked for them and that is capsicum. You will also find cabbage and carrot in it, but the capsicum there is doing all the work in terms of taste. There is a good peppery flavour that compliments the mayo-chilli sauce and every bite is satisfying. The sandwich itself is filling too.

The presentation is very lousy though, and the interior is a sorry excuse for a restaurant. But when you can get a satisfying sub for Tk140 only, you can also consider takeaways.

Dine at Fiesta OVEN FRESH bake n' brew

It is probably true that when you are hungry, things you would probably never even put in your mouth tastes sublime. I do not deny I was hungry to the point where a bowl of a dish was merely a plate size to me, but I can still identify the flavours going down my throat. 
One hunger stricken evening and I had to make a quick stop. Thankfully Fiesta OVEN FRESH bake n' brew was closest to me then. With a burning stomach I was planning for something prepared from dairy products rather than something spicy. The gastric reflux has been bothering me a lot lately.
It didn't seem like a cafe though inside. The place was more like a family dine out space for me. Interior is bright and the couches had tables with the right size. So i did not have to break my back bending forward to eat. 

I needed something to go easy on my stomach and though I was there for a proper meal, the croissant was just too tempting to pass. It was surprising to come across a croissant that was golden brown, with perfectly puffed up layers which were distinct when you check after the first bite, and didn't coat my palates with any unwanted fat. This croissant was done with care, and I can say that since I was edging for another before remembering that I asked for a pasta and cake slice and I am dining alone.

Tuna Macaroni probably doesn't get too many points for presentation though. Pasta was cooked perfectly, and the creamy sauce had oregano and basil. None of the flavours overpowered the other and neither were they too strong and sharp on the tongue. The herbs went smooth with the cream. The cream sauce was generously served and the goodness would often ooze out from the macaroni when pressed with the fork. There were a few tuna chunks and oregano made a harmonious bond with the fish. I would have preferred a slight hint of garlic and a generous sprinkle of black pepper, though black pepper may disturb the gentle character of that sauce.
Garlic bread slices were nothing but biscuits on the plate. 

Then came their special OVEN FRESH special cake slice. It was basically a dense cream cheese cake, with the combo of a thin chocolaty layer in the middle and sticky orange top, on a crust that you probably cannot even feel when it is in your mouth. The flavour of the orange coats around the tongue and chocolate is a nice mix with it. I was happy with the overall result since the cake wasn't gooey or crumbly and the cake came as one.

What was even surprising was that for a satisfying meal the prices were just too reasonable for the present days and yet only a few chairs were filled. My total bill was about Tk580. People probably failed to notice something good at the corner of the street. 
I will hopefully dine again and next time I am going for Spaghetti Bolognaise.

Burgers from Takeout

I tried only three of them.

Twister:
It is like having a bun with bacon inside while chewing on other things you can see, but cannot identify with your taste-buds. Bun to patty ratio was far off. Burger patty was pretty dry and crumbly and the strong flavour of bacon bits masked everything inside, rendering the use of any condiment and the meat of the patty useless. Everything else in that burger was just to add to the mass.

Chicken Supreme:
I couldn't even tell the burger had cheddar. This must be a mock cheddar cheese, that has the colour and melted creamy texture but lacks the alluring salty characteristic flavour of the cheddar. Chicken breast was amazingly dry with strong outbursts of rosemary in every single bite. It was a struggle to go through half of it.

Beef and Bacon:
Was that the plan? I mean is the bun supposed to lose its texture and form and become something like milk soaked bread? The condiments were not balanced and the overuse of garlic mayonnaise first seems to go down well, but then becomes too heavy for the taste-buds and even the gut to take. But this is not even the worst part of this burger. Bacon already masks any flavour the patty thrived to give, but the patty is so big and chewy, and the bun is already out of sight within a couple of bites, this burger is in the 'never try again' list now. The patty is ought to be like that. When you make a large patty like that, there is too much contact with the meat and it tends to become firm and slightly bouncy like a sausage after the proteins have gelled the meat in the fridge. So they have compromised with the 'melt in the mouth experience' deciding to use such a big lumpy patty.

Their packaging is worth taking notice of and I really liked the way they can be unfolded to make paper plates. I must admit that I loved their honey mustard dip which was dense, sweet and pleasantly mustardy instead of an earthy kicking one.

Photo credit: Takeout page
https://www.facebook.com/takeoutbd/photos/a.645977542162485.1073741826.642777399149166/850885045005066/?type=1
I apologize for losing my own photos and having to use their photos.

Pizza at Sbarro Bangladesh

Cheese Pizza at Sbarro Bangladesh

This is probably the best pizza I found at Sbarro. It was a sudden plan and the pizza was just perfect!
The base was thin with a slightly crispy edge that feels like a toast in texture. The sauce was a chunky tomato spread-like and it tasted fresh. The freshness of the sauce just lifts this up to a whole new height and this is what a gourmet pizza should be like. The whole thing came as one.
It was generously topped with cheese and the texture was enough to tell you about its quality. Apparently this pizza slice would outclass any pizza from the other chains here.

Super Supreme Pizza at Sbarro Bangladesh

This pizza slice did not live up to the expectation after the Cheese Pizza. The base was hard like a confectionery baked old slice of pizza. The sauce seemed different here. It was like a paste and had the sublime flavour of basil and perfect blend of herbs. The topping was dense, generous and balanced, but the crust killed it.

Pizza at Platter

If you haven't tried the pizza at Platter and go drooling on pizzas, you should probably be planning a visit this week.
They serve wood fired pizzas. If you are not careful here, you can easily either get a charred pizza or have a underdone one. The dense heat gets the pizza done very fast and you should be very good with your timing if you are preparing pizzas in wood ovens. But wood oven will always give you the best pizzas in the world with a woody smoky hint.
They seem to get it right almost every time. The pizza has a thin soft proper crust, unlike bread based as served in many places, with slightly crispy edges.
What makes this pizza so special to me is the heart of it. The heart of any pizza would be its sauce. The sauce has vibrant flavours, with the refreshing kick of basil. This is a pizza keep on stuffing yourself with whole day may be and not get tired of that easily. Toppings are generously served too.
You can see your pizza being prepared by the chef and the dough just gives you the idea of the story to follow. When you can see the dough made right, and the pizza pie rolled out from it, it is just too hard to wait for the climax of the tasty adventure.

Mac N Jack

How often do I have a 'short' post of a review?
I wonder too! (lol).
This is just going to be one of those rare ones, since it does not need much to be said about. When something is good, you actually do not have to say much. You will just have to read and go for a taste to believe I guess.
Mac N Jack, in sec7, uttara was on my list for a long time, but could hardly make time for it. And then the other day, my boss got it for our light kind of lunch and I couldn't help but giggle inside and say to myself 'That saves me the money for another tasty adventure (or could also be another "insipid" nightmare actually)!'
Jokes aside, their burgers are good.
I had the original beef burger and I could taste and see small dabs of mustard on the meaty patty, with a good bit hint of sourness from pickles on the mayonnaise smothered crown and heel of the bun. The interesting thing is that all those flavours were in a perfect balance and complemented each other in that light and juicy mayo based body. The filling also had slices of onion giving it that earthy spicy  dimension to the taste and holding in that perfectly slight bit of extra sweet and sour flavour from the tomato slices the burger needed.
(I know! This is isn't how 'short' is defined in dictionaries tongue emoticon .)

*Image-Taken from their page*

Tokyo Express

It was a sudden dine out at Tokyo Express and a boring redundant day ended with an exotic meal.
I am not an expert on Japanese cuisine, but I always love to dig into and research. All the dishes may not be authentic, but food that tastes good sells! You cannot serve a spicy hot beef bhuna to western palates usually used to sublime subtle soothing flavours. Similarly you cannot bring in everything Japanese to suit the local palate.

There is not much wrong with the taste, though it was filled with assorted salad vegetable, cheese and a fish you just could not tell. The wrapping leaves a lot to be desired. Loose wrapping that promises to fall off when roughly messed with chopsticks.
Nigiri platter was good. If you get your rice right here, you cannot go wrong with making these. 
Tip: The best way of having nigiri that has wasabi in it already is just by dipping the fish side in the soy sauce and eating it. Otherwise, you can just put it in the mouth without the sauce, chew it, and then quickly have the pickled ginger. The sweet taste coats your mouth and complements the raw fish perfectly. Try either ways please.



If the sight of cooked octopus does not creep you out and you don't mind trying it (since most locals here would not dare to and be disgusted thinking of it as an acquired taste), then let me tell you that octopus does not have much flavour. It is much like chicken breasts; bland. But the firm tentacles when fried right are just so good, that you feel like chewing them to the end of time; makes a perfect starter and you could think of starting as a road side delicacy on a cart at this point. Soy sauce with minced garlic and chili goes well with the tentacles.



Chicken Nanban had a nice crispy coat served with a sweet and sour garlicy mayo that had the hint of soy sauce. The original sauce would though be much more sour and light in texture, this particular one was on the heavier and slightly sweeter and less sour side. In terms of taste, you cannot take anything away. Like I said, food that tastes well sells! Unless you are from Japan or have already tried it there, you should not have much to complain about this dish.

Downtown Cafe

I am really surprised with people's reviews on certain food related groups on facebook. If that wasn't a rare bad service, which I highly doubt it was, the experience in Downtown Cafe  was just too horrible to even waste words on it.
I went to try the souffle that anyone who tried it in Khilgaon said it was wonderful at a very cheap price and all those words were typed on those groups. It was just a cup of burnt chocolate trash! I will not waste any more minute on this rubbish dish!

Burger LAB

Now that is an interesting name. They are new and they are at the Bashundhara gate, close to HURDCO International School.
Their menu is as interesting as their name and they sound really good. You can go there for a BBQ radiation, or choose to get a spicy flame on or think about the BIG BANG. And if you like cheese and in the mood for a selfie, you certainly have the option to "SAY CHEESE".

The Daily Star is caught up writing articles on burger carts and joints these days, and so I thought, I might dig into a few too while the trend lasts. And i was lucky enough to check in there last night, just when they were taking snaps for the newspaper.

However, I didn't enjoy their burger.

I ordered what they call "BIG BANG". Yes, "BIG BANG", and it does not come with Sheldon Cooper's theories. It is a burger that has double patties, cheese, egg, jalapenos, pickle, mushroom, bacon and salami, garlic mayo and ketchup; wonder what was left. It is a big burger by height, that might ask you to have a very flexible jaw to allow you to open your mouth as wide as one to win you a Guinness Record. People who like to get their hands messy might enjoy this burger.
Apart from struggling to have a bite on the burger, I would not deny that there is a good balance in the taste. Bacon and salami give the chewy bite with the hint of garlic and sour pickles and jalapenos make a nice combo here. Egg has a full done yolk.

So what went wrong with this burger?
The patty is dry and does nothing to add to the taste. It just piles up in there and rests in for the sake of this burger to be called a beef burger or a chicken burger. What is worse is the after taste of burnt oil, and this taste stays the rest of day and often reminds the odd experience when burped. Needless to mention that this burger is a recipe for feeling bloated. It is clear why, when you look at their cooking process. The patties are soaking in oil in the pan when cooked.
The fillings would often slip and mushroom would win the race against others in dropping down. Bun are totally soggy (or swaggy may be according to them) half way through.

I don't understand why you need to be so generous and offer everything at the cost of the quality of your burger! When building up a burger like that, it is essential to keep in mind if you would eat that and feel good about it. You cannot go serve something that you don't feel right.

This was my second visit and I really wanted to write something good about them. It is a shame that they were disappointing again, even after a few pointers in my previous visit.

At George's Cafe in Uttara

I am kind of happy to come across a place that believes in homemade products.
They serve good buffalo wings, which are perfectly done, juicy and succulent on a tangy tomato sauce with a hint of herbs. The dish comes with an aoili. Aoili is pleasantly garlicy, but I find it unfair when an aoili like that is served with such a good sauce under the wings. The aoili masks the goodness of the sauce and renders it useless. Aoili here is totall unnecessary.
The George's Cafe Burger is just buttery in texture in the mouth with a few chunky bites. Taste is dominated by nutmeg though. Taste needs a little more balance here.
The Banana and Cream pie was excellent. Banana and cream are a good combo in a pie that had a perfect crust that doesnt break apart on slightest pressure.
Chocolate Milk Shake was a disapointment. It tasted like store bought cheap chocolate milk. The positive point here is that they use homemade icecream.
They also prepare their own ketchup and mayonnaise.