Food
places have been popping up in the city like mushrooms on the forest
floor recently, and why should they not? They are lucrative ventures and
everyone wants in on them. The reason for this popularity lies with the
average outgoing citizen of Dhaka. See, recreational facilities in our
fair city are quite limited to almost nonexistent, so obviously, there
is only one place to go when people want to go out somewhere:
restaurants.
Such is the demand for restaurants that
many areas and streets house only restaurants and very little else.
Places like Baily Road, Banani, Gulshan and even Uttara are jam-packed
with good places to eat. Problem is, people get bored with things pretty
quick and the above mentioned areas have already been played out by
foodies, dating couples, friends hanging out and family outings. So
where to go next? Well, seems like there's a new contender to take up
the challenge: Sahid Baki Road, Khilgaon or Taltola as it is more
commonly known by the locals and visitors. Haven't heard of it yet? Well
then maybe you need to start asking your friends or check all foodie
groups on Facebook because they won't have any shortage of feedback on
shops in this area. Don't feel too bad however, as all this happened
almost overnight.
Spin the clock back a year or two, and this
place was just like any other section of an old, slightly undeveloped
area well below the radar of most people except those living there. Now
though, the once empty streets are bustling with life: teenagers hanging
out after classes, couples on their dates, children on their day out
with families etc. have all found their way here. Anyone who has been to
Baily Road during its hay day would feel instantly familiar.
The number of restaurants is still not that high, but most of the ones that are up and running have three important things that all customers want nailed: quality, décor and value for money.
The number of restaurants is still not that high, but most of the ones that are up and running have three important things that all customers want nailed: quality, décor and value for money.
Café Cherry Drops
Let's start with décor. Of all the restaurants there, this seems to be the only one that has given interior décor a very high priority. The idea of using pot covers, bottle ends and other seemingly uninspired things to make the interior snazzy was a stroke of genius. Plus, the interior is nicely lit without making you feel like you are on stage under a spot light.
Food is another nice surprise. Quality of the food is as good as it gets and price-wise, you won't feel like you lost your wallet.
Let's start with décor. Of all the restaurants there, this seems to be the only one that has given interior décor a very high priority. The idea of using pot covers, bottle ends and other seemingly uninspired things to make the interior snazzy was a stroke of genius. Plus, the interior is nicely lit without making you feel like you are on stage under a spot light.
Food is another nice surprise. Quality of the food is as good as it gets and price-wise, you won't feel like you lost your wallet.
Alfresco
This is another place which has environment as its trump card against the others. This is a rooftop restaurant, giving customers a chance to enjoy their meals in a nice open environment.
The food is also good here. The menu is very similar to the Cherry Drops menu, with a few items here and there. The American Chop Suey and the items in the appetiser section are worthy of mention. As for pizzas, Cherry Drops may give you a better value, so if you have your beige trousers on, that's where you go if you want pizzas. Other than the price difference in pizzas, most of the items on the menu are still a good value compared to some pricier places in Gulshan or Banani.
This is another place which has environment as its trump card against the others. This is a rooftop restaurant, giving customers a chance to enjoy their meals in a nice open environment.
The food is also good here. The menu is very similar to the Cherry Drops menu, with a few items here and there. The American Chop Suey and the items in the appetiser section are worthy of mention. As for pizzas, Cherry Drops may give you a better value, so if you have your beige trousers on, that's where you go if you want pizzas. Other than the price difference in pizzas, most of the items on the menu are still a good value compared to some pricier places in Gulshan or Banani.
Apon Coffee House
This place can be described in one word: sensation. The popularity that Taltola has gotten recently can almost be singlehandedly credited to Apon's success. Granted their interior isn't going to win any awards anytime soon and you won't be served by waiters in matching uniforms and the cups they'll serve won't feel like a work of art, but then again, their customers don't care. They buy their coffee, go out and drink it outside in the fresh air. And when it comes to value for money, very few coffee shops can even think of matching it.
This place can be described in one word: sensation. The popularity that Taltola has gotten recently can almost be singlehandedly credited to Apon's success. Granted their interior isn't going to win any awards anytime soon and you won't be served by waiters in matching uniforms and the cups they'll serve won't feel like a work of art, but then again, their customers don't care. They buy their coffee, go out and drink it outside in the fresh air. And when it comes to value for money, very few coffee shops can even think of matching it.
Petuk
Another atrraction of the Taltola area, this place specialises in chaap and kabab and the quality of the food is amazing. This then goes toe to toe against another famous establishment specialising in the same kind of menu such as Chaap Shamlao.
These are just the headliner stores in this area and more are popping up day by day to hopefully cash in on this newfound popularity that this area is experiencing now, so it'll take a while before this place can be considered played out as it's only just begun.
Another atrraction of the Taltola area, this place specialises in chaap and kabab and the quality of the food is amazing. This then goes toe to toe against another famous establishment specialising in the same kind of menu such as Chaap Shamlao.
These are just the headliner stores in this area and more are popping up day by day to hopefully cash in on this newfound popularity that this area is experiencing now, so it'll take a while before this place can be considered played out as it's only just begun.
