Food safari: Sehri outing in Dhaka
Hanging out during Iftar has always been a thing, but why do people now also dine out during Sehri, foregoing the precious extra hour or two of snooze time?
Fasting is difficult, moreso during the longest days of the year. But it also gives you an excuse to feast twice a day. For as long as I can remember, hanging out at Iftar has been a thing. But the last decade has seen a rise in the number of people dining out at Sehri as well.
In all honesty, I went for a Sehri outing for the first time during last Ramadan. But as I have heard from many people how fun outdoor Sehris can be, I embarked on a brief but exciting journey over a couple of nights to truly experience what the fuss is all about.
It began with Nazira Bazar
Night one began at 11:45 pm. I had to park a little far away from the actual area because a grand crowd was already present there. The place normally serves food till 4 or 5 am in the morning.
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The smell of kabab, barbecued seafood, biryani, and pulao left my nostrils confused about where to start. And the colours! Nazira Bazar lights up like a Christmas tree at night. Juice bars and "Paaner Dokan" were very brightly lit.
I paved my way through a thick crowd trying to decide where to start. So I first stopped at King Kabab and Seafood restaurant to check out their seafood menu. Koral, tuna, pomfret, shrimp, tilapia, octopus, squid, crab, lobster, and salmon — it was all there.
The menu also included Boti, Hariyali, Reshmi and many other kababs. I did not know whether to order seafood or kabab. So, I ended up ordering nothing amidst the confusion. And that was a good move too because right behind us was Bismillah Kabab Ghar!
Time was running out — I had a lot to do in just a few hours. I decided to go to Haji Nanna for its legendary biryani. One serving costs Tk220, but it is a decent amount of both biryani and mutton. And for Tk330, they serve a lot more. We went with the single serving and shared. The shop was packed, so I sat inside a parked auto rickshaw adjacent to it. Their signature plate, a bowl made out of dried leaves weaved together, is still authentic.
My next trip was to Beauty Lassi. I took a special Lassi worth Tk50 and while enjoying my cool drink, I ordered a special Faluda for Tk130. The lassi is a basic drink made from sweet curd and sugar syrup, topped with shaved ice. But the basic drink tasted really good and Beauty Lassi has mastered the art of making the best lassi in town. It is thick, sweet, sour and most importantly, chilled enough to give you a brain freeze!
To Dhanmondi
Initially, I wanted to visit places where large groups of people went to have Sehri and learn if they were enjoying it. My itinerary also included Dhanmondi Star Kabab and Chef's Table on night one.
I reached Star Kabab at around 2:45 am. The place was teeming with Sehri connoisseurs. But then again, the Dhanmondi 2 Star Kabab branch has diners at night all year round. I went up to a server and asked if they had something special designed for Sehri and the reply was negative. My heart sank.
"We're just staying open a few extra hours because of Ramadan. More people come in for Sehri. We don't make anything other than our usual menu for Sehri," said the server.
This was the first disappointment of the night.
The next disappointments came with Dhanmondi Chef's Table and Rustic Eatery; neither place was serving anything special for Sehri.
I called Pinewood in Dhanmondi 6 instantly and they assured me they were open, but I had to arrive before 4 am. I quickly ordered Platter 5 and 6.
Six neat platters are offered at Pinewood at Sehri. Grilled butter chicken, peanut lemon butter chicken, Mexican chicken, prawn tempura, smoky grilled koral and tenderloin steak are all served with steamed rice and Thai mixed vegetables. All the platters are priced between Tk580 to Tk620.
Then comes the add-ons. The lemongrass chicken, perhaps, takes home the "best add-on" trophy. The sour and tangy taste of the lemongrass infused with the chicken, laced with a buttery gravy tastes amazing with any platter.
The add-ons are complementary to the platter. But if you would like to order another, you can get one within a range of Tk230 to Tk250.
The tenderloin steak serves a good amount of red meat, ensuring a supply of protein you will need throughout the day. The medium-rare steak is as succulent as it is seasoned. The lemongrass chicken goes hand in hand with this platter.
The koral serving is soft and moist and fried to a crisp reddish-brown hue. It is crunchy on the outside but soft inside.
The black pepper fish add-on with the Mexican chicken is a beautiful blend of the black pepper's woody overtone with the Mexican chicken's ultra-spicy kick!
Pinewood was my silver lining. From there I left for home happy and full, prepared for the second leg of our nightly adventures.
Night 2: Gulshan's offerings
To my surprise, Chef's Table Gulshan was not packed. But the branch was at least serving some interesting platters for Sehri.
I ordered a Mixed Platter from Cilantro for Tk2,725, quite a lot compared to the food on the platter honestly. But it tasted well. They have other good platters too.
While ordering, I inquired of the waiter if the place was this empty every day, and what it was like last Thursday night, since I had heard from a colleague who went over to this branch and claimed it was packed; that he also ran into old friends after a long time.
"Last Thursday was quite packed indeed. People usually prefer Thursdays and Fridays to dine out at Sehri. But we thought in mid-Ramadan we'll have lots of customers but it's quite the opposite, but let's see," said the guy.
Only a few other diners were there with me.
But my platter was good, if not great. It is designed for two. Save for the chicken, fish and beef steak, everything comes in two.
It had Cream of Chicken soup. Garlic bread dipped in it was great too. But the strawberry lemonade was just outstanding. The poutine was okay – too greasy for my taste. So were the churros, but dipped in chocolate syrup, it was okay. These items came with all the platters.
Beef steak with sauteed vegetables, a couple of chicken squares on a stick and fish fries were the Mixed Platter's highlight and they tasted good. The proportion of the steaks could have been a lot better. Lemon rice and Spiced rice came with it too.
The Mixta A La Parilla, for Tk2,830, serves Jerk Chicken, four fried shrimp, two fish squares, peppercorn beef and fries. The Seafood platter, for Tk2,515, serves Mandarin fish, Fish n Chips and fried Tacos, all with Mandarin fish and calamari fried.
The most pricey platter for Tk3,040 is Shepherd's platter. Its signature item is the Ribeyed steak and Cordon bleu chicken.
Dhaka Regency
I had to race through my platter and head out to Dhaka Regency, where I arrived at around 2:30 am. It was Dhaka Regency's own restaurant called Grandiose, on Level 6.
I ordered platter one and two for Tk2,100 each.
Platter one had Fattoush salad or clear Chicken soup and plain yoghurt with pomegranate seeds sprinkled on top. Its main item is the Grilled Fish fillet with lemon butter sauce. It already sounds mouth-watering, right? And indeed, it was.
Both the platters, of course, came with white Basmati rice or vegetables sauteed in butter. But we got both.
For dessert, there were fruits, Arabic Sweets, rice pudding or bananas. The Arabic Sweets were a mouthful of sugar rush; it was the best dessert I have had in a long time and I am partial to dessert, sweets in general.
Platter two's main item was Beef Bhuna and I am not exaggerating when I say that was the best beef I had in both nights combined. Accompanied by thick dal and vegetables, platter two was a wholesome experience. For dessert, it had Golap Jamun and this too was unlike most Golap Jamuns I have ever had. Sweet syrup dripped from it. It popped in my mouth and I just had to brace myself the whole time I was having it.
And with that, my two-night Sehri journey finally came to an end. There were good moments and bad moments. But the food was (almost) always good. Most importantly, it made Sehri all the more enjoyable.
