Heritage

Updating some articles I kept as drafts.

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Introduced as one of the fanciest Bengali restaurants in Bangladesh on a Japanese guidebook, "Heritage".
My mother kept telling me she wanted to visit when she came to Bangladesh(though missed chance)...so instead her, I visited this time :D

I went for lunch buffet.
Heritage is located near Gulshan 2 circle, about 10 minutes walk.

Looks "Fancy restaurant", doesn't it!?

There was no one when I went with my friends at 12:30.
Lunch starts from 12:30 though they were still preparing at that time.

So wait for 10 minutes, let's have food!

Chefs were cooking behind the glass.
I was afraid if staffs say anything my taking pictures, but they welcomed, made dishes look good for pictures, and introduced
"this dessert is prepared by him!!"
and so on.....
This is Bangladesh.
People like pictures.

So let me tell about food.

At first, Bhorta(vegetable paste with spices).
Tomato, Papaya, Pumpkin Bhorta were there.
These are not so popular menu that every restaurant prepares.

There were 3 kinds of salads beside bhorta.
Then, curry.
Vegetables, Shrimp & Spinach, Mutton, Chicken, beef, fish, small fish & potato....e.t.c.
With curry, you can choose some kinds of naan, rice, and beef teheri.

Left side of picture below shows 2 kinds of daar.



One with brawn color is Indian daar, and with yellow is Bangladeshi.
I prefer Bangladeshi daar with mild taste.
Daar and white rice....this simple combination was just so good.
Guidebook told me that curry were cooked for foreigner so that it was not so spicy.
But it was spicy.
I was worried if I can have real Bangladeshi taste here, so it was good for me.

My plate.

Dessert.

Fruit salad, rice pudding, and Bangla sweets(which most of Japanese can't eat).

 

An hour had passed, but there was still no one.

My friend told me that restaurant would be full of Bangladeshi customer around 2 pm, but only I and my friend were there till 2pm.

"Are we only customer for today?"

"What will they do with that amount of food??"

We were worried for the restaurant.

 

But no worries.

After 10 minutes, groups of Bangladeshi people came and seat was full before 2:30pm.

Really seats were full suddenly!

If you want to enjoy meal in quiet place with no one, better to go before 12pm.

Lunch buffet is 600tk(+VAT15%).

 

HeritageAddress：House10, Road109, Gulshan2, Dhaka
TEL：02-8829359, 01711-541441
Opening Time ：Lunch　12：30pm～3pm
　　 　　            　Dinner　6：30pm～11pm

Coming Back to Japan

Updating this blog after a long time.
I came back to Japan on March 28th after 2 years of volunteer work.

It was very very unique experience in unique environment.
Bangladesh was not my first choice for volunteer work, but it was meaningful time at last.

Off course, there were lots of problems at work.
Yes, thousands!
But as I could get along with co-workers, neighbor, and people around me, it was good.
Especially relationship with neighbor was so unique for me, coming from Japan.

My house is 3 minutes walk from main road.
When I came inside from main road, it was almost like my home.
I know everyone(though I couldn't tell names), everyone knows me.

Friends from fruit shop.

Whenever I visited the shop, he gave me fruits.
If I find any fruits I had never seen in Japan, he led me taste.

A friend from curry restaurant.

We met everyday at the same time in the morning.
He always prepares Singara...and we repeated the same conversation everyday.

A friend from medicine shop.

He talked to me when his eyes caught me though conversation with him was a bit weird.
"Did you buy cauliflower?"
"Yes, as you see"
"What to do with cauliflower?"
"Cook and eat! what to do with cauliflower otherwise?"

A friend who sells vegetables.

By the way, he only sells greens.
I often chatted with him because he always sits next to egg shop I always went.

The egg shop.

There was a boy who always told me "Dim niben na-?(don't you buy eggs?)".
Now he is in village, but he used to tell me "dim niben na-?" every time he saw me.
He found me in the morning,
"Dim niben na-?"
He found me in the evening,
"Dim niben na-?"

 

Though I bought eggs in the morning, he asked in the evening.
But he always chose good eggs for me.
"Dim niben na-?"
"I still have 2 eggs! I will buy tomorrow"
Isn't it interesting life that shop staff knows the number of eggs left in my fridge?

Then, my land load and his family.
They always welcomed me, so I could knock whenever I feel like to visit them.

They often offered tea and meal.
It was good and made me feel at home to have "Bangladeshi family".

My area was said poor area, but this is the place where I had spent 2 years and where I love.
Dhonnobad!

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Well, but actually.........I will be coming back to Bangladesh again.
So this blog will be updated.
Please be with me :) 

NIROB HOTEL

I would like to introduce a famous local restaurant in Old Dhaka.
Especially all the students around the area know the restaurant, I heard.

It is located close to Shahid Minar and along Nazimuddin Road.
If you come to the road, all the people can tell direction, so don't worry.

But even though you come to the restaurant, you may pass over without noticing.

Can you see sign on the picture?

Passing through corridor....

 

Climbed up stairs.
It is on the third floor.
As I heard, long line is often found in front of the restaurant.
I visited around 4pm between lunch time and dinner time, but still needed to wait for a while.

As you get seat, waiter brings many kinds of curry and fried vegetable on a plate.
See how many kinds!?

There were
- Fried mix vegetable
- Fried bitter gourd
- Fried cabbage
- Small shrimp and potato curry
- Mashed green banana with spices
- Cucurbit and egg curry

I sometimes can only find potato & carrot curry, but there are this much of dishes.
Even though staff said many other dishes were already finished.

I didn't take picture of each items, but the right side of the dish....it is chicken curry.
It was more like "Chicken with tomato sauce cooked with spices" than curry as I imagined.
Natural sweetness from tomato...it might be the best chicken curry I had in this 2 years in Bangladesh!!

I could find each dishes have different taste and different spices.
It is difficult to explain....but simply taste good!!
No extra charge of extra plate of rice.
200tk will be enough to try enough kinds of curries.

Try a famous restaurant loved by locals!

NIROB HOTEL
Address: 113/2, Nazimuddin Road, Dhaka
Tel: 01815-468942/02-7300265

Hazi Biriany

There are many famous food in Old Dhaka, and one of them is Biriyani.

Among many Biriyani restaurants, "Hazi Biriany" is the famous one.

 

All Rikshaw pullers also know the restaurant.

I just told a Rikshaw "Hazi Biriany", and he took me there.

It was a road side store where many Rikshaw made line.(and stuck)

So, can you recognize which is the restaurant?

In the front, a guy is sitting with a huge pot.

 

Let me say again, it is the famous restaurant everyone knows.

If you don't know (or even if you know), you may pass the store without noticing.

 

"Welcome!" 

It was between lunch and dinner time, so there was no one.

Menu is very simple.
-Special  160tk
-Normal  140tk
-Half        80tk

Difference is amount.
They only serve mutton Biriyani.

Here you are!

Biriyani in leaf cup.
It is actually for taking out, but I asked to serve it with leaf cup for picture. 
In old time, there wasn't good plate so people use rind of Jack fruit instead of plate.
This leaf cup reminds the old style.

There are a lot of packets and leaf cups on the shelf.

Oh, I forget to mention to the taste!

Though I haven't had enough biriyani in my life to tell about it, but it was good.

Very mild.

Maybe because of ghee(butter made from milk), it has rich taste.

 

If you have chance to visit Old Dhaka, try one of traditional Biriyani.

 

Hazi Biriany

Address: 30/1, Kazi Alauddin Road(Najira Bazaar Chourasta), Dhaka
Tel: 01911233155
Opening Hour: 12pm-11pm

Mermeid Gallery Cafe

Seafood seafood seafood......
I needed some pictures of seafood from Cox's Bazar.
So, I visited famous seafood restaurant where seafood is brought from Cox's Bazar everyday.

The name is "Mermeid Gallery Cafe".
They have Eco-resort in Cox's Bazar as well.
This restaurant was in Gulshan 2, but moved close to Notun Bazar.

The first floor is café, and restaurant is 6th floor. 

There is open terrace, too.You can see..........road and building??

Since I needed seafood picture, ordered fish!!
Baked Pomfret 350tk(per 100gm)

I thought "not expensive as I expected!!"....but it was per 100g.
The one in picture is 300g.

Then, Baked Mussels(450tk).

Both tasted very good.
After a while, I have really seafood.
Mussels were baked with garlic and butter....I could eat 20 of them.

However.....one of my purpose was taking picture.
I wanted white plate with seafood.
So, I ordered "white plate"!
(by the way, free of charge)

Moved Mussels.....

Um.....not exactly looks nice......what to do.....

But anyway, enjoyed seafood.
Then, dessert with coffee.

Apple pie for 100tk, coffee for 175tk.
Coffee was very good, I was satisfied.

All the prices excludes 10% Service Charge and 15% VAT.

Taste is good, and atmosphere is also good.
I went for lunch, but it would be nice to go for dinner, too.
If you want to enjoy seafood and relax......visit there.
* High speed wifi is available.

＜Mermaid Gallery Café＞
Address: 32, Progoti sharani, Baridhara, Block J, Gulshan2, Dhaka
Tel: 018-4141-6470
Web: http://www.mermaidgallerycafe.com/

YoBerries & Bon Cafe

Banani Road#11 is one of the fanciest places in Dhaka.
I needed a picture of Banani road for my work (to introduce the place as fashionable street).... so walked and walked and walked, but I wasn't sure where to take a picture.
I walked all the way to airport road, at the end of the street.

.....could this picture be "fashionable street"?
Either my skill is not enough or road itself doesn't look fashionable.....

"OK, anyway I need to take a rest"
Found a frozen yogurt place.

Looks ice cream shop?
Wifi is available. Quite good wifi.

 At first, choose cup or corn(extra 150tk for corn).

Then, take frozen yogurt as you want.(1onz for 50tk. You have to buy minimum 4 onz.)

Flavor is
- Apple & Orange citrus sorbet(you can only choose apple, or mix with orange)
- Litchi & Plain tart
- Strawberry & Blueberry tart
- Geneva Chocolate & French vanilla
- New York Cheese Cake & Taro
- Double Cookies Cream & Pistachio

Then, add toppings if you want.

I got Blueberry Tart and New York Cheese cake.

 



Since it is frozen yogurt, it's not so sweet and fresh taste.
This one cup costs 276tk(including 15%tax).

Enjoy frozen yogurt in hot weather (though it is winter now)!
YoBerries & Bon Cafe
Address: House #48, Road #11, Block-C, Banani, Dhaka
Tel: +880-17666-81453

Public Holidays in Bangladesh (2015)

A Happy New Year!
New Year's Eve and New Year's Day were Hartal(Strike), but anyway 2015 has started.
I will be leaving Bangladesh in 3 months, but will update till my the end of my stay.
 
Here is holidays for 2015.
Some irregulars can happen, so please check again if you plan the trip. 
In addition, be careful that some of holidays depend on phases of the moon.
 

<Holidays in 2015>

Jan.4  Eid Milad un-Nabi
Celebration for The Birth Day of Prophet Muhammad.

Feb.21  Shahid Dibash(Language Martyrs' Day)
The day is for the remembrance of the martyrs' of Language Movement of 1952.
The Shahid Minar in Dhaka is the symbol of the sacrifice for the mother tongue.

Mar.17 Bangabandhu Birthday
The birthday of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman(Bangabandhu) who is founder of the country and the first president.

Mar.26 Independence Day
On this day in 1971 was the beginning of a 9 month long war for liberation that resulted into the independence of Bangladesh.

Apr.14 Bangla New Year's Day
The day also called Poyela Boishakh, is the first day of the Bengali calendar. People celebrates the day wearing red and white color of traditional dresses.

May.1 May Day
This day celebrated to establish the rights of workers.Worker organisations are hosting various programmes.

May.13 Buddha Purnima*
It is a celebration that commemorates the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death, and his passing into nirvana.

Jun.3  Shab-e-barat*
It is the special night of seeking forgiveness and repenting to Allah.
Usually 15 days after of the day Ramadan starts.

Jul.15  Shab-e-Qadar*
27th days of Ramadan. The night is highly virtuous since the Holy Quran was transferred on the holy heart of the Holy Prophet in this night.

Jul.17  Jumatul Wida*
The last Friday of Ramadan. Muslims gather at the mosque and pray.

Jul.17-19  Eid Ul Fitr (Rojar Eid)*
The day marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. People wear the new dresses and greet "Eid Mubulak".

Aug.15  National Mourning Day
It is the day for rememberance that Bangabandhu and most of his family members at his house were assassinated.

Sep.5  Krishna Janmashtami
It is an annual commemoration of the birth of the Hindu deity Krishna.

Oct.23 Durga Puja
It is an annual festival that celebrates worship of Hindu goddess Durga. Thousands of Puja Mandaps are set up across the country. Festival at Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka is one of the biggest.

Oct.24-26  Eid Ul Azha (Korbani Eid)*
"Feast of Sacrifice" is a religious festival celebrated by Muslims as a commemoration of the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismael for Allah. Following the story, people buy cow(or goat) to sacrifice n the day and share the meat with themselves, their relatives, and the poors.

Nov.24  Muharram(Ashura)*
Also called 'sacred month' is the first month of the Islamic or Hijri calendar. The tenth day of Muharram is called Ashura. Imam Husain, the grandson of the Holy Prophet was killed on this day at the hands of the troops of Yazid.

Dec.16  Victory Day(Bijoy Dibosh)
In the year 1971, the 9 month-long Bangladesh liberation war had ended.  The national flag is hosted in all important offices, buildings, institutions and shops.

Dec.25  Christmas Day
Christmas is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Christmas ceremony can be seen in northern area like Mymensingh where Garo tribe lives. 

*The day can be changed due to phases of the moon.