Review: Nopi

Impressive cooking with a big price tag

Grilled trout with labneh, yuzu kosho and a colourful radish.
A simple but delicious small plate at Nopi

I discovered Nopi the cookbook before Nopi the restaurant. The book, a birthday present, was my first of complex restaurant recipes. I've spent multiple weekends putting it to use, embarking on culinary adventures of exciting flavours. I learned how to retrofit familiar ingredients in service of the venue's cooking style, which combines the Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian, to create new-to-me flavours. Having enjoyed the recipes so much, I’ve now made multiple trips to eat at the actual establishment. I'm surprised to say that the hype (in my own mind of course!), was indeed worth it. 

Review: Cilantro

A Rather International Menu

Inside Cilantro Dhanmondi

Cilantro has been on my Wishlist for the longest time. When they first opened, friends started posting photos of a uniquely decorated restaurant serving beautifully plated "Western" food. I was intrigued - mostly by how nice the dishes looked to be perfectly honest, while remaining hopeful that they also tasted good. Foreign food is still quite hit-and-miss in Dhaka, whether we're talking about a casual eatery or a high-end hotel restaurant. My friend's nudged my expectations downwards though, as apparently the venue was more about the look rather than the food. And while they were right, what I ate at Cilantro was nothing to scoff at, and I am glad I visited.

The Spaniard: marinated fish, battered prawn, cucumber salad
and seafood paella

The interior is an eclectic affair of exposed brick, glass bottles and a central skylight in an otherwise dimly lit space. Seating is varied between normal tables and a few lower tables, where you can take off your shoes and sit cross-legged. The restaurant's Facebook page claims it is a Latin American and Mediterranean affair, but the menu when we visited was far more international. It was also long and confusingly divided up, but I assumed that tapas were snacks or starters, and anything else was a main. They also had a specials board, and we skimmed over that before ordering two mains and two drinks. As with any restaurant attempting to cover too many bases, their dishes turned out to be inspired by their regions of origin rather than authentic offerings. This was fine with me, as everything we were served still tasted good. 

Open beef enchilada

My friend ordered the Spaniard from their specials, which was a plate of battered prawns, marinated fish, cucumber salad and paella. I'v never had anything of the sort in Spain, and there was definitely no paella on the plate. However, there was a rather nice seafood and rice concoction, and both the prawns and fish were deliciously spiced. The portion was a bit small, and their slice of fish especially should have been bigger. My order of beef enchilada, served open in layers on my plate, was more reasonably portioned. It came with generous amounts of meat and cheese. The inclusion of so much cheese was the biggest surprise - restaurants in Bangladesh are usually very stingy with this ingredient! 

Raw tamarind on the left, pink lemonade on the right

We washed our food down with a couple of mocktails - a raw tamarind drink for me and a pink lemonade for my friend. Both were nice, though I'd say my tamarind drink won out, probably due to the fresh, local ingredients. Both were very expensive though, and with drinks priced up to TK 200, this where Cilantro overcharges the most. Elsewhere prices are a bit better, with tapas from TK 200 to TK 600, and mains from TK 400 to over TK 1000 for steaks. We paid around TK 1500 for two mains and two drinks, and this felt like quite a lot for the amount of food we had. Had I not had plans to meet others for coffee later, I would have ordered more. I can easily see myself paying TK 1000 per head here for a full meal, even without opting for the expensive items on the menu. Service was a bit too chilled-out (read: slow) at the start, though staff were friendly and food did arrive quite quickly once ordered. This is definitely a place I'd go back to if in Dhaka, but it won't stop from looking for greener pastures elsewhere. 

Food: 7/10

Service: 6.5/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Final Score: 7/10

Contact Information

A: 49 Satmasjid Road, Dhaka 1209, Bangladesh
T: +880 1766 449912
W: www.facebook.com/cilantrobd

NB. The final score, while influenced by the sub-scores, is a qualitative reflection of my overall impression of the establishment.

Review: ABaC Restaurant

Upgrading to Two Stars

The ABaC terrace

It seems my trips to fancy restaurants are destined to be opportunistic rather than pre-planned. One of my best friends, who is normally in Boston for law school, happens to be spending the summer in the Hague. We see each other about once a year, in various countries as our circumstances dictate. Last year we met up in London, so this year it made sense to meet elsewhere in Europe. We settled on Barcelona but booking affordable flights meant me flying into the city half a day earlier than her. This is what paved the way for a very interesting and enjoyable lunch at ABaC, a two Michelin starred restaurant serving experimental Spanish, Catalan and European cuisine with international influences. 

Review: Cais de Quatro

By Luanda Bay

The view

I come to Angola a few times a year for work, and cumulatively end up spending quite a bit of time in the capital Luanda. However, it's unfortunate that between long work hours and Luanda traffic I don't get to see much of the city. So I make the most of seeing the country however I can - from job related field visits to the places I go for food. Out of the places I've eaten in Luanda Qais de Quatro is one that stands out for making a good impression. The food is good, the setting is amazing and the vibe in the restaurant is very chilled out and positive. I'll say this now - I am also very biased towards the sea!