I believe that food like good music and a good book is a solace to a person's soul. Food is both a science and an art - a yin-yang balance to your body and also an appreciation of colors, textures and sensory experience.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

A Serendipitous Discovery - Dhaka Fish and Briyani Halal Restaurant, 5750 Fraser Street

Dhaka Fish & Biryani Halal Restaurant on Urbanspoon

I am so excited to blog about the this Indian restaurant - it was a serendipitous discovery as I happened to be in the Fraser area. Its what some food bloggers will consider a "hole in a wall" place. Very unassuming and no fuss but yet an authentic experience. When you enter this restuarant, it seems that time stood still and you enter into another enclave in Vancouver. Simply amazing - the restaurant seems to have a loyal following from the Indian/Bangadeshi community. People were happily eating briyani with their fingers.

Back to food -  The Mulligatawny soup which  is a connotation of chicken, lentils and Indian spices in a rich broth was the start to my journey into foodie paradise. For $3 dollars, this soup was a real steal - the chef did not stinge on ingredients. One minor let-down - there was no accompanying naan with the soup but I am not complaining. It was a heady experience drinking this bowl of sweet, sour, spicy and thick broth. Also, I just love inhaling the smell of spices - which came from the soup and most probably from the cooking in the kitchen :)

A rich and thick broth.


This is to show the depth of the soup bowl - the serving was pretty generous

For the main course, we ordered two main dishes. The chicken tikka was done so very well - it came in this sizzling hot plate with some dip. I like it - the chicken was boneless. I think it was chicken breast. Personally, I much prefer it if it was meat from chicken thigh. I find breast meat quite hard whereas there is a softer texture with chicken thigh.  This dish is not spicy at all so I think those who are afraid of spicy dishes might actually like this dish. The server told us that this dish came with a free serving of naan - I like the texture of the plain naan. Personally, I like garlic naan but hey, its part of a set.

 
See how this chicken sizzles...
A very well marinated chicken. Delicious dipping sauce as well.

Delicious basket of naan.


A nicely spiced vegetable dish - goes well with the naan.


Our next dish was Novaratan Korma - a vegetable and fruit dish in a creamy sauce. I did not see any fruits in my portions though - maybe, it is all mashed up. I was so glad that I had this dish - the sauce went very well with the naan. Which brings me to my next point - while its great to have chicken tikka and chicken tandoori, you do need to order a dish with some curry sauce to go with your rice and naan. I personally prefer some contrast to my food - something dry with something moist. Something spicy with something light.


My source of fibre for the day.

Finally, as an avid tea drinker, I highly recommend the chai tea. I can tell that it is brewed fresh with just a hint of spice.

The chai tea came in a small pot - I been dreaming of chai tea since this food adventure.

Overall Experience:
Deco: 3/5 - its a pretty simple place. Not much privacy. But one of the interesting things in this place is to just people watch. I witnessed a man (probably a frequent customer) walking in to the kitchen and having a conversation with the chef.
Quality of food: 5/5. I think I hit jackpot with this serendipitous discovery. I saw quite a lot of people from the Indian and/or Bangadeshi community eating briyani. Given that the name briyani is included in the name of this restaurant, I should give it a try in my next visit.
Value for food: $$$$$/5 - this place is a great value for money, especially if you are on a budget. The portions are pretty generous and I had to pack some of the remaining food.
Overall Experience: 5/5. Hungrygator stamps her approval. Definitely worth another visit.



2 comments:

  1. A minor annoyance is the reference to "chai" as "chai tea". You see the word "chai" in Hindi means tea. In India, we refer to it as "masala chai" translating literally to "spicy tea" when we want to refer to a spicy tea. But hey, as long as it pleases the senses, who cares? I just thought I'd mention it because I couldn't resist doing it.

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    1. Thanks for letting me know that. I had no idea. Much appreciated.

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