$35 Trip to Bangladesh
I’ve never been to Bangladesh and had never even tried the food, that changed tonight! I still haven’t been to the country but I feel like I got a great introduction to the cuisine.
Some friends and I wanted to try something new and discovered Gharer Khabar on Lee Highway in Arlington. One of the great perks of living in the DC area is the plethora of ethnic restaurants. So anyway, we went into Gharer Khabar, translated home’s food, which is a little hole in the wall in an ancient strip shopping center.
I was instantly transported back to previous dining experiences in Asia — a few tables, florescent lighting, no a/c just fans, and ad hoc decor of random paintings and posters about upcoming local events. This was promising!
And so were the prices! Almost nothing was over $10 and most of the appetizers were under $5!
We started with chicken samusas. Small, but packed with meat and flavor.
Next out was the Mughlai Paratha, deep fried flatbread stuffed with eggs, onions, green chiles, and coriander, served with the same warm dipping sauce. This was one of my favorites!
We had a last minute addition of Fuchka, after I googled it and discovered it was like panipuris I loved in India. It was stuffed with hardboiled eggs, green onions, and other tasty things very similar to the mughlai.
Then the main courses came out. The goat had received rave reviews on Yelp and other sites, and even got enthusiastic response from our waiter, so we did goat everything.
First up, the goat curry, a bargain at $7. It was simple, but delicious. Just beware the bones and make sure you have some kind of rice or bread to eat with it.
Next was the goat biryani. Great flavors, but bits of unexpected bone throughout the meat. Rather like it had been cut up in an unusual way. Â Will definitely try again, to see if the unusual butchery was just a fluke.
Finished it off with two kulfi ice cream bars. Milk for my friends and mango for me. A very interesting experience. Much denser than ice cream and to use a wine description, the mango was dry rather than sweet.
And all of that with a couple of appropriately themed sodas was $35 including tax. People talk about wanting authentic experiences, this was definitely one.
Amazing! Service was friendly but slightly haphazard depending on how many people were there. About 30 minutes before closing time (9:30PM) several families came to get food to go and snack on some appetizers.
I will definitely go again and highly recommend it if you’re ever in the Arlington, VA area with a car.
Next time you are around New York, visit Haat Bazaar in Flushing. Probably the most delicious food outside Indian sub-continent. Try the Morog Polau if you can.
I am from Bangladesh and whenever I go to DC/Virginia area, I always make a point to visit this place. If you are in NYC, do visit Jackson Heights for authentic Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian and/or Nepalese restaurants.
The Haat Bazaar that Asar was referring to is actually in Jackson Heights.
In Bangladesh, you can actually get all these for under $5… Literally!
hah, looks like I missed it, it opened right after I moved to the West Coast. I used to shop at the ethnic grocery store, “Bangla Bazar”, one door down, for stuff that are from Bangladesh. They were friendly people.
The Mughlai Paratha looks good, so does the Goat Curry and Goat Biriyani.
Now, talking about random cuts of bone-in-meat in the Biriyani, that’s how generally it’s done… even in Bangladesh. Donno why, guess that’s how it’s always been done. But I have seen it’s done also with choice cuts of boneless meat, both at homes (during Holidays, like Eed al-Ahda) and at restaurants. If I remember correctly, some Bangladeshi restaurants in Hillside Ave, Queens, NYC, also make it boneless… Close to you, there is a “Market Cafe” in Exxon Gas station, in Innsbrook Corporate Park at the northern edge of Richmond, VA,(the fancy gas station with a gourmet Deli and Bar and small concert venue) where a young Chef from Goa, India, has been cooking for the last couple of years… and his food, especially Biriyani, is phenom!!! As good as in any Wedding in the Indian Sub Continent!!! You should try it. Closer than NYC. I used to go there to stack up with weeks supply of different dishes, including but not limited to, Chicken, Goat, Beef and FISH Biriyani!!!! (10950 Nuckols Rd, Glen Allen, VA 23060
Innsbrook, Phone number (804) 934-0144 )
Thanks for you time and the review!