Dhaka Restaurant, Melbourne CBD by Big Fil

Dhaka is a small restaurant on Lonsdale street selling Bangladeshian cuisine. Despite being able to fit what I know about the food from this part of the world on the fingers of one hand (fresh water fish and they like their sweets) I’ve eaten at and enjoyed the food at Dhaka a number of times. This was my first lunchtime visit however, joined by the Indian food loving Snooze and the not quite sure about the whole thing Bureaucrat.


At dinner it’s all about the main menu but at lunchtime most people order from the bain marie, choosing a biryani or either 2 or 3 vegetable or meat curries with either rice or bread. The restaurant itself is small and feels somewhat old fashioned, not overly busy but patronised by a number of obvious regulars. There's a limit to exactly how good service can actually be when most of the staff are stuck on the other side of the counter but I’ve always found it quick, efficient and helpful.


While we all ordered from the bain marie the best thing about the food here is how fresh it was. Whether it was the spiced potato chosen by Snooze and myself which was beautifully soft and tender (and packed a bit of a chilli wallop), Snooze's black lentil daal, my fish marsala or Bureaucrat’s chicken biryani, everything was wonderfully moist and hadn't suffered at all from its time in the warmer.




I suspect this was partially because the temperature of the warmers was kept at a comparatively low temperature. This did lead to Snooze’s one complaint, that while hardly served cold her daal could have been hotter.

To accompany our rice we also ordered a serve of the garlic naan. I thought this was good but Snooze wasn’t impressed, feeling it was a little light on for garlic.


Overall
In some ways I feel like Dhaka is the tale of two cafes. During the day it's a good little cafe serving better than par food at very good prices. At night though it transforms into a surprisingly good little restaurant serving well above par food at comparable prices to most sub-continent restaurants around town. Take your pick, either way you’ll get something better than you’d expect at these prices.

Verdict
Food – 7.5
Ambience – 6
Service – 7
Price – 7.5

Address
145 Lonsdale Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 8654 8109