Bitter sweet Cafe

A latte and a cupcake, on a comfy sofa with some hummable tunes in the air make us the coziest spot in dhaka city :) - collected from facebook fan page

collected from - Dailystar lifestyle
Walking into the cafe, the overwhelming feeling is one of homeliness. Zafar Khan, who jointly owns the place with his wife Farzeen Quader Chowdhury, spelled out his mission statement: There are so many places in Dhaka that attract teenagers; we wanted to have a place that attracts a more mature clientele. I am not saying that teenagers are not welcome here, they definitely are, but our target demographic are people who are a bit older, who can come here and relax with their colleagues or their spouses.

I have often felt out of place when I visited a lot of the cafe's here, through no fault of theirs. It is just that when you are surrounded by people most of whom are of a different generation, you are bound to feel out of place. And I am not even that old, he concluded with a chuckle.

The cafe is fitted with sofa sets all of differing upholstery, done deliberately to avoid the 'packaged' feel that a lot of similar places exhibit. Customers can come in, take a seat, put their feet up and relax in one of the many cosy corners while reading from a selection of international newspapers. Being situated in Gulshan, home to a rising number of multinationals and embassies, it is understandable that the owners want to attract an upscale clientele. The prices are high-end without being exorbitant. The music emanating from the speakers is of a sedate nature and comes from satellite radio channels, another indication of the kind of customers the cafe wishes to attract.

Being located in Gulshan, we wish to attract a lot of international travellers and they will feel right at home with satellite radio wafting in through the speakers, offered Khan, and went on to add, We have a rising number of foreigners in Dhaka, and Bittersweet Cafe is a place that they can come to and just hang out without feeling like outsiders.

The focus visibly is on quality. The fact that it is run by a family (Chowdhury's mother was spotted in the kitchen supervising activities) and not by a big corporation, spills over into the overall ambience of the cafe, with it's non-standardised sofa sets imbuing a feel of familiarity, as if it was your own living room.

The food is mostly light with a wide selection of desserts, as well as meal items such as gourmet burgers, pasta, lasagne, soups and sandwiches. The chef used to work at the Westin in Dubai, thereby ensuring quality of the highest order. The coffee beans are imported, and so are the burger patties.

There are also plans to introduce a breakfast service at the cafe in early mornings for people to stop in before starting a busy day at work.

The opening night saw the guests entertained by music played on the piano, accompanied by acoustic guitars; entertainment that underscores the mature feel that the cafe wishes to espouse. The owners plan to host such events once a month, including jazz nights, poetry recitals, etc.

Why Bittersweet? Well, we do not want to force the issue and shout out from the rooftops that this is the best place in Dhaka, elucidated Khan. We thought of  Bittersweet because we want people to come and judge for themselves how they like the place.

The cafe is situated on the eastern corner of Road #53 in Gulshan #2, and can be reached from the streets by a steel staircase leading to the second floor. Business hours are from twelve noon till late at night. The place has wifi, so it can be a refuge for workaholics and social networkers alike.

I think our big selling points will be the satellite radio and the desserts. The cheese cake, in my opinion is the best in Dhaka, Khan said with a smile. Indeed, the cheese cake is delicious. But why take our word for it, go check it out yourself; you could do worse with an evening out.

Address: Bittersweet, 2nd floor, Bashati Avenue, House #10, Road #53, Gulshan #2. By STS Photo courtesy Bittersweet

Tel: +88029861389
Email: bittersweet@withmgt.com