Scrumptious delights of Bailey Road

Bailey Road one of the few places in Dhaka city that is continuously abuzz with activity. Though the Mohila Shomity and various sari stores, including the famous Tangail Sari Kutir, make this road a prime attraction to many theatre lovers and ardent shoppers, one of the main reasons for the incessant hustle and bustle is the food. Bailey Road is lined with food stores on either side, ranging from age-old bakeries to normal street food, making it a favourite hang out spot not only for teenagers and young adults, but for whole families as well.

The chotpoti and phuchka is what mostly attracts so many people to this area, rivaled only by the similarly tasty, extra spicy ones of Dhanmondi. Young couples and groups of friends sitting on the footpath and enjoying these delicious treats, which are now priced at Tk. 15 per plate, are a common sight in Bailey Road during the evenings. But if you are bored of this typical treat, then you can taste the thai & corn soup sold in Bailey Road. These are sold in stalls similar to the phuchka stalls and cost Tk. 10 to Tk. 20 per serving, but can contend with soup served in big shot Chinese restaurants any day.

Further down the road, there are slightly different but equally scrumptious snacks found in small stores clustered together. These serve many different types of fried food, all of which are guaranteed to be extremely delicious and extremely unhealthy. The snacks are fried on large stoves which are basically out in the open, so there is no way you can stop yourself from being tantalised by their inviting smells. One of the best stores is Shahi Mama Piaju(!), which specialises in selling piaju, as well as beguni, pakora, fried chicken, chop, French fries and so on. These delightful munchies are all made right in front of your eyes upon order, and cost no more than Tk. 25 to Tk. 40 per plate. You can even find biriyani in these stores, priced at Tk. 30 per plate, which might not be able to compete with Fakruddin's goodies but are quite good compared to most other street shops.

But the abovementioned street foods are not the only items which can appeal to your taste buds. If you have a sweet tooth, then a trip to Bailey Road will not be wasted, for it houses one of the best sweet shops in town, Rosh. This place displays a mind boggling array of sweets and always manages to collect a small crowd there. The same goes for Pitha Ghar, another place where you can dig in with your sweet tooth. Pitha Ghar usually has more than 20 different types of traditional pithas for sale, but its real delicacies are bhapa pithas, which taste the best in winter. Just imagine shivering on a cold evening while the seller makes pithas, feeling the rising anticipation and the warm glow of the furnace, and finally getting your hands on those rare gems. Then that excruciating wait for the smoke to clear, and the moment comes when you swallow the yummy stuff, savouring the sweet taste in your mouth and the warmth spreading inside you. Ok, I'm getting carried away. But trust me; once you taste them, you won't regret it.

More recently, the opening of popular outlets like Helvetia, Dominoes Pizza and Jolly Bee have increased the variety of appetizing food available in Bailey Road and drawn in more crowds, although these are a lot pricier than the usual stuff found here. So what are you waiting for? Whet your taste buds on the many scrumptious and palatable dishes found on this Road and satisfy your endless appetite!