Source : The Daily Star
Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
The words fine dining still manage to conjure images of snooty waiters, white table-cloths and exotically named entrees and main-dishes. Khazana’s second branch, has all the elements minus the snooty French waiters. It picks up from where Gulshan’s Khazana left off and carries the ball onto a completely new field. While Uttara is home to numerous restaurants and franchises, fine dining in Indian cuisine had been missing, until now that is.
Upon entering Khazana, the first thing you notice is of course the décor. Conceptualised by Maheen Khan, the Uttara Khazana closely mimics the Gulshan one, lending uniformity to an area rapidly changing all around. The restaurant offers space for 118 sitting guests and can also organise buffets for 150. Freshly washed white cloths drape the tables, providing the first glimpse of the fine dining experience that is about to come. It’s a minuscule effort but one which does needs mentioning; the table cloths are spotless and this is indeed not often seen when eating out. Maheen Khan’s own collection of antiques and objects from local artisans line the walls. A beautiful spiral staircase leads one to the second floor, where paintings from local and Indian artists can be seen. Khazana acts as a patron of the arts and provides a restaurant-gallery atmosphere.
Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
A trained staff numbering 45 man the tables and the open kitchen. The open kitchen helps the guests look into the kitchen and observe the care to hygiene and details. The food preparation is itself a delight to watch, appetising and tantalising. The fragrance from the kitchen is allowed to drift into the dining area seducing one sense while preparing another. Even before the meal is laid out on the table, the spicy aromas have already made you hungry enough to start. The mark of a good restaurant is truly its ability to make you appreciate the food even before it is served.
Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
The food is made to order, as expected from any restaurant offering a quality 5 star dining experience. Open from 12:00pm to 3:30pm and from 6:00pm to 11:00 am, there is also a home delivery service, with the offer provided within a 10 km radius. The family restaurant has chosen Uttara as its location given the presence of numerous corporate clientele ranging from buying houses to banks and telecom companies in the area. The ambience is serene, with the charming décor in the backdrop and soft tunes playing overhead. The mood is set from the get-go.
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Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
The menu is as before, without compromising taste. There is the famous Frontier Mix Grill, a wide range of authentic vegetarian dishes, gravy and non-gravy items and others. Specially imported masala and high-end ingredients are used. As tempting as it is to try everything on the menu, we decided to start off with lassi. Freshly made, the lassi retains its natural flavour, working both as refreshment and an appetiser. The chicken came next and the first noticeable thing was the colour and then the fragrance. The first bite was followed by an explosion of spicy flavours, with the juicy chicken made tender enough to almost melt, with the bits of garlic naan and Kalo Daal balancing the flavours. Biryani was next on the menu and its something we highly recommend. Of course, no meal at Khazana can ever be completed without the dessert and Kulfi and mithai followed. Khazana’s dessert menu is a homerun on its own.
Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
Saptadeep Roy, the Senior Restaurant Manager, is always on hand to provide recommendations and listen to suggestions. “We have earned rave reviews already and this is the first step towards turning Khazana into an actual chain,” he says. His previous experiences include working for Taj Hotels and Yum Brands in India and also for Coldstone in Dubai, and thus the young manager brings an international touch to an already international cuisine. The friendly staff and quick service add more stars to the already upscale 5 star restaurant. Khazana, like its predecessors in this particular area, sell not only what is on the menu but the
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