The Grove Bistro: A unique gastronomy experience within a Mediterranean decor
Sitting amidst lush foliage, a four-course meal at the restaurant will surely ameliorate your dining experience
Located in the heart of Gulshan 2, The Grove Bistro presents a thrilling ambience of music, lighting and décor. Photo: Courtesy
Located in the heart of Gulshan 2, The Grove Bistro presents a thrilling ambience of a fusion flavour, not just in their food but also in the blending ambience of music, lighting and décor. True to its name, the restaurant is adorned with lush foliage that gives a soothing vibe to the whole space to ameliorate your dining experience.
From the wide variety of delicacies that The Grove Bistro had to offer from their rather aesthetically designed menu that is bound to draw your attention with images worthy of the #foodporn on your Instagram, I decided to try out four of their better-sold items. I started with the Seafood Chowder as my appetizer.
Slow Cooked Beef Short Ribs and Chicken Cordon Bleu served as my mains and I finished the course off with Nutella Waffles topped with Vanilla ice cream. Yeah, the caloric intake was off the charts!
Seafood Chowder
It's safe to say that my four-course meal was off to a great start with the Seafood Chowder. The soup was rich in flavor. There was no disappointing residual aftertaste of the roux or the potato base-kudos to the chef for that. I must say that the accompanying pieces of garlic bread served as great complementaries to the chowder. You could graze your knife against the surface of the garlic bread and hear the crisp. Once you take a bite, you could feel the crunch. Dip the bread in the soup, and get the best of both worlds.
One factor that set back the seafood chowder by a few points was the lack of protein choices. I predominantly tasted prawn and crab but I must say that there was room for more. They could have gone a bit more over the top with a few chunks of salmon and paired that up with some calamari. Other than that, the chowder was solid.
Rating: 7.5/10
Price: Tk545
Slow-cooked beef short ribs
Up next I tasted one of the classic comfort foods – slow-cooked beef short ribs. They were served alongside generous portions of grilled vegetables and mashed potatoes.
You could feel the tenderness of the meat the moment you cut it with the knife. The beef was not chewy, indicating that the dish was not overcooked. On the contrary, the beef was moist and it almost melted in my mouth.
"We bake our short ribs for two hours in the oven. Thereafter, it's frozen for a couple of days. We serve them in portions of 250g. Our beef is locally sourced," said Shurov Islam, manager at The Grove Bistro.
Even though I am very particular about my mashed potatoes, it is safe to say that they went perfectly with the tender short ribs. The potatoes did not feel overly creamy or starchy. It was well-balanced, which is something most Dhaka restaurants often neglect.
Rating: 7/10
Price: Tk1,495
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Now for Grove Bistro's piece de resistance, their most popular item – Chicken Cordon Bleu.
The dish appeared to be deserving of its name at first glance. The fact that the food never seemed dry, despite being a baked and 'stuffed' chicken entrée, is perhaps the highest compliment I could give it.
The layers were made out of chicken gammon, chicken breast, a combination of herbs and spices, and stringy cheddar cheese holding everything together. The chicken was juicy and succulent. The exterior had a crispy bite to it; once more, running your knife down its surface allowed you to hear the crisp.
However, my favourite part of the dish was not chicken. Rather, it was the salad accompanying it. The in-house special honey mustard dressing alleviated the generic green salad and took it to a whole new level. I realised halfway into my meal that I had finished my salad whereas a few chunks of chicken still remained!
"Sometimes our guests ask for extra dressing even though it is not sold separately on our menu. They love it so much!," replied Shurov when asked about the salad dressing.
One aspect that set the entire dish back by a few points would be the hand-cut french fries. The fries tasted and felt mushy, to say the least. It felt soggy rather than crispy. Other than the fries, the Chicken Cordon Bleu was a very fulfilling dish.
Rating: 8/10
Price: Tk725
Nutella Waffles with Vanilla Ice Cream
Well, you cannot really go wrong with waffles and ice cream and Grove Bistro certainly did not. The waffles looked and felt fluffy enough – with generous amounts of Nutella drooling all over it. The vanilla ice cream complimented it really well. It was a perfect dish to end my four-course meal.
Rating: 7.5/10
Price: Tk250
Enough about the food. Let's talk about a few underrated aspects of the dining experience that Grove Bistro offers.
The first thing that struck my attention was the spaciousness inside the entire restaurant. Every seat of the restaurant could be filled with diners and yet the place would not feel crammed. Personally, I enjoy having my meal in a setting that is not overcrowded. Thanks to Grove Bistro's arrangement and organization, this will not be an issue.
Also, another unmissable part of their décor has to be the smoking zone. Not every restaurant pays attention to the design or arrangement of their smoking zones but Grove Bistro left no stone unturned in this regard.
Yet again, what struck me the most was the spaciousness of the smoking zone. The moment you step in, you will be greeted by a gust of wind flowing past – perks of being located on the 12th floor, I reckon. And yes, even the smoking zone is designed well enough for clicking pictures worthy of being on your social media timeline.