Bangladeshi food-icians in Bangkok - The taste of deshi cuisine is on the rise in lands afar

Bangladeshi food-icians in Bangkok
The taste of deshi cuisine is on the rise in lands afar. Photo and text Faizul Khan Tanim

One of my friends once told me that her liking for cities depended on how welcome the city made her feel. I would say, in addition, that the cuisine on offer plays a significant role on the attractiveness of cities, while bridging cultures and establishing a better understanding of countries and their people. After all, the phrase ‘food for thought’ was not coined for nothing.

There are quite a few restaurants owned by Bangladeshis in Bangkok, Thailand and among them, four are running smoothly in terms of food quality, presentation and overall business. Each restaurant has enough history and mystery to make the investigation into their past and present entertaining. Thailand saw the rise and fall of many a restaurant, while others experienced hardship but stood their ground, probably taking inspiration from Don Marquis’ famous quotation - Successful people are the ones who think up things for the rest of the world to keep busy at.

The restaurants are crowded with customers from all over the world who are enticed by mouthwatering spices and the aromatic splendor of rice. Not surprising, as Bangkok is a tourist-friendly city which accommodates different cultures, making it a fantastic city to visit.

Bumrungrad Hospital, the premier provider of healthcare in the city has an added attraction – the Bangla House restaurant, a Bangladeshi restaurant serving quality Bengali, Thai and especially Lebanese and Egyptian food. The directors of the venture, Kamruzzaman and Mohammad Nurul Alam Bulu, claimed that quality is their main priority.

The restaurant has huge fish tanks with live snappers, prawn, and other carp fishes, which are taken out right in front of the customers when an order is placed. The chosen fish is then deliciously grilled, cooked with spices, or prepared in Arabian style, as per the customer’s wishes.

Kamruzzaman affirmed that although there are roughly ten Bangladeshi restaurants in Bangkok, more than 85 per cent of food connoisseurs occasion only four restaurants – Bangla House, Monika’s Kitchen, Al Hussein, and Rajdhani Hotel. Most of these eateries are near or around the Bumrungrad Hospital and caters to most Bengali customers who visit Bangkok for treatment.

‘I learnt cooking from my mother and my fish dishes are most popular, especially the carp recipes,’ added Kamruzzaman.

‘But recently, our business has taken a hit due to the global hike in food prices. It is very hard to employ six specialised cooks when prices of all necessary commodities have nearly doubled. The worst thing is, even the utility bills have increased significantly,’ Kamruzzaman lamented.

Interestingly, Shefali Iqbal, a humble woman who was quietly sitting behind the cash register and randomly instructing her Burmese cook to prepare appealing Bangladeshi dishes, came to Thailand for her daughter’s treatment.

Her diagnosis was followed by higher education in Thailand.

As Shefali’s understanding of Bangkok society developed over the years, she started a catering business – serving halal food with light spices, especially for the hospital patients. She gained enough popularity to open a whole eatery called Monika’s Kitchen in April 2005, where customers enjoy the same fulfillment of home cooked authentic Bangladeshi meals.

‘Balls of mashed vegetables and varieties of spinach are a hit with customers and they sell like crazy. My customers have become part of my family. Their lives are now intertwined with mine. Not a day goes by when I’m not captivated by their tales. It has been wonderful serving our native food alongside the traditional Thai seafood dishes. The competition is healthy and good for business,’ added a beaming Shefali.

The food business is not always great for all restaurateurs in Thailand, and that is exactly the case for Kazi Anwarul Kader Alamgir – the owner of Rajdhani Hotel and Restaurant. He was very disappointed initially because of the price hike, as a lot of makeshift changes came about due to staff cuts, and shifting of the burden on him in a vain attempt to lower the towering costs of maintaining business.

At first, negligence shrouded his response for an interview but he later agreed to sit with this reporter and narrate the tales of his frustration, over cups of tasty Bangladeshi malai chaa.

He finally smiled a bit after taking a sip of the chaa, giving me confidence to get the interview rolling. ‘I’m here from the year 1978 and my life circled around doing different types of businesses in different suburbs of this majestic city. I started this hotel with seven bedrooms, and a restaurant (which, coincidentally, is also adjacent to Bumrungrad Hospital) in 2004. Business was going great until 1/11 struck in Bangladesh.’

‘Not only have I lost many customers (mainly the ministers, political leaders and junior officers and helpers of the high-ups) but it is also hard to run my restaurant with the escalating price hike. I spend time interacting with all my customers, most of whom are patients. If I can serve one good meal and bring a smile to their faces, I consider it a success,’ Kazi Alamgir added.

Frustration and angst eventually diminishes throughout the city as darkness approaches. Bangkok never sleeps and neither does the insomniac streetlights and neon signs. Tourists can experience the buzzing atmosphere of the exciting city, and as they do, ‘One night in Bangkok’ by Murray Head can be heard muffled in the background. One cannot help but hum the lines One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble, Not much between despair and ecstasy. One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble. Can’t be too careful with your company…I can feel the Devil walking next to me.

Even from behind the replica Ray Ban shades, the sight and sounds of the great city scintillates the senses. The fake Rolex displays how quickly time flies at times of delight.

Al-Hussein Restaurant, the forth popular dining location in Bangkok, captures the true essence of the city’s nightlife. Shisha, coloured tea pouring in mugs and shot glasses, brazen atmosphere with lights keeps its patrons entertained well after midnight.

One of the Arabian customers from the eatery commented, ‘The dishes are served in great quantity. The beef and kidney curries are excellent, as are the other dishes. And even if there are no belly dancers or snake charmers attempting to possess you, the atmosphere here is spectacular and definitely makes you think you are in the Middle East, not Bangkok.’