The new and improved BitterSweet Café and Bistro
Last year in October, BitterSweet Café and Bistro reopened under new ownership and has been serving guests since. Although the current owners have made some upgrades, they have tried to keep its original essence alive.
The BitterSweet Café and Bistro in Gulshan-2 needs no introduction as it is known for serving great food in a great ambience.
Last year in October, it reopened under new ownership and has been serving guests since. Although the current owners have made some upgrades, they have tried to keep BitterSweet's original essence alive.
We recently visited the café, one of our favourite eateries in the city, and it seemed the changes have only made the café a better place to hang out with friends and family and enjoy some good food.
We also got to have a small chat with two of the co-owners, Rummaella Siddiqui and her husband Sadiq Quddus, who informed us that other than last year's lockdown right after Eid, it has mostly been a sweet journey for them.
Location and interior
The location is the same, situated near Weavers in Road 53, Gulshan-2. There is an elevator, but you can always climb up the wooden stairs to relive the old days.
The new interior is more spacious, keeping in mind Covid-19 guidelines. With a soothing palette of neutral colours along with pops of blue, green, and yellow, the inside has a warm, welcoming vibe.
As mentioned earlier, the seating arrangements are quite far from each other because of the pandemic. But you know you will begin relaxing as soon as you sit on one of the cosy sofas or chairs.
The glass shelves for displaying its famous desserts are still at the same place, cleverly concealing the kitchen. Everything looked neat and well organised.
The overall capacity is for 50 to 60 guests and at the moment, around 12 staff members are working on shifts.
"The new interior has a more soothing, homely vibe to it. We made the smoking area bigger
because we know guests would want to eat outside during winter. We have tweaked the menu as well," Rummaella informed us, adding, "It has been a great year and we are so thankful for it."
Menu and price
If you loved the old menu, you would love the new one even more. With exciting new dishes like Laksa (Tk890) and Khow Suey (890), the menu looks even more delicious now.
BitterSweet's hits such as chicken pot pie (Tk580), cheese cake (Tk390), red velvet cupcake (Tk290) etc are of course still there, and they look even better.
Best of all, the portion sizes are now bigger and the flavours, seemed to us, were more intense. Everything we tasted was absolutely fresh and delicious.
You can start off with an appetiser like the spicy garlic chicken wings (Tk410), and then if you are in the mood for it, get a delicious looking seafood pizza (Tk890) or pepperoni pizza (Tk750), or an open grilled chicken sandwich (Tk590) or the Banh Mi (Tk690).
If you are visiting BitterSweet with a group of friends, one of you could order the pasta pomodoro (Tk590), one of you could order the beef poké bowl (Tk790) and someone could order the shrimp aglio olio (Tk790). In that way, all of you could share bites of the delicious items with each other.
If you go there with children, make sure they try the milkshakes (Tk350-Tk390) that have flavours like brownie, peanut butter and of course, the classic, chocolate.
If you are visiting BitterSweet during Halloween, do not forget to taste the themed cupcakes (Tk270).
All the prices are subject to a 10% VAT.
BitterSweet is a great place for lunch or dinner and these are the times when the café becomes extra busy. Weekends and holidays are always buzzing with guests so make sure you arrive early enough to book one of the sofas.