Famous regional dishes at Utshob offer authentic tastes of Bangladeshi cuisine

Bangladeshi cuisine is diverse. Although most dishes use similar ingredients, there exists a plethora of regional variations, each with its own sophisticated, flagship addition that enriches the Bangalee cuisine. 

But you have to travel to different parts of the country to taste the iconic dishes of each region cooked with authenticity. Even when you do go the length of visiting different regions, most restaurants fail to meet the expectations set by the stories we heard.

Although some restaurants in Dhaka have flirted with the idea of offering some of these dishes right here in the capital, it is still hard to find reasonable adherence to authenticity. 

This is why it seemed promising when Utshob, a restaurant with a respectable brand image, introduced its district-wise specialised combos, offering items like Noakhali's 'haas bhuna' (duck curry) and Dinajpur's 'khuder bhaat' (Khud rice).    

Utshob started its journey in 2019 with an outlet at Gulshan 2 Chef's Table. Its offering of district-specific dishes have been positively received by the foodies in Dhaka.

"Our sales have increased after we launched these combos. These dishes bring back nostalgia to a lot of people. We love seeing our customers enjoying these hearty items with their friends and families," said Hasibul Hossain, Brand Manager, Utshob.

Subhabrata Maitra, the brain behind Utshob, says that he has mastered almost all of the local cuisines of Bangladesh. Interestingly, Chef Maitra was born and brought up in Kolkata. He is now a popular chef on both sides of the border.

"My ancestors are from Bangladesh. Hence, I have travelled to this country back and forth. It took me several years to do my research to master these interesting cuisines before we launched Utshob," said Chef Maitra.

Notably, Utshob does not have a designated chef in any branch. All of their dishes come in formulas (a ready-to-cook mixture), made in its central kitchen in Saatarkul, Badda. 

Currently, Utshob has four branches, and three of them operate from different outlets of Chef's Table, the popular food court. One is located at Unimart, Wari. But they are planning to open more outlets in different parts of the city.

Caught with the Utshob fever, The Business Standard tried some of the restaurant's best-selling regional dishes.

Chatgaiya Khichuri Kala Bhuna Combo

Utshob's Chatgaiya Khichuri Kala Bhuna Combo is served with salad, shammi kabab, laban and gulab jamun.

The shammi kabab in this dish is a good appetiser before you start the main course. Cooked with aromatic lentils, the khichuri is a delicacy. The moisture of the khichuri was also perfect, not too dry, not too runny. 

The salad complemented the Khichuri more than the Kala Bhuna did. Using Kasundi (mustard paste) as the salad dressing is a brilliant trick by Utshob. 

Photo: Courtesy

With a big portion size, the Kala Bhuna was tasty, albeit too chewy for my liking. Also, I like my Kala Bhuna more spicy. 

The gulab jamun that came as dessert lacked balance. Submerged in yoghurt, it was baked/cooked in a small clay pot. The yoghurt tasted too sour, while the Gulab Jamun was extremely sweet, resulting in a sharp contrast and not the good kind where two elements complement each other.

Rating:8/10

Price: Tk550

Dhakai Mutton Rezala Combo

Mutton Rezala is a glorious name in Dhakai cuisine which has its roots in the Mughal kitchens. The combo at Utshob is served with polao/porota, chicken jali kabab, salad, badam shorbot and boondiya rabri.

The mutton rezala tasted brilliant, fit to live up to anyone's expectations. Chicken jali kabab provides a good balance in the meal. The badam shorbot felt watered-down, but was stuffed with generous amounts of almonds.

Photo: Courtesy

Boondiya rabri was a little disappointing with sporadically overcooked bundiyas. The rabri, which had an unpleasant texture, couldn't redeem the dessert either. 

Overall, Dhakai Mutton Rezala Combo was a pleasant meal, but given its shortcomings, the Tk775 price tag is perhaps hard to justify. 

Rating:7/10

Price: Tk775

Noakhalir Haas Bhuna Khichuri Combo

Noakhalir Haas Bhuna Khichuri Combo might be the most underrated item on Utshob's menu. Foodie or not, you definitely should experience this gem of a dish at least once.

The combo comes with khichuri, a generous portion of haas bhuna, salad, fried eggplant, firni and laban.

The selection and amount of spices used in the haas bhuna are immaculate and help in sustaining the original taste of the duck.

Photo: Courtesy

In my experience duck curry cooking typically suffers from overpowering spices, which kill the original taste of the duck meat. But that was not the case here. 

I also loved the firni. It was not too sweet, not too thick, and the voluminous use of almonds made it taste amazingly rich. 

Honestly, this combo is one such meal that you can enjoy every weekend with your family without complaining. The dish is absolutely value for money.

Rating:9/10

Price: Tk490

Dinajpurer Khuder Bhaat Combo

Although I was a bit on the fence about trying it, the brand manager at Utshob insisted that this was their best-selling item and we would not regret it. 

"You might find our other items from the menu in different places, but this one is very rare," said Hasibul.

This combo is the lightest of all and comes with fried eggplant, fried Hilsa, four different bhortas (daal, Tomato, coriander and egg), salad, chushi pitha and badam shorbot. Every item on this platter was individually delicious and complemented each other. 

Photo: Courtesy

The coriander bhorta was so fresh and familiar, it instantly took me back to winter time. The daal bhorta had a super creamy texture, something I never tasted before. 

The piece of Hilsa was generously cut and perfectly fried. 

The Khuder Bhaat, cooked with oil, almost tasted like Polao. I was expecting plain rice, which is considered the best rice for bhortas. However, the version we had also tasted pretty good.

However, chushi pitha was not available on the day we dined at Utshob, so they gave us boondiya rabri instead.

Overall, this combo is a perfect example of a comfort food. 

Rating:8.5/10

Price: Tk490

Khulna's Beef Chui Jhal Combo

This was my first time trying chui jhal beef, so I did not have any reference to judge the dish. But we enjoyed the meal nonetheless.

Khulna's Beef Chui Jhal Combo is served with potato, polao, jali kabab, salad, boondiya rabri and laban.

Photo: Courtesy

The beef curry was perfectly cooked and the flavours of chui jhaal complemented the beef brilliantly. The presence of potatoes gave the whole curry a creamy texture. 

I loved the laban as well, which was salty and light.

Rating:8/10

Price: Tk490