Recent Urban development in Bangladesh

[Bilal9]

Looking really cool now....

 

[Homo Sapiens]

Looking really cool now....

This airport will resemble Changi airport. Same architect.

 

[Bilal9]

This airport will resemble Changi airport. Same architect.

Actually I will beg to differ - the resemblance is not really all that similar. This is a common misunderstanding. She did design Changi 3rd terminal and also designed the refurbishments of Changi terminals 1 and 2. They don't look similar to Dhaka's 3rd terminal. The only superficial resemblance is because both are airport terminals and are functionally similar.

This is Changi terminal 3 Exterior

This is Changi terminal 3 Interior

And you have seen Dhaka Terminal 3 renders I'm sure.

The architect team was led by Rohani Baharin but she also designed Islamabad, Ahmedabad airports and many other major airports in India, Fiji, Seychelles, Mauritius, Maldives, Philippines, China, Cambodia, Brunei, Myanmar and Vietnam.

Rohani BAHARIN

www.cpgcorp.com.sg

 

[Bilal9]

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.

 

[Bilal9]

Refurbishment at Noakhali | Two Fold Studio​

| Architecture | Project | Restaurant |
|Total Views: 2,893|
| 5 September, 22 |

© Two Fold Studio

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Name:	Two Fold Studio
Year:	2022
Location:	Kendurbagh, Noakhali, Bangladesh
Client:	Md. Shamsuddin Bhuiyan

A Dhaka-based architectural firm Two Fold Studio has transformed an abandoned residence at Noakhali into a cozy restaurant where visitors can immerse themselves in nature.

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|Notes from the Architect|
Initially, the building was a residence abandoned by its owner in 1980. The future owners of the place wanted to convert the land into a commercial platform which is a restaurant. The house is surrounded by a beautiful landscape that seems like nature has seized everything containing waterbodies, age-old trees, and plants everywhere. But with time the infrastructure decayed within itself.
Transformation study © Two Fold Studio

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Plan © Two Fold Studio

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After transformation © Two Fold Studio

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The dining area is divided into two parts – indoor and outdoor areas. We proposed outdoor dining at roof level and indoor dining at ground level. The old building did not have any existing staircase, so we started designing and placing the stair first. The idea was to design the stair in a way it becomes the main feature of the project. As the building did not have any identical facade typically known for restaurant culture, the stair makes it identic.
© Two Fold Studio

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© Two Fold Studio

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© Two Fold Studio

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A shade, primarily a perforated metal skeleton, is introduced at the roof level. It gives a three-dimensional entity of the roof area. The whole skeleton was supported from ground level and no additional weight was provided without furniture and finish materials.
© Two Fold Studio

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© Two Fold Studio

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© Two Fold Studio

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© Two Fold Studio

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© Two Fold Studio

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© Two Fold Studio

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Colour is a prime section of the whole project. As we learned that local people are very fond of using colour in their buildings, we decided to use basic colours in the project. Also, our vision was to sustain the existing natural impact of the site. Therefore, every aged tree was protected from being harmed during construction, and many plantations took place in a designed way. The plantation process was done carefully keeping in mind that it blooms in every season.

Thus, local plants were potted and nurtured to create the space green and colourful. A mini ecosystem was initiated as these plants were home to butterflies and little birds.

Several stocked materials were reused in the project for cost efficiencies, such as old barrels being redesigned for tables, metal boxes being used in the shade’s structure, and pipes in tables.
© Two Fold Studio

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© Two Fold Studio

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© Two Fold Studio

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A cozy space was designed in the interior area to use in the summer, comparatively during the hotter season. Local materials, colours, and Brick blocks are used in the interior with traditional furniture. Existing window walls were demolished, and bigger glass windows were introduced to allow more natural light and also to open up to the beautiful landscape.

Another challenge of the project was to communicate with local smiths. As we could not find any experienced metal workers on the rural site, the owner advised us to take his workers who are mainly engaged in making metal parts for buses. The owner runs his own bus company, so using his workers will be efficient in a way but teaching them the language of architecture and finishing work had become a huge agenda.
© Two Fold Studio

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© Two Fold Studio

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The front courtyard is left to be filled with grass to bring a more natural ambience to the Bengali court. Soft paver and footlights are placed with a minimum number to pass through. This court is always filled with fallen leafs so leaf marks have been placed on the paver that carries the tales of fallen leaves. Old Trees are focused with ideal lighting to glow at night.
© Two Fold Studio

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© Two Fold Studio

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© Two Fold Studio

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The ponds are revived with freshwater, locally available plants, and a viewing deck above it to enjoy the waterbody from e closer distance. The main entry starts from a green Archway that provides an idea of the whole landscape. It is controlled by a single walkway that allows customers to find directions naturally. We kept the track of naturally created pathways rather than designing new ones.

Creating nature-dominant architecture for a restaurant is new to local people of tropical landscape. Through this project, we took an attempt to break the stereotypical image of restaurant projects in Bangladesh.

 

[Bilal9]

Mayor Muhammad Hanif Jame Mosque

The Adhaan Taqbir written in Bengali on the minaret

Wadu facilities