Surfing the buffet

With the roads clear for the Independence Day jubilee, a friend and I decided to check out Forest Lounge in Dhanmondi. We’d heard a lot about its décor, and on reaching there, we were not disappointed. The 12th floor establishment, which can accommodate upwards of 250 people, comes with a fantastic view. On a nice day, sitting out on the rooftop is a beautiful experience.

As beautiful as the sights were, we had our eyes on the food. The a la carte menu offers Indian and Arabian cuisine, and to get a good idea about their offerings, we opted for the VAT-included Tk999 lunch buffet, with unlimited drink refills. This is a steal if you’re looking for a good meal with a diversity of dishes. The buffet gives you about 50 different food items, which might seem less than other buffet offers around town, but we sought out the manager, who told us that Forest Lounge emphasizes on quality over quantity.

Amongst the Egyptian dishes we sampled were Kabuli pulao, Egyptian Beef Bukhari rice, sauteed mutton liver, a mixed veggies dish called Khudoar Musakkal, beef shish kofta, and Dajah Al Faham. On the Indian side, we tried chicken butter masala, sauteed mushroom vegetables, dal butter fry, Hariyali fish, Tandoori spicy aloo, fried cauliflower and spicy fried chicken. 

Every item we tried was fresh and flavourful, although the Tandoori spicy aloo was basically potato wedges in fancy dress. For me, the standout items were the beef Bukhari rice, sauteed mutton liver, Haryali fish tikka, bbq chicken wings and sauteed mushroom vegetable. We sampled some of the salads and desserts on offer and the saffron rice pudding and the kunafa were spot on. The Forest Lounge buffet is a refreshing change from all the Thai-Chinese buffet offers you see everywhere.

Just as we were wrapping up our big buffet lunch, the chef himself came up and asked us to sample a special dish he had made just for us. We were full to the gills and praying that whatever it was, would be something small and manageable. What we got instead was the Chefs Special Mixed Grill Sizzler, which was a giant boat filled with grilled meats, fishes and prawns. The tiny sampling we had was heavenly, but we had to request to get it packed up because we couldn’t manage another bite.

The experience overall was a very positive one. From the décor to the food, to the gracious service, it was worth the price points, and I’m hopeful for their success in future endeavours. Forest Lounge is located on the rooftop of Imperial Amin Ahmed Centre, House 54, Road 10/A, Satmasjid Road, Dhanmondi.

Ariz Hoque is a bookseller by profession and a food blogger by passion. Find him on Instagram as @kacchigenie