The ‘fuchka’ were delicious little snacks to begin the meal. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
While I like to consider myself a well-travelled eater, Bangladeshi food is one cuisine I haven’t tried before, so I was delighted to hear about BD Dine, a specialty Bangladeshi restaurant in Harrison.
Visiting on a Tuesday evening with friends, we were surprised to see that the place was bustling and we were only just squeezed in! Over the course of our meal, the restaurant turned several of the tables for a second seating as families and groups of friends gathered for dinner. It was clear from the familiar greetings that many were regulars.
The space is decorated with woven light fittings and painted green accents (to match the funky green plates) with patterned brass water jugs and cups.
Those familiar with Indian food will find plenty of dishes that share similarities (there’s even a whole page of Indian dishes), but Bangladeshi food has distinct specialities and we were eager to give them a try. After all, you can order Butter Chicken just about anywhere, but there were plenty of other dishes we’d never seen before. The menu at BD Dine is also entirely Halal.
Community leaders and Greens Party politicians enjoyed an Iftar celebration at BD Dine in 2024. Photo: BD Dine/Facebook.
We started with fuchka, which is similar to Indian pani puri, consisting of crispy, hollow pastry shells filled with spiced potato and served with a small jug of spicy tamarind water. To serve, you carefully pour some of the tamarind into the top and then pop the whole thing in your mouth to be eaten in one bite. The fuchka at BD Dine was also topped with grated, boiled egg. The little snacks were utterly moreish and very tasty, with pops of spice and sour tamarind adding to the satisfying crunch.
We ordered a beef curry cooked with DB Dine’s ‘secret’ Bangladeshi masala spice mix, and loita shutki vuna – dry fish cooked in a traditional style. And to round things out, we also got the roast chicken, from the ‘meal deal’ section of the menu, which came with rice, salad and a kofte. I noticed a couple of solo diners had chosen similar dishes, which are excellent value for someone wanting a bit of variety without ordering multiple dishes. The chicken isn’t roasted in the traditional Western style, but it is served with a fragrant sauce and topped with crispy shallots.
To accompany our dishes, we also ordered an onion salad, and our server recommended the khichuri rice, a blend of rice and lentils cooked with whole spices.
Beef curry and a tasty dish made from dried fish paired well with the fresh onion salad and hearty ‘khichuri’ rice. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The beef curry was tender and tasty, and particularly good when paired with the freshness of the (surprisingly large) onion salad. The fish dish had essentially taken a dried fish, shredded the flesh and cooked it in a curry to rehydrate the meat and add flavour. It had a fairly strong taste (I wouldn’t recommend ordering it unless you really enjoy fish), but more adventurous palates will find it quite tasty! The khichuri rice was fragrant with cloves, cinnamon and a whole dried chilli and very comforting. The shorter grains of rice combined with lentils and seeds really filled us up!
There’s a drinks menu with a range of traditional beverages – the table next to us was enjoying cups of spiced tea as we finished up – and the restaurant also seems to be doing a roaring trade in catering for large functions and even offering a weekly take-home catering service. I was intrigued to see that they offer breakfast on weekends: forget avo toast, I want to try the daal and paratha special!
Having now tried Bangladeshi food once, I would be more than happy to try it again. Even the teenager at our table described everything as “scrumalicious” and took the leftovers home. There were plenty more dishes on the menu I’d like to try – I spotted some tasty-looking pastry triangles at a nearby table – plus the convivial atmosphere and friendly service definitely endeared me to the place.
BD Dine is located at 82/170 Flemington Road, Harrison. They are open from 4 pm to 10 pm on Tuesday, from 12 until late from Wednesday to Friday, and from 11 am until late on weekends. Visit BD Dine’s website to see their catering offerings, or follow them on Facebook.
