New in town
Pier 138: Seafood with - A Touch of Finesse
The term fine dining is often associated with elegant waiting staff, soothing music, and delicious food; all aimed to make you feel important at the cost of a light wallet at the end of a meal. But what if you could have all of that without feeling guilty over the expenses?
Located on Road #138 of Gulshan 1, Pier 138 offers you the experience of seafood fine dining at a reasonable price.
The creative minds behind the décor are interior designers Raisa Choudhury and Aminur Rahman, who drew inspiration from the city Santorini, Greece as they felt it complemented the menu very well.
White plain walls against yellow and blue bordered window panels, splashes of blue brick patterned walls here and there. Most of the tables have marbled tops and the chairs match the colour scheme; every table has only one yellow chair in contrast to all the other blue ones. The ambience is tranquil and calm, with soothing music playing throughout the restaurant.
According to owner Ashfaq Rahman Asif, "I wanted to make a place where people can come and enjoy a meal without being in a rush to leave. Relax, eat, converse and have a great experience at the end of the meal."
The menu includes fresh ingredients that not only include fish, but meat items as well. Starting from their crab cakes, sautéed mussels, mixed platters, soups such as lobster bisque, cream of mushroom, salads like their spicy seafood to their main courses that offer their signature Norwegian salmon, whole Chilean sea bass, surf and turf, rib eye and sirloin steaks to beef ribs, lamb shanks, Jamaican jerk chicken and various other platters.
Their ingredients are imported from places like Chile, USA and Norway. As the cuisine is mostly continental, it does have some spicy additions, like their starter prawns on fire which comes with a dynamite sauce and a spicy seafood salad.
Portions are more than enough for two and every single item is not just uniquely flavoured but oh so fresh!
"I wanted to keep the ingredients as fresh as possible. More marine time and less in the freezer," said Asif.
For desserts the menu has a modest but exquisite selection of decadent pastries to try from such as chocolate desire, tiramisu mousse, and an orange cake
that is unique, tangy, refreshing and tantalising.
When asked about challenges, Asif discussed myriad aspects, from searching to finally finding the right chef all the way from Dubai, to transforming a one storeyed building into a two-storeyed restaurant, and most of all trying to extend the current customer base from the mostly corporate clients they now cater to.
"I want everyone to be able to experience fine dining at a price that is affordable not just for everyone but also does justice to what I am putting on the table," he concluded.
For roughly Tk 2000 ++ each, Pier 138 is the perfect place to take that special someone or meet up with old friends for a nice meal. Either way, if you are looking for a sea food fine dining experience, look no further.
Photo: Intisab Shahriyar
Essentials —
House #10, Road 138, Gulshan 1, Dhaka
For reservation call #019 4413 8138.
Dining hours: 12 PM — 4 PM; 7 PM — 11 PM
Follow their social network presence through www.facebook.com/pg/pier138restaurant