Lounging at Foodbook

In a time when the lack of good hangout lounges has deeply affected our lives, Foodbook is the first social network-themed lounge to open in Bangladesh. Owned by Zahid Alam and friends, Foodbook is located at the heart of Banani and offers a unique and fun lounging experience. Under the slogan, "In a relationship with food," Foodbook had their soft launch just a week ago and has since become a popular hotspot, especially for the younger generation.

Foodbook's interior is smartly designed and lives up to its name as a social network-themed lounge. By the entrance you will find a photo booth that mirrors a Facebook profile page where people can take photos. 

As soon as you enter the lounge, you will be greeted with different themes and colours. Amidst the white and the blue that we know and love, you will find wonderfully hand-painted graffiti. As you walk a little further, you will come across their collection of framed portraits. There are framed pictures of people from different walks of life, from musicians to great thinkers to talented artists. A few steps forward to the left, you will find the 'restricted profile' – a smoking zone. 

Zahid Alam and his friends put in that extra effort to make the place look as cosy and network-themed as possible. 

"We personally designed each and every corner of our lounge so that our customers can feel at home, take pictures anywhere they like and just relax with friends. There is a plastic grass section, a restricted section, a painted wall section and much more," said Zahid. 

Once you pick a place you like, it will be time to look at the menu. There are quite a few dishes to choose from. You can start off with the chicken parmigiana, which is fried breaded juicy chicken breasts topped with Napoli sauce and mozzarella cheese, served with chips and house special sauce. 

Another option could be the salt and pepper calamari which is deep fried squid topped with finely sliced peppers, bean sprouts and crispy fried onion. If, however, you want to be a little more adventurous, then scroll through the menu till you arrive at the seafood burrito. 

The seafood burrito has prawns and barramundi fish wrapped in a tortilla and topped with chipotle with some additional creamy sauce. Fish lovers can go one step further and order one of Foodbook's special dishes, the sea monster. The sea monster is 450 grams of sandwich heaven. It is beautifully layered with prawns, barramundi, crab nuggets, fried calamari and wrapped in cheese, lettuce, tomato and onions. It also comes with a stack of fries and two different special sauces. 

Foodbook has also considered the plight of the burgerholics and included burgers in their menu. The burger meal is a juicy, single beef patty layered with creamy cheese, lettuce, tomato and beetroot with fries on the side. If that is not enough then you can upgrade to the giant burger which is loaded with double layers of beef patties (100gm each) and double slices of creamy cheese.

One of Foodbook's main aims was to create the perfect "adda" environment. So, if you visit Foodbook on a school day and do not want to stuff yourself with food, you can check out their coffee and drinks menu. Their coffee list includes lungo, Americano, cappuccino, latte macchiato and yes, you have guessed it, an espresso shot. You can also try out their special refreshments; the mint lemon shake, the peanut butter shake or the fresh-up. These will definitely help you unwind from a long day of academics. 

To help perfect the 'adda' feel, Foodbook has also boosted their internet speed to a whopping 20mbps ensuring that anyone relaxing at the lounge has the fastest internet hook-up available as they enjoy their food or cup of coffee. 

Foodbook has picked up a lot of momentum over the last few weeks and it seems to have been widely accepted by the local public. The prices are reasonable and the environment is cosy, so go get yourself some Foodbook dishes to munch on and do not worry if the dishes are not super spicy. Enjoy the authentic taste and do not forget to tell them that your friends at Star Lifestyle sent you!  

By Naveed Naushad
Photo: Foodbook