Hakka Dhaka: Small on space, BIG on food

Hakka Chinese restaurants are perhaps your new fried chicken outlets. No, they don't sell fried chicken and I don't want to give you false hope but it's something that we hadn't heard of even a year back and now it's somewhat of a craze.

Hakka Chinese may sound like regular Chinese cuisine but it's the distinct cooking style of the Hakka people, who originated mainly from the south-eastern Chinese provinces.

Hakka Dhaka, at Banani, happens to be one of the most popular places serving this cuisine and it's also one of the few in the city. I did hear from a few friends about the limited space but had no idea it was going to be so small. It won't be totally wrong to say that they stacked 6 tables with maybe 24 chairs or less in a space that's almost half the size of anybody's bedroom.

One of us had second thoughts and had wanted to leave but then the manager/owner came forward to help us out with the seating arrangement and it was his warm hospitality that held us back. The menu was simple. Only two platters were available. 

Platter A had a choice of chicken wings or spring rolls, Hunan chicken, Mongolian beef and chilli garlic prawn. Platter B had wrapped prawns, chicken with mushrooms, dry chilli beef and Szechuan prawns. Hakka noodles, egg fried rice and soft drink/water were common to both the platters. We picked Platter B.

It wasn't totally random; it had two prawn dishes so you get the point. A full platter priced at BDT 2500 serves four people and a half platter priced at BDT 1300 serves two. The portions were very generous and one can easily conclude that the platters are sufficient for a party of two or four people. 

For me the star of the meal was the appetizer, the wrapped prawns. Perfectly cooked, tender jumbo prawns wrapped around crispy golden fried noodles with what they call their "secret dipping sauce" – an absolute winner. If this item doesn't take me back to the restaurant for a second time, I don't know what will. All the items were really flavourful and filling.

The balance of sweet and sour was nice and the two staples, egg fried rice and Hakka noodles, were brilliant on their own. Owing to its popularity, Hakka Dhaka has opened up a second branch at Uttara. This branch is pretty spacious and offers a wider variety of dishes. Also, they have introduced desserts.

Hakka Dhaka happens to be one of your safest bets when you're hungry and don't want to experiment much yet feel like trying out a new cuisine. It's also a go-to place if you have no time to go through long menus. Oh, their service was pretty quick as well. It's also quite easy on your wallet as you can split the bill with your friends. The restaurant is open from 12:30pm to 4pm and 6:30pm to 11pm.

Address: House-66, Road-10, 
Block-D, Banani, Dhaka
And 
Auckland Center (3rd Floor), House 11, Road 6, Sector 4, Uttara, Dhaka
For more information, visit: 
https://www.facebook.com/hakkadhaka
https://www.facebook.com/pages/HAKKA-DHAKA-Uttara/706862829434185