Rodela Bikel: A place of authentic Bangla food

Food has a physiological connection with feelings such as stress, boredom or anxiety, even joy. When a foodie desires to have a special dish, he/she keeps the particular restaurant on the priority list. Rodela Bikel, a Bangla food restaurant in the port city, is one of the eateries that have secured a place in people's hearts.

With the motto of 'pure for sure', Rodela Bikel started its journey in 2013 at MA Aziz Stadium area. From the very beginning, the restaurant ensured best available ingredients from home and abroad for its cuisines, sourcing local chicken from Rangamati, local duck and eggs from Hatiya upazila, local potato from Chandanaish upazila, pure ghee from Munshiganj, olive oil from Spain and sunflower oil from Ukraine.

M Shamsuddin, general manager of the restaurant, believes that good ingredients give any dish a different taste and flavor. "We always choose the best ingredients from the country and outside for the cuisines of our restaurant, and that is why it is famous among the food lovers," he said.

"Foreigners and high officials, staying in Radisson Blu Hotel, Chattogram Club or Circuit House, like to eat here. They often take away food from our restaurant," he added.

The beef kala bhuna, lottai fish fry, chital kopta, lakka and koral fish, local chicken with green chilli paste are the most popular among the Bangla dishes of Rodela Bikel. The restaurant offers four types of soup, cashew nut salad, fried rice and spaghetti noodles, special fried chicken, chicken chilli and vegetables in its Thai-Chinese menus. Laccha, apple and paper paratha with chicken or vegetables along with crème coffee, special kulfi or mango lacchi are popular evening snacks among the customers.

Another popular aspect of Rodela Bikel is its breakfast menu on Friday which offers rice flour roti, chicken soup, mutton paya, suji halwa and malai tea. People who want to have breakfast with their family and friends on holiday throng the restaurant on Friday.

"Korean and Indonesian ambassadors as well as the country's top businessmen including Sufi Mizanur Rahman, Chairman of PHP Family, Saiful Alam Masud and the chairman of S Alam Group have eaten at the restaurant and praised the taste of its food," Shamsuddin said, adding, "We never compromise with the quality of our food." 

Rodela Bikel's sera shawarma draws foodies

What can be a good choice when we have an appetite after lunch and before dinner, when our tummy wants something heavy? Though a double cheeseburger or chicken chap with paratha might be a choice, but if we want something healthy in the middle of work or meeting, shawarma is the best. 

The chicken shawarma, prepared within a short time and served with special sauce, is one of the most popular items of Rodela Bikel.  Priced at Tk100, its 'sera shawarma' is popular among youngsters and students. The item is available at the restaurant from 4:00pm in the afternoon. It sells out within three/four hours. During holidays and other special occasions, its demand increases compared to usual days.