Tiffinbox: Rediscovering the art and taste of street food

Why is street food so popular? Is it only because it is relatively cheap and tasty? For real foodies, street food is a colourful and diverse experience that connects people with the local culture. 

Even when you know that the process of making your favourite street food doesn't even come near any hygiene standards, you love them unconditionally. 

But if your unconditional love for these heart melting munchies is under threat because of questionable hygiene standards, don't worry, 'Tiffinbox' is here to rescue you.

Now, you can have the local delicacies without compromising your health, sitting at your home and at an affordable price. Tiffinbox is trying to establish how street food reflects tradition, cultures and helps to relieve memories.

Tiffinbox was founded in November 2020. B-Trac FMCG Ltd is the company that is operating Tiffinbox here in Bangladesh, on behalf of the Bangla Trac Group, who brought 'Burger King' to Bangladesh.

Tiffinbox is an idea that came from the founder and owner of Bangla Trac Group, Tarique Ekramul Haque, who had a vision to introduce the local street delicacy in a hygienic way. 

According to him, "no matter which class or social strata we belong to, we all come down to the road for our favourite street food and Tiffin Box is an ardent, heartfelt effort to hold on to all that we held dear as we grew up and had to let go in time."

From hot and spicy 'Jhal Muri', to crispy and juicy Jilapi, you will find a wide range of mouth-watering treats at Tiffinbox. From breakfast to dinner, including untimely snacks, you can satisfy your taste buds by ordering food from their menu.

Just like their sweet Jilapis, their recipes contain very innovative twists. The creative names like Asta Nasta, Cinema Hall Chips, Vitamin K, Potenga Peyaju will draw your attention and the innovative combination of foods like Jhalapi (Spicy Jilapi), Chicken Cheese Mughlai paratha, Jilapi Cheese paratha, Ghee Chini Roll, Cheese Samosa will give a slight tickle to your tongue and convince you to order these undiscovered tastes. All their items cost between Tk49 to Tk199.

Another interesting aspect of Tiffinbox is their packaging. If you are disappointed by not seeing Rabindranath Tagore actually eating anything in the newly released and trending web series 'Rabindranath Ekhane Kawkhono Khete Aashenni', order food from Tiffinbox and see not only Rabindranath but also the Governor-General of India, Lalon and the Nawab enjoying street food on their fascinating food boxes. 

These interesting illustrations, designed by their team, makes these boxes eligible as a collectible item. They also design and print interesting newspaper 'thonga' (paper bags) to pack their food items in, which is an exact replica of the actual street food packages. 

Their amazing and thoughtful packaging shows how much Tiffinbox values the street food culture and their effort to provide customers with hygienic food without compromising authenticity.

Tiffinbox is operating as a Cloud Kitchen from Banani and currently delivering food in Banani, Gulshan, Baridhara and other areas near them. They also deliver food to distant areas like Dhanmondi if the order is given with some time in hand. 

According to the General Manager of Tiffinbox, soon they will be opening retail stores.

You can order food from Tiffinbox by using Pathao Food or directly calling at 01708132132 or 01708132133. They are open from 7.30 AM till 9.00 PM.

So, if you are planning to order some of their food now, The Business Standard is here to help you choose, as we have tasted some of the foods from Tiffinbox to make sure our readers make an informed choice.

Dhakai Jhalmuri (Tk99)

If you order any of the Jhal Muri from Tiffinbox, you can become a 'Jhal Muri Wala' for a few minutes at least. The Jhalmuri comes in a very interesting package - a paper cup which has a fake newspaper print on it and it has a QR code, which shows you how to make it, if scanned. 

You can mix the spices and other ingredients with plain puffed rice in the paper cup, and shake it to make the perfect Jhalmuri. 

Now isn't that exciting?  It's a very interesting item to try. If you feel it is a bit overpriced, then I would say I can excuse the price for the amazing packaging and for the fact that it is creating a brand out of this ordinary street food.

Jhalapi (15 pc, Tk99)

This item is one of the best things I have tasted in a while. I have to mention I have been tasting dessert for quite a long time for my profession and I have included Tiffinbox's Jhalapi on my most favourite sweetmeat list already. 

Jhalapi is Jhal (spicy) Jilapi. It's a perfect Jilapi that contains a crispy exterior, with a soft chewy texture inside, filled with sugary sticky syrup and every bite of it makes a crunchy sound, which satisfies your tummy and ear. 

The Jilapi is seasoned with chilli flakes. I have rarely seen (tasted) such a perfect combination in a dessert. The spicy chilli flakes go so well with the sweet Jilapi that it will make you wonder why it is not the original recipe of this sweet delicacy. 

The Jhalapi will ease you out with a wonderful crunchy sweetness and then hit you with the spice when it is going down your throat. Though I was always against experimenting with traditional desserts, this item changed my mind and I will highly recommend it from now on.  

Cheese Chicken Mughlai (Tk199)

Another blast of taste from Tiffinbox is Cheese Chicken Mughlai. The combination of cheese, chicken and egg with perfectly blended spice will excite your taste buds. The paratha is crispy, fluffy and layered perfectly with all the ingredients. 

The egg, cheese and chicken mixed with thin layers of paratha gives a unique savoury taste. This is definitely one of the best Mughlai paratha I have ever tasted; it's a must try item from Tiffinbox. It comes in quite a big portion and if you dip these snacks in the chilli and garlic sauce from Tiffinbox, it will act like a firecracker of flavours inside your mouth. 

Jipali Ponir Roll (Tk149)

If you want to shock your taste bud with something new, this is an item you must try. The crispy and sweet Jilapi combined with moist and salty Ponir wrapped in an aromatic Khasta Paratha, full of Ghee, is a mouth-watering delight, which you will love to have on repeat.

Cheese Samosa (3 pc, Tk99)

This is one of my favourite items from Tiffinbox. It's a simple Cheese Samosa, but tastes amazing. You can feel the salty Dhakai Cheese with a subtle blend of spices and a very thin layer of crispy crust melting in your mouth with every bite. The Samosas are good enough in size and fair in price; you will definitely not regret ordering it.

Asta Nasta (Tk199)

This is one of their most popular items and it is available with different items like egg, chicken and beef. I have tasted the chicken one. You will get some thin, non-greasy Khasta Paratha with an egg omelette, spicy Aloor Dum, and chicken curry. 

As soon as you open the box, a strong smell of mustard oil will hit your nose and tummy in the right place. The chicken is cooked with mustard oil, flavourful spices or maybe a bit of mustard paste (I am not sure), which gives it an amazing aroma and perfect taste. 

The potato in the Aloor Dum was perfectly cooked, and the gravy was spicy and tangy. This item is a wholesome meal for only TK 199, and they give more than enough for one person.

Jhura Mangsher Khichuri (Tk199)

It's a very flavourful Khichuri at  an affordable  price. The Jhura Mangso (Shredded Beef) has a smoky flavour to it and it's a very new and interesting combination to try with a moist Khichuri. 

I love my Khichuri moist, so the rice was perfect for me and they have used pickle oil in the Khichuri as seasoning, which gave it a very aromatic taste. You will get a piece of very tasty olive pickle with it. 

I am a gravy person, so though the shredded beef was a little bit dry for me, it was compensated perfectly with the moist Khichuri. Well I have to say, Tiffinbox knows how to make the perfect blend of good taste. 

Vitamin K (Tk99)

Unlike me, if you are a 'Jeera Pani' person, you will love this drink of Tiffinbox. The baby pink coloured drink is mainly a ginger lemonade drink which gives a vibe like Jeera Pani, but the taste is completely different and wonderful. It has a good blend of flavours, which is very satisfying and calming for your tummy, after a heavy load of food.

Potenga Piyaju (Tk99)

These mini lentil fritters work like firecrackers in your mouth when you consume them with the two different chutneys that come with it. The overly spicy but very tasty chilli chutneys and flavourful garlic chutneys can make these piyajus taste like heaven. And right now it is the perfect season to try them out, on a rainy day, accompanied with a cup of tea.