In conversation with food and beverage entrepreneur Sera Monira about her latest restaurant, Evviva, and what sets it apart
Photographs: Shihab Mohammad
You have hands-on experience in the restaurant business in Toronto, Canada. How has that shaped your vision of what you want in your own restaurant?
Toronto is a very diverse city, and there are people from many different cultures, which means there are many different cuisines. Working in such a setting has given me more exposure, and the work ethic in Toronto is also different. I have also been to culinary school, so I have professional training in this industry. Having hands-on experience with how top restaurants work, how standards are maintained and everything else has shaped how I created Evviva, set the standards, and made the menu.
What are your culinary inspirations and how did they translate into curating the menu at Evviva?
I have travelled a lot, and I really love Italian cuisine and culture. Italian culture is very similar to ours in the sense that their family bonds are very strong, just like ours. Recipes are passed down from family to family, from nonnas (grandmothers) to grandchildren, similar to how in Bengali culture we learn cooking from our families and live with our parents and grandparents. The part of Italy that inspired Evviva the most is the Amalfi Coast. The whole region is robust with a lot of seafood, lemons, eggplants, tomatoes, and red peppers, and the food overall is very flavourful. The food in this region is spicier than in the Northern parts of the country, which suits the Bangladeshi palette, which is why I wanted to bring this cuisine to Dhaka.
The part of Italy that inspired Evviva the most is the Amalfi Coast. The whole region is robust with a lot of seafood, lemons, eggplants, tomatoes, and red peppers, and the food overall is very flavourful.
I like to call Evviva a traditional Italian eatery instead of an authentic one. To me, ‘authentic’ means using the authentic ingredients that people in the South of Italy use. For instance, Italy has various kinds of flour, some of them are very refined in coarseness, while the flour available here is a little thicker and has higher gluten content. However, I am following Italian traditions by following traditional cooking processes, for example, using a wood-fired pizza oven, and using handmade pasta. The wood-fired oven is completely custom-made, and the wood is specially selected so that the pizza has a specific smokey woody flavour, similar to how they are made in Southern Italy.
What are some significant differences between Toronto’s food and restaurant industry and Dhaka’s? What are the challenges you have faced since starting Evviva?
The most significant difference is the availability of ingredients. In Dhaka, it is difficult to provide consistency in terms of food as the ingredients I want to use are not constantly available. The most challenging aspect of having a restaurant in Dhaka is that there are no dedicated supply chains just for restaurants. The freshness of the ingredients is also a challenge, which is why I have tried to incorporate as many local ingredients as possible. In addition, I grow some of the ingredients myself such as Italian basil. Another challenge of note would be the lack of talent. We don’t have a dedicated culinary school, and most of the chefs I have hired don’t know about the nuances of cooking, so they have to be taught about technicalities such as how different cuts of meat have different flavours. Thus, the challenge for me has been to find talent who are just as passionate about cooking as I am.
What are your favourite dishes from the menu?
One of my personal favourites is definitely the gnocchi. Gnocchi is supposed to be very pillowy and will melt in your mouth, and I am very proud to serve good quality handmade fresh gnocchi. I am also proud of the pizza we have that we make using a traditional custom-made wood-fired pizza oven. In addition, I really love the octopus dish, which is my interpretation of a classic octopus and potato salad.
Evviva is unarguably one of the most ‘Instagrammable’ restaurants in Dhaka. What was the vision behind its unique aesthetics?
The inspiration behind the aesthetics came from the Amalfi Coast. This region is well-known for its lemons, and there are lemon trees everywhere. This is why there is a lemon tree and so many lemons around the restaurant. The colour theme of the restaurant is blue and white, which are common colours there. I wanted the aesthetic to be airy and coastal, which is why I kept an open concept – the kitchen is open, there are no booths and there are windows that bring in natural light.
What are your future aspirations beyond Evviva?
I would like to bring more niche cuisines and varieties of cuisine to Dhaka. I have always been a big foodie, and that is how I got into the culinary industry. I would like to set up a few other restaurants with other cuisines and cultures. I started with Italian as that is what I was trained in, and what I am most comfortable with. I was born and raised in the Middle East, and in the future, I am looking to open a Middle Eastern restaurant that is more traditional than the ones that are available to us here in Dhaka. I would like to open more restaurants serving cuisines from around the world and give people pleasant experiences enjoying different cultures and their cuisines.
Sera Monira
Food and Beverage Entrepreneur
Owner, Evviva
Sera Monira is an avid foodie, chef and restaurateur. She also does private catering for small & large-scale events and offers food & beverage consultancy.