As a race, we’ve got a bit of a thing for fried food. Our favourite snacks, iftaars and winters bring all kinds of fried goodies to the table. But what about a place that lets you gorge on the stuff without having to wait for a month or a season?
Such a place does exist, and it’s conveniently called Fryyay. The brainchild of five young (and almost all-female) entrepreneurs, Zoya, Sami, Lazina, Fabia and Sakeeba, their venture is located in FR Tower on Kamal Ataturk Avenue, Banani.
Fryyay boasts a varied and interesting menu, despite being centred on fried foods. They have rice meals and pasta dishes and healthier options, like salads and pan-cooked fish. There are inspirations from cuisines all over the world, with a Korean Toasted Sandwich, made how it is found on the streets of Seoul with a sprinkle of sugar on it. There is a popular Seafood Loaded Fries, with notes of East Asian spices and cooking style. But what we are here to talk about today are three brilliant dishes that if you haven’t tried yet, you need to get yourself there right now.
Loaded Tenderloin Beef Steak Fries (695 ++): A full plate of their house fries topped with 250 grams of melting steak and a rich, savoury gravy will hit just about any spot. 250 grams is a solid amount of meat for that price – the same as if you order a meal at a steak restaurant but pay three times the amount. Steak is always a bit hit-and-miss in Dhaka but this dish will not disappoint as the meat is melt-in-your-mouth and cooked to perfection.
Pan Seared Lemon Fish (Tk. 555 ++): This is not a pangash or tilapia pretending to be dory, but in fact a whole salmon fillet which tastes extremely fresh, as though it was brought from the market a few hours ago instead of transported from 5000 miles away. The lemon garlic sauce worked well and the pesto rice and vegetables made it a complete meal (again, the price is noteworthy!)
Sweet Dog (Tk. 235 ++): A fun and yummy take on the hot dog, this sweet dog is a bun filled with banana, chocolate and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream that looks like its covering its ears with its Oreo hands. You don’t even need to be a dessert lover to enjoy this because it’s not overly sweet.
Their food is very tasty but more importantly, extremely good value for money. It is the kind of place where you go with a group and share but even if you don’t, you will leave full yet hungry to return. What will strike you most when you visit is the thought that has gone into everything. From the décor to the interactive letter boxes to the sides, you can tell the owners have put their heart and soul into it.
They don’t just serve you French fries from frozen with your hot dog, they make their fries themselves, or they’ll give you a corn on the cob or rice jeweled with crunchy raisins. The décor too, done by design firm Inked, is so well thought out. The illustrations on the wall refer to an other-worldly experience, where you are transported to a carnival taking place in a parallel world. One of the owners tells me the story of Fryyay – that we are now present in the industrial revolution, where factory workers and miners wanted a place to escape the horrors of their reality. Mr. Fryer came to their rescue with this place and hence Fryyay (plus the fried delicacies, of course!)
They opened a few weeks ago and have already needed to expand to welcome more people into their cosmic carnival. Do give them a try – there are very few restaurants that have such good food without breaking the bank and exhibit so much thought and care in everything they do.