Amidst the hustle and bustle of the Gulshan 2 zone, lies the buzzing bistro, known as The Grove Bistro, succeeding to implement an astounding European aesthetic into its design concept. Offering mainly pan-European cuisine, the eatery is sure to leave an everlasting feeling of being at a quaint cafe somewhere in Europe with palatable food offerings that will make you crave for more!
The restaurant was inaugurated in May 2019. At its core, The Grove Bistro is a family business owned by Shamima Huda, Aminur Rahman and their three sons Sharker Ibne Amin, Ayeman Ibne Amin and Sabbir Ibne Amin. While they already had been running a printing press for three generations, they embarked on a journey into the world of the food business in December 2012 with the launching of the successful eatery, Thai Emerald located in Uttara.
As it is located in the hustling zone of Gulshan 2, the owners wanted to make Grove Bistro a place for people to unwind from their busy cosmopolitan lives and connect with themselves as well as their friends and family. “A place that is yours” is the main motto behind this extraordinary bistro. The owners put extreme thought into what they wanted to name their venture and concluded that they wanted to name it the Grove Bistro. The reason behind it was because they wanted people to come to this grove and disconnect from the concrete jungle known as Dhaka and get lost in themselves.
The restaurant was designed by their very own user-centred design firm, Inked. Most elements of inspiration were taken from Mother Nature herself, starting from the colour, use of wood, textures and so on. They have also studied French and Italian architecture to bring the European ambience to the bistro. Covering 3000 square feet of land must not have been an easy task; however, Inked made the entire place look effortlessly stunning.
The floor-to-ceiling windows allow an overview of the busy Gulshan 2 circle from broad day till midnight. During the day, the cafe relies mostly on nature’s light to illuminate the zone and during the night, the gorgeous and rustic chandeliers come on for a more urban feel. It is as if the bistro transforms from a casual, work-friendly environment into a more formal restaurant as the night approaches.
The owners put a lot of emphasis on including veranda like areas in the restaurant. “Verandas were a big part of the architecture in Bangladesh but now it has slowly diminished”, explains Aminur Rahman. Grove Bistro offers the exterior space where you can just indulge in a cup of coffee and a good book and spend leisurely times with yourself or with a companion. The exterior part was inspired by roadside cafes in small Italian towns.
The entire venture was very all hands on deck kind of work and the owners made sure that their idea of ‘a place like home’ was conveyed throughout the interior. From the architecture to the paintings and photographs used, there is a hint of the great outdoors in everything. The wood was lightly polished to contain its natural texture and the colour palette was all taken from nature. It includes colours like teal, sacramento, grey and even hints of magenta.
Most furnishings were made in house to suit the theme of the eatery. Lots of greenery was incorporated in the interior for that natural essence. The restaurant is very spacious and allows accommodation of quite a good number of crowds. To bring a homey vibe, they have chairs, compact sofas and tables of different heights and shapes keeping in mind to make the place work and dine in friendly. Since the menu is diverse, they made sure the tables are perfect for having coffee, placing laptops and having meals.
The Grove Bistro’s best selling items include the Seafood Paella, which feels like a party of flavours going on inside your mouth! The beef ribs and rib-eye steak pasta are mouthwatering and the meat falls apart so elegantly from the bone of the ribs. Caesar salad is a staple for any restaurant and they made sure it’s the best you’ve ever had!
If you want to sense the elegance of a European inspired cafe at Dhaka city, then Grove Bistro is the place to go. The interior will have you marvelling at it constantly and the food is so delicious that it will make you come back over and over again.
