Many of you may already familiar of CAF’s famous Selfieccino (cappuccino on which you can get anything printed on the froth). They had stirred up quite a storm attracting customers from places far away to come here and get their pictures printed on their coffees. Recently though, they have added some new desserts on their items which are a steal in terms of price.

1. Chocolate Ball

This dessert is very rich and sweet given that the brownies, syrup and the circular covering are all chocolate flavored. However, the ice-cream helps balance out some of the sweetness. The ball sits on a crumble of biscuits adding some textures to the dessert as well. The highlight, though, is the way the ball melts underneath the pouring, thick milk chocolate making the audience stare in awe.

2. Red Velvet Slice

This perfect slice of surprisingly light cake is sure to win any sweet-lovers hearts. The cream is extremely light and not overpoweringly sweet either.

3. Brownie with Ice-Cream

Few things are better than brownie with ice-cream. This simple brownie is sure to win many hearts with it moist texture and rich taste. The ice-cream that comes with it accompanies the fudgy bar really well making this dessert my overall favorite.

4. Chocolate Lava Cake with Ice-Cream

Talking about favorite, their chocolate lava cake with ice-cream is another hit in my opinion. The gooeyness is not as much as you expect when cut open but nonetheless, the taste makes up for it. It’s perhaps the best one in town right now and you’d be seriously missing out on something delicious if you don’t drop by CAF and order this dessert.

5. Tiramisu

Last but not the least, usually Tiramisus tend to be really expensive for a very small portion. I think at Tk120+, this is the best Tiramisu you can currently get. I do wish the biscuit layers would be soaked in a stronger coffee but the cream itself is pretty darn delicious!

We also tried the Grilled Chicken Sandwich which I think is a must have with your coffee. The addition of jalapenos really elevates the taste of the overall sandwich and the fresh grilled chicken was not only meaty but nicely seasoned as well. I love that the sandwiches are made to order thus ensuring freshness.

You have got to drop by at CAF especially during the day! The ambience here is like that of foreign coffee chains and I love that you get a whiff of coffee as soon as you enter the shop.

Ifreet Taheea

These steaks may look from steakhouses of Gulshan or Banani but they're actually from a small boutique steakhouse in Malibag, Khilgaon. With their opening date a little around 6 months ago, LongHorn Steak & Pizza is perhaps the only steakhouse in Khilgaon offering premium Bengal meat cuts for their customers.

I’ll start with their downs first this time. Their location is not only inconvenient to find but they are also located on the main road causing noise to enter their premises. To add to that, there is also no parking available making it difficult for guests to find a proper parking space around. Upon entering their restaurant, you will notice that it is in fact, a very tiny space.

However, the tiny space is nicely decorated giving you a somewhat cozy vibe. You are then presented with a welcome drink to sip on while choosing from their food and beverage menu. There we were, two carnivores, ogling at the meat section. We ended up ordering a T-bone steak and a Premium Rib-Eye steak, both with a side of sautéed vegetables and mashed potato.

We ordered a Shrimp Cocktail as starter. Basically it’s a cold dish consisting of boiled shrimp, a sauce of mayonnaise consistency, lettuce, and eggs. If you're a fan of cold salads and such, you'll dig this dish as the shrimps incorporate well with their house special sauce. I loved the sauce itself but compared to traditional Shrimp Cocktails, the dish could use some more spice and lime.

The T-bone steak is not my preferred cut for steak since they tend to taste rough if not cooked well. This steak was also thinner than usual but was very filling. The mushroom sauce helped bring taste to this slab of meat but it's still the Premium Rib Eye that stole my heart! Unlike the rough texture of the T-Bone, this steak was actually very soft and juicy! Both the steaks had medium doneness but the fat on this piece managed to bring richness in taste. The mashed potato was seasoned well and was of acceptable consistency. It had some chunky bits of potatoes and was buttery as well. The sautéed vegetables, though, could use some more time on the stove.

In summary, I think LongHorn definitely has potential to become a favorite among Khilgaon residents. While their pricing is slightly high compared to other eateries in the area, the quality of food that they offer is also worth it. Do give their Premium Rib-Eye a try. I still can’t stop thinking about it!

Chengdu, Oct 23 (Xinhua/UNB) -- He Zhangwen, 64, is slightly hunchbacked and not particularly fond of smiling. Wearing a grey-striped T-shirt and a brown apron, he is the linchpin of the tiny baked egg pancake shop "The He's" in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

While Sichuan cuisine is known for spicy and pungent flavors, baked egg pancakes are sweet, also a signature flavor of the local food.

Laying out all the ingredients and materials their son bought an hour ago, He Zhangwen and his wife He Yunping begin their typical day by making fillings and flour paste at around 8 a.m.

Their son bought 2 kg of pork, 2 kg of beef, 1 kg of potatoes, some chilies and carrots. "All the fillings and paste are freshly prepared, the taste would change if made in advance and stored overnight," said He.

"Making an egg pancake seems easy but is in fact not that simple," said He. "Any change in the proportion of ingredients makes a big difference. A good egg pancake should be crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. I put all my over 20 years of experiences in it and have the confidence that our pancake is second to none in Chengdu."

The flavors of traditional street food have evolved from traditional Chinese pickles, red bean and cream to over 30 varieties, including eye-catching spicy minced beef, Laoganma chili sauce, durian and Oreo, reflecting the ever-changing taste of picky foodies.

By 10:00 a.m., they have used up all the fillings and two buckets of paste, each weighing 10 kg. Every day they use two to four buckets.

Their store opens each day at 11:00 a.m., and a long queue of gluttonous foodies often welcomes him.

They opened this store seven years ago after doing this business on a small trolley in 1990. In addition to this store, the He's chain business has opened nine franchise stores in Chengdu.

The window of He's store looks the same as their trolley. Three prominent Chinese characters which read "egg pancake" are pasted in red on the window, and the fillings are put in order beside the ovens, the same as 30 years ago.

"I can even make a pancake with my eyes closed," said He.

Soon one of China's longest holiday, the week-long National Day holiday will be coming, and He expects a tourist peak. "We can sell up to 2,000 pancakes a day during holidays," said He. "We only have time to eat after 10 p.m."

Over the past 30 years, He has witnessed great changes in Chengdu. "I can't believe it's been nearly 30 years," He said. "Areas outside the first ring road were all idle fields when we started, but now even the suburban ring road has traffic jams."

The small pancake has given locals a touch of nostalgia amid rapid social change. Four years ago, their son quit his job and returned home. "My parents are getting older and their skills need to be passed on," said their son.

"Many college students said buying our pancakes is the first thing they do when they come back home for holidays. When they leave, many would come to eat some pancakes before heading to the airport," said He.

"More than 90 percent of our buyers are regular customers," said He with pride.

Jafran opened back in 2016 with the idea of bringing Hyderabadi and Afghani Biryanis to customers at an affordable price compared to the others in Dhaka. Little did they know exactly how popular their food would become amongst students around Bashundhara Residential area. Not only does this “multi-cuisine” restaurant sell aforementioned biryanis but they also serve an array of kebabs, curries, and bread to satisfy the palates.

Their first outlet was a very small one with a seating arrangement for about 40 people. The space wasn’t clean and especially their hand washing station and kitchen entrance were questionable in terms of hygiene. Regardless, for students affordability is more of a concern than hygiene (sadly). Their new location is now at Bashundhara Gate (right opposite to Jamuna Future Park) and is quite an upgrade from their previous one. The restaurant is quite furnished with oversized fancy chairs. Despite of having a rush since they were offering a 25% discount on their grand reopening, they didn’t increase the price of their prior items and the service provided to 7 of us was quite satisfying.

After having tried 2 or 3 of their biryanis, I am convinced that the Tandoori Chicken Biryani is the best in their menu. Here’s why: Firstly, the quantity is more than enough for one person. In fact, at times it gets way too much for me. Secondly, the piece of chicken that comes with it is quite huge. Finally, the unlimited eggplant chutney and salad compliment the dish really well. The only down of this dish is that the chicken tends to get dry at times which makes it difficult to swallow. It was an occasional scene at their previous outlet and it was disappointing to find the chicken dry at my visit to their new outlet as well.

How my experience was turned around though, was through ordering a Butter Chicken. Since there was a discount going on, I dared to try a new item from their menu and now this order is going to be a regular for me. The butter chicken can be easily shared by two people. It had a rich, creamy, and slightly sweet gravy with bite sized pieces of chicken. While it is quite unusual to pair biryanis with butter chicken, the dryness of the Tandoori biryanis was balanced out with the gravy of the butter chicken.

Jafran will remain a top pick for me as long as I am studying at North South University. It’s affordable, quick, and filling for days when you are not in the mood for cafeteria food.

If there’s one restaurant that I have seen the most reviews online on, it has got to be Dhaka XO. Every food related group or page has great reviews on that place. Their Ramen has been making rounds ever since Shyamoli Square Market has opened with some people even comparing it to the authentic Japanese Ramen. Tucked away in a messy and highly unhygienic food court, 3 of us found ourselves a seat inside Dhaka XO. However, we had come for a completely different dish.

I had been seeing reviews on a Chicken Steak of theirs for Tk 299 which was deemed to be too good for a food court meal. Reviews were overflowing with comparisons of it to premium places as well. And to be honest, I thought that it looked good on pictures as well for Tk 299 so might as well give it a try. We had to wait for about 20 minutes for a single dish to order! What was even more infuriating is that the servers were too busy gossiping amongst themselves and even the chef. We could see this happening as you can view directly inside the dirty kitchen.

To make things worse, when our order arrived we were shocked to see how small the steak really was. The pictures I saw online were taken in such an angle that you’d think that the portion is quite large. However, the small sliced chicken breast pieces couldn’t even be considered a meal. White sauce was drizzled over the steak with a side of sautéed vegetables and garlic mushroom.

The Chicken itself was quite juicy I’ll admit however, the seasoning of simply salt and a lot of black pepper was quite obvious. The white sauce was made using too much flour and you could really get an unpleasant taste with every bite. The garlic mushrooms were something we enjoyed. It was slightly tart in taste because of what I assume to be lime juice and the use of garlic was just the right amount. As for the sautéed vegetable, I feel like all they did was boil them. There was barely any salt or sign of being sautéed. In terms of content, it mostly had beans, 2 or 3 pieces of carrots and papaya.

Overall, I would just like to suggest you all to not go to a restaurant or café by the hype. Do your research well and try to differentiate between authentic and paid reviews. Instagram has a lot of Bangladeshi Foodbloggers now who are providing genuine reviews on food which you may look up to. As for Dhaka XO, it’s a big no for me and can never compete with a steakhouse which specializes in steaks!