Just a minute from Beauty Boarding, on the North Brook Hall Road is a place which, if one decides to dig into history, may have links to the anti-colonial movement in the early part of the 20th century.
The irony is that the restaurant which was possibly the evening meeting place for enlightened Bengalis imbued with the spirit of the non-cooperation movement, serves items with a distinct colonial touch.
Just imagine, digging into crispy chicken cutlets and planning to denounce the foreign masters!
Almost a century later, the restaurant, now called New Café Corner, is still a thriving place for gourmets and gourmands alike although I am sure, no subversive plans are being hatched here anymore.
With October heralding the arrival of winter and the atmosphere redolent with early autumn exuberance, dusk around this part of town often means spending an hour at Café Corner, digging into a cutlet or a freshly fried fritter.
Speaking to one of the waiters, who has been here since 1972, I found that the previous owners sold the café and thus the word “New” was added to the original name.
The new addition is on top of the name on the signboard and is usually missed because whoever is coming to the café has got the real name in mind.
The café has been a key attraction of this part of Old Dhaka, almost at the edge of town, 10 minutes by rickshaw from the Victoria Park, Jagannath College and the CMM court.
Interestingly, on weekends, the café is filled from late afternoon and we had to wait outside for a table to become vacant.
Once seated, I noticed that with every order, proper cutlery with wooden handles were provided – another custom from a forgotten century.
Trust me, the cutlery was spotless and the items fresh from the oven.
People usually come here for the famed cutlet, but on weekends, and depending on the catch from the nearby river, lobsters are also available.
Lobsters in Old Dhaka!!!
Yep, you heard it right, and don’t hesitate to order because you get what you’re expecting – a fried lobster.
Café Corner is mentioned in poems and short stories of the 70s although in recent times, with so many swanky eateries all around Dhaka, the allure of this place has faded a bit.
We live in Dhanmondi but come here at least once a month because of the atmosphere and the quaint charm, said one customer, adding, “To be honest, I will rate the food six out of 10 but the items offered here, dating back to the early 20th century, the cutlery and the ambience rich in history coalesce to create a delicious time capsule.”
Without doubt, the ability of Old Dhaka attractions to make a visitor nostalgic is a key factor, keeping such places alive and thriving.
The café is also visited by lawyers from the CMM court after a hard day and in the early Autumn evening, with the fried lobster before me, an image came to mind: lawyers discussing animatedly over tea and cutlet to defend a firebrand revolutionary accused of anti-empire activities.
The waiter tells us that we should come soon to taste the caramel custard pudding.
Ahh, yes, another legacy of empire!
The Union Jack is no longer flying here, but the gastronomic appeal associated with empire lingers.
A weekend spent at Beauty Boarding writing poetry, evening snack at Café Corner followed by a ride on a horse drawn carriage – well, you can surely say you got the ‘Babu’ experience topped with the intellectual flair of the Bengal Renaissance.
