Al Fresco

Tabaq Coffee out in the open? No enclosures or fancy décor? That's new!

Actually, it's not...

After probably a decade of waiting and checking it out from a distance, I finally decided to visit the only branch of Tabaq Coffee that's set out in the open.

It's not the "open-est" coffee shop we have here in Dhaka, but it's one of a kind, because every other Tabaq Coffee branch is set inside a fancy building, restricted, and dressed under a ton of fancy decoration and color schemes.

This is the only branch that is fully open, raw, designed more like a open food court. No entry no exit, no doors, no air conditioning, just a few fans and a very natural source of air from every direction.

It's also one of the oldest branches, it's either the second or third branch of Tabaq. This branch is located in Bashundhara R/A, just below the Grameenphone Head Office. I'm pretty sure it's the second branch, the third one is in JFP, that's the one that put Tabaq on everyone's radar.

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I would've missed out on this experience too, but luckily, I was out running errands in the afternoon. And while heading back home I noticed that the weather was so pleasant, that I just had to stop and get a heavenly sip of coffee, and of course, some cake, not just any cake, the Ultimate Chocolate Cake haha.

And the coffee shop was just a left turn away from the street that leads to my house, so why miss out? YOLO!

So, since my wife was in Dhaka, I called her up to join me here at Tabaq. And as some of you already know, whenever she's in the city we always go for at least one Tabaq Date, it's mandatory at this point.

From our house to the café she was just a 5 minute rickshaw ride away. So while I was maneuvering through some traffic and a few narrow streets, she got ready. To my surprise, she even reached Tabaq before I did, and that's one of the things I love about her, she doesn't take too much time to get ready. Phew!!!

Or was she this fast because Tabaq was on the menu? I guess we'll never know...

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As always, I went with a hot cup of Cappuccino, can never go wrong with this one. It's a bit too predictable at this point, isn't it? Deal with it! The wife was feeling adventurous, a risk taker she is, so she went with a cooler, "fancier" drink this time, a Hazelnut Mocha Froccino or something.

Rather than being a bit daring with her drink of choice and enjoying her ice-cold beverage, I think she was more interested in putting a hole in my pockets, because the price tag on that humungous drink was almost double of what my Cappuccino cost. YIKES!

Of course, we also ordered the best cake in town. It isn't cheap, but I'd say it's worth every damn penny, this chocolatey treat, it's just so scrumptious, it should be f*cking illegal. 😈

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ᴵᵐᵃᵍᵉˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵒᵛᵉʳᵃˡˡ ᶜᵒⁿᵗᵉⁿᵗ ᵃʳᵉ ᵐʸ ᵒʷⁿ ᵘⁿˡᵉˢˢ ᶦᵗ'ˢ ᵐᵉⁿᵗᶦᵒⁿᵉᵈ

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However, no matter how good the coffee and cake was, the open atmosphere was undoubtedly the highlight of the day. I guess, if we had just a little bit of rain, then it would've been perfect.

Yet, as they say, there's no such thing as perfection...

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Sometimes it is the smallest things that saves us: the weather growing cold, a child's smile, and a cup of excellent coffee - Jonathan Carrol

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