If you have been a fan of Cilantro (or haven't been), you certainly will be an admirer of its sibling Coentro.
It's the same romantic ambiance, the small glittering lights yet with better taste. The menu is small but it has quite a few enormously delicious dishes that will make you want to come back time and again. Read on to find out what to try, what to re-order and what to shy away from (unless, of course, you have the courage to face a new culinary challenge).
Devour it
A few favourites that deserve to be devoured time and again
Churros Tk195
If there's one dish that can both shock and satisfy sweettooth's, it's Cilantro's churros. This sweet dish is a Spanish favourite made of long fried doughnut sticks that is later dipped into a bowl of warm chocolate sauce. Never before seen in Dhaka, and unusually addictive, think of long fried dough sticks that just crumble to your touch, and then melt in your mouth in spasms of sweet delight. This is the ultimate dream of sweet dishes. An absolute must try.
Fish and chips Tk475
When it comes to Cilantro's fish and chips you know that they mean business. Their fish-filets are all flesh and tenderness, wrapped in a thick, crispy golden crust. The chips are fat and they come with a lovely thick tartar sauce. Another dish worthy of being doggybagged.
Peruvian chicken Tk595
If you're looking for a chicken main course, this certainly is just it. It's slightly on the sweeter end, with tender chicken skin wrapped around the soft insides. This too comes with a choice of sides. Recommendations include the Spanish rice and the sauteed veg.
Try it
The ultimate middle ground for all things worthy of at least one tasting session
Calamari fritos with tartar sauce Tk395
If you're into calamari sides, you might just get infatuated with the calamari fritos. Fried to perfection, these chunky pieces go incredibly well when paired with their tartar sauce and the wedge of lemon. Albeit slightly pricey, the quality of the dish is good enough to order, especially if you're sharing the appetiser with two or even three.
Gambas Pil Pil (Prawn in olive oil) with italian bread Tk695
A sizzling hot, chilli -flavoured shrimp dish, the Gambas Pil Pil is essentially a platter of six garlicy prawns lying in a pool of hot olive oil. The beauty of this dish lies in its ability to give you a real kick of spices – garlic and chilli flavours are deeply infused in every fold of each of their tender fleshed shrimps. The crusty brown bread it comes with seems like the ideal addition, since you can use it to mop up some of that delicious oil! All in all, a killer, killer dish as far as taste is concerned, the only reason we don't want to doggybag but try it, is because of the serving size and the high price.
Poutine with gravy Tk250
Although their poutine is not like the ones we're used to (thin American style fries drowning in meat sauce and cheese), you can still find reason to enjoy it. Their thick-cut fries are dowsed lightly with meat sauce and drizzled with cheese. For Tk250 guess this rendition of the poutine seems fair.
Sirloin Steak Tk775
The sirloin steak is thick, and quite heavy on the palette but not because of the taste but more because of the quality of the meat. It comes with potato mash and any two sides from a choice of sauteed veggies, fries, Spanish rice, quail eggs and cuban beans. It's the rich sauce that uplifts the dish – it's sweet, spicy and tangy all at once, giving each bite the necessary kick.
Brave it
Dishes that often hit the spot and then don't
Spice Quail Eggs Tk75
An uncommon side dish the quail eggs can make you take one of two paths – you'll either love it or hate it. If you cringe at the idea of regular boiled eggs, you certainly won't like this quail counterpart, especially since it's served on a bed of sweet caramelised onions. However, if you're one that easily braves exciting dishes you'll love their take on quail eggs.
Cajeta rolls Tk195
These cajeta rolls are light and unforgettably flavourful. Made with sweetened caramelised milk, these dreamy rolls are placed atop a mini pile of peach crumble. The rolls alone are easy to fall in love with, but perhaps the peach crumble is not everybody's cup of tea.
Chicken wings with garlic butter sauce/kickin hot sauce Tk495
Chicken wings are usually considered to be the holy grail of every menu. They need to be perfectly fried, they need to be crisp and they need to pack a hot punch or they're just not wings. Cilantro's wings are a whole other world apart from what we expect. They're regular fried wings with a garlic butter sauce dipping or a kickin' hot sauce. While both the sauces are good on it's own, they don't really add much to the wings itself which may seem like a disappointment to us.
Gulp it Beverages that refresh
Aunk King Tk120
The Aunk King is a tamarind drink that is lightly sweetened to pack a refreshing punch. For both the price and the taste, it's definitely worthy of a try.
Dirty gold Tk175
An olive flavoured drink, this too, is an amazing rendition of olive juice. Not too rich or too sweet, the Dirty Gold is made just right.
Berrytastic (Strawberry milkshake) Tk450
If there ever was a to-die-for thick, frothy strawberry milkshake then this is it. The ultimate king of strawberry shakes, this one's so thick and so absolutely dense, one sip and you'll be croaking from a sweet coma. The only downside (quite a large one at that) it the astronomical price. Tk450 for a milkshake can hardly ever be justified, no matter how phenomenal the shake itself.