Little Bangladesh? Want more info!

[pwrightmartin]

There's an article in the LA Times about Little Bangladesh in K-town. Anyone know about the restaurants?

I found this 2007 post about Makkah:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8150...

Is Makkah still good? Any other restaurants in the area that people recommend? Thanks.

[condementia]

It's been a while since the OP requested info but I just came across the thread today. Here are a couple of other places...I agree with sku that it's hit-or-miss. Although, I do find the sweets at Aladin to be fairly good most of the time. If you want to try the sweet yoghurt, make sure to ask for it in the clay pot as that tastes better than the one they serve in the foil containers.

To clear up some of the confusion, Bangladesh used to be a part of India (referred to as East Bengal) and then it became a part of Pakistan (East Pakistan). It gained independence in 1971 and, as such, no part of it is in India. West Bengal is a state in India and you will find Bengalis there as well as in Bangladesh. "Bengali" refers to both the people and the language and in Bengali, the word "bangla" refers specifically to the Bengali language and the word "desh" means country/land. Hope this helps.

Aladin
139 S. Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
ph: 213-382-9592

Swadesh
4153 West 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90020-3446
[phone]

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Swadesh
4153 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90020

[apple7blue]

Well the British tried to partition Bengal (Bengal (Bengali: বঙ্গ Bôngo, বাংলা Bangla, বঙ্গদেশ Bôngodesh or বাংলাদেশ Bangladesh) before independence. Pakistan used to be a part of India itself before partition. Technically a political nation named Bangladesh didn't exist until 1971 and no part of that would be in India. I think as we are especially concerned with cuisine on Chowhounds, the food in Bengal is the same between Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. Does this restaurant have Bengali food or not?

[suvro]

I am a Bengali from Calcutta, the capital of state of West Bengal in India. I have not been to Makkah - so I don't know if it serves Bengali food or not.

The Bengali food of Bangladesh and West Bengal have major differences, though there is also some overlap. Many Bengalis in West Bengal migrated from current area known as Bangladesh (before, during, and after partitions) - so that explains some of the overlaps.

But for me as a West Bengal Bengali, the Bangladeshi food served in restaurants here are NOT the same as we eat at home. It is much more oily, and most gravies taste the same with the same muddy texture. There is also a paucity of the wide variety of vegetarian cooking that is native to that eastern part of South India - the chechkis, chochhoris, dalnas, dums, ghontos, labras, shuktos, etc.

I have been to Aladin - it does serve Bangladeshi food with the above caveats. I have not been to Swadesh, but I have been to another Bangladeshi grocery-store-cum-restaurant (these all are) - it used to be called Deshi - but has a different name - see http://www.yelp.com/biz/deshi-food-an...

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Swadesh
4153 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90020

[Joani Macaroni]

Thanks for the explanation suvro, apple7blue, & condimentia - it has been fascinating!

[The Chowhound Team]

We've split the Bengali food discussion to General Topics, because it's really cool and will definitely benefit lots of hounds from all over, not just LA. The link is: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7289...

[echoparkdirt]

Just went to Swadesh. The beef patty was wonderful -- well spiced with a flaky pastry exterior. Samosas also great, with a fine potato mash inside. Cheap, and they have a small sit down area. Most dishes are displayed, but I think I saw some stuff come out of the kitchen that wasn't on display, no menu of course. Worth stopping by

[sku]

Makkah is good, but as aventinus states, even though the owners are Bangladeshi, they hew more toward Bengali Indian style food. Most of the K-Town Bangladeshi food is served out of the steam tables in the Bangladeshi markets as opposed to more formal sit-down restaurants. There are a number of them on Third street between Western and Normandie or so.

My experience with these places has been pretty hit or miss. Often, the food is excessively greasy, but there are a few good dishes I've had here and there. I've liked some of the places but have yet to find one that is extraordinary.

[apple7blue]

Aventinus's post made sense to me, but I am not sure what sku is saying. Bangladesh means country of bengalis, so that they serve Bengali food would be unsurprising to me. Half of Bengal or bangladesh is in India. It seems like aventinus was saying the opposite of sku, in that the food isn't Bengali but North Indian/Pakistani.

[aventinus]

It's pretty good. It doesn't seem all that Bengali to me. Seems like North Indian/Pakistani. There's a poster of Bangladesh on the wall though. They have very good breads, biryanis, and tandoori dishes.