Nirob-the ultimate student hub!

Naziba Basher
Photo: Kazi Tahsin Agaz Apurbo

When days go by in a hurry starting from waking up early in the morning, then rushing off to pack bags with books to waiting for hours in traffic in a car or a CNG, doing some last minute studying for a quiz, nothing is better than some good fulfilling food to gear up and get things done.

Nirob, situated in Namiz Uddin Road in Old Dhaka, is said to have its name from the concept of helping humanity in silence, hence the name, Nirob! Now, when the question of how they are 'helping humanity' is asked, the only reply is…their delicious food!

Nirob is THE place for the bhaat and bhorta lovers.

They have around 40 different types of bhortas which happen to be their speciality. Starting from the basic alu, tomato, begun, seem, daal (not costing more than 10 to 15 takas) to the special chingri, shutki and more (costing around 25 to a maximum of 40 takas). “Their bhortas remind me of home. Since my family lives out of Dhaka, I used to miss my mom's cooking. Then my friend introduced me to Nirob and now it is almost like I am eating home everyday!” says Durjoy Alam, a student.

Apart from these scrumptious mashes, the mutton khichuri and chicken biryani costs only around 80 to 100 takas and are nothing but mouth-watering.

They also have a wide variety of curries to offer if one chooses to go beyond the bhortas and bhajis. Their chicken curry, beef curry, brain masala, liver curry and more will cost one only 60 to 80 takas.

Nirob is open from 11.30 in the morning to 11.30 at night. Since most of their customers choose Nirob for lunch, their busiest hours start from 1 o'clock in the afternoon going up till 4 o'clock in the afternoon. During the night, Nirob keeps one section open for those who want to grab a quick and cheap dinner. “Even though most people come here for lunch, I choose to have dinner here very often too and I am glad they keep a section open for those of us who cannot get enough of their food,” says Towsif Mahmud, a student.

Nirob has been serving people with quality food at a considerably cheap rate for 60 long years now. Students from Dhaka University, Dhaka Medical College and Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology (BUET) are constantly dropping by at the restaurant for their favourites while students from other school, colleges and universities nearby also choose Nirob above everything else. “My friends and I are always dropping by at Nirob for lunch time from university. They serve the purpose of a fulfilling lunch more than any other place. Their food is delicious and since the place is not too big, I find their environment very cosy for a bunch of university students to just hang out and eat,” says Sumaiya Rahman.

“They have an amazing paan store downstairs that I think serves the best paan in town. It is the perfect sort of refreshment after having a satisfying meal at Nirob!” says Riasat Islam, a student and regular customer of Nirob.

Apart from their delicacies and extra-ordinarily delicious meal, there are other perks for students to enjoy. Tahmina Khan, another student and a regular visitor, says, “The best part about Nirob is the fact that they do not charge the students with value added tax. They pay the VAT on their own. It is a great thing to do for students who are not always loaded with cash.”

Nirob is, evidently, the ultimate student hub. When in doubt, there is always Nirob to save the day!