Calendar: March

WED 25.3: MOVIE NIGHT – LOCK, STOCK & TWO SMOKING BARRELS. One of the most entertaining movies… ever. Free snacks and a movie trivia quiz. Show starts around 19:30.

FRI 27.3 [BIG DAY!]: EUROPEAN BRUNCH, BRIDGE TOURNAMENT & PUB TRIATHLON. Brunch from 11 to 13:30. 600 taka.

Baguette, Banderillas Of Pickled Onions & Olives, British Cucumber-Mint Sandwich Bites, Chilled Lettuce & Tomatoes, Platter Of Roasted Peppers, Roasted Garlic Cloves, Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Marinated Olives
Olive tapenade, Lemon-Basil Pesto, Balsamic Vinegar & Olive Oil
German Potato Salad, Mediterranean Chicken Salad
Spaghetti, Stuffed Peppers, Stuffed Tomatoes
British Scones, Swiss Chocolate Truffles

Bridge Tournament from 2 upstairs. 900 taka includes the European Brunch. Register today!

The Pub Triathlon: endurance, skill, mettle and determination. You and your teammate will join forces in the grueling events of darts, pool, and the pub quiz. Don’t worry if you want to join both the Bridge Tournament and the Triathlon – the Triathlon doesn’t start until 6.

SAT 28.3: 5-A-SIDE FUTSAL TOURNAMENT. 900 taka per player, evening BBQ included. Put together a team of up to 8 players, register via email, start practicing, and show up before 11:00.

Celebrating 30 Years

The BAGHA Club enjoyed a wonderful 30th anniversary celebration on Friday 6 March. Roughly 250 guests attended and enjoyed a performance by well-known band The Jazzy Chopsticks and DJ Simon. Mike Hughes, who will soon be leaving the country after 10 years, was our Master Of Ceremonies and offered some incredibly amusing statistics related to the Club's history: how many members have passed through our Club; how many beers have passed through our members; how many beers have passed through one former member, in particular.

Since then, the Club has started the new financial year with a series of enjoyable events. The very next day, live band Quarter-To played what just may be its final performance at the BAGHA Club, as we all enjoyed a wonderful Tex-Mex barbecue. The following Saturday, we watched Liverpool thump Manchester United on the big screen.

On Wednesday 18 March, a small group of members assembled for another Sampler Dinner, during which we tasted some of the new recipes that the kitchen staff have been working on:

Apple, Pineapple & Mint Juice
Cheddar, Leek & Potato Soup
Crispy Green Salad With Lemon-Garlic-Mustard Vinaigrette
Potato Skins With Salsa & Cumin-Garlic Yoghurt
Jamaican-Style Jerk Chicken With Pineapple Sauce
Chocolate & Cointreau Truffles

The food was fantastic, and we'll most definitely be seeing a return of the jerk chicken. Two days later, a dozen guests and members competed in another Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tournament, and the very next day, the Club hosted a Children's Day - mural painting, stocks & water sponges, drawings for the new children's menu, and food - as well as the return of the Brain Strain Trivia Quiz.

Each month, we'll try to post a calendar of events [see the following post].

Friday 6 March: 30th Anniversary Party

The BAGHA Club was established in 1979 by representatives of the Overseas Development Authority, now known as the Department for International Development [DfID]. On Friday 6 March, it will celebrate 30 years of rich, colourful history on its tennis court on road 44. We are expecting 250-300 visitors, who will enjoy some quick speeches about the Club and some amusing statistics [how many members have passed through the Club, how many beers have passed through our members, etc], followed by great music from The Jazzy Chopsticks at 9. Then at 11, DJ Simon will begin dance set that will include music from 1979 to the present. Somewhere in between, we'll be holding a raffle and giving away some truly wonderful prizes.

The BAGHA is here because of its staff and its members.  Some of them have been with us for the entire 30 years!  For those individuals, we will be giving away some special Ironman and Ironwoman prizes before the party time really kicks off.

We know you'll be hungry, so we'll set up a burger & hot dog [this ain't no ordinary fast food stand, though] that will be selling cheap, filling and fantastic foods throughout the night.  And, of course, veggie options will be available.

Tickets are on sale at our upstairs bar for 700 taka. Pick some up for you, your friends and colleagues. On the night, we'll be selling event t-shirts, the proceeds of which, along with the proceeds from the raffle ticket sales, will go to a charity that will be determined this weekend. Help us spread the word for the event, and help us generate funds for a good cause. If you'd like more info about the event, please call 881 4644 or email manager@baghaclub.com

~19:30 reception

~quick speeches from our honoured guests

~prizes for the longest-standing staff and members

~21:00 performance by The Jazzy Chopsticks

~raffle for some wonderful prizes

~23:00 DJ Simon dance set of music from 1979 to the present

~burger & hot dog stand

"Around The World" event a great success

Our Thursday 15 January "Around The World" event was a tremendous success, with nearly 300 attendees. Many, many thanks to the individuals who participated in a wonderful night:

• WSP for its sponsorship
• Conveyor Logistics for its sponsorship
• Emirates Airways for providing the grand raffle prize of two return tickets to Dubai
• Sabir Traders Limited for providing several fantastic raffle prizes
• Hiro Hisabayashi and her dance group, Salsa International Dhaka
• Mikey Leung for the photographs of Bangladesh
• SAR International for providing the T-shirts

Through the raffle ticket sales and t-shirt sales, we raised more than 70,000 taka for The Dhaka Project, a non-profit organisation that provides food, education, healthcare and shelter to slum-dwellers of the city. Within the next few days, we plan to hand a cheque over to the DP management.

Preparations are now underway for our next massive event: the 30th anniversary celebration, to be held on Friday 6 March.

More items for the upcoming restaurant menu

Last night, we hosted our first "Member In The Kitchen" dinner. 12 attendees tried samplers of new recipes that will all probably be added to the a la carte menu or weekly specials menus. Where possible, we tried to make best use of local, natural, fresh ingredients. Here's what was on offer:

Apple, Pineapple & Mint Juice

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Pumpkin, Lemongrass & Ginger Soup

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Green Salad With Pineapple-Honey Vinaigrette

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Prawns In Lime, Garlic & Coriander

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Spicy Chicken Shawarma With Mint Yoghurt

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Banana Spring Rolls