Karachi Eats: The Noodle House, Dolmen Mall Clifton

Quite frankly, I love The Noodle House but it is a bit too pricey to be indulged in every now and then. However, their current lunch deal for Rs 799+ tax is quite stellar - a drink, starter and a main makes for a big lunch break. The service was also fantastic in spite of a full house.

Let's start with the starters.

Prawn Bags

Perfectly fried and stuffed with fresh prawns. I say fresh only because it's not rare to find smelly prawns in dishes. But the real perfection was to be found in the sweet chilly sauce.

Chicken Guilin with chilli mayo

This dish was a fantastic surprise. Thinly sliced, deep fried battered chicken served with a chilli mayo. The only trouble was two slivers of chicken does not really qualify to be a starter quantity even. Can we have at least three sliver please?

Thai Beef Salad

I am usually wary of Thai salads as they can be a bit too tangy to finish up. This Thai beef salad was high on the beef and low on the tangy factor - a good thing in my opinion.

Spicy chicken dumplings

I love dumplings which is why I am so scared of getting a set of cold, chewy dumplings. The last time I had dumplings at Dynasty Avari they were a nightmare. But we hesistantly ordered them at Noodle House anyway. Surprise, surprise .... they were soft, smooth and slippery. Two were not enough!

On to the Mains...

Chicken Chilli with Fried Rice

Standard chicken chilli. I have never really grasped the idea of 'chicken chilli.' I suppose each chef/cook can interpret it his/her way. In any case, it's a safe bet here at Noodle House. Not stellar but safe.

Crab fried rice with prawns

I am not an ardent fan of shellfish so I passed up on the crab. However, my sister who swears by her seafood told me that the crab chunks in the fried rice were fresh but the fried prawns on the side....not so fresh after all.

Sweet & Sour Fish with Fried Rice

Big. fat chunks of fish in a sweet and sour sauce that was not overpowering - and we all  know sweet and sour done wrong can be rather nasty.

Cashew Nut Chicken with Fried 

Basic soya sauce stir fry chicken recipe with crunchy cashew nuts thrown was my favorite dish of the day. The cashew chicken is my favorite thing to order at the Noodle House. And it is likely to appease palates that aren't always fond of Asian flavors.

Special shout out to THE BEST fried rice I have had in Pakistan. Soya sauce, egg, chopped vegetables and firm rice fried to perfection. This fried rice had actually been in a wok, unlike most other fried rice served in respectable 'Chinese' restaurants which is just a glorified 'pulao'.

So the final verdict: Noodle House is the closest Karachi has come to South-East Asian flavors. It still remains on the very pricey side of things. This Lunch Deal is good time to indulge in some Noodle House. Would I visit again? Yes.