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.

   

Islamabad Eats: Kabul

Islamabad eats Kabul. Geddit? I will stay away from political commentary and stick to what I know best - food! Kabul Restaurant in Islamabad had been on my 'to eat' list for a while but for some reason, I kept missing it. Luckily, on my last two trips to Islamabad I was staying right next to it and it was kind of impossible to miss it.

Located in F-7 or otherwise known to visitors as Jinnah Super (right?) - Kabul is not fancy but more of an old Karachi style eatery like Subhani Chulo Kabab and the like. Here's what to order at Kabul....

Beef manto! An extension of my love for the Nepali momo! Minced beef stuffed dumplings topped with channa dal and a tangy yogurt. Ask your waiter to serve them hot - because mine were served a bit not-hot-enough. A plate of 8 dumplings go for Rs 300.

The humble 'baingan'/eggplant is my new found love. 'Burani' is very similar to a Pakistani 'baingan ka bhurta'. It is a simple tangy eggplant mash with lots of tomatoes and topped with yogurt. Rs 250 for this plate. Good to be shared between three people as a side dish.

Ah! The legendary Afghani tikka. Sexy, succulent and simple pieces of barbecued meat and.... fat. It is one of the most flavorful dishes I have ever had (and not just at this establishment) - whether it's in Kabul, Islamabad or Karachi. There's got to be a secret to making such great meat! 12 skewers cost Rs 410 - good for two big eaters.

There's also Afghani kababs to be tried. I did not fill up any stomach space with naan - so order bread wisely- the meat is quite stellar. There also seems to be roasted chicken available which looked rather tempting but we were too stuffed to try anything else.

Kabul is affordable and delicious. It's also a fun place to hang out, some how. On my first trip there with a Filipino friend, we promptly made friends with some Egyptian patrons. The next trip was a girly Sunday lunch and the staff was rather helpful with our changing orders and questions.

Don't give Kabul a miss in favor of fancier Islamabad eateries. Kabul is hot, hot, hot.

Karachi Eats: Fatburger

Yayy! Another burger joint comes to Karachi - and this time we beat Lahore to it.

American fast food restaurant chain Fatburger launched it's first Pakistani outlet in Dolmen Mall Clifton, Karachi yesterday (January 4th)  with an invite only/media/celebrity guest list. Located on the top floor of the mall with the rest of the restaurants and food court, Fat Burger was packed! Packed like a can of sardines! I couldn't really get a feel (or a close) look at the decor because of the crowd - so I diverted all my attention to the food....

Skinny + Fat Fries

The Skinny Fries was golden, crisp and just beautiful - is there anything better than the perfectly fried and salted potato chip? I think not. The Fat Fries were a bit too fat to be crispy enough for my taste - but definitely a more bodied chip than the Skinny one. My vote goes to the Skinny Fries!

Onion Rings

I don't like onion rings to begin with. I wish I could enjoy the crisp golden batter with the sweet, most onion in it - but deep fried onions are not my kinda food. 

The main event! Beef Fat Burger!

I can safely admit that I really, really like the Fatburger beef burger. The lettuce was fresh and crunchy, the pickles weren't over powering, the tomatoes were firm and didn't make the burger soggy. As for the beef itself, it was lean and full - just good old fashioned MEAT! I liked the fact that the mustard and sauce weren't dripping out of the burger of my mouth. I hate unnecessarily messy burgers - there is no reason, really. Although, I could have done with more cheese in the burger. All in all, that's a thumbs up for Fatburger!

I picked up a copy of the Take Out menu but sadly there were no prices on it. So here goes:

The Fatburger - Fresh ground, grilled beef with options of single, double and triple patties with a choice of free condiments - lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard, relish, onions and pickles. It seems you can ask for BBQ sauce, grilled onions and jalapenos 'on request' - not sure what that means? Add ons to the burger include - egg, bacon (I'm assuming beef or turkey bacon), Cheddar or Swiss cheese or chilli.

Jalapeno Fatburger - chilli mayo, lettuce, tomato, jalapenos and beef patty on a toasted bun. 

Jalapeno Chicken - Chilli mayo, lettuce, tomato, jalapenos and crispy chicken patty on a toasted bun.

Western BBQ Fatburger - Beef patty with BBQ sauce, Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato on a toasted bun.

Chicken Sandwich - choose from a grilled, crispy or a spicy Cajun patty.

Turkey burger - Turkey patty grilled on a whole wheat bun

Veggie burger - Soy patty on a whole beat bun

Sides:

Fat Fries

Skinny Fries

Chilli Fries

Chilli Cheese Fries

Homemade Onion Rings

Chicken Nuggets

Jumbo Chilli Dog

Fatwings

Fat Chicken Salad

Bacon and Egg Sandwich

Chicken Strips

Milkshakes & Drinks:

Ice-cream shakes: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and cookies and cream

Sodas

Lemonade

Hot Tea & Green Tea

Coffee

Phew!

I love American food. I really do. Simple, flavorful and feel-good. And it seems like Fatburger is bringing some healthier options to the fast food scene in Pakistan too with the salad and turkey and veggie burgers. 

I can't wait to try the full menu!

Fatburger opens for public today in Karachi. 

FATBURGER!

Karachi Eats: Gardenia at Port Grand

Port Grand has quite a few eateries that I often walk past and wonder 'I wonder how their food is' but never really to dare to venture in there, especially when they're empty! Gardenia was lucky to catch me at a weak time. I was craving Khao Suey like the deserts miss the rain. Gardenia was serving it. I walked in....

Golden Khao Suey

Isn't that beautiful? After my initial cravings for Khao Suey were satisfied, I was a little bit less impressed. The curry was rich but lacking that extra zing. I wanted more crispy bits served separately - putting them in the bowl makes them soggy in a few minutes. Priced at Rs 350 a bowl, there should have been more chicken and noodles with that curry.

On the upside, this is the only commercial khao suey I've had that's served with boiled egg - like we do at home! Regardless, khao suey is a welcome addition to Port Grand cuisine.

However, the other food served at Gardenia is best avoided. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Crumbed chicken breast

tWhat a disappointing plate of food. The crumbed chicken breast was pretty much just a film of chicken with lots of crumbs. The dipping sauce seemed to be soya sauce. The side salad had an odd slice of deep fried eggplant. The whole thing really confused the kids and myself. Crumbed chicken is so easy to get right and this was all wrong...

Masala Dossa

I know and love my South Indian food. The dossa was not crisp enough - it was stretchy and chewy. It's a dossa, not a naan. And do you see the size of the serving of the chutneys? TOO LITTLE

The service at Gardenia was also rather slow and we were the only people there! Thumbs up for the khao suey on a winter evening by the sea. For anything else on the menu, please don;t do it.

Not-So-Simple Dimple

Asian food is my comfort food but it's still risky in Karachi. In your head you might have expected satay but what's on the dish is a generic grilled chicken on a skewer. Simple Dimple Khao Suey Palace deliveries are all the rage among the ladies in my office - Asian salads, soups, khao sueys, satay (like the one described earlier). However, Simple Dimple still does a great job of soothing the office worker's soul.

Last week, I ordered the Chicken and Mushrooms in Oyster sauce. 

It's really easy to over-salt anything cooked in oyster sauce. This was perfectly salted and flavored. Simple oyster sauce and a hint of chilli with sliced garlic. But the very art of balancing the 'caramel' flavour of the sauce with the garlic and chilli, so none over powers the other is not quite so easy - but Simple Dimple has 'balance' down to an art.  The dish was generous on the fresh mushrooms - which is fantastic - and a few of the canned button variety thrown in too. The mushrooms were still moist and chewy.

The chicken, however, was not as stellar as the mushrooms. I fear its yet another case of the rampant eatery affliction called 'general chicken' (name coined by me, of course). General Chicken is exactly what the name implies - cooked in a generic fashion to fit any kind of chicken dish. In this case, the chicken did not taste like garlic, chilli and oyster sauce. It tasted like the basic stir fry chicken marinade of soya sauce, a flour rub and maybe some garlic. I felt that the ingredients did not have to get to know each other. Perhaps the chicken was just mixed in right at the end for a few seconds? More power to the chicken, please?

Also, the dish costs Rs 300. Which is fair. What's unfair is the steamed rice that costs Rs 100. And I'll let the reader decide if the delivery charge of Rs 100 is fair.

Latest Lasagna In Town!

After a really long, hard day at work (one that ends at 9 pm) , a friend/colleague and myself headed to our go-to-comfort-zone - Espresso on Shahbaz. I love pasta - pasta can do no wrong (unless the pasta has been done wrong). Looking at the chalkboard with the new additions to the menu, the obvious choice was the newly launched lasagna!

Looks fantastic, right? So first fork in to the dish and there is a clear absence/extreme lack of the any kind of sauce - red or white. But the pasta is perfectly cooked - nice and chewy. The minced beef is a little under-cooked and under-flavored for my taste. However, there was lots of sticky, stringy cheese on top which sort of redeemed the dish. But here's the confusing part, when I finished eating I wasn't quite as upset about the lasagna - blame it on a long day and hunger. Maybe it was meant to be a healthy lasagna - no decadent sauces and all that. But seriously, why wasn't my lasagna overflowing with the hot, sticky, deliciousness that is lasagna. Priced at Rs 375 with a good helping for any appetite, it's a reasonable buy.

Also, please don't serve me stale garlic bread. Just don't serve it at all.

The strawberry ice really hit the spot though. Better luck with the lasagna, Espresso!

Chairman Mao, we have a problem....

I love Chinese food. Hainanese, Sczehuan, Hokkein, Pakistani - pretty much every kind of Chinese works for me.  Chairman Mao Chinese food delivery is one of the best loved (and most expensive) ones in Karachi. After being a delivery only place for a long time, Chairman Mao is now a dining venue too - at Port Grand.

 Above is the entire spread we ordered for four people - egg fried rice, beef chilli with vegetables and American chop suey.With any kind of food, I love it or I hate it - but Chairman Mao at Port Grand left me indifferent. It definitely wasn't good, and not horrible either. Which is strange because I don't know if i I will ever be going back there.

Beef Chilli with Vegetables

Beef has never been so boring. Onions, cabbage, carrots, bla bla - it doesn't really matter because there was no real 'chilli' in the dish. It was like hospital food, with soya sauce of course. It was quite bland and unexciting.

American Chopsuey

I've never been a fan of chop suey and this one at Chairman Mao made sure things stayed that way. Cabbage, onions, chicken and carrots - all sliced up and probably cooked in that ketchup concoction that is characteristic of tacky Chinese cooking in Pakistan. The only thing worth eating in this dish were the crispy fried noodles. Even the egg wasn't fried pretty enough to eat.

Chairman Mao, what can I say? My mother does Chinese food better than you. I think the Port Grand outlet needs an intervention. 

A Very Cool Koel Experience

11 am dates/outings are not exactly my thing-to-do on a weekend morning but I was in for a pleasant surprise at Koel Cafe and Gallery. Having been there for lunch and dinner, yet the morning experience was really quite pleasant. I like to eat and talk in fairly empty places and this was just perfect!

Tamarind Sherbat

When living in Malaysia, I used to drink bottled tamarind juice almost every day. It's supposed to be a great  way to beat the heat and for your skin too! What a delicious way to stay beautiful! The tamarind cooler at Koel had a desi twist to it with some roasted zeera thrown in and a mint leaf. When I first saw the zeera floating in the drink, I imagined that horrible 'kala namak' taste that many of us feel MUST be used in fruit drinks. However, the drink had none of that horrible taste - it was sweet and tangy at the perfect temperature! Priced at Rs 150, I wish the serving was bigger though! Firstly, because you can never have too much of it! Second, because it's really cheap to make.

The waiter told us that besides the regular menu, there was breakfast available as well - pancakes and some seven types of omlettes! But we opted for a fun salad to share instead - the Tangy Green Salad with Chicken.

Tangy Green Salad with Chicken

So many colors, so many flavors, so many textures! So much love! I love trying new salads so this was definitely a great idea! The toasted sesame added flavour and texture. The oriental-ish chicken chunks were hot and sweet at the same time. It took me a while to discover the water chestnuts - for some reason the chicken was on one side of the plate and the water chestnuts were on the other side. The peas didn't quite fit into the whole scheme of the salad but what the hell, it was a beautiful Saturday morning and I was feeling particularly good. The dressing was sticky sweet and lacked a bit of kick that I feel is important to an oriental salad - some crushed chilli perhaps? Priced at Rs 350, the serving was huge and more than enough for two people.

All in all, Koel on a Saturday morning was a great idea, especially with a good friend and a reasonable soundtrack. However, we could do with better music. The cool shade of the leafy canopy and the big fans kept the temperature under control, especially outdoors. I have a feeling my mother will love Koel. Next weekend, perhaps?

Lunch @ 76

It's very rare that I get to go out for lunch - either I'm at work or too lazy. It was one of those rare days that my sisters and I decided to get away from work and treat ourselves at Cafe 76 - located on Old Clifton. We had been there for dinner before and assumed that the road would be just as sleepy in the day time. We were wrong - give yourself an extra ten minutes at lunch time to make room for the school traffic. The place was really quiet, which is kinda nice, with the right soundtrack.

We're not really into starters but ordered the Mozarella sticks any way. Perfectly golden fried and just the right temperature. Hot enough to be smoking but not enough to burn off my taste buds that hot cheese is capable of doing. Sorry, I didn't take a picture of the Mozarella sticks but they're worth a try.

Jalapeno Chicken with Gratin Potatoes

Two generous, fleshy chicken breasts made for a big portion of Jalapeno Chicken. The creamy cheese and Jalapeno sauce was just right - without those big pieces of Jalapenos. The Jalapenos were chopped and worked into the sauce - which is much better. There's no way I can consume those big Jalapenos, but I love the kick. The chicken was cooked to perfection, not too soft, not too tough. However, with such a spicy entree I would've preferred vegetables on the side. I love potatoes but......steamed vegetables would be nice too.

Penne Arrabiata with Chicken

Pasta is a staple for us - good pasta is definitely the way to a woman's heart. But maybe that just comes with being an Italian man. However, this is a food blog, and I will stay on topic. The Arrabiata sauce was angry alright. It's a good thing my sister asked for chicken to be added to the dish, otherwise it might have been too spicy. Also, what's up with restaurants only serving one piece of garlic bread with entrees - come on guys, two's company - especially when taking on a spicy dish like this one.

Pink Pepper Chicken

The Pink Pepper Chicken was by far the most superior dish we tried at Cafe 76. Delicate yet complex flavors. The chicken breasts were stuffed with feta cheese and chicken and drizzled with a sauce of whole pink peppercorns and roasted bell peppers. The chicken teases your palate with a little dance of flavors as you chew through it. The really flavor explosion is in the sauce! Peppercorns go boom in your mouth! Not sure what the technical terms are to explain these flavors but this dish is a MUST try at Cafe 76.

Besides the food, I was most pleased with the service and the staff. Polite, helping and not too intrusive. All in all, a lovely afternoon experience at Cafe 76. Can't wait to take my mom there!

Kuala Lumpur Eats: Jalan Alor

Kuala Lumpur is a popular holiday destination for Pakistanis. And pretty much my favorite city in the whole world, followed closely by New Orleans and Cairo. Malaysia, in general, and Kuala Lumpur particularly is a food lover's paradise. Few cities can replicate the variety, verve and the very culture of eating out the way Kuala Lumpur can. Food is cheap, delicious and aplenty! Name the food and you'll get it....

If you've been to KL, you've been to Jalan Bukit Bintang - the main artery of the tourist hotspot of the city. Bukit Bintang is lined with hotels, malls, restaurants and cafes. But right behind the BB road is the glorious Jalan Alor.

But this post is dedicated to the famous/infamous dried chilli chicken on Jalan Alor. It is a bit hard to name stalls on Jalan Alor, unless you can read Chinese - but surely you can ask around. Here's what it looks like:

Can you find the the bits of crisp, tender boneless chicken in the blazing red of the fried chilli? This chicken is unbelievably hot - like fire in your mouth. Perhaps, this is what created the fire breathing dragons of the Orient. The chicken is deep fried in some kind of batter and then re-fried with the chilli. The chicken retains its juiciness and surpisingly you can still taste the chicken with all the chilli! We ordered a side of slivered potatoes cooked in the same style. The potatoes are served with less chilli but it really doesn't help put out the fire in your mouth. Order some greens and tofu and plain rice to put out the fire.

My mother would not touch this dish with a ten-foot pole but as a true desi I loved it! However, you MUST visit Jalan Alor if you're in KL - try the dried chilli chicken at your own risk. It is advised to follow up the fiery meal with ice-cream to avoid unpleasantness morning after. This could be a walk of shame for those with a weak palate and stomach.

Must Have Meat in Cairo

Some of the richest, most delicious food I have experienced was in Cairo. Heavy helpings of meat, lots of bread and even more starters to go with it - hummus, baba ganoush and turshi (pickled vegetables). And lots and lots of ful beans!

The best food you can find in Cairo is the Maidan-el-Hussein and the adjoining Khan-el-Khalili bazaar. Although the bazaar food is bound to be a little bit more expensive and dodgy. Maidan-el-Hussein is home to the shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) - son of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The areas around it include lots of traditional Egyptian restaurants. I visited the area with my friend Muhammad Sheleep, a local journalist and Mazin Al-Yasery, an Iraqi journalist. Exhausted after our excursion to the pyramids of Giza, we arrived at el-Hussein square. Dusty, hungry and tired. Head for the restaurant on the far left as you enter through the gates of el-Hussein to find all the food heavenly food described below.

Starting with the starters of course - with servings big enough to be mains! That's hummus, baba ganoush, greens and the 'orange' sticks are turshi (pickled vegetables). And a pile of bread. The hummus was actually lighter and less' thick' than we get in restaurants here in Karachi. However, the turshi is a bit of an acquired taste. Try not to fill up with the starters, because coming up is.....

Glorious, hot, moist, steaming meat on a bed of greens. All made of lamb meat, mind you. It's lamb or nothing when it comes to meat in Egypt. And I won't contest that because this food was fine! The names were familiar but a little mixed up. The 'kofta' was what we call a seekh kabab here. The 'kabab' was lamb chops. The 'resh' was what we call 'boti'. All the meat was very lightly spiced but very tasty. I think it was more about how it was cooked as opposed to the ingredients. Fresh, simple ingredients made for a fantastic meal. Loved by locals and tourists alike.....

Make sure to follow up this gorgeous meal with mint tea and lots of walking around in the bazaar. Egypt is delicious! Thanks Mom for helping me blend in with Egypt!