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Tag: BBQ

September 21 2020

Bufalo Grill, Glasgow

finnieston, Food, Steak alfiefoodwala, BBQ, burgers, chicken, comfort food, deep south, fried chicken, grill, pizza, rustic 0

515 Sauchiehall St, Glasgow
G3 7PQ
thebufalogrill.co.uk

Hey, Foodwala’s boys and girls…hope you are all safe and well.

Please remember to subscribe to the Alfie Foodwala Facebook and Instagram pages, tag, and please share with six people if you like this review, message me if you have constructive feedback.

If you would like to “Eat with Alfie Foodwala” please message me.

I love American Deep South Country music, much to the consternation of Benzy foodwalee and the wee nippers Foodwala’s

I love the life experience sadness of Johnny Cash and the lost love yearning of Lady Antebellum, the upbeat positivity of Shania Twain and Keith Urban with his modern-day ballads.

Then we have Florida-Georgia Line which appeals to the Millennials.

My all-time favorite is Tim McGraw and I love the song Humble and Kind.

The lyrics that get me every time go like…

“Hold the door, say “please”, say “thank you”
Don’t steal, don’t cheat, and don’t lie
I know you got mountains to climb
But always stay humble and kind
When the dreams you’re dreamin’ come to you
When the work you put in is realized
Let yourself feel the pride
But always stay humble and kind”

“Don’t expect a free ride from no one
Don’t hold a grudge or a chip and here’s why
Bitterness keeps you from flyin’
Always stay humble and kind”

That there is just the most thought-provoking and positive poignant sentiments, all the more relevant in today’s pandemic ravaged times.

We are in times of great change and flux, we have an opportunity to reset our behaviour and look out for each other and be the best versions of ourselves.

We can learn to “not sweat the small things” and be kind to each other.

Furthermore, we can move away from the evil that is Tripadvisor and its vindictive review system, and be kind to the hard-working waiting staff who are serving you.

Kindness and Empathy with the waiting staff is the ability to understand someone else’s situation, experience, feelings, and behaviors, and it’s the foundation of this concern. If you want to be generous towards or give feedback to someone, first you need to understand where they are and what they’re dealing with—the good and the bad. If you are not happy with the food or the service, please mention to them rather than being passive-aggressive and posting a 1 star on TripAdvisor.

There is a very wise saying

“If you want to know what a person is really like, check how they treat the waiter/waitress”

The way people treat restaurant staff is, I think, a kind of poker tell, revealing a person’s character in as long as it takes to say: “I’ll will have the Chicken Tikka Masala.” A man (or woman) who is actively unpleasant to waiters is best avoided. Ditto those who patronise them. Just as bad, though, are people who treat waiters as though they’re invisible. This is not, as these cretins seem to think, a sign of metropolitan sophistication. Do this, and you might as well be wearing a T-shirt that says: “I’m an over-privileged baboon: cold, rude and rather stupid.”

Moving swiftly on, This week we are in the wild west of Glasgow and we visited Bufalo Grill, It styles itself as a TexMex restaurant, but the interior is more IndoPak than TexMex.

We started off with the Bang Bang Prawns, It was the Bufalo Grill version of PF Changs Dynamite Prawns.

I think my expectations got ahead of me, I was expecting the PF Changs battered King Prawns smothered in creamy tangy rosemary sauce.

These prawns were quite underwhelming, the sauce was lackluster, I should learn to manage my expectations.

This was very disappointing, the store-bought Houmous and pitta bread and drizzled with Peri-Peri sauce from the cash and carry, a definite miss.

The Chicken Nachos were adequately passible, the tortilla chips were crispy, and the shredded chicken was in a sauce, however, it was missing the guacamole and the sour cream and the cheese was again the tasteless cash and carry version.

Next up were the Steaks, the grandly names Bufalo Special steak was the house sirloin smothered with spices and Molton cash and carry cheese, the steak itself was tender, but the cheese and spices were a wee bit overkill.

The Sides were mediocre, the fries were far from chunky and the sauteed vegetables were akin to a vegetable curry.

I asked for my T Bone steak to be medium-rare, charred on the outside and pink inside, and I got exactly that, which was top marks for the steak chef, the steak itself was rather greasy and grossly rather than marbled with buttery fat after all a delicious steak gets its taste from the fat marbling rather than the lean meat.

The peppercorn sauce was bland, I was expecting a creamy sauce with cracked Telichery black peppercorns, rather than ground black pepper. again I was expecting too much.

In Conclusion.

The starters at Bufalo Grill were mediocre at best, possibly there were too many items on the menu afterall you can’t be all things to all men

The steaks were average, however I suspect the clientele of Bufalo Grill are not steak connoisseurs so they don’t demand a better quality of Beef

The service was again adequate, not friendly nor was it frosty it was fine, except for a single passive aggressive occasion where the waiter brought the vegetables instead of the mash and proceeded to correct us, and we were charged £2.25 for the privilege.

The Star of the Meal?

At a stretch….passible the Bufalo Special Steak

The miss of the Meal?

Definitely the Houmous, and closely followed by the Bang Bang Prawns

Honorable Mention

So how did Bufalo Grill compare with its Halal Steakhouse peers?

If we were to compare Bufalo Grill with Cona Bradford and Zelman Meats London then it will be comparing the Champions League with Scottish Football, yes they kick a ball about but that is where the similarity ends.

I would say Steak Inn on Victoria Road has a better product than the Bufalo Grill and the staff is more friendly.

Halal Rating

The Chicken, Beef, and Lamb is confirmed 100% Halal

NO Alcohol is served on the Premises

NO Pork is served on the Premises

100% impartial Guarentee

Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonamously and pays for the bill like any other customer, Alfie Foodwala does not except free meals in return for meals

All reviews are the personal opinion of Alfie Foodwala based on his 30-year experiance as a restauraneur.

September 7 2020

Mrs Falafal, Glasgow

emirates, Food, LEVENT alfiefoodwala, arabic, BBQ, emirates, fast food, glasgow, grill, LEVENT, mediterranean, rustic 0

Hey, Foodwala’s boys and girls…hope you are all safe and well.

Please remember to subscribe to the Alfie Foodwala Facebook and Instagram pages, tag and share if you like this review.

Have you ever listened to a song and have been transported back to a specific time and place?

you can remember it like yesterday?,

you can remember the sights and smells?

the feelings?

I am not one to reminisce or wallow in nostalgia but the feeling was so strong and poignant.

The song in question is the Desert Rose by Sting and particularly the bit where he sings with a background of hauntingly entrancing Arab Ululating. and the lyrics

This desert rose
Each of her veils, a secret promise
This desert flower
No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this

And he sings the song while sitting in a Jaguar S Type, which coincidently what my brothers and I were driving at the time as well.

I was listening to Desert Rose, in my newly Delivered Mercedes and was reminiscing,

I all of a sudden felt like some of the cuisine of the Desert, so like a mirage of an Oasis,

I stumbled upon Mrs Falafal, a street food stand next to the Sainsburys petrol pump on Woodlands Road.

My curiosity was piqued so I decided to have a wee try

I kicked off the proceedings with some Robata Grilled Haloumi on a bed of Tabouleh, Humous and Baba Ganoush.

The Haloumi was soft and buttery with a delicious char on the outside, If the Haloumi is not cooked properly it can taste rubbery and devoid of flavour, this, however, was delicious and had a lovely salty zing to it.

I was not overly thrilled by the Tabouleh, but that is a not a shortcoming of Mrs Falafal Tabouleh but my own preference, however, the houmas was smooth and zesty and topped with pine nuts(a nice touch)

and the Baba Ganoush had an earthy lemony Aubergine meatness.

Next up was the Mrs Falafal signature Falafel bowl, the freshly made falafel was quite simply a revelation, they were pillowy soft herby centre with a delicious crispy crust, they were expertly made so they were not greasy nor were they stodgy… Top marks

The Falafel too were accompanied with some Humus, Tabouleh, Baba Ganoush and some salad, I would give the salad a miss if I as to order the bowls again.

The Lamb Kofta wrap was equally delicious, the koftas were cooked on the Robata grill and placed in the flatbread with some house chilli sauce and Iceberg lettuce and Buffalo tomatoes, The lamb Kofta was nicely spiced and with a bbq smokiness made a great addition to the wrap…definitely my star of the meal.

The Star of the Meal?

Definitely the Lamb Kofta Wrap, and closely followed with the Falafel.

The miss of the Meal?

The Tabouleh Salad and the bland house salad.

In Conclusion.

Mrs Falafal hit the right spot with fresh delicious Falafel and freshly made Lamb Kofta, The food was cooked in a cramp food cart with limited equipment and ingredients, by Syrian refugees who did not have chef training, but it definitely gave some restaurants a run for the Dirham.

the service was cheerful and informative, with a proper Arabic welcome and cheeriness.

Top marks for effort and authenticity.

Honourable Mention

So how did Mrs Falafal compare with the best of Marouch, on Londons Edgeware Road, or Abd El Wahab, Achrafieh, Beirut or Allo Beirut Dubai?

It was definitely a good effort, for a street food stand it punched above its weight

Halal Rating

Everything is Halal

Alcahol is not served

February 29 2020

Zelman Meats, London

Food, london, mayfair alfiefoodwala, BBQ, burgers, business, food, gourmet, grill, soho, steak 0

Hey, Foodwala’s…welcome to another tale of the trials and tribulations of Alfie Foodwala.

I have been busy judging amazing luxury hotels the length and breadth of Scotland for the Prestige Hotel Awards.

It has been a time of absolute wonder, the beauty of the west of Scotland is breathtaking, the mountains are majestic in their winter clothing, the lochs are serene in their elegance.

I have met passionate hoteliers and restauranteurs, who are creating magic with locally sourced ingredients.

I was eating a Halal Angus steak, which a certain hotelier had made a 200 round trip to purchase from a renowned Glasgow butcher and I discovered that the cattle were bred in the farm 300 yards from the hotel.

I appreciate the hospitality shown by the hotelier who not only sourced the Halal steak but also made sure that it was local, thus not compromising their vision of locally sourced ingredients.

I encountered this dedication and vision in the summer of 1984, I was in the darkest deepest Toba Tek Singh and I was with my grandfather and we were visiting his friend who was the local feudal landowner and the Chief Minister of Punjab.

We met at his farmhouse and the Chief Ministerwala showed us around his expansive farm but he lamented that his cattle looked emaciated, their coats were dull and the pin bone protruded from their hindquarters.

The C Mwala asked my grandfather why his imported Australian Brangus cattle looked proud and majestic, their coats shining and their size put local cattle to shame

My grandfather explained that you have to love your beasts, the feed should be the best possible, the cattle must be allowed to dip in their own plunge pool twice a day in the summer.

In the winter nights, the cows must sleep in a heated barn, each cow must be brushed and massaged after their pool dip hence why their coats were shiny.

The beats were allowed to roam without hindrance and he never used barbed wire so that their coats would not be damaged or caused any pain.

This is exactly the same ethos used by the Russian Oligarch, turned cattle farmer turned steak restauranteur, Misha Zelman.

Misha Zelman opened Zelamn meats in Soho so that he can properly honour his beasts who he raised so that they can provide sustenance for rich Londoners, my grandfathers, and Mr. Zelman’s passion and determination put the Vegan argument on its head.

Zelman Meats is a quirky take on the traditional steakhouse and the steak has the pride in place, from the prominent dry-aging cabined to the glass-fronted kitchen so that the cattle are honored for their sacrifice.

Mokkee Foodwala, Freud Foodwala and I kicked off the proceedings with the Beef Carpaccio, This is the acid test for a steak restaurant, the raw beef is cut thin as silk and then dressed with virgin olive oil and parmesan cheese, the carpaccio is an unforgiving dish, the beef has to be the absolute best and the taste actually comes from the marbling.

This was absolutely delicious, the paper-thin beef was melt in the mouth, the crispy shallots, and balsamic gave an additional nuance.

The light and crispy Tiger Prawns hit the spot, but what really caught my eye was imaginatively named the “holy f**k” mayo, apparently its the Zelman blended house mayo and it was creamily tangy and hot, an excellent accompaniment with the prawns.

The Canadian Lobster Croquettes were morish and tasty, there was actual meaty lobster in them, rather than some substitute which is the case with other establishments, the lobster mayo nailed it!!, I could have a plate of lobster mayo and triple cooked chips all day long.

Rib Eye from Australia (left)
£28
Sirloin from Canada (right)
£28

The main event did not disappoint, both steaks were cooked medium rare to showcase the meat, the marbling on the Rib Eye was nutty and buttery, the meat itself was juicy.

The sirloin also was cooked medium-rare, the meat was tender and soft and absolutely melt in the mouth, with a gorgeous crust on it.

top marks

The steaks were accompanied by the absolutely decadent black truffle chips, the crispy chips were drizzled with rock salt and shaved truffle, what a delicious flavour combination

In Conclusion.

Top marks for Zelman, the starters and steak was simply delicious, the menu was innovative and highlighted each steak area, each dish was executed with care and finesse

The service was efficient and friendly.

Top marks for the effort

the meat sweats are worth it!!

Honorable Mention

In my opinion, Zelman Meats was above excellent, yet slightly behind the superstar steak restaurants likes of Seafire, Dubai but better than Nusr-Et Dubai

Halal Rating

The Australian and Canadian Beef is certified HALAL,

Alcohol is served at the restaurant

Pork is on the menu

September 3 2019

Turkyie, Glasgow

Food, LEVENT, MEZZE alfiefoodwala, arabic, BBQ, business, citycentre, comfort food, gourmet, grill, LEVENT, mediterranean, merchantcity, middleeastern, rustic 0

97/99 Candleriggs,
Merchant City,
Glasgow, G1 1NP

Hey Foodwalas… Welcome to another tale of Alfie Foodwala

One of my most favorite cities in the world is Istanbul…the place is absolutely captivating, I love sitting on the balcony of the Four Seasons hotel in Sultanahmet, which incidentally was a prison and watching the ships politely waiting to cross the Bosphorus and the majestic Blue Mosque on the right with six minarets framing the picture-perfect view of the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn.

I also love the dark clouds who mournfully sit on top of the Bosperous like petulant gargoyles watching the ships slip effortlessly down the strait that divides Europe and Asia.

The gaze then falls on the enigma that is the Hagia Sofia, which charts the history of Istanbul from the godless Romans to the Christian crusaders and then to the Muslim Ottomans. in the distance is the Topkapi Palace where the Ottomans ruled their empire and equally contributed to the advancement of the trilogy of arts that is science, cuisine, and calligraphy.

The Old city of Istanbul feels like a time machine into the past and the feeling you get touching walls that are two thousand years old is truly humbling.

One the other hand I also love the juxstopition, across the Galata Bridge you abruptly enter the modern Istanbul, and Istanbul where Giorgio Armani boutiques rub shoulders with Lora Piana and Ferraris cruise the boulevards of Nisantasi and the fine young things sit in cafes and you could think you were in Paris or Milan.

The thing that connects the two opposing worlds together is the cuisine of Turkey, which amalgamates in Istanbul, the Kebabs of Adana and the seafood of Bodrum, the donnars of Anatolia with the fruit and nut Baklava of the Trabzonspor. They are all curated in the amazing restaurants of Istanbul, which was beautifully showcased by the great and late Anthony Bourdain.

This week the Foodwala jeeajunt sought out the newly opened Turkiye in the Merchant City.

We kicked off the proceedings with some hot mezze, The Lahmacun was delicious, thin-crust dough topped with seasoned ground lamb, the flavour was subtle yet noticeable.

The prawns in Halab sauce was equally good, fresh prawns were tossed in Halab sauce and sauteed with green peppers and mushrooms, the peppers were not too soft, just right and the sauce had a delicious ambiance about it, I would have happily eaten the prawns with some rice as the main course.

The Haloumi and pan-fried sojouk sausage was also a hit, the salty halloumi was cooked just right so it did not become rubbery while the spicy sojouk sausage countered the salty halloumi…yum

The Turkish Falafel was a little different from its Lebanese counterpart, apart from the sausage shape, the falafel mixture was more smooth, i preferred the Lebanese falafel with its crispy crust and the soft centre.

we loved the hot freshly baked balloon bread, i am sure it has a Turkish name but that is what we called it

The main event was next, The Adana Kebab, this is my favourite kebab the lamb mince was well proportioned with the white lamb fat so it was moist and juicy and also just enough spice as not to overpower the mince, unfortunately, they did not use tail fat in the mixture.

The Chicken cubes were lightly marinated and cooked over the mangal, the chicken could have been slightly more tender and moist, however, it could be just how the chicken fillet was cut.

The Salmon was delicious, it was firm yet flaky and was also lightly marinaded without overpowering and since it was cooked on the mangal it had a slight charcoal taste which was pleasant, the accompanying seafood jus was a nice touch and added another element to the Salmon

In Conclusion…

Turkiye was very pleasant and the food was fresh and well presented, the Adana kebab was well seasoned and cooked on a mangal which is absolutely mandatory.

we were looked after by Kamil and the service was excellent without being intrusive.

The food is authentic as the other two tables in the restaurant were Turkish, a definite sign of a good establishment.

July 30 2018

Absurd Bird, Glasgow

Food alfiefoodwala, BBQ, burger, burgers, chicken, citycentre, comfort food, country and western, deep south, fried chicken, glasgow, KFC, rustic, wraps 0

Absurd Bird
3 Nelson Mandela Place
Glasgow

Hey, Foodwala’s… A funny thing happened to me on the way to foodwala prospecting the other day, I was in the Fodwala mobile and I was listening to the William Prince song Breathless, its an amazing soulful country and western song and I actually had the most darndest out of body feeling.

When Mr Prince mournfully sang the lyrics

” And I find myself in memories…Still alive just behind my eyes…Seems the more I go leaving home looking for…What I need’s been buried in my soul”

I had the most vivid feeling that I was driving in a Jalopy along the great grassy plains in West Texas with this song on the radio, and the dark pregnant clouds promising rain in the distance

I have not been to Texas yet but the feeling was so vivid that it literally left me breathless.

When I told Mokee Foodwala of this he sagely remarked that possibly in my previous life I was a cowboy from Texas.

All this Halcyon Texan Melancholy left me wanting some low down southern fried chicken and I just happened to spot Absurd Bird just opened in Nelson Mandela Place.

As the Foodwala family walked in it felt we had walked into a Honky Tonk Roadhouse somewhere near San Antonio, Texas.

Johnny Cash was belting out the Boy named Sue in the background and the queen of country Dolly Parton was immortalised on the walls.

The menu was definitely an ode to all that’s great south of the Mason Dixon Line

We kicked off the proceedings with the BBQ platter of Buffalo flavour chicken wings and chicken tenders, the chicken was moist, tender, messy, flavoursome and any other adjective you can associate with delicious fried chicken.

The coleslaw was creamy and crunchy and the onion rings were oniony sweet and crispy.

Next up were nine fried Chicken tenders slathered in a tobasco BBQ sauce and accompanied with blue cheese dip, mustard mayo and my favourite lemon and parmesan.

The tenders were amazingly… well tender and the tobacco BBQ was the right balance of heat and tangy and when dipped into the cool cheesy dips it made the taste buds sing the Travis Tritt song Its great to be alive!!

I was looking forward to my main event of the evening… the fried chicken

The chicken was marinated in buttermilk for 24 hours before dipped in the breadcrumb and cooked twice, the fried chicken had a gloriously golden crust on it, which was perfect for picking it apart with your fingers and dipping in the BBQ gravy, the chicken itself was so tender but it was practically flash cooked by super hot steam in the batter and the breast meat was soft, silky and tender.

Tep Zepi Foodwala opted for the messy fried chicken burger, it was a layer of fried chicken and pulled chicken with hot cheese, sandwiched in a buttery brioche bun, It was the messiest burger ever but when Tep Zepi got down to business he remarked it was delicious while devouring the burger.

Moksters Foodwala continued the burger train of thought and hungrily went for the Nashville hot Burger, the fried chicken was smothered in the Absurd Xtreme hot sauce and tempered by the harissa mayo, gherkins and fried onions.

Mokee mumbled something about it being so good while the hot sauce and mayo dripped down his chin.

Bakree and Rarri Foodwalee’s reluctantly chose the Chicken Ceaser wrap after their first choice of chicken sliders were not available, they felt the fillings were boring and heavy on the salad element and could have been better if the chicken was spicy to counter the sweetcorn Ceaser salad.

They were not impressed, unfortunately.

trio of crack pie, peanut butter cheesecake and ice cream biscuit sandwich

I decided to Mollify the Diva Foodwalee sisters with some sugar, we ordered the most amazing Crack Pie, it was the sweet pie with toffee and clotted cream, I now know where it got its name…so addictive!!!!

The other two desserts were not bad but nothing compared to the Crack Pie.

In conclusion, Absurd Bird did exactly what it said on the tin, the Deep south food was delicious, messy and flavoursome.

It best to visit Absurd with close friends or family because the food is very hand on and you don’t want to hold back out of politeness or protocol.

The service was efficient and friendly.