Tag: chicken tikka

July 14 2025

Mera Lahore, Edinburgh

Food, pakistani food alfiefoodwala, chicken tikka, chicken tikka masala, comfort food, edinburgh, glasgow, rustic 0

Mera Lahore
26/27 Haddington Pl, Edinburgh EH7 4AF

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جس لاہور نہیں ویکھیا او جمیا ہی نہیں
“He who hasn’t seen Lahore, hasn’t been born.”

I arrived with Mrs Foodwala and Noma at Coco’s Den, in the Lahore Fort, just as the sun began to slip behind the pastel ochre-hued rooftops of old walled Lahore. The air was thick with the scent of history, mystery and woodsmoke, and then, as if on cue from the set of Wes Anderson, the Maghrib azaan drifted from a nearby Badshai Mosque, lonely at first, then answered one by one in a haunting cascade of calls from the city’s minarets.

Time slowed. The rickshaws paused. Even the crows bowed their heads to God’s majesty and seemed to hold their breath. The last rays of sunlight clung to the tips of the domes and minarets like reluctant devotees, unwilling to let go. For a moment, it felt as if Lahore wasn’t a city, but a memory you were somehow still living inside.

That memory flickered again at Mera Lahore in Edinburgh.

This eatery describes itself as a homage to the beautiful city of Lahore…shall we see if it lives up to it?

Flat, fierce, and unapologetically proud of its NWFP origins. But here at Mera Lahore, the chapli kebab was seasoned with confidence, cooked with care, and blessedly moist. Loved it. Originally, the chapli kebab is over-seasoned to mask the questionable quality of the lamb or beef, not the case here.

Moist chicken in a well-seasoned batter. But the portion? Stingy. A pakora should arrive like a generous, well-endowed Lahori, not like a tight Karachi walla.

Sadly, the chaat brought nothing to the party. Over-reliant on potatoes, with chickpeas that felt like reluctant guests and just a whisper of store-bought chaat masala, just filler.

Lahori Butt Chicken Karahi
£14.95
4 out of 10

Like Frank Pentageli said in The Godfather.. Your father did business with Hyman Roth; he respected Hyman Roth… but he never *trusted* Hyman Roth!

The Butt Karahi bubbled like a street-side argument in Anarkali—oily, masala-fused, and theatrical. But the flavour? Flat. A generic bhoona pretending to be a Butt Karahi. None of the ginger-snap or tomato tang you’d expect. A missed opportunity. So disappointed

Butter chicken? ….really?…More like a chasni. Sweet, creamy, and criminally off-mark. A curry in borrowed robes. Trading Standards should be alerted.

Like dad used to say…fur coat and no Knickers!!….

The Mix Grill was visually regal, like something carried into a Mughal court. But the substance didn’t match the style. Dry lamb seekh, leathery tikka, chicken wings straight out of a freezer aisle. Only the chicken kebab and tikka showed a spark. and all marinated in a very generic masala and only the kebabs felt fresh rest was reheated….way off

In Conclusion

The Mera Lahore is dirty, the toilets are filthy, the dining area is filthy, and the staff put cutlery on the chairs!! I am not being mean and vindictive, but the hygiene is seriously lacking

The food has had a flavour bypass; however, the chapli kebab was delicious, so all is not lost.

The service was very hit and miss, the young lady was accommodating in our requests and polite and with a smile so top marks with that, however her coulegues was grumpy, unkept and to be honest a wee bit sarcasticic. so the young lady’s hard work was undone by the young mans shurliness.

Star of the Meal

That accolade goes to in my humble opinion, to the Chapli Kebab, tasty, moist and well seasoned, desi style.

Honourable Mention

Since Mera Lahore is a Lahori/Pakistani canteen. So it has an enviable niche position, which it does not leverage

In the Food stakes, we have Yadgar, in Govanhill and Kebab Mahal in Edinburgh offering Desi home-style cooking. Further afield, we have Tayabbs in London and even Butt Karahi in Lahore

Halal Rating

Lamb and Chicken is HALAL

No Alcohol is served

100% impartial Guarantee

Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer. Alfie Foodwala does not accept free meals in return for reviews.

May 12 2024

Ottoman Coffee House, Glasgow

finnieston, Food alfiefoodwala, arabic, BABA, chicken, chicken tikka, chicken tikka masala, comfort food, glasgow, mezze 0

Ottoman Coffee Shop
73 Berkeley St.,
Glasgow G3 7D

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“.Yeniçeriler yemekleriyle ünlüdür. Belki bir tatmak istersin?… Suleiman the Magnificent

Janissaries are famous for their cooking. Perhaps you’d like a taste?

I was standing on the Eminonu Ferry on the shores of the Bosphorous, as I looked back on shore a Turkish Poem flashed into my head

“I looked at you from another hill, dear İstanbul! I know you like back of my hand, and love you dearly. Come, come and sit on my heart´s throne as long as I live , Just to love a district of yours is worth a whole life.”

As you can imagine Istanbul sits in a special place in my heart, I was visiting Istanbul with Ralfy Foodwala and we decided to go for a walk in the old winding streets of Sultanamhat, as we wondered the centuries old streets around the Topkapi palace and Four Seasons Hotel which incidentally was the infamous prison in Midnight Express in its previous life.

As we crossed the Hajia Sofia square we decided to stop for Apple Tea and Lokum, as we sat and watched the world go by , an old gentlemen dressed in a elegant double breasted suit unusually without a shirt yet a cravat, and a Lambskin Asterkhan hat , he was smoking his Nargile and singing quietly to himself.

Our curiosity got the better of us and we asked the old gentlemen.

“uncle what are you singing…it sounds so heartfelt and spiritual”

he stopped singing and looked at us , his eyes were blue and wet with age, he looked at us for what seemed a eternity and then spoke.

“you boys are from Pakistan, our brother country?”

he went on to add ….i was singing a famous Turkish Folk song, where Moghul Emporer Hamayun met with Solieman the magnificent in Golestan Persia, Sulieman had conquered all the land from Constantinople to Golestan and Hamayun had conquered all the land from Dehli to Golestan.

At their fateful meeting as a mark of respect the conquering heros brought gifts for each other, Solieman the Magnificant bought Lokom (turkish delight) as he knew Hamayun had a sweet tooth. Hamayun brought his tandoor and had his chef make the most magnificent grilled meats.

that was the genesis of the Mangal Ocakbasi in Turkish cooking and Mithai and Halwa in Pakistani cuisine.

This week Shai Foodwala and i were in deepest darkest Finnieston and we found ourselves at the Ottoman Coffee Shop.

How would I describe the Ottoman Coffee Shop, Well its like a love child of a threesome between the little shop of curiosities and the Ottoman version of the hard rock cafe crossed with Starbucks.

On paper it should not work however what you get is a Bohemian Turkish Chaiwala.

First up was the Humus with nan, the Humus was rich and creamy, with the tahini and chick peas was finely balanced, The nan was freshly made and light yet fluffy. the Humus could have done with a little Citrusy tang to cut the creaminess, however thats a personal foible.

The Handi of the day was grandly announced by the waiter as the Tarka Dall, then he sheepeshly came back after a few minates and said the Dhall was sold out and the new handi of the day was Sagg Aloo.

I was a wee bit mystified how the Dhall could run out within a hour of opening, yet not of the customers were eating food, i suppose there are some mysteries out there which are not to be solved.

Anyhow the Sagg Aloo was a decent effort, the Sagg tasted homemade, rather than the commercial tinned spinich and smooth due to the butter tarka, the potatoes were nice and pillowy. a nice dish.

This was not, a Biryani, this is clearly a Trading Standards reporting reportable offence…I jest… however since we have established this is not biryani, we can get on with what it is, it was clearly lamb curry mixed with rice, however the concoction was tasty, the lamb was soft and tender and the rice, although not basmati was decent attempt.

There was a Shawarma Grill in the kitchen but who is to know what happened between the grill and the table.

Possibly the Shawarma is not a popular item at the Ottoman Coffee House so it is reheated with some sweet and sour sauce from the local Tesco Express.

Another mystery!

Last out was the Chicken Kebab, the upside was that the portion was generous and the chicken was subtly seasoned.

i felt the chicken was wee bit dry, and was reheated in a microwave.

In Conclusion

The Ottoman Coffee House, is a welcoming, homely bohamian space which is always an advantage.

the food is simple and mostly tasty, however it is let down by the Shawarma , although it is nothing major, mostly the food has homemade vibes.

The service was confident and friendly, the young man was accommodating in our requests and knew the menu which always helps. one bugbear is my personal irritation where the waiting staff dont write down the order.

Star of the Meal

That accolade goes to in my humble opinion to the Sags Aloo, tasty homemade and well seasoned, desi style.

Honourable Mention

Since Ottoman Coffee House is a Hybrid desi coffee shop/ pakistani canteen. so it has a enviable niche position.

In the Food stakes we have Yadgar, in Govanhill and Kebab Mahal in Edinburgh offering Desi home style cooking.

In the desi coffee and chai offering we can loosely mention Chaiwala and its many mutant offsprings but Ottoman has a more Bohemian following.

Halal Rating

Lamb and Chicken is HALAL

No Alcohol is served

100% impartial Guarantee

Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer, Alfie Foodwala does not accept free meals in return for reviews.

April 8 2024

Grand Tour…Pakistan, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Qatar Ramadan 2024

emirates, Food, LEVENT, ORIENTAL, pakistani food, Tapas Indian, travel alfiefoodwala, arabic, BBQ, chicken, chicken tikka, chicken tikka masala, emirates, INDIAN FOOD, italianfood, LEVENT, mediterranean, middleeastern, PASTA, rustic 0

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Furthermore, please let me know if you know of a restaurant I should review.

“the lion is most handsome when looking for food” ( RUMI)

paraphrase…someone or something is most appealing or attractive when they are pursuing their raison d’etre (their reason of being)

Hey Guys, Ramadan Kareem everyone,

This year I was invited by Omar Ali from @gastronomiqueDXB for a trip like no other, a trip to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.

What made this trip unique was that Omar GastronomiqueDXB curated the restaurants to synchronise with the trip thus making a trully amazing and wonderfull trip.

The trip started from Pakistan moving to Saudi Arabia , spacifically Madinah, Mecca and Jeddah for Umrah, then Abu Dhabi and Dubai and finishing in Qatar.

This review will list the most memorable dish from each curated restaurant.

So without further ado lets get started

Butt Karahi…Lahore Pakistan
PKR 3000 ( £8.54)
9 out of 10

Our Trip started from Butt Karahi in the walled city of Lahore, They claim to have invented the Karahi. The restaurant started from a single cart in McLoud Road Lahore, in 1923 and has never closed for a single day since then, the funny thing is now there are seven Butt Karahis on the same road, they are all independently owned by the descendants of Boota Butt who first started Butt Karahi in 1923.

As there is no concept of intellectual property or franchising in Pakistan, any member of the Butt clan who worked in Butt Karahi would go on to start his own chapter of Butt Karahi.

We visited the Genesis Butt Karahi, as verified by the molvee of the mosque next door.

The Karahi was a revelation, the lamb is cooked only using butter and spices, and the lamb is so tender it falls off the bone.

Veg Samosa..Soond walla Samosa
PKR 200 each (57p)
8 out of 10

Not all the places we ate in were fine dining, these samosas were made by a humble street cart close to our Fruit Orchards in Punjab, the samosas were fresh on the spot and believe me they hit the spot, delicately spiced potato filling in a crispy filo case…so simple yet absolutely delicious.

Spicy Chicken Mandi…Mandi World…Jeddah,Saudi Arabia SAR 85 ( £18) 8.9out of 10

My love of food started from the simple concept of chicken and rice, this combination exisits the world over, biryani in the sub continant, Singapore Chicken and rice, Italian Pollo Risotto, Gumbo in the American deep south and Mandi in southern Arabia.

The Mandi from Mandi world Jeddah was simple, fragrent and oh so delicious

Our next leg of the trip was to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, I visited Madinah and Mecca however it was the most busiest time of the year outside the Hajj so we enjoyed some Saudi street vendors

I tried the Ajwa Ice Cream in Madinah, The Ice Cream is made from Ajwa dates which were the favourite dates of the Prophet Mohammed(pbuh), and camel milk, it was served in a soft serve style, the Ajwa Ice Cream has a very subtle tasting notes of toffee, molasses, coffee and brown butter… absolutely delicious after Isha in Madinah.

Lamb Chops…Crossing Restaurant, H Hotel, Dubai
AED 50 (£10)
9 out of 10

Next up we reached the Dubai leg of our Grand Tour, and we were invited by three of the most prominent food influencers in the UAE.

Hani AlMaliki aka @bedouinfoodie , Reza Namazi @ravenousxerxes and Jamal Al husseini @phinickyeater , the lunch was personally curated by the Michelin Star Chef Jitin Joshi @chefjitinjoshi.

This was truly a spectacular treat, the conversation was enlightening and eating with knowledgeable peers was truly amazing and humbling.

Furthermore, Chef Joshi’s passion speaks volumes through his food, the highlight of a truly memorable meal was the double rib lamb cutlets the marination was subtle yet complex, and the lamb was tender with a wonderful nutty fat from the loin.

I am overdoing with the Superlative adjectives but how else can one describe something so good?

BBQ Platter…Big T BBQ
AED 250 (£53)
8 out of 10

Next Iftar Omar took me to an authentic Texas BBQ in the middle of Dubai…go figure, It was designed like a Texas Redneck BBQ right down to the Taxas size portions.

Actually, Big T BBQ is a labour of love for the owner Fadel Faour, he fell in love with the 1000-gallon smoker whilst studying at Longhorn University and could not wait to recreate the experience in Dubai.

The BBQ consists of seasoned smoked meats—specifically beef brisket, beef ribs, pastrami and Texas German Beef sausage.

OMG, the Texas German Beef link Sausage was a manna from heaven, the sausage was seasoned spectacularly, along with the smokey taste of the Ghaf tree gave a delicious umami earthy taste… loved it!!

kebab Hamoudi…Bait Maryam Dubai
AED 85 (£16)
8 out of 10

Walking into Bait Maryam is like walking into the kitchen of your Jordanian Aunt, Sallam Dakak is a self teach two Michelin Star chef cooking her mum Maryam rustic delicacies, but don’t mistake rustic as peasant food, the food is simple yet fantastic, all the more elevated by the fresh ingredients available in Dubai.

The Kebab Hamoudi is an ode to Maryam’s grandson, the lamb kebab is sheathed in romali roti and rested on a bed of Maryams amazing spicy Tomato shorba and smoked Aubergine Babaganough. the pine nuts give a buttery nuance to cut the richness.

Mix Kebab… khoori Iranian dubai
Aed 85 (£18.33)
9 out of 10

If a picture could speak 1000 words… well this speaks a while 1001 stories… Khoori is honest to goodness, salt of the earth Iranian kabab jaga…no pretensions, no faff just salt of the earth kebabs and fresh pebble bread.

It was love at first bite.

Sujook…Al Beiruti Dubai
AED 59 (12.73)
8.5 out of 10Lebenon is a melting pot of amazing culinary influences, a case in point is the humble Sujook, Lebanese Sausage in Al Beiruti Dubai, the sausage is initially spoked and then tossed in burnt butter, pomegranate molasses and pine nuts, the sweet tangy sensation cuts through the spiced umami richness of the sausage.

Ceaser Salad…AED 82 (£17.70 Jones the Grocer Abu Dhabi
7 out 0r 10

Sometimes you need to give your system a wee time out…for those occasions, a Caesar Salad hits the spot…tossed with beef bacon a Caesar salad is an underrated timeless classic

Kebab Guldusta…Ashas Doha QR120 (£27)
7.5 out of 100

Ashas is a restaurant chain founded by the Bollywood playback singer, Asha Bhosle who is the sister of Lata “The Nightingale” Mangeshkar.

She is CDO (Chief Decor Officer) and CCO (Chief Cusine Officer), and she contributes to the menu.

She is a great fan of the Moghul school of cooking hence why healthy grilled and tandoori dishes are prominant.

The Kebab Guldusta is made up of malai tikka, murgh tikka and seekh kebab, all were marinated on point and grilled. simple yet delicious.

Tiramisu Biscuit…Koncrete Coffee Dubai
AED 30 (£6.45)
7.5 out of 10

As a coffee aficionado, Omar also curated some of the best artisan coffee roasters in Dubai, firstly there is Koncrete Coffee, Coffee is imported from the BArn in Berlin, but it is also a social enterprise founded by progressive young emirates and art gallery.

Espresso Lab, Dubai Design District
AED 35 (£7.50)
9 out of 10

The simple pleasure of great coffee and a cigar and amiable company after a great meal is exactly what we enjoyed at Espresso Lab in the Dubai Design District.

Espresso Lab is a coffee roaster founded by a visionary and passionate Emirati, Ibrahim Al Mallouhi, the extent of his passion is evident as he has trailblazed the concept

“seed to cup” where he has bought plantations in Columbia, Ethiopia and Sumatra so he can make sure the coffee supply line is unbroken from the seed to the cup.

In Conclusion

Omar did an amazing job in curating such amazing restaurants, his knowledge of the Dubai restaurant business is unparalleled.

Omar curated artisan eateries rather than falling for the Dubai bling usual suspects.

The trip was not only a revelation in a culinary sense but spiritually and emotionally too.

I met some truly inspirational individuals whose passion shone through yet there was a notable absence of the foodie arrogance.

I humbly thank everyone who made my trip memorable

Halal Rating

All the restaurants visited were alcohol-free and Halal

Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer, Alfie Foodwala does not accept free meals in return for reviews.

February 11 2024

Pahli Hill, Bandra Bhai, London

Food, indian food, london, mayfair alfiefoodwala, business, chicken tikka, chicken tikka masala, INDIAN FOOD, london, MICHELIN 0

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"hajaaron khokhale shabdon se behatar vah ek shabd hai jo shaanti laata hai."

(Buddha )

“Better than a thousand hollow words… is one word that brings peace.”–

It was the long hot summer of 1987, I was once again on my grandfather’s plantation in Toba Tek Singh, the days were long and hot,,, the perfect mango growing season.

Each morning I would go for a walk with my grandfather to inspect the mango trees.

The Mango orchard was in the honoured position in the marabas (fields) beside the farmhouse.

The mango trees were lined up in a regimental fashion like sepoys in the parade ground, we would walk past each tree and my dadoo would point out just by his expert eye the prime mangoes at the best time of picking.

His munshi (foreman) would follow behind us with a long hockey stick device that plucked the golden mango without bruising or bumping them.

The mango was then washed in a bath of iced rosewater and then wrapped in muslin from my grandfather’s cotton plantation and mill and placed in a polished velvet-lined Thuya wood box, with the plantation name and date embossed in gold.

Each time I asked my grandfather who the box was for, he would mischievously wink and say it’s for peace.

So a couple of days later I was watching the news that tensions between, Pakistan and India had reached a crescendo and there was talk of hostilities.

That is when President Zia ul Haq did a googly and flew to Bombay, in the pretence of attending the India-Pakistan test match and met Rajiv Gandhi with a peace offering, thus earning the monicker…“cricket diplomacy of Pahli Hill”

Wait a moment…That polished Thuya box looked familiar.

This week we were in the deepest darkest Fitzrovia and came across this imaginatively named Bombay speakeasy/ restaurant called Pahli Hill and Bandra Bhai.

Mokee Foodwala and I were intrigued , so we decided to explore further.

The decor of the restaurant was tasteful Bollywood/Irani chic, with loads of dark polished wood and brass and Connolly leather banquette seating.

Since we were famished we ordered.

The crispy Khakhra were…phenomenal!!!!Khakra is a thin cracker, like poppadom Gujer cousin, common in Gujrat western India, It is made from mung bean and oil.

This Khakra was a wee bit different as it was slathered with spicy mustard and bird eye achar…seriously spicy yet seriously addictive and delish.

Up next were this delicious, morish palak, Cicoria and Rosevale aloo tikki, accompanied by a sweet and sour tamarind chutney.

the tikkis were moist and light, delicately spiced and balanced, like eating clouds of spinach potato tikis.

The Lamb Biryani was delightful, with just enough spice to keep the next bite interesting, and the cornish lamb melted in the mouth.

Delicious, why was it, not 10/10… the £34 price tag was a wee bit rich for this scottush lad.

PAHLI HILL TANDOORI CHICKEN TIKKA
£21
8/10

The Chicken Tikka was expertly marinated using the light of touch of a master, and the breasts and thighs were moist with no crunchiness of saline-injected chicken. chicken tikka can be the easiest tandoori dish to make or the hardest, it all depends on the master.

The cucumber kimchi accompaniment was tasty and imaginative.

The Dal was a revelation!!! the second coming even…it was absolutely delicious, lightly spiced with roasted shallots, it was the closest to my mum’s masoor ki dal…knowing what I know now I would have been happy to just have the dal with the latcha paratha and some steamed rich. I would go back to Pahli Hill just for the dal.

In Conclusion

The Pahli Hill food game is on point. lacking pretentiousness

the food is simple yet elegant and expertly made with quality ingredients, when your team is this good you don’t need gimmicks and sleight of hand.

The service was attentive and unobtrusive.

The Star of the Meal?

The Star of the Meal was definitely the Tadka Dall…. did I mention that it was delicious?

Honourable Mention

Pahli Hill is definitely Michelin standard, they would race in the same thoroughbred with Gymkhana, Jamavar and Veeraswamys.

This is the Champions League of Indian cooking, and London is a different country. Opheem in Birmingham is also in the running.

These restaurants are a busman’s holiday for me.

Halal Rating.

The Chicken and Lamb are halal

however, Pork is served but segregated

Alcohol is served.

100% impartial Guarantee

Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer, Alfie Foodwala does not accept free meals in return for reviews.

May 20 2023

Gifto Lahore Karahi, Southall

Food, london, pakistani food alfiefoodwala, chicken tikka, grill, london 0

Hey, Foodwala boys and girls… I hope you are all safe and well

Please remember to subscribe to the Alfie Foodwala Facebook, TIK TOK, 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 email me at alfiefoodwala@aol.com

Furthermore, if you know of a restaurant I should review please let me know.

“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.”

The other day I was listening to a Podcast and the debate was about which decade had the best music, some argued it was the 60s and they passionately quoted the music of the Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Who and The Rolling Stones.

The next nostalgic argued the 70s was the best decade and he made his case by giving examples of songs by Queen, Wings, Boney M and Blondie.

But the best argument was undoubtedly from the 80s antiquary, he made the argument that the 80s was the perfect storm where music, fashion, technology and Hollywood all gave birth to the fantastic sounds of Van Halen, U2, Guns n’ Roses, Pet Shop Boys and Simple Minds.

The movies in the ’80s were also big, loud and brash and did not pander to the woke brigade or were the slave of the DC/Marvel duopoly.

This got me thinking and I started to think about which food and restaurants from my childhood would I visit again and see how they have withstood the test of time, We used to love going to the Finley Clarks Garden Centre in Bearsden and the Danish Food Centre on Bothwell Street with my dad.

Further afield my dad used to load us up in the white Jaguar and take us on adventures to Manchester, Cardiff and London.

It was in London that he used to take us to the exotically named Giftos Lahore Karahi, and we had fond memories of the sizzeling mixed grills piled with meats and the exotically named curries which used to fascinate my brothers and sisters.

I was in the area so I decided to enjoy a trip down memory Broadway and visit Giftos again.

As I excitedly entered I noticed a member slovenly sitting beside the door, I was greeted with enthusiastic raise of the eyebrow.

I requested a table for myself, and the waiter/manager/host then hauled himself from his chair and took me into the simply lit interior, I don’t know if half the lights were switched off to protect the environment or if they were fused.

There must have been some upgrading going on as all the left side booths were taped off with what looked like yellow and black biohazard tape (my mind was obviously getting ahead of itself)

I then sat beside the grill station and proceeded to order.

My pet peeve is when the waiting staff take your order without writing it down, 9 out of 10 times the order is wrong.

I then paid the washrooms a visit, and they were…FILTHY, I will leave to your imagination the state of the washrooms.

My dad used to say if you want to know how clean the restaurant kitchen is just look at the restaurant washrooms and the restaurant windows, if they are clean then the kitchen will be spotless, and if they are not, well you have guessed it.

As soon as I sat down the Samosa Chat was put in front of me

The Samosa Chat was piping hot with delicious plump chickpeas coated with sweet and our tamarind sauce, and dusted with chat masala, the samosa itself was mostly potato yet delicious.

Things started off quite positively

The Mixed grill arrived unexpectedly fast, It was heaped with lamb chops, chicken chat, chicken tikka, lamb tikka, seekh kebab and chicken kebab.

As you can see the mixed grill looks amazing but in reality, it was at best mediocre, all the different ingredients were pre-cooked and placed on the sizzling plate. The lamb chops were dry and tough as nails. the seekh kebabs were over-seasoned and dehydrated and barelly edible.

The lamb tikka was ingots of unidentifiable meat which I could not chew through.

The Chicken Tikka was stale, cold and tough, my guess was it was made yesterday.

As I had left most of the grill as it was not fit to be edible I ordered a Lamb Karahi, surely they cannot get that wrong, They are named after the Karahi, and surely It would be their swansong.

The Lamb Karahi came suspiciously fast, They can’t make a Karahi this fast and my fears were exactly right, the gravy was boiling hot and tasty however the lamb in the gravy was the exact opposite, touch and cold.

I suspect the lamb was amateurishly mixed in with the premade gravy and served, again I left most of it.

In Conclusion

Gifto’s Lahore Karahi was a huge disappointment, the staff were uninterested, the food was way below average, the place was empty yet they could not be bothered to do the barest minimum.

The Place with filthy, I could not comprehend how a place is allowed to open its doors in that state.

The management was shockingly indifferent, I pointed out the shortcomings after I paid my bill so as not to seem that I wanted a discount or something for free

Maybe the past should be left in the past and not be visited.

The Star of the Meal

If I had to venture then I would reluctantly say the Samosa Chat.

The miss of the Meal?

Without a doubt the Mixed Grill and closely the Lamb Karahi.

Honourable Mention

I am still at a loss how Gifto’s Lahore Karahi can still be serving, in the most competitive restaurant market in London, across the road is Butt Karahi from Lahore, If the Lahore and Dubai Butt Karahis are a yardstick then they blow Giftos out of the water, then you have the fabulous Tayyabs in Whitechapel who was grown in strength, further still we have the humble Pind in Bradford with its fabulous honest to goodness karahi.

Halal Rating

The Chicken and Lamb are confirmed 100% Halal.

NO Alcohol is served on the Premises

100% impartial Guarantee

Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer, Alfie Foodwala does not accept free meals in return for reviews.

October 7 2022

Cinnamon Bazaar, London

Food alfiefoodwala, BABA, business, chicken, chicken tikka, chicken tikka masala, comfort food, emirates, glasgow, gourmet, INDIAN FOOD, london, MICHELIN 0

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“Literature is a vast bazaar where customers come to purchase everything except mirrors.”

When I travel I love going to the local Bazaar, I usually shun the big shiny malls to discover the real DNA of a place by visiting the place where the locals buy their most basic ingredients.

I once found myself in Dera Adam Khel at the border of Afghanistan, don’t ask how I got talked into visiting the most bizarre Bazaar in the world.

The whole place was like when Luke Skywalker and Hans Solo walk into Mos Eisley cantina.

The place was full of ne’er-do-wells from all over the region.

We had the Afghan warlords bringing in the newly gifted NATO armaments, and selling them to the shopkeepers, then we had the Pakistani ISI agents keeping an eye on the proceedings in the traditional salwar kameez, the only thing that said they were ISI was the polished mirror boots and the new Ray-Ban aviators.

Next up were the American and British special forces who also wore salwar kameez and dusty combat boots and long ZZ Top beards, the more they tried to blend in the more they stood out.

In the shadows were the RAW agents, they lurked in the shadow like chameleon/gecko-like Randy Boggs or like KAA in the jungle book, trying to influence things by lurking and conniving.

They were all there to buy and sell guns…that’s right guns, the bazaar is the only one in the world that openly trades in guns, you can purchase for the right amount anything from the latest NATO rocket launcher to a Nazi Luger Pistol and everything in between.

So this brings me from a bizarre bazaar to the Cinnamon Bazaar, which is the latest eatery from the armoury of the world-famous Vivek Singh, I have always heard great things about Chef Singh so this was my opportunity to try

The restaurant decor has a whimsical pastel-shade vibe to it a la the Disney movie Khoobsoorat, with Fawad Khan and Sonam Kapoor, It is Mayfair Mary’s interpretation of what an Indian bazaar would look like.

I kicked off the proceedings with something unusual

The House Curried Popcorn was indeed unusual, popcorn tossed in caramelised molasses and powdered with garam masala, gaving a sweet and spicy sensation that certainly left you guessing.

The Samosa Chat was a flavour bomba!!!! so many different flavour profiles and each mouthful had a different flavour, but the brilliant thing was the flavours did not clash, I was actually looking forward to the next mouthful. Really delish and tasty.

Lamb Rogan Josh Sheppards Pie
£18.00
8/10

The playful unusualness continued to the lamb Rogan josh shepherds pie yes you heard it right – it was actually voted as one of Time Out’s 100 Best Dishes in London. so I had to try it, I flew to London for this dish actually. and yes it was delicious, the lamb filling was delicately infused with cinnamon, the filling was lamb and keema so giving a nice depth of flavour, and the mashed aloo was buttery and smooth, served piping hot it was a pleasure to eat tentatively, furtively even.

I am a biryani fanboy, and I love all things biryani, This biryani did not disappoint, oven cooked in a cast iron skillet it was firstly piping hot, secondly, the rice was fragrant and the chicken was moist, some of the masala and rice had caramelised on the outer edges of the skillet giving a second wind element of crispness. The flavours were balanced the only criticism was that the masala was slightly ever so heavy on the cardamom, which is a personal taste so in no way a failure.

In Conclusion

The Cinnamon Bazaar was in essence precisely what Chef Vivek Singh says on the tin, an unfussy modern take on the traditional Indian menu, The dishes are imaginative and playful without being overbearing and arrogant. The focus is on playful taste and flavours rather than being modern for the sake of Michelin.

The Service was friendly and to the point, not overbearing and stuffy.

The Star of the Meal?

The Samosa Chat and Lamb Rogan Josh Shepards pie in my opinion the star of the show.

The miss of the Meal?

This is like asking which of my 3 children’s my favourite, I usually say in jest I hate them all equally (by the way I love them all equally) so enjoyed all the elements.

Honourable Mention

The Cinnamon Bazaar holds its own in the cutthroat modern Indian restaurant scene in London, I would say it is on par with Bombay Bustle, possibly the biryani at the Bombay Bustle pipped Cinnamon Bazaar at the post,

Halal Rating

The Chicken and Lamb are confirmed 100% Halal, the Game is not

Alcohol is served on the Premises

100% impartial Guarantee

Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer, Alfie Foodwala does not accept free meals in return for reviews.

June 29 2022

Khai Khai, Newcastle

Food, Indian alfiefoodwala, chicken, chicken tikka, chicken tikka masala, comfort food, gourmet, INDIAN FOOD, MICHELIN 0

Hey Foodwala boys and girls… hope you are all safe and well

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“Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets.”— Leonardo Da Vinci

As you well know, Indian/Pakistani food is the most popular form of eating out in the UK.

However Indian and Pakistani cuisine is going through an exciting period of a renaissance.

The fearless trailblazers who moved from the deepest and darkest India and Pakistan in the late ’50s and early ’60s pioneered the restaurant business, they saved up pennies from working back-breaking jobs in shipbuilding and public transport to buy Italian cafes and turn them into “Indian” restaurants.

They did not have any written recipes, as many could not read or write but literally asked their mums how to cook, then through trial and error, they figured out what suited the western palette and developed dishes to suit.

The indigenous population loved the novelty of it all and the early restaurants were established, a case in hand is the Shish Mahal in Glasgow.

The Renaissance that is happening now is that the Indian and Pakistani restaurant scene is now changing, the grandchildren of the early restaurant pioneers are now bankers, doctors, lawyers, and tech entrapanurs and are no longer interested in restaurants.

In its place are passionate individuals who see restaurants as an Art and chefs as artisans, no longer is the food adapted to the western palette but authenticity is the buzz word, the new Renaissance men are Aktar Aslam of Opheem, Birmingham, Chet Sharma of BiBi Mayfair, Jaf Ali of Khai Khai Newcastle.

They have turned their back on successful careers in banking and science and followed their passion for food and restaurants.

This week we followed one such Renaissance Man and we visited Khai Khai in Newcastle.

KHAI KHAI

KHAI KHAI

Khai Khai is the brainchild of the Indian Street Food pioneer Jaf Ali, who owns the Dabbawal chain of street food cafès, he made street food interesting before the likes of Dishoom and Mowgli got into the act.

The Chef is the Michelin-starred Alfred Prasad, so you know which way the restaurant is heading.

Pappad and dips
£3.95

We kicked off the proceedings with the Pappad basket, the basket was a mixture of Tapioca furr furr , crackers, and poppadoms, the trilogy of dips was the mint chutney, tamarind sauce, and the smoked tomato

The dips and chutneys went well but we missed the spiced onions.

Beef Shammi Kebab
£7.95

Next was the Beef Shami, the wee bite-sized tikkis looked delicious, however, once we delved into the shammis it was a little dense and dry for my liking, usually, the shammis are light and airy as the meat is very finely minced.

Chicken 65
£7.50

The Chicken 65 is once removed cousin of the Korean Fried Chicken, the medallions of chicken breast is marinated with freshly ground masala and cooked in oil, and dusted with chaat masala.

The Chicken was delicious, tender yet crisp and the seasoning was on point, tangy and mirchy at the same time.

Kolkata Chilli Chicken
£7.50

The Kolkata Chilli Chicken is a Bengal street food classic, the hand-ground spices, and sun-dried chillis are rubbed into the chicken breast and stir-fried, again well seasoned it was very tasty or should I paraphrase… “Bangin”!!!

Josper Murgh Tikka
£14.50

The Josper Oven is a combination of a grill and an oven in a single piece of equipment. It cooks the chicken using charcoal heat only. The Chicken Tikka is extremely tender and moist, which is the “holy grail” of Chicken Breast.

Signature Tandoori Broccoli
£7.50

In Indian cuisine, Broccoli is a misunderstood ingredient, usually relegated as an ingredient used in Sagg.

Here the Broccoli has been elevated to hero status, the Broccoli is marinaded in paneer, cream, and masala and then slow-cooked in the tandoor, one word delicious. the Broccoli was soft but not mussy, the masalas did their job.

In Conclusion

Khai Khai promised

“Let’s take a journey back to the way things used to be. To heritage Indian comfort food expertly prepared with fire and smoke.”

In many ways they did exactly what it said on the tin, the meal was expertly prepared using fire and smoke, although the dishes were far from original, what was original was the innovation being used in the ingredients and the cooking.

The Service was professional and business-like best of all friendly without being overfamiliar

The Star of the Meal?

The Signature Tandoori Broccoli and the Josper Chicken Tikka were definitely the stars of the show

The miss of the Meal?

It would be unfair to say the Chicken 65 was the “miss”

Honorable Mention

So how did Khai Khai compare with its Indian Renaissance peers?

The Three best Indian Renaissance restaurants so far have been Opheem, Birmingham, BiBi Mayfair, and Jamovar Mayfair

Khai Khai holds its own against the London Hard hitters

Halal Rating

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

Alcohol is served on the Premises

NO Pork is served on the Premises

100% impartial Guarantee

Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer, Alfie Foodwala does not accept free meals in return for reviews.

June 21 2022

BiBi, Mayfair, London

Indian, london, mayfair alfiefoodwala, chicken tikka, chicken tikka masala, gourmet, INDIAN FOOD, MICHELIN 0

Hey Foodwala 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.

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Furthermore, if you know of a restaurant that I should review please let me know.

“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”.

You must think the above quote is a highly odd thing to write in a restaurant and food blog.

But humour me, all will be revealed.

The above quote was uttered by the physicist Robert Oppenheimer as he witnessed the first detonation of a nuclear weapon on July 16, 1945.

A piece of Hindu scripture ran through the mind of Robert Oppenheimer:

“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”.

It is, perhaps, the most well-known line from the Bhagavad-Gita.

Now what is the point of all this gloom and doom, well I visited BiBi, which is the brainchild of Chef Chet Sharma, he moved from India to Oxford University to train as a Physicist.

however Chef Sharma’s passion was food rather than theoretical Physics, so he made an unbelievably brave decision to leave his profession and go to work in a restaurant kitchen.

That is like saving all your parent’s money and buying a BMW and then trading it in for a Dacia Sandero!

He went on to catch the eye of the visionary owner of the restaurant stable JKS restaurants, Karam Sethi who harnessed Chet’s passion and bankrolled BiBi in Londons Mayfair.

London was experiencing an Indian Summer when visiting the restaurant, the restaurant was a hive of activity.

The staff was very friendly, keeping in mind that the restaurant is bang smack in the middle of Mayfair, or in other words Mumbai upon Thames or Londongrad.

The street outside the restaurant was knee-deep in Rolls Royces and Bentleys.

The restaurant interior was a tastefully modern Rajhistani look with warm mango wood and wood kiln tiles.

I kicked off the proceedings with the Wookey-hole papad, the papad was what deceptively looked like a green mint chutney, which is standard fayre up and down the country, nothing special in that I hear you say. But this was not any old green mint chutney, under the green sauce was a layer of creamy soft cheese and then a layer of sweet mango.

I was absolutely bowled out, it was delicious exciting, and innovative… loved it

Next up was the Chaat course, I opted for the Nashpati Bhel Chaat,

Bhelpuri is a savoury Chaat from the beaches of Mumbai, It is made of puffed rice, vegetables, and a tangy tamarind sauce, and has a crunchy texture. Chef Sharma made the Chaat his own by cooking each element individually and constructing it using the finesse and then adding a watermelon granita on top to give the chaat a contrasting sweet frozen element, simple yet clever.

Up next was the Punjabi Dahi Aubergine, the Aubergine is a fiendishly difficult vegetable to master, cook it too much it becomes a mushy glop, and cook it too early the Aubergine becomes rock hard and earthy.

The Aubergine in question was marinaded and then cooked in the Josper oven, resulting in a delicious smoked, meaty slice and topped with spiced whipped yogurt. tasty.

Sharmaji’s Lahori Chicken accompanied with Kaima Yakni Pilao
£22

The Awadi Chicken is An integral part of every Royal Moghul banquet this dish portrays the true nuances of the Lahori Nawabs. Light, silky very fragrant, the sauce was constructed with care and passionate expertise.

In Conclusion

BiBi deserves all the accolades it is receiving and Chef Sharmas, audacious career move is definitely being honored, He was cooking in the restaurant when I visited, and it was fascinating to see the master at work.

The food was a labour of love, you could see the care and attention going into each dish.

This is a real passion, where you sacrifice for your art, as opposed to the woke sanitised muttering of snowflakes.

One small cloud in the sky was the chipped plates, I have always been brought up as chipped plates being a big no-no, maybe I am old-fashioned and chipped plates are the new drive to authenticity.

The Star of the Meal?

The Wookey-hole Cheese Papad was a revelation.

The miss of the Meal?

It would be unfair to say but I could have done without the chipped crockery.

Honorable Mention

So how did BiBi compare with its Mayfair peers?

The Two best Mayfair restaurants in London so far have been Gymkhana from the JKS stable and the sublime jamavar

BiBi is in a shoo-in for a Michelin star and it is deserving of the accolade (just watch the crockery)

Halal Rating

The Chicken is confirmed 100% Halal

Alcohol is served on the Premises

NO Pork is served on the Premises

100% impartial Guarantee

Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer, Alfie Foodwala does not accept free meals in return for reviews.

All reviews are the personal opinion of Alfie Foodwala based on his 30-year experience as a restauranteur

July 6 2021

Veeraswamy, Mayfair, London

Food, Indian, london, mayfair alfiefoodwala, chicken tikka, chicken tikka masala, INDIAN FOOD, london, MICHELIN 0

Victory House,
99-101 Regent St, London W1B 4RS

Hey, Foodwala 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.

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Furthermore is you know of a restaurant that I should review please let me know.

Hey Guys…. truth can be stranger than fiction, as they say

“you cannot make this up”

So apparently in the 1920’s the resistance movement against the Englisher colonial rule was being conducted by the Indian resistance led by Mohammed Ali Jinnah and Mahatma Gandhi.

The resistance was being carried out in London as well as India.

The urbane and charismatic barrister turned resistance leader Jinnah was in charge of recruiting sympathetic public figures in the United Kingdom to further the non-violent agenda of the independence movement.

Jinnah would recruit and meet the supporters in secret, Mr. Jinnah is an affluent barrister as well as a dapper young man who stayed in Mayfair, as he wanted to stay close to home and his supporters and he did not want to cramp his style so he would arrange recruitment drives in various locations in Mayfair.

He would hold decadent parties where the who’s who of the English social establishment were invited and from there Jinnah and his band of subversives and Indian Princes would recruit.

One of the venues for the recruitment parties was the Claridges Hotel in Mayfair, Mr. Jinnah’s parties were the talk of the town and he would hold court in his Saville Row tuxedos.

One unlikely recruit from the party was one Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, or as me and you know him…Charlie Chaplin!

Mr. Chaplin was a vocal supporter of the Indian independence movement and used his stature as the leading film star of his time to spearhead the agenda.

Mr. Jinnah being sophisticated and clever

discovered the best recruits came from the world of showbiz and media, as they would then carry out the PR required for the independence movement.

After recruitment the resistance movement would meet in clandestine at the then newly opened Veeraswamy restaurant in Regent Street, this venue was chosen as the owner was sympathetic to the cause and apparently, Charlie Chaplin was a descendant of Indians and loved his Indian food, his particular favorite was Lamb Rogan Josh!

This amazing story of Spies and the resistance movement got me wanting to visit the Veeraswamy as well, who had just won its first Michelin star.

The restaurant had recently been refurbished during the lockdown to celebrate the Michelin Star, I particularly loved the quirky display of turbans as wall art and the coloured glass jars as lights, very creative.

We kicked off the proceedings with this wonderfully quirky Dahl and Saib shorba ( yellow lentil and apple soup) it was a playful concoction of earth-spiced lentils and fresh green apple, imaginative and delicious…definitely a great start.

Since I chose the tasting menu, the chef brought out his greatest repertoire, so this was Tiger Prawns with Mint, Corriander, and Chilli. Tiger Prawns are notoriously difficult to get right, cook too little they become soft and mushy, cook too much they become chewy and inedible.

This was en pointe, well marinaded with the hand-ground mint, chili and coriander paste, the masala complimented the delicate prawns rather than overpower.

The boti used chicken thigh to great aplomb, the nutty masala was delicately placed on top and pan-cooked to give tender but flavorsome tasting notes.

Next up was the thali consisting of the Lamb Rogan Josh

Butter Chicken

Prawn Moilee

The Lamb Rogan Josh was rich, pungent, and fragrant, with the right blend of masala, the lamb was tender and cooked until it fell apart on touching with the fork

The butter chicken was mild with a little spicy kick, the spicy kick was more of distant memory after the mildness, the chicken again was cooked to perfection.

The prawn Moilee, paid its due to its Bengal heritage, with tasting notes of cream, mustard and maithee it was smooth and flavorsome.

The Pineapple Quorma was not to my liking, overly sweet and cloyingly clingy to the palate, I would definitely have given it a miss.

Dessert was the Sojee Halva tart, Halva is a reduction of semolina boiled with milk, almonds, sugar, butter, and cardamom on a tart base.

It was good, but not amazing, the halva did not lend itself to being a tart however the sorbet helped cut the sweet halva.

In Conclusion

I loved the veeraswamy, being a legacy restaurant it did not rest on its laurels, the decor was fresh quirky, and playful and that translated down to its food.

The Michelin Star did not make the food or service stuffy and overbearing.

The service was friendly and efficient

The Star of the Meal?

I would make the trip to Veerasweamy for the Lamb Rogan Josh.

The miss of the Meal?

I would definitely give the Pineapple concoction a miss.

Honorable Mention

So how did Veeraswamy do against its peers?

Definitely on par with Jamavar, Kutir, Kahani, and Indian Accent

but not as good as the Gymkhana and Opheem

Halal Rating

The Chicken, Beef, and Lamb is Served in the restaurant and HALAL

Alcohol is served on the Premises

Pork is served on the Premises

100% impartial Guarantee

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

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

November 6 2020

Desi Dhaba Chaiwala

Food alfiefoodwala, arabic, chicken, chicken tikka, chicken tikka masala, comfort food, emirates, glasgow, INDIAN FOOD, rustic 0

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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.

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One of the most surprising places I have had Desi food was actually in deepest darkest Nathan Road, Hong Kong.

I was visiting Hong Kong with Benz Foodwalee and Mokee Foodwala and I had a craving for Salan Roti (Desi Food), so I called the Hong Kong Central Mosque and asked them where I can go for some desi food, If you ever want to find out the best places to eat ask the local mosque or a taxi driver, they usually have the finger on the pulse.

The Mosquewala said to go to Karachi Club in Chungking Mansions, Nathen Road, That sounded very grand, I was expecting something like the Gymkhana in London, Colonial elegance with amazing Indian food.

I was staying in the Mandarin Oriental in Central Hong Kong and asked the taxi driver to take me to the Chungking Mansions, the taxi driver did a double-take and asked if I really wanted to go there, I thought that was unusual, maybe it was very grand and I was not dressed appropriately.

The taxi dropped me off close to Chungking Mansions as possible, I asked a passer-by where it was and he pointed at the Rolex sign.

I walked up to the Rolex sign and all I could see was a grubby 60’s concrete building peppered with air conditioning units dripping condensation, the entrance was full of indeterminate African men hustling, It actually looked like Mogadishu or Lagos.

I asked one of the men where Chungking Mansions were and he pointed at the entrance, my heart sank.

I asked another Indian boy where Karachi Club was and he said follow me, I should have turned back then but I followed him into the bowels of the building, it got darker and darker as we went in and became seedier.

The boy/guide then came to an antiquated rusted scissor gate lift and beckoned us to get in, the lift was damp from some unidentifiable liquid, I should have turned back but for some reason, I walked into the lift, then the boy spent ages trying to close the liftgate as the rusted scissor gate kept jamming, that should have been reason enough to go back but I dumbly stood there with my wife and firstborn, I know dumb or what.

We then arrived a pich black floor and the guide beckoned us Gollum like to follow us “my precious” and we started to slowly make our way down the corridor, which was lit by a single flickering lightbulb, It actually reminded me of the corridor scene in the “Shining”

I was at the end of my tether and was turning back when “Gollum” grabbed my wrist, he was surprisingly strong for such a slight frame and I was about to go into the “fight or flight” mode when he showed me the old brass sight, defaced by graffiti and It said “Karachi Club est 1935”

He pushed against the heavy mahogany door and we were greeted with bright lights and a room full of families eating plates heaped with desi food, Lollywood music blared on the loudspeakers and GEO News played on the Screens.

The walls were painted with Lahori cinema characters,

To say I was surprised was an understatement, The food was absolutely delicious too.

The point of my story is that I drive up and down Eglinton Street four times a day and I have never noticed the Desi Dhaba Chaiwala, it is in a car park tucked behind a war wash with mo signage!

I would never have thought it was a place serving food. This place was discovered by my friend and chief scout Shai Foodwala, on this many street food discovery treks.

The Interior is equally Punjabi Pind quirky

They call it “Pind Chic” apparently

The lady behind the counter greeted us with a list of her specials of the day, I asked her to bring one of everything!

We kicked off the proceedings with some Keema and sabzi samosas, the shortcrust pastry was a little soft and greasy, I use the samosa yardstick with Benz Foodwalees samosas, her pastry is always crispy and fluffy even when they are cold, the filling was delicious, fresh filling with just enough seasoning. 6 out of 10

The house specialty was next up…called the “Student Biryani” from Karachi, the cubes of Chicken was a wee bit dry, however, the biryani rice themselves were full of flavour and seasoning, you can tell that the biryani was freshly made without the use of “biryani powder” as it did not have the overpowering cardamom flavour in it. excellent effort if only the chicken was not overcooked

7 out of 10

The keema mattor was delicious, the mince was delicately spiced, rather than the overpowering of most restaurants, the green peas were not the cheap ones from Lidl, rather the plump frozen ones from Birds Eye.

Simple no-nonsense Keema Peas is an art in itself, It is like an artist knows when to stop painting a picture before he/she overdoes it 7 out of 10

The lamb Chops ware sauteed in some masala and Shallots, the lamb itself was brilliantly tender and soft, the masala was seasoned as not to detract from the hero element, Usually, the Lamb is over seasoned to mask the aroma of the lamb… go figure, however, this was made with panache and skill 8 out of 10

The Dhall was another exercise in restraint, the Moong Dhall was folded on roasted spices and shallots but was not oily or greasy, I prefer my dhall being masoor (orange lentils) but this was an excellent effort 7 out of 10

To scoop up all the delicious salans (curry) was a decadent Aloo paratha, again not greasy yet with soft pillowy potato staffing, not over maslad, a wee bit crispy and crusty, yummy 8 out of 10

In Conclusion

In conclusion, Desi Dhaba Chaiwala was a revelation, the food was fresh and delicious, even more, remarkable was it was prepared in such humble surroundings. It definitely gave restaurants a run for their money.

the staff was friendly, efficient, and good humor, the wee Dhaba was chilled and quirky, you could tell it was a labour of love.

The Dhaba is full of colour and fun.

The Star of the Meal?

The Lamb Chops and the Aloo Paratha

The Miss of the Meal?

Possibly the Samosas, as everything else was so good.

Honorable Mention

So how did Desi Dhaba Chaiwala do against its peers?

For somewhere so humble and basic, the food punched way above its weight, In my opinion, the food was like the Hazara Dhall in Faisalabad or Ravi’s in Dubai, not the Karama branch but the Original Satwa one.

or closer to home, Yadgar

The food was like “homemade” without the cliche

Halal Rating

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

Alcohol is served on the Premises

NO Pork is served on the Premises

100% impartial Guarantee

Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously 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 experience as a restauranteur.