Hey Foodwala boys and girls… hope you are all safe and well
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Furthermore, if you know of a restaurant that I should review please let me know.
“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 KHAIKHAI 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.
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.
If you would like to “Eat with Alfie Foodwala” please email me at alfiefoodwala@aol.com
Furthermore, if you know of a restaurant that I should review please let me know.
“The party of the century”
As you might know, Eid has just passed and as usual, we all over-indulged after the blessed month of Ramadhan, We spend time with loved ones and enjoyed a huge range of delicious dishes.
We all love a party, we spend time with friends and family, eat good food and generally, a great time is to be had.
But where was the greatest party of all time, was it thrown by a Roman emperor? or King Solomon? or was it Queen Cleopatra at her inauguration?
Well actually the answer is quite surprising, The party of the century was actually thrown by the Shah of Iran to celebrate 2500 years of the Persian empire, a new city was constructed in the Persian desert, everything was constructed by French artisans and even the food was flown in from France, however, oddly enough no Iranian person was invited and the Shah did not even invite his ministers.
Not surprisingly, that did not sit well with the Iranians, and the small matter that it cost a mere $250m meant that the Shah’s card was marked by Messers Khomani and co.
That brings us to Saffron by Paradise in the Kelvinbridge Quarter, It used to be a run-of-the-mill Iranian restaurant called Paradise and it had a weird waterfall in the windows with always made me pass water for some reason.
The restaurant was taken over by an enterprising Persian chap who reinvented it as a Persian bistro, he made it trendy by adding statues of Perian mythology and the Persian sun-god Mithra.
We walked in at Iftar time and were greeted by a lovely vibe and ambiance, and full of pretty young things.
Mokee Foodwala and I were absolutely famished so we dove right into the Persian Meze.
Red Pepper Hummus £4.95 Moosir £4.95
The Red Pepper Hummus was deliciously creamy with roasted red pepper folded into the tahini and Channa, delicious.
The yogurt Moosir dip was balanced with garlic and walnuts and the perfect viscosity for it to be scooped up with the piping hot nan.
Saib Zamini £3.95
The Persian Batata Harara was triple cooked so it was crispy on the outside and piping hot and fluffy inside, the sumac seasoning was on point without being overpowering.
Koubideh Kebab £14.95
The Koubideh Kabab was up next, Koubideh is made from ground lamb or beef or a mix of both. It simply translates to slammed kabab, because of how it was made traditionally in the past. The meat was placed on a large stone and got smashed with a wooden mallet
If I was honest it was good but definitely not the best, It was well seasoned but a wee bit dry and it was missing the trademark smokiness, possibly because it was made on a gas-fired robata, as opposed to a far more difficult to used coal robata.
Joojeh Kebab £15.95
Joojeh kabab is a quintessential Persian chicken kebab. Chicken pieces are smothered in a delicious saffron and olive oil paste and grilled on a robata, this simple dish separates the cooks from the chefs if the chicken cubes are cooked a few seconds longer and the diced chicken becomes rubbery, cook a few seconds too little then it is a health hazard.
In Conclusion
The Mezze was fresh and flavorsome expertly prepared, could not fault
The Grilled mains were again delicious, the Koubideh would have been even more delicious if it was prepared on a charcoal robata, but that is just a minor point, the Joojeh Kebab was slightly under-seasoned for my taste but was grilled on point.
The Service was perfunctory, neither excellent nor poor, it was just functional.
The Star of the Meal?
The Koubideh Kebab was definitely the star of the show
The miss of the Meal?
It would be unfair to say the Joojeh was the “miss”
Honorable Mention
So how did Saffron compare with its Persian peers?
The Two best Persian restaurants in London so far have been Patogh off Edgware Road and the sublime Berenjak in Soho.
Further afield the best I have visited has been Persopolis in Beijing! and the sublime Special Kebab in Dubai.
While Saffron was excellent for Kelvinbridge Quarter, Glasgow, but way behind its more cosmopolitan brethren.
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.
All reviews are the personal opinion of Alfie Foodwala based on his 30-year experience as a restauranteur
Six by Nico 1132 Argyle St, Finnieston, Glasgow G3 8TD
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.
If you would like to “Eat with Alfie Foodwala” please email me at alfiefoodwala@aol.com
Furthermore, if you know of a restaurant that I should review please let me know.
“Never Meet Your Heroes”
I never really understood why people say never meet you, heroes, surely the reason they are your heroes is that you want to meet them…sounds a bit like an Oxymoron.
My brothers and I are great cricket fans, but we love good cricket as opposed to supporting a certain team for jingoistic purposes, so imagine our excitement when we found out India was coming to Scotland to play a one-day international.
At the time the great Sachin Tendulkar was the captain of India and was one of the greatest batsmen ever.
We were giddy with excitement, so I set off with my brothers Goblees and Ralfy Foodwala to track down the elusive Mr. Tendulkar.
We set about the chase like a military operation, we phoned all the hotels until we found out where they were staying, we then went to the hotel to see him but found out he had just left for dinner.
The staff was not forthcoming or the whereabouts of the dinner venue, We eventually found the loose-lipped concierge who told us where he was after a few crisp twenty-pound notes accidentally fell into his pocket.
Sechin was at the Nandos at Springfield Quay… the chase was well and truly on, we piled into our bashed but trusted Toyota Camry and headed for Nandos.
We arrived at Nando’s as he was just finished his meal and was about to leave, imagine our excitement of meeting one of the all-time greatest cricketers.
We gingerly walked up to Sachin
“Sachin Sir…we are your greatest fans”
we breathlessly and nervously chanted in unison
“Can we have an autograph and a photo”
Sachin turns around from the people he was having an animated conversation with and said
“get lost yar…I am busy”
the words hung in the air like a bad smell, maybe we did not hear right or got lost in translation.
“Mr Tandulkar can we atleast shake your hand”
Sachin just looked at us aloofly and brushed our hands away and walked past.
To say that we were disappointed is an understatement, any enthusiasm for messers Sachin Tendulkar drained away from us like shaving foam in a sink.
We found out the hard way to never meet your heroes.
This week I was with Shai Foodwala and we visited one of our culinary heroes, Six by Nico
We walked into the restaurant and it was full of couples reverently sitting at the tables, there was a weird absence of conversation and atmosphere.
as if they were waiting to worship at the altar of Nico Simione.
The menu on this occasion was titled “Guilty Pleasures” and it was described as
“Prepare for 6-courses of pure indulgence, inspired by moments we all long to enjoy…
From staying in pajamas all day to binge-watching your favorite tv shows, or enjoying breakfast for dinner, or even singing cheesy pop songs we all have a secret guilty pleasure that we are not so quick to share…
However, with our next six-course tasting experience we invite you to embrace and celebrate your guiltiest pleasures with a complete disregard for what others may think!”
Croquettes £5
We kicked off the Six-course tasting menu…hence Six by Nico, with an amuse-bouche of potato Croquettes, with a dollop of white grape sauce.
The Croquettes were a little boring but tasted decent, I would not say they were fantastic, not poor, they existed as Croquettes.
Spaghetti Loops
The first official course was the “spaghetti Loops” and my expectations came to a crash, this was bland and boring, I don’t know whose guilty pleasure is spaghetti hoops but certainly not mine.
STRAIGHT FROM THE CAN
Round 2, Straight from the Can, Ceviche Of Tuna, Pickled Watermelon, Tokyo Turnip, Bonito, Dashi Jelly & Avocado Puree.
Sound delicious but in reality, it was not what I was expecting, Ceviche is fish in citrusy “tiger Juice” where the fish is slightly cured by the acidity, In my humble opinion this missed the mark as the dense Tuna needed some acidity to cut it but was lacking, the trace of watermelon did not help.
LAMB KEBAB
Course 3…Thankfully things started to get better, next up was the “Lamb Kebab” the spiced lamb belly kebab was cooked en point and the
Pickled White Cabbage, Rose Harissa Emulsion & Cucumber Chutney was a refreshing and imaginative accompaniment to the lamb.
FISH SUPPER 2.0
Course 4…The mini Fish Supper was a tongue in cheek reference of fish and chips, the Scrabster Cod was delicious and well seasoned, and replacing the chips was
Definitely an imaginative, delicious, and playful take on Fish and Chips.
NICO’S FRIED CHICKEN
Course 5 was Nicos Fried Chicken, I was fried chicken but not as you know it,
Chicken, Nfc Crumb, Leg Roulade, Barbecue Corn, Hen Of The Woods & Black Garlic Emulsion. essentially it was a deconstructed chicken in its elements and cooked in different ways, sounds a bit weird but tasted delicious.
NUTELLA & WAFFLES
Course 6, was my favorite..Chocolate & Praline Cremeux, Sour Cherry, Stroopwafel & Creme Fraiche, simply irresistible and yummy
the Cremeux was creamy and had a smooth chocolate moose, which was accompanied cleverly with sour cherry sorbet, a nice combination.
well-executed.
In Conclusion
The meal started off unsure, it was bland and boring
However by the 3rd course it actually got a lot better, I became a believer in what Six by Nico was trying to achieve.
There was a lot of imagination in the execution and the ingredients.
The temperature of the food was inconsistent, some elements were hot some were cold
The service was a little too efficient and felt a little rushed and conveyor belt-like.
With Six by Nico scaling up and opening numerous restaurants nationwide it has lost its authenticity and quirkiness and becoming an another chain restaurant
The Star of the Meal?
My star of the meal would be the Nicos fried chicken.
The miss of the Meal?
On this occasion, I have two misses, the spaghetti hoops and the straight from the can.
Honorable Mention
So how did Six by Nicos do against its peers?
Well, the peer is actually next door … Crabshak, Crabshak was in my opinion better in its selection of ingredients, service and taste.
Six by Nico, possible takes the imagination and creativity points
all in all, I would go for Crabshak.
Halal Rating
The Chicken served in the restaurant and HALAL
Lamb is not 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.
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 email me at alfiefoodwala@aol.com
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!
Desi Dhaba Chaiwala
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!
Keema and Sabzi Samosa
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
Student Biryani
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
Keema Mattor
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
Lamb Chops
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
Tarka Dhall
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
Aloo Paratha and Roti
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.
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 email me at alfiefoodwala@aol.com
As you will have gathered, we are under the second lockdown and all restaurants are closed unless you are doing takeaway service.
Last week was the 22nd National Curry Week, which went away largely unnoticed by the Indian and Pakistani restaurants, possibly they were too busy trying to survive rather than taking notice of the patronising PR walla’s
The loudest shouting National Curry Weeks participants were M&S and they were extolling the virtues of their “authentic M&S Indian Food” this got me a little curious.
I decided to review the M&S Indian range and see how well they stack up in the taste department.
Obviously, M&S Indian Food cannot compare with the stalwarts of the Indian Restaurant scene, like the Shish Mahal or Mother India, however, I devised a scoring algorithm that would take into factors like
Price Point
Ingredients
Chefs
expertise
Bulk Preparation
presentation
reheating
health and safety
a non-Indian food eater as control
control dishes
In the interest of fairness and impartiality, the algorithm would essentially give M&S Indian Food a “head start” and secondly the chef will present the M&S food in authentic karahis and reheated according to the instruction on the back of the packets, and we made identical “control” dishes so they were blind tasted for impartiality.
This would mean that when the panel and I taste it, it will be as fair and balanced as possible.
M&S @ Home
We kicked off the proceedings with some starters
Onion Bhajis Sweet Potato and Onion Bhajis
Firstly, the Onion Bhajis were seasoned adequately, however, the basin(chickpea batter) was still raw and stodgy and the onion filling was mushy… 2 out of 10
The Sweet Potato and Onion Bhajis was the same story, I had to read the label to notice there was sweet potato in it 2 out of 10
Veg Samosa Vegetable Pakora
Lets Start with the Veg Samosa, the filling was negligible, we could not identify the veg, secondly, the pastry shell was so soggy it was falling apart, I suspect the oil had infiltrated the pastry shell in the initial cooking in the factory 1 out of 10
The Veg pakora was however seasoned better and the veg content was more decipherable, 3 out of 10
Next Up, we moved on to the mains
the mains were accompanied with nan bread
Nan
The two nan bread were poles apart, one was undercooked and stodgy, with just a bready flavour, the other was a bit too well done with the same dense stodgy flavour 2 out of 10
The pilao rice was under seasoned and a bit too al dente to be al dente, 3 out of 10
Sagg Aloo
The Sagg Aloo was truly offensive, the slimy off green sludge on top of
the diced potatoes were supposed to be spinach, horrible 0 out of 10
Vegetable curry
The Vegetable curry was not as offensive as the previous curry but the potato was undercooked and we could identify and other vegetables 2 out of 10
Tarka Dahl
The Tarka Dahl, the dahl in question was Chana and orange lentils, however, it was just lentils in gravy, no tarka (roasted spices) to be found 3 out of 10
Chicken Tikka Masala
The Chicken Tikka Masala. originally created by Mr. Ali at the Shish Mahal. This version was anything just chicken in a wee bit spiced creamy sauce, no nuance or seasoning. 2 out of 10
King Prawn Chettinad
This was described as King Prawns in a sweet and sour sauce, firstly there were no King Prawns (6/8 +) rather it was size 51/60 prawns on a creamy and mustard seed sauce, not wholly disagreeable 4 out of 10
Chicken korma
The Chicken Korma was…. boring, chicken breast in cream…no redeemable feature 1 out of 10
In Conclusion
In conclusion, The M&S taste test was done as scientifically and fairly as possible, however, what we deduced was if you wanted an urgent lockdown curry fix, please call your local restaurant for a takeaway, we could not recommend substituting the M&S meal for an authentic meal made in a restaurant.
The Star of the Meal?
At an absolute stretch? possibly the King Prawn Chettinad
The miss of the Meal?
Everything else, particularly the “Sagg aloo”
Honorable Mention
So how did M&S do against its peers?
Keep an eye out for future reviews from Waitrose, Asda, Tesco, and Iceland.
Halal Rating
The Chicken was NOT Halal
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.
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.
Not so long ago I had to go to Beirut on Business, everyone I spoke to told me stories of how dangerous Beirut was, the civil war, the bombings, the kidnappings, and the list went on.
So the day came for my trip and I was anxious, to say the least, as I boarded my Emirates flight from Dubai, the Business Class section was empty, this felt even more ominous.
We landed in Rafiq Hariri International Airport I saw an SUV with armed guards, this did not bode well.
While I was collecting my luggage the electricity cut out and for a few minutes, we stood in pitch darkness waiting for the old decrepit generators to kick in.
The airport staff looked really shifty, they sat drinking tea and observed us coldly, honestly, it was like the most cliched Hollywood Middle Eastern movie.
When I cleared customs I was in the arrivals lounge and a guy approached me in tight ripped jeans and a T-shirt that struggled to hold his ample belly and asked if I needed a taxi, the word taxi was used in its loosest term, old battered Mercedes cars from the 1970s were de rigour, and then the drivers started to fight amongst themselves as who would take the fare.
This got me more and more anxious, I chose the least bashed up a taxi with the oldest driver, if I had to make a run for it at least I could outrun an old guy rather a than a young fit driver.
The airport road was lined by shanty towns, makeshift housing with bullet holes and scars from the years-old civil war, the brickwork was scorched with fire and I started to regret the whole endeavor.
We entered a road tunnel with every other tube light shot out and there was literally no light at the end of the tunnel
But when we exited the tunnel, it was as if we had been teleported back to Dubai, there were smart new buildings everywhere, the roads were spotless and the verges were immaculate.
The driver dropped me off at an area called Mar Micheal, the shops were like Bond Street, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Lora Piana, Armani etc
I was staying a the Four Seasons at Zeituna Bay and that was like a page out of Archtuicetural Digest. There were hips bars and boutiques everywhere and the local Lebanese were dressed as if they were fashion photoshoot.
The point to my story was If I had taken Beirut at my initial impression, I would have turned back and missed this amazing cosmopolitan and fun city.
This is exactly what Shawarma King is like, it is located outside the old Barras Market under an old railway bridge, in a hole in the wall, its easy to drive past it.
Shawarma King
I went there with Mokee and Shai Foodwala’s, I was not expecting great things but I moved past me misgivings.
There are only two old tables and chairs so we ordered and we fashioned a table by putting a table cloth on the boot of my car
Hummus & Falafal £4.50
First up we went for the Falafal and Hummus, this was served with hot Lavash bread fresh from the tandoor like oven, The falafals were crispy on the outside and pillow soft in the inside, and the Hummus was lovely and creamy and with just enough viscosoty to make it delicious.
Turkish Kebab £7.50
The Turkish Kebab was a hybrid Adana kebab, it was smokey and spicy, absulutely delicious with the fresh bread
and onions sprinkled with harissa, such delisiousness from humbleness
Hummus Shawarma £5.50
We decided to go off menu and ask for Hummus with burnt ends shawarma, what a combination, the burnt ends of lamb Shawarma were juicy and intence and combined with the creamy hummus it was a master stroke
Chicken Shawarma £8.50
The Chicken Shawarma was what i can only descibe as delicious, the chicken was well seasoned and parts were nice and crispy and parts were soft and juicy, served on the nan like bread and what a combination, the juices of the chicken soaked into the bread and what a flavour bomb!!
Lamb Shawarma £8.50
We decided to take the lamb Shawarma with rice, and yet again it did not disapoint, the lamb Shawarma was burnt and crispy in parts and soft in others, again absulutely deloicious.
In Conclusion
The Shawarma King was delicious, each elemant was fresh and made with true passion.
The Shawarma was simple yet delicious , the Turkish/Adana Kebab was spot on the Kebab was not mined but chopped finely and was a perfect consistency.
The Service was perfunctory, neither excellent nor poor, it was just functional and friendly.
We fashioned the boot of the Mercedes as a table and Glasgow evening was perfect, the chill was just decending and standing and eating the delicious Shawarma as amazing.
The Star of the Meal?
TheTurkish/Adana Kebab and the chicken and lamb shawarma were definately stars
The miss of the Meal?
I would be pedantic if i was to choose.
Honorable Mention
So how did Shawarma peers?
It definately held its own against Allo Beirut in Dubai, Pita Shawarma in Baku Azerbijan and SUD in Mar Micheal Beirut
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 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.
Hey, Foodwala’s boys and girls…hope you are all safe and well.
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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.
Bang Bang Shrimp £5.95
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.
Peri Houmous £3.45
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.
Shredded Bufalo Nachos £6.45
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.
Bufalo Special Steak £18.95
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.
The Bufalo special T-Bone Steak £18.95
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.
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.
Deep South Fried Chicken
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.
Absurd Bird Menu
The menu was definitely an ode to all that’s great south of the Mason Dixon Line
BBQ Sharer Platter £7.95
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.
nine Fried Chicken Tenders £13.85
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!!
Four piece Chicken Bucket £11.25
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.
Absurd messy Fried Chicken Burger £8.95
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.
Nashville Hot Burger £8.95
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.
Chicken Caesar Wrap £7.95
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.
