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Tag: fast food

October 5 2020

Shawarma King, Glasgow

Food, LEVENT, MEZZE alfiefoodwala, arabic, BBQ, chicken, comfort food, emirates, fast food, glasgow, gourmet, grill, mediterranean, merchantcity, middleeastern, rustic 0

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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.

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

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.

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

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

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!!

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.

September 7 2020

Mrs Falafal, Glasgow

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

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

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

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

you can remember it like yesterday?,

you can remember the sights and smells?

the feelings?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

and the Baba Ganoush had an earthy lemony Aubergine meatness.

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

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

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

The Star of the Meal?

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

The miss of the Meal?

The Tabouleh Salad and the bland house salad.

In Conclusion.

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

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

Top marks for effort and authenticity.

Honourable Mention

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

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

Halal Rating

Everything is Halal

Alcahol is not served

July 20 2020

Burgeri, SoHo, London

Food, london, mayfair alfiefoodwala, burgers, comfort food, fast food, gourmet, soho 0

22 Great Marlborough St, Soho,
London
W1F 7HU

Hey Foodwala boys and girls, Alfie Foodwala is back from the COVID 19 hibernation and he is ready to explore the post coronavirus restaurant scene.

On my last visit to Lahore last year with Goblee Foodwala, after lunch with uncle Sarwar who incidentally is the Governer of Punjab, we went for a specialty coffee in Gulberg and we got talking to the barista, we ordered our usual double espresso’s and he remarked that we were definitely not burgers from Lahore, intrigued we asked him to explain, he said only people who ordered a double espresso was coffee lovers from the UK or Italy, the “burgers prefer the lactose and sugar-rich mochas and cappuccinos”

He bemoaned about the spoilt “Burger Kids” what who were his customers, we asked what was this burger kid label or burger he explained that the burger lives in a cocoon of Gulberg or DHA and is enamored by things outside of Pakistan – by the West,they are well-to-do Pakistanis who may have American or British-tinged accents after years spent studying in elite American or British schools in Lahore they feel they entitled and are often soft and arrogant

They were hostile to the Western-born Pakistanis, as the felt envious and insecure which in turn manifested in aggression and hostility.

This was a very interesting social commentary and he further remarked that the “burger” generation is now running the country and the “burger in chief” being the PM…Imran Khan.

So coming back to the present, I was on my first London trip after the lockdown and many restaurants were still closed, I walked the streets of Soho looking for somewhere to eat, I was absolutely famished and was ready to throw in the towel and go to the Mcdonalds on Oxford Street and have a couple of Fillet of Fish when I stumbled on Burgeri, which is a Qatari import aimed at the hoards of Gulfees from the Middle East and the Burgers from Pakistan and India.

It was a Wednesday afternoon and Burgeri was doing a roaring trade, even in the midst of pre/post lockdown.

I was ushered in by a young man wearing a PPE face shield and i promptly went up to the counter to order.

The menu was split int burgers and hot dogs, the burgers are Halal Aberdeen Angus or Halal Waghu, and all the connotations thereafter.

I went for the Angus Mushroom melt

The two Angus patties were a little bit on the dry side, I felt that the fat percentage should have been higher, the mushroom topping was adequate and the cheese was only partially melted, all in all,it was adequate, but I have had better. the brioche bun was soft and buttery. It lacked any Umami flavour

The Loaded “hot dog” was definitely not to my liking, however,that is more of a personal taste rather than a failing of Burgeri, the steamed sausage had the right amount of “bite” to it however the taste was very processed, again my personal taste, the redeeming feature was the sweet green salsa topping and the melted cheese. I would not be ordering another hot dog in a hurry.

In Conclusion.

Burgeri was a good effort at the Halal Gourmet Burger, however,I felt it fell a little short of its gourmet burger name.

but the prices are reasonable for Soho and the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly, definitely on to bring your significant other if you are courting.

Honorable Mention

In my opinion, Burgeri was above average and way behind the steller offerings of SALT in Dubai and the Wagyu sliders of Cona in Bradford. Burger King Singapore was definitely an also ran

Halal Rating

The Beef is certified HALAL,

Alcohol is not served at the restaurant

December 30 2019

Bertie’s Fish & Chips, Edinburgh

Food alfiefoodwala, business, citycentre, comfort food, edinburgh, fast food, fish and chips, haddock, london 0

Hey, Foodwala’s… I am back from my travels, I was in Baku, Dubai, Lahore, Karachi, Beijing, and Singapore and I had quite an adventure, no doubt I will regale you of my eating adventures in future blogs.

I was in the Instagram friendly streets of the old town Edinburgh and some crazy Instagrammers were standing in the middle of the busy street searching for the perfect picture.

“Fur Coat nae knickers” came to mind, in a nutshell this means that Instagrammers are risking life and limb to post a perfect picture, irrespective of the cost and context of the post.

Everything has to look good, Instagram is distorting reality, which in turn is causing a race to the bottom.

Much like Edinburgh itself, It looks nice enough but under the surface its an unfriendly soulless place, whereas on the other hand, Glasgow is the exact opposite, it may not be as Instagram friendly as Edinburgh but it is warm friendly welcoming.

It’s amazing how much difference 50 miles makes.

Another difference between Glasgow and Edinburgh is how people eat their Fish and Chips, in Glasgow and for that matter the rest of the civilised world, Fish and Chips are eaten with salt and malt vinegar, however in Edinburgh, they eat it with salt and sauce, so what is this sauce that the people of Edinburgh so proudly eat.

Apparently it is diluted HP brown sauce! and even the sauce is made in Glasgow, the sauce was a failure in Glasgow but a huge success in Edinburgh.

Fur Coat nae knickers indeed.

Bertie’s Fish and Chips
9 Victoria St,
Edinburgh
EH1 2HE

We decided to visit the newly opened and biggest fish and chip shop in the United Kingdom, Bertie’s, they apparently serve proper fish and chips.

The restaurant is in an old church and again insanely Instagram friendly, will it live up to its claims?

We kicked off the proceedings with Bertie’s house Fish Pie, the moist fish and prawns were in a white sauce and topped with mashed potato and cheddar crumble, the pie was I felt under-seasoned however the ingredients were nice and fresh.

It was served piping hot with twice-cooked fries and was perfect for the cold outside.

Next up was Bertie’s signature battered haddock and chips, the haddock was fresh, moist, flakey and meaty and the batter was crispy on the outside and wee bit soft inside, we requested our Fish and Chips be cooked in vegetable oil.

The fish was very adequate but it was debatable if it was better than Catch Fish and Chips in Glasgow.

We also opted for the Breaded Haddock and chips, the breadcrumb coated fish was served with delicious creamy mash potatoes, The fish itself was perfectly adequate.

In Conclusion.

Bertie’s was perfectly adequate, not sensational but not bad either, it did what it said on the tin without any fanfare, the location was most definitely beautiful and had a lovely cheery festive feel to the restaurant.

The service was efficient and friendly.

In my opinion Catch in Glasgow pipped Bertie’s in the food stakes.

Halal Rating

Fish and Chips are cooked in Beef dripping, but Halal fish and chips can be requested and are cooked in a separate vegetable oil fryer and avoid cross-contamination.

June 25 2019

The Courtyard, Giffnock

Food, Indian, indian food, pakistani food alfiefoodwala, chicken tikka masala, deep south, fast food, grill, middleeastern 0

Rouken Glen Park, Giffnock, Glasgow G46 7UG, UK

Hey, Foodwala’s….you may well know, Glasgow is the undisputed curry capital of Great Britain.

It has beaten such curry heavyweights as Bradford, Rusholme Manchester, and the Balti triangle Birmingham, at industry awards events the other contenders lament why Glasgow walks away with the awards year in year out, they bandied out figures that they had more restaurants, more customers, etc, but could not understand why a city in Scotland won the award every year.

The simple fact of the matter is that in the restaurant business they call it the “common denominator” factor, what this means is that a restaurant’s standards are actually set by the customers rather than the restaurant.

If the customers are happy with basic food and low standards, then the restaurant will happily oblige, however, if the restaurant’s patrons demand a high quality of cuisine then the restaurants have to up their game so to speak.

The customers in Glasgow are very decerning and won’t settle for anything mediocre, hence the high standards and the accolades, however, the customers in Bradford and locales are happy to eat basic food, in basic eateries and this reflects in the dearth of awards.

The restaurant quality ecosystem can further be broken down in Glasgow, The West End of Glasgow has a far more decerning clientele than the south side and east end and again this explains why awards winning restaurants are located in the West End, industry bigwigs such as Mother India, Shish Mahal, and Balbirs and lately a newcomer like Swadish.

So my food journey this week takes me way south to Rouken Glen Park in Giffnock, and the newly opened by the ex-chief of the New Turban restaurant.

Chicken Pakora £5.00
Pepper Chicken £5.50
Veg and keema samosa £5.50

We kicked off the proceedings with a trio of starters, however before we had the starters the waiter brought out some popadoms, however, the popadoms were stale and soggy!!

that is a rookie mistake and not something an experienced restauranteur would ever put out.

The chicken pakora was adequate and the chicken was fresh and moist.

The chicken pepper was an unusual starter it was basically stir-fried chicken and peppers, it was neither a starter or a main course, possibly then chef was trying to be creative.

The samosas were nice and felt homemade with a crispy pastry, however, the starters came without a dipping sauce, which was odd or maybe they forgot.

The mixed grill was served on a sizzling skillet, however unusually it was not sizzling, the mixed grill must have been under a hot lamp before serving and was allowed to cool down, the tandoori chicken was over spiced with ajwain (carom) seeds and must have been half cooked beforehand rendering it dry.

The lamb tikka was the best item in the mixed grill roulette (their words) and was tender and minty.

The single piece of King Prawn was again over spiced.

The Desi lamb was yet again adequate, the lamb was dry meaning the lamb had been stewed previously and reheated when the order came in, the lamb had not absorbed any of the gravy jus and the onions and green peppers were also cooked beforehand in a big batch.

The resulting dish was devoid of the desi flavour… more of a stewed casserole.

The South Indian Garlic Chicken was the biggest letdown, the Mixed grill was served with the house gravy, the SIGC tasted of chicken cooked in the house gravy, it was neither spicy or garlicky, it was mediocre, to say the least.

In conclusion, I can only speculate that the chef had a day off and the understudy was holding the fort…The food was adequate, however, it was boring in its execution, there were cutting of corners starting with the stale poppadoms.

The service was prompt and friendly, our 17-year waiter looked after us like a veteran. Could not fault their enthusiasm and hard work.

The decor was smart and elegant, obviously a lot of effort had been invested in the restaurant, however, the kitchen was letting the team down.

July 23 2018

Wagah Grill House, Glasgow

Food alfiefoodwala, burgers, chicken tikka, fast food, glasgow, grill, pizza, st enoch, wraps 0

Hey Foodwala’s… The Foodwala family was enjoying a nice summer Sunday afternoon stroll down Buchanan Street and enjoying the sights and sound of all the visitors and tourists in our amazing City, we could hear so many languages and could witness so many cultures and they all blended into an amazing and vibrant atmosphere.

We could see Nigerian tourists in their splendid and colourful kaftans alongside young Chinese students equally resplendent in their Hypebeast clothing and Italians strutting like peacocks and Americans in their tourist uniform of denim and dad sneakers

All this was further enhanced by the street theatre from all corners of Europe.

As we passed through St Enoch Square we stumbled upon Wagah Grill House and it proudly proclaimed it served grilled meats alongside burgers, wraps, pizzas and sandwiches.

It reminded me of Buchanan Street a few minutes previously, so many different influences and flavours, It worked well in Buchanan Street, could it work in a restaurant?

As you can see from the menu it was certainly extensive and eclectic

could it be the case of Jack of all trades and master of none?

We kicked off the proceedings with the Wagah Grill Signature platter, when it arrived it was a sizzling platter of meaty yumminess

The platter was heaped with Seekh Kebabs, Chicken Tikka, Lamb boti and marinated lamb chops.

We started with the Seekh Kebabs, they were delicately spiced but I felt the lamb mince lacked onions to make the kebabs succulent, however, it was edible, next up was the chicken tikka, the chicken tikka had absorbed the masala and the sizzling onions enhanced the BBQ flavour, very nice, The lamb chops were a little thin in my opinion and the tandoori masala slightly overpowered the meaty flavour of the chops, the only downside was the lamb boti, the lamb was cubed rather than sliced and it left with huge chunks of dry meat where the marinade was not absorbed.

The gravy was a little under seasoned and sweet for my taste.

Benz Foodwalee, overwhelmed by the meat fest opted for the Peri Peri Chicken wrap, the chicken filling was a wee bit on the stingy side and the peri peri flavour was definitely lacking

The chicken burger felt a little emaciated and underwhelming, the filling looked tired and lacklustre.

In Conclusion, the Wagah Grill was definitely the highlight of the endeavour, however, the wrap and burger could have been better with more fillings and better fillings.

possibly Wagah should focus on their grill strong point rather than trying too many things at the same time and not succeed in any.

The restaurant was empty at the time we went and the tables felt sticky, however, the toilets were spotless!