This one's in the same plaza as McGinnis Front Row. I think it may have changed names recently? Not sure. I vaguely remember a juice bar in that storefront, previously.
This place is Pakistani, I think: biryanis, UK-style curries, and shawarmas and the type. After yesterday's debacle, I actually asked, "what's good?", and when I said I wanted spicy food, I was steered to the chicken biryani. Foolishly, I got the combo with naan, but it's my fault I got rice with bread.
I wouldn't say it was very spicy, but it was pretty good. Anise, clove, bay (I think? I don't think it was curry leaves), maybe some cinnamon in the rice seasonings. It came with a spicy raita (in a shot glass!), which did make it more flavourful. The chicken was a drumstick, and was decent if unexciting. (Fun fact: drumsticks are now the cheapest part of the chicken, now that wings are so popular.)
The combo includes a drink, so I did get a bottle of mango juice. I think this is one of those places where it's impossible to get water not in a bottle (grr!); it also has no visible bathroom (nor, really, even a place for one to exist).
I had: chicken biryani, naan, mango juice
I paid: $8.48
Verdict:
Speed: Excellent: my food was ready as I finished paying. (Then again, this isn't hard: biryani is a casserole...)
Quality: Tasty. Vegetables would make this meal better, but again, it was my own damn fault that I got it with naan, not salad. (I also could've gotten it with fries, and then I'd be even more full than I am.)
Value: Pretty good. I mean, it's not exactly expensive ingredients: rice plus oil plus spices plus a chicken drumstick. But I don't feel ripped off at all; I'm quite full.
Would go back: Maybe. It was pretty crowded (there are very, very few tables), and I was there before noon. I don't know what it's like in the middle of lunchtime.
A convincing analysis. How many more venues before the cycle is complete? Or does the plaza spout new ones as quickly as one can sample them?
ReplyDeleteI think I'm roughly 25% done, maybe 30%? Yesterday, while I was despairing of more meals like Monday's, I considered counting, but then didn't, as I thought it might be depressing.
ReplyDeleteHey Dan! I'm enjoying the blog! I hope you find at least one place that's worth going to for the late nights in the lab.
ReplyDeleteOh, hey Trevor! Thanks for the comments. I just feel guilty that I've not had much to say for this month: I was in Slovenia for 8 days, and now I'm off to Portugal on Wednesday. So I've hardly made a dent.
ReplyDeleteSo far, the closest to a surprise keeper is probably Waterloo SOGO.
No rush to get through the whole plaza ;) Hope the traveling is fun!
DeleteHi Dan, I'm absolutely loving your blog! I was very impressed by how you were able to pick up the spices in the biryani, especially the cinnamon in the rice!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to invite you to Aunty's to try out our best selling dish - the Fusion - it's essentially a shawarma plate with a Pakistani twist to it! Would love to hear what you think about it!
Best.
Zahid - Owner Aunty's Cafe