Meraki: For the love of food

Before we begin, lets just marvel at the blessings around us. You want food? Just take your phone and order food. You want to go somewhere, take your phone and order a cab! There are so many options, if you have a lot of money, order Careem. If you are on a budget, order an Uber. Tighter budget? No problem, you can order Uber mini or even a rickshaw. What a marvelous age to be alive in, if you really think about it.

Now despite all these options, it still took me like a month to upload the new post. Well, at first I did not know where to go. Then one of my friends suggested that I go to this place called Meraki, but it still took me a week to finally go there because, well, laziness. And I'm such a lazy bum, it took me like two weeks to actually write this after going there :P And after i am done writing the post, I get stage fright which causes further delays. Masail bohatt hain :P

So anyway before we begin, let's just make one thing clear that this is in no way an accurate review of the restaurant. This is a review of a pretty reasonably priced deal from a very expensive restaurant which in no way represents their best. 

Meraki is located on Bhittai Road in Islamabad right above Meat One. If you have seen their menu, they offer pretty exotic and impressive food. They recently launched lunch deals for students and such. Meraki basically means, to love what you do so much that you actually put your soul into it. Woah :o 

If you use the elevator, you will probably arrive face to face with the door but i used the stairs and there was absolutely no indication about the presence of Meraki on the first floor landing. I was a bit confused at first, i thought it might be on another floor. It was by shear chance that i happened to look at its door. Perhaps a small standee wouldn't be amiss?

Anyway I entered and experienced an immediate increase in the classiness of my surroundings. Subtle lighting, polished surfaces, a wide expanse. The kitchen is visible from the dining area, and it looked no less impressive. I seated myself near a window so there would be plenty of natural light for pictures. I am the sort of person who prefers beef over chicken, so i ordered the beef steak deal which includes a beef steak with a side of mashed potatoes, a soft drink and a mini souffle.

Now while i waited, they brought in the complimentary appetizer and welcome drinks. Bread and butter and a lemon lime shot. I believe they serve the same amount for four or less people, because if i had eaten that whole loaf of bread i would have lost a significant portion of my appetite. So i ate the bread stick and just had one slice of the bread. The bread was freshly baked, it was warm and soft. Lemon lime was pretty great too.

The beef steak was delivered in 19 minutes and 30 seconds. The plate was so hot, it was untouchable and i had to use a napkin to position it into place (I had to take pictures na :P). The steak looked great, there can be no two opinions about it. But perhaps if the mashed potatoes had been served in some sort of a small bowl they would have looked better? The lump of mashed potatoes looked kind of out of place, though i will admit that it was easier to eat it as compared to if it had been in a bowl. 

The moment i sliced a chunk of the steak with my knife, i knew it was going to be great. It looked juicy and a little gummy. And that is exactly how it felt on my pallet. Succulent, soft and flexible. The black pepper gave an incredible taste to the dish and it was really the only thing strong enough to stand out and shine. The mashed potatoes were as mashed potatoes are supposed to be, boring :P no complaints though.

Upon asking for the dessert, they placed this mini souffle in front of me. It looked okay, nothing special but then, desserts don't really have to look good they just have to be good. Which i am sad to report, this one was not. It was a bit bland. It is chocolate, it is supposed to be heavenly. Chocolate desserts are one of the best in the world, this one just soils their good reputation. Not cool.

In the end it came out just below Rs 850. Because the prices are inclusive of tax so there was no 'jhatka' that you get when you get the check :P And it is quite reasonable for a steak meal right? And i love that they don't cheap out on the complimentary appetizer. Would I recommend going there? Yes I do. Will i go there again? Probably, to try out one of the other deals from this menu. 

So that's it for this time guys, stay tuned for more. And i know i said that there will be new posts every week, but that is quite an ambitious goal don't you think? Especially for a student. So lets make this a monthly-ish meeting shall we? Over and out guys, its been real.

Khoka Khola: A dhabba in the heart of Islamabad

Ever since I saw an advertisement of Khoka Khola on social media which featured a beautiful picture of some desi food, I have been wanting to go there. The name was a bit confusing to me, I understand that it's a dhabba themed cafe but Khoka Khola? It literally just means 'Opened a Shop'. I'm not sure but I think they rhymed it with Coca Cola? What do you guys think? Lemme know in the comments!!

Anyway this week I had 50% off on Uber rides and did not have any classes either. Talk about a perfect week! So I jumped on an Uber and went to Khoka Khola. It is situated in the Beverly Center in Blue Area. I was amazed. They really have implemented the dhabba theme to perfection. They have brought the dhabba to the heart of Islamabad. The decor, ambiance, music, everything screamed desi to me. Just look at this lamp, for example. Dekh magar pyar se *wink wink* xD

The furniture was also traditional village styled, in fact everything was desi except the A/C. I had planned on eating at one of the tables outside because there was much more natural light for me to take pictures in, but seeing the decor just made me stay inside. It was an immersive and singular experience, and it truly felt like the door of the cafe was a magical portal. If only the waiters' outfit could have been desi too it would have been truly epic. Even the utensils were stainless steel, as is customary in dhabbas.

One thing that was a bit disconcerting was that no one greeted me when I went in. In fact no one was there, there was just one guy behind the counter and he had his back to me because he was cleaning some shelves. Now I'm not saying that i need a red carpet and fireworks but there should be someone to make the guests feel welcome, am i right?

The menu was limited to one page and I ordered the Khoka Khola Thali and a doodh patti. It was 12 in the afternoon and the Thali had great stuff for breakfast: channay; minced beef; aalo bhujia; and a seekh kebab served with tandoori paratha alongside kachoomer salad and mint raita. For dessert there was sooji halwa. They had it ready in 12 minutes which is great. Looks yummy, right?

The first thing I tried was minced beef. It was a bit bland and dry but the tandoori paratha was amazing. It was soft and succulent while the sesame seeds provided an excellent texture for my palate. The blandness and dryness of the minced beef was excellently countered by a little dip in the yummy mint raita. Together they made an incredible couple and eliminated each other's shortcomings.

Channay were okay, but the thing that really had me going was aalo bhujia. What an amazing blend of tastes, it was just marvellous. I think that it was the most amazing dish in the whole platter. A wonderful combination of soft potatoes and spices, aalo bhujia was a true treat for the taste buds. The kebab was a bit too hard and dry. I believe that barbeque needs to be succulent and just a teensy bit gummy in order to be truly relished. But still, it was acceptable.

Sooji halwa was great, it was the right amount of sweet and had no extra oil or color. Most of the time the halwa you get form halwa poori waalas is too oily and there is often extra color added. The little shavings of almonds in the halwa were of perfect size, big enough to be noticed and felt but not so big that would break the texture of the dish so it felt really nice and soft. Whether it was by chance or conscious thought, kudos!

As you may have noticed, they serve the doodh patti in a  glass, dhabba style. Now you may notice that the glass is a bit small but don't worry, there's extra tea in the kettle. Guys, I fell in love with drinking doodh patti in a glass. I don't even know why we use cups anymore, drinking from a glass felt so natural. The aroma of doodh patti was amazing. I could not find any flaw in the doodh patti, it tasted amazing while being light and did not produce that weird aftertaste that most chais do. It was light and refreshing with a hint of cardamom that was just right there in the background, feeble enough to not be overpowering and yet clearly discernible. It was a great glass of doodh patti and i would gladly go all the way back any day just to have it once again.

Service was great, the waiters were respectful and attentive. And when i asked for the check, they brought it in this dope pouch featuring truck art. Cool, right? 

The total came out to be a little above a thousand rups which is okay i guess but when you think about it, it was just a one time meal for one person plus a chai. The Thali costs 795 rups while the very similar Pakistani food platter at the Monal costs 645 and contains the same number of items plus a cold drink. OOOOHH i just got an idea, PLATTER WARS!! :D Coming soon :P So anyway guys i hope you liked this post, especially fellow foodies like me. Keep your eyes peeled for more posts and lemme know what you guys think!