Al Kareem Sweets & Bakers East London

The Best Pakistani Restaurants in London Go Beyond Tayyabs and Lahore | Eater London

"On a rainy Sunday morning, Al Kareem Sweets and Bakers heaves with ravenous diners jostling for space and attention in the tiny seating area. Conversations spark between strangers sharing tables who alternate between Urdu and Punjabi to express their views, variously, on the state of economic affairs in the motherland or bemoan the Pakistan cricket team’s dismal recent performance. Essentially a mithai shop serving a variety of sweetmeats, pastries, and packaged snacks; on Sundays, only Al Kareem serves two varieties of breakfast platters that have people queuing outside, even in inclement weather: halwa puri and chana pathoora. Opt for the halwa puri platter and witness, live, the action of puri preparation on a meticulously arranged assembly line. Balls of kneaded flour are rolled out, slapped between the hands to be shaped into discs and then spun into in a bubbling cauldron of oil for a few seconds before they emerge expanded balloon-like. Puris are served alongside stewed potatoes with a liberal sprinkling of nigella seeds, masala chickpeas, pickled onions, and moist semolina halwa with a marigold hue. Finish off with a salty pink Kashmiri chai topped with crushed pistachios. (No alcohol.)" - Rida Bilgrami