Naty K.
Yelp
Wow, what an awesome experience! A bit off the beaten path, you may find this place a bit difficult to get to, as it is tucked in a residential area full of apartments, in a small shopping plaza. My friend and I thought we were lost, as all we saw were apartments and thought there was no way there could be a restaurant among the rows of apartment buildings. We called and finally realized we hadn't gone far enough. The place was tucked between other establishments in a small shopping plaza on the right, a bit of a hole in the wall.
Inside, the place is very small and simple, more like a family cafeteria than a cold, highly impersonal, large restaurant. A young man was in there browsing the internet and then watching movies. I had never had Pakistani food, so I was excited. I don't know why there aren't more Pakistani joints, I bet they'd achieve the popularity of Tap Tap if they opened at the beach!
Apparently, after reading over the menu, a lot of it is similar to Indian, with some added items that I had never seen before. Choices were tough, everything sounded so, so good. Prices seemed very reasonable, and they had combos which gave you a bit of everything and at a great price. The mango lassi we ordered was made from scratch. We heard the blender and cutting sounds from the kitchen, probably the cutting of the mangoes. My friend ordered chicken haleem and I got a number 7 combo. As we waited, we got a salad with delicious cucumber yogurt dressing, and some papadums. We liked it and the owner laughed about how we thought it was great, saying "that's just the beginning". It seemed he was very confident about his food, but would it measure up to the hype?
The chicken haleem was a lentil stew with ground chicken. We were brought white basmati rice as well. My friend liked his dish and found it filling. My combo was also delicious. Although there was tandoori chicken in there, it tasted different than the tandoori chicken I am used to having in Indian restaurants, so, although their dishes may be very similar to those in an Indian restaurant, the spices are slightly different. The food was very flavorful, aromatic, and filling, including the delicious patties. The owner, Shakeel, kept telling me "you're not finished", so I was expected to eat it all although I was starting to feel full. I felt like I was at my mom's suddenly! I slowly ate it all, including the tender naan. He was happy to see that and offered us dessert.
Based off of Yelpers' recommendations, we ordered the Kheer, and it was delicious. My friend's usually not impressed with rice pudding but this one was great, and very sweet, but not overpowering to the point you needed to gulp down water. It was very smooth and thick, it didn't have the lumpy texture of a usual rice pudding. I cannot recommend this place enough, the food is out of this world, the service is very friendly and personable, and the prices are great. I can't wait to go back and I am extremely grateful for my Yelp app, which told me about this amazing restaurant in the first place and yes, I am jealous of the locals who can walk here or order from here every day. I know I would if I lived in that area!