Food Review: Warning! A lot of oil here, you might slip!

This is a totally unplanned food review. But food that compels you to write and share about it isn't necessarily good. I was meeting up a friend at Atrium and she was running late. I got hungry and decided to indulge myself. Heading towards the food court, I was just amazed to see the rush their and afraid that I won't be able to get a seat since each one was occupied!

So with my first order in my hand, I stood their feeling completely awkward until these two ladies were luckily done. I first ordered the regular OPTP masala fries. I know that everyone under the sun has had them and they're old news. But I don't plan to compliment and recommend them. Hands down, the most overrated fries ever! Sure they're crispy and the masala is good too, but everyone who has had them knows there is a lot of salt too and the coating becomes unbearable when you reach the end of the cup. This is the reason, for a 100 bucks a cup I don't go for it though I might want to share it with someone occasionally, and I'd rather get those a box full of fries for 60 from a Pathan vendor on the street. I actually quite enjoy and prefere them when it comes to french fries.

Coming to the meal that urged me to write this, I ordered the world cup deal from China Grill for 600. The picture was quite deceiving as I mistook the fried chicken pieces to be prawn tempura, there was also no pointers on the poster as to what it was supposed to be. It contain a serving of chowmein, one of rice and a gravy (I ordered schezuan) and 4 pieces of fried chicken. 

              

     

I don't even know where to begin with this one. They might as well have just given me a bowl of oil, these pieces were SO oily! I felt like I had ordered a serving of cholesterol. The chicken was so juicy and soft that it could have gotten 4 stars but all of that was overshadowed by the amount of oil in the pieces. There was no sauce with it too. Even if the chicken was good, how is one supposed to have dry chicken? Thoroughly disappointed.

The chowmein had no colour in it which is why I dreaded tasting it. And I was right to do so. No taste at all plus when I mixed it, the oil started shining through! The veggies were fine, I guess. By this time two/thirds of my meal had been so disappointing I had little appetite left.

I was almost warned by the guy at the counter that schezuan would be spicy to which I was pretty delighted as I live for spicy food. And the chicken was spicy. The batter was a mixture of chili flakes, most probably, and ketchup. It was thick and the chicken was visually quite tempting. But the taste did not set well with me at all! I caught my tongue every time I took a bite; it tasted really spicy and sour and had a sweet after taste. The onion was very crunchy, something I loved but it had a sharp taste telling me it wasn't cooked properly. So I couldn't eat much of that too. I'm not sure though whether this is supposed to taste like this, luckily this gets a pass.

The  fried rice were such a delight! I had a few more bites of the schezuan just so that I could have the rice and finished almost all of it separately too. There wasn't too much pepper or garlic, something all eateries have started using in their fried rice in great amount for some reason. It looked good and tasted better, definitely deserves full marks!

I had eaten at china grill only twice earlier and both the times the food was good. Nothing great but not bad at all. I get that they have to have a lot of stuff prepared before hand, but what can excuse such a meal when it is paid for and your business depends on customer service?

It was really sad to come across a Chinese food outlet that could only nail egg fried rice successfully.
Until later, take care. And do let me know which other place I should review and if this was helpful.


SSK

More from Coke Studio: Coke Studio Gigs Presents Jimmy Khan, Asrar and Sara Haider

After a season full of entertaining performances Coke Studio has been organizing gigs all over Pakistan featuring its best artists. The gig came to Karachi last week for a musical showcase of Jimmy Khan, Asrar and Sara Haider in their best melodious forms. The concert took place at the Commune Artist Colony in Karachi on 25th January 2015. A welcome note and introduction of Coke Studio Gigs and the artist line up by MC Nabiya opened the event.

                              

Asrar was first on stage, followed by Haider and then Khan who concluded the evening full of energetic, musical performances. In addition to the entertaining music, guests were provided with their own custom personalized Coke bottles, which I think was especially cool!

I had the pleasure of running into some awesome crowd including Ayesha Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi and Sanam Saeed who seemed to enjoy the evening like anything.

                                           

                                                              Sanam Saeed at the gig with her customized Coke bottle 

Bilal Lashari, Ayesha Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi all excited for the concert

Bassam, Asad ul Haq, Saima Aziz, Angeline Malik

For those who don’t know much about the gigs, Coke Studio Gigs is a music platform that features new and upcoming artists from different academic and social backgrounds, coming together to celebrate the diverse and unique music of Coke Studio, and making it their own by executing the popular platform’s tracks through their own personal style and flair. The initiative is a result of popular feedback generated by fans of Coke Studio, who demanded a separate platform for up and coming Pakistani musicians to showcase their talent. Coke Studio Gigs is now in its second season and has already highlighted the talent of several Pakistani musicians who have gone on to perform at the highest levels of our music industry.

Here’s to many more seasons and gigs full of talented, entertaining musicians! Xx

For more information, follow the Coke Studio Gigs schedule at: https://www.facebook.com/Cokestudiogigs/events, www.twitter.com/cokestudiogigs and through the official Coke Studio Gigs Hashtag: #CokeStudioGigs

SSK

Review: Ammara Khan showcases a Limited Edition Luxury Prêt Line and Bridal Wear at Ensemble - Karachi

Acclaimed Couture House Ammara Khan showcased a limited edition luxury Prêt line a few days ago (27^th Jan) in Karachi inspired by its “The Winter Palace: A Celebration of the Russian Tsarina”, along with the Bridal Collection in its complete, original form at Ensemble Karachi. The Luxury Prêt line comprises of four exclusive diffused ensembles from the designer's acclaimed collection she first showcased in Lahore at Pakistan L'Oreal Bridal Week (PLBW) in October last year. 

I had the pleasure to witness the collection myself at the Fashion Week and it was just as the title suggests, royally elegant! One of my two favourites from the collection is the piece worn by Sabeeka Imam. The gorgeous ruby studded net had a coral blouse inside and floral design all over in two shades of coral. The border was of a gold floral design merging perfectly with the nude and gold in the pants. 

The top was a sight alright, but the straight pants are what caught my eyes and I'm sure everyone's heart. Based on nude, the pants have diagonal lines from two distinctly different textured gold stripes.The perfect fit pencil pants had pearl lining along the side as well as small ruby stones below the knees. Of course the way Imam owned the piece as if it were especially designed for her, is commendable in itself too. I believe the success of a dress relies to a certain degree on the way it is carried.

The showstopper, or rather heart stopper, was the mermaid tail bridal gown adorned by Mehreen Syed. Needless to say she carried it as beautifully as it is designed. The gown was heavily embellished with silver on a pastel base. I loved the silk ribbon at the back; it made the gown that much classier. The soft braided updo, charcoal black eyes and subtle cherry red lips went just perfect with the theme of the collection. Syed totally rocked like a queen!

           

The collection draws inspiration from the luxurious and opulent lifestyle of Russian Royalty. For the capsule collection, Ammara Khan employs exquisite age old techniques of embroidery using silver and gold thread with meticulous craftsmanship, embellished with crystals, semi-precious stones and lustrous pearls. The color palette is inspired by the festive colors of the historic Winter Palace and features hues such as rich gold, silvers, soft pastels, amber, taupe, Prussian blues, coral and ivory.

                                 

Yet another exciting and totally fit-for-a-king collection by Khan who founded the couture house in 2002. She is renowned for her signature focus on supreme luxury and exquisite craftsmanship which shows in her work as a harmonious blend of the classic and contemporary. With a childhood love for fashion, Khan pursued her dream and acquired formal education from the renowned Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) New York and Polimoda in Florence, Italy specializing in evening wear.

Here are a few snap shots from the showcase at Ensemble.

                   

                        Menahel, Khan and Saba

     Khan with Tabesh Khoja and Rubya Chaudhary

                                         

                                                             Sunita Marshall, Areeba Habib and Eqra wearing Ammara Khan

Currently, Ammara Khan is available at Ensemble Dubai/Karachi and at the label's studio in Lahore.

For more information, please visit:

www.ammarakhan.com

https://www.facebook.com/AmmaraKhan

Instagram: @ammarakhanatelier

SSK