Chop Chop Wok : Treats in a bowl!

It’s been quite long and as I’ve mentioned before, my life is extremely dramatic, thus while I decided to take a six month long “detoxing-from-the-world” sort of break… actually let’s skip the tale… I ended up getting engaged – to the best person ever (…who might get palpitations at the lack of focus on health and nutrition in this blog).

Anyhow, after my summer trip to the US, nothing in Karachi really motivated me to continue with the blogging and the food scene was failing to offer anything exotic or unique to my spoilt palate.

However, Ramadan/Ramzan (whichever one helps you sleep at night) kicked off with social media being flooded with attractive yellow and black promotional posts of a new restaurant making way that introduced itself as Chop Chop Wok.

Early Promotions. Courtesy: Chop Chop Wok

Courtesy: Chop Chop Wok

I thought the name was great, especially if they were planning to offer Oriental/ Asian cuisine. Thank God, by the way! Even though I’m all about them burgers, this city went a bit manic with burger joints. Besides that, we were in dire need of a different eatery that fell between the commercial million desi Chinese places and Noodle House!

Packed in a concise (read: tiny) area amidst the hustle bustle of Khadda Market, Chop Chop Wok sports a minimalistic layout with 5 tables and an open kitchen. I think the ‘Wokers’ were trying to work around a take-out concept but we eager beavers like to eat where the party’s at – and so, the waiting time is hardly ever less than 45 mins! (Imagine – aunties were actually hosting ‘kitty’ lunches in this limited space)

I managed to win a place after four months and five attempts!

We waited roughly twenty minutes before being seated and a super courteous server came to assist us three ladies! He skimmed through the menu with us and recommended their limited edition Wasabi Prawns with Salsa for starters, which we ordered along with their Spicy BBQ Wings.

 Chop Chop Wok has a stress-free menu with “make-your-own” options along with their specials. This is exactly how much a restaurant should offer, makes it super easy to decide what one wants. The place itself was so aromatic that I wanted to try everything on the menu and as I scanned the other tables, every dish looked alluring. Unfortunately, I can’t continue with my habitual over ordering anymore or I’m going to make a wok-looking bride myself.

 For mains, I asked our attendant to tap in the best of the best on his iPad which, according to him, was their Jasmine Rice blended with Pan Asian flavor combined with Chicken. My personal preference is always Beef, however, this guy told me to trust him and so I did! My only request was to top it with a fried egg because the table next to us had me drooling!

My mom chose Thai flavored Rice Noodles mixed with Fish, and my cousin went for Oriental style rice noodles with Chicken.

First up were the Wasabi Prawns. Deep fried to perfection and coated with a flavorful Wasabi sauce, these prawns that are sprinkled with tangy salsa are easily one of the best I’ve had in Karachi and I’m being honest – not dramatic!

Wasabi Prawns with Salsa

 The Spicy BBQ Wings were VERY spicy indeed, but for a person who can’t tolerate spices, I was licking the sauce off of my fingers that was very generous in quantity. Loved the wings. Plus, the extremely cool and refreshing Fresh Mint Lemonade helped me devour every bite.

Side Note: This city needs a place dedicated to wings!

Spicy BBQ Wings

Fresh Mint Lemonade

After these two beauties, I was really looking forward to the main course!

My Rice Bowl came looking as pretty as I had imagined it to be and the zestful aroma of flavors was just so appetizing, I couldn’t even wait for the other mains to arrive! I dunked my fork and the steam that waved up from between the rice kernels revealed how freshly the meal was prepared.

Jasmine Rice + Pan Asian Flavor + Chicken + Fried Egg

You know, I’m not exaggerating but I honestly don’t know how to describe the deliciousness of my fierce rice bowl. The spices made my nose run and the hot temperature kept burning my tongue but I couldn’t stop. It was so, so good.

THIS is comfort, oriental food. When you’re strolling down the mall or you just want to eat something “easy and light” but still out of this damn world – this is it.

The Rice Noodles with Thai sauce and Fish were tangy and again, very spicy! Every ingredient in this dish makes its way to your brain and down your spine – that intense but oh my God, that delightful to the taste buds. Even though the level of spice was way beyond my tolerance, I wanted to try it over and over again.

Rice Noodles + Thai Sauce + Fish

The Rice Noodles cooked in Oriental Sauce with Chicken were my favorite after my Rice Bowl. They’ve got that oriental taste spot-on, the kind that has a great after taste and makes you wonder why you don’t have such food every single day of your life.

Rice Noodles + Oriental Sauce + Chicken

It’s not just the kick of flavor that wins the game. In Pan Asian cuisine, every dish is a result of many different kinds of ingredients combined from meat to herbs to vegetables – blending them in complete sync and consistency with the right amount of sauces is what makes it “just right”.

Chop Chop Wok has it on point, for sure.

We ordered their only dessert - Fried Ice-cream, and I would have loved to break into that crispy looking shell if I wasn’t lactose intolerant. Boohoo!

Fried Ice-cream

But, the ladies with me couldn’t help but inhale the entire thing wondering what the shell was made out of – had to be PRETTY good if two women who had recently signed up to controlling their diets were at it!

Chop Chop Wok is a wonderful addition to the Karachi restaurant scene – it delivers more than it promises and excels in the cuisine they offer (I wish I tried their Chili Prawn with Calamari). I hope they grow into a bigger place, or just even maintain what they’ve started because they’ve got it right.

Thank you Chop Chop Wok – not only did you bring to us a different culinary delight but it’s because of you I’m writing again!

Favorite Moment: After I ate my bowl clean, the waiter smiles and inquires about his recommendation “Toh phir? Kaisa?” <3 <3

Dubai Diaries : Day 1 - A taste of the Arabian sea

Spring just got a whole lot better when my dad suggested a spontaneous trip to our second home – Dubai. I didn’t inherit wanderlust from my family and usually just appreciate travel with a motive, but after 4 topsy-turvy months a break was much due.

Emirates decided to serve us black lamb cubes with a dodgy looking curry (contrary to the exotic descriptions in their menu) during our flight from Karachi to Dubai but hey, I’m not complaining because at least now I know why those vomit bags are necessary. Brrr.

Dubai never fails to amuse me. It’s the only brown-dominated city with high-rise buildings, high ways, Tim Horton’s, legit metros and the largest mall in the world – to say the least.

We hit the infamous Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) for a pleasant evening out on our first day. More commonly known as “The Walk”, this strip gives home to diverse eateries spread out in abundance. The entire layout is quite pleasing actually – the glitzy view of the beach, pavements covered with the hustle bustle of all restaurant customers and a few unique, high end shops that are not found at the malls.

We fleet through the entire road till our growling stomachs were driven to Aprons & Hammers – our choice for the evening.

I’m not too big on seafood, except shrimps, but my Dubai-settled uncle convinced me that I had no idea what I was on about until I ate there. We were too hangry (hungry + angry, incase you missed my genius, unoriginal collaboration of words in the blog name) to argue and settled for the claws I would have had to struggle with.The concise menu made it easy for us to weigh our options and the very courteous server suggested the right amounts for our party of six!

The complimentary breadbasket was so fresh that we attacked the poor thing like biryani served at a Valima (I couldn’t even take a picture of the whole thing as served)… and we had to sheepishly ask for another one after a stretched seven minutes.

We were given our own aprons, allowing us to be as messy as we wanted and the server showed us disposable plastic gloves that we could use.  The Shrimp Cocktail was the first to arrive as a starter, and I honestly don’t have another clichéd word other than DELICIOUS.

The portion of shrimps was quite generous and unlike many other places, the dish was as simple as shrimps served with sauce so one could cover the shrimp as desired. It wasn’t layered with too many greens, nor were they pre-mixed in their in-house creation of the cocktail sauce. The Shrimp Cocktail was pretty much perfect.

Prawn Cocktail

Up next were our lavish platters and buckets. We ordered a Grilled Lobster Platter with Pepper Cream Sauce, a Mussels Bucket with Lemon Butter Sauce, and a Shrimp Bucket with and Olive Oil mix of Garlic and Lemon.

The shell-covered shrimps were rather flavorsome, and the sauces were well blended to the insides of the little guys. I especially enjoyed the mild hit of garlic that was felt at the end of every shrimp. These fellas topped my list.

Grilled Shrimps Bucket

Though not a fan of the creature, I tried the Lobsters and was relatively surprised that I enjoyed it!! The sauce actually was brilliant – a very zestful combination of flavors and the creamy texture really hit the nail. Again, I personally am not too keen on eating lobsters and hence wasn’t too comfortable struggling to dig out its meat from the shell, however, the others at the table guzzled down the entire platter. Special mention of the sauce again, I kept dunking my fingers in to have more.

Grilled Lobster Bucket

Mussels

It was my first time with Mussels and my feelings switched from disgust to devour. My dad forced me to spoon out just one to taste, and see below a portion of my plate to gauge how that story ended! They were divine. Period.

Trick:

1. Break the upper shell from where it joins the one which carries the meat
2. Scoop the mussel meat with the empty shell as a spoon
3. Drink the leftover sauce from the shell directly
4. Cry out of happiness.

After our Desi appetites had been fulfilled, we were given a bowl of lukewarm water with lemon & mint to wash our hands with. I felt royal.

For dessert we opted for the Cheesecake 101 with Strawberry Sauce and the Sensational Chocolate Fondant.

The cheesecake was nothing to write home about but the chocolate fondant was as sensational as its name suggested, still not the best one I’ve had though.

Aprons & Hammers was an enjoyable experience and I definitely don’t mind going there again. Even though it’s a little steep on the pocket, I’d say the servings make up for it.

I’m proud of myself. First, walking The Walk and then the Mussels.

#highlifeDubai?

A-mews-ing Day!

After an extremely unpredictable winter and a humid March, this city finally showed some signs of spring today. My garden looked extra colorful in the morning and the calm, cloudy weather filled the air with a rainy sort of smell. That, by the way, has a name- “Petrichor” meaning the scent of rain. Pretty, isn’t it?

I reminisced my two years of college in London and though I moved back by choice, living there did have it’s own aura of pleasure. The old-school buildings, cozy restaurants, being able to walk anywhere, sigh!

A banging knock on my car window totally interrupted my thoughts by someone dressed up like Mimi from The Drew Carey Show who promised me a bunch of prayers for a couple of bucks! 

My father, cousin, her munchkin of a baby and I headed to the now famous “E Street” in Clifton to grab a good lunch after Friday prayers.

Mews… mews, mews, mews, mews, MEWS! It’s a pleasure returning to this thoughtfully set up restaurant. It gives the feel of walking into one of those little cafes set up in the insides of St Christopher’s Place behind Bond Street, London. 

Rumor has it, Feeha Jamshed is opening an outlet right next to it - can’t wait!

My 16-month-old niece seemed to be famous and a regular there as a server popped up right as we got seated with the menus and a board listing the specials of the day.  Little child even won us a complimentary, fresh bread basket!

My stomach, heart and brain had a nerve-wrenching debate over whether I should order their No Fuss Burger or the Korean Beef Bowl. I could live my life off burgers. Really, if I had to choose between lifelong love and burgers – it would be the latter (medium rare with extra cheese… just incase my fiancé decides to use this as an opportunity).

Since I’m being adventurous nowadays and having tried their top-class burger before, I opted for the beef bowl which arrived along with the others’ club sandwiches and hot & spicy flatbread.

The flatbread was so hot and fresh, so easy on the tummy. My cousin, previously a fan of a similar pizza at Xander’s said that she didn’t even go there since Mews blessed us with its existence. I loved the gigantic platter it was served on.

According to my father, a publicly acclaimed foodie, the cold cuts in the sandwich gave it more of a generic club sandwich taste than a signature Mews' standard one. I tried it too, and agreed that maybe it isn’t not the best one in town.

He has yet to eat a good club sandwich in this city – until now, his own tops our list.

I seem to be having a fantastic culinary week, and the spicy Korean bowl did not disturb my pattern. So full of flavors and a very authentic, oriental taste indeed – I thoroughly enjoyed the entire thing with a perfect egg, sunny-side-up.

Paired with the mint lemonade (Sparkling Mint, I think) and the birthday milkshake our food was a pleasure on the taste buds.

Mews is the pandora’s box of goods in Karachi’s food scene. From the ambience, to the food, and contrary to popular belief – the service was pretty good too.

PS: Don’t be buzzkilled when you exit the London zone and instead of a tube station, you collide with an eager beaver valet guy arguing with a Sindhi security guard in Pashto! 

Aakhir, Karachi toh phir Karachi hai hee…..