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

Chef's Secret Recipe : Spaghetti Bolognese

A very belated Ramadan Kareem (…or "Ramzan Mubarak", before I get stoned by the very emotional lot who find the ‘D’ very offensive – lol)! I’ve been missing in action again but am back with something you will definitely love me for.

Spaghetti Bolognese is a very tricky dish to be perfect. It can either be too saucy or too dry, the flavor can either be too “ketchup-ish” or very sour but it’s one of my favorite dishes of all times!

My awesome brother Chef Fahd Khan, who happens to work at Down House Houston, took out his precious time to make me the yummiest Spaghetti Bolognese I’ve ever had. The best part is, it has fine restaurant taste that could quickly and easily be made right in your own kitchen!

(I begged and pleaded him to let me share this because he’s usually very mysterious about all his recipes)

By the way, I tried this for Iftar + Dinner - absolutely filling and delicious!

Here it is – Chef Fahd’s secret recipe, in his own words, for his special Bolognese sauce:

Watch the video:  

Click here to see the video in HD.

Yield: 8 Portions

Ingredient	Amount (U.S)	Amount (Met)	Preparation
Vegetable oil	3 Tbsp	45 g
Onions	2 oz	60 g	Small Dice
Garlic	2 oz	60 g	Small Dice
Celery	2 oz	60 g	Small Dice
Tomato Paste	3 Tbsp	45 g
Canned Whole Tomatoes	2 Cans	800 g	Juice Strained and reserved, Tomatoes chopped
Dried Oregano	2 Tbsp	30 g
Red Wine Vinegar	½ Cup	120 g
Fresh Tomatoes	1 lb	500 g	Chopped
Minced Beef	1 ½ lb	500 g

Procedure:

•   Heat pan on medium high heat and add oil, onions, garlic and celery. Cook till translucent.
•  Reduce heat to medium, add Tomato Paste, stir and cook for 2 minutes
• Add the dried Oregano and Vinegar and stir for 1 minute until slightly reduced.
• Add the reserved juice of the canned tomatoes and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low add the canned tomatoes, cover and let cook for 15 Minutes
• Add the fresh tomatoes and minced beef stir till evenly coated liquid.
• Cover and let cook for 5 Minutes or till meat is just cooked
•  Season to taste

Plating:

•  Serve over boiled Pasta

Enjoy this brilliant and super easy way to make fine-dine Spaghetti Bolognese and do share your experiences with us!

Instagram: @hangrywords

Je t'aime, mon Café Rolle

Sometimes you just want to be able to be in a completely different setting or place than the one you are in, for a short period. I know that I wake up many mornings and say, “I want to go to Timbuktu!” (Side note: If this city gained one penny for every time it was mentioned in a random reference, it would’ve been led by a Sheikh), or “I want to be in Madagascar”.

This particular day I woke up feeling a little classy and raised my eyebrow to “I need to go to Paris”. I’ve always had a dramatic vision of the city and loved the idea of it in my head, but unfortunately never had the chance to actually go visit; maybe on my honeymoon – eligible bachelor, wherever you are, are you listening? Hello?

Anyhow, the weather was so lovely that evening, and we decided to head out to Sacramento for a good meal. Through her research, my sister had found a small French café that was mentioned in Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S, located in East Sacramento.

We arrived at Café Rolle without any difficulties and noticed that it was, indeed, quite a small yet, cozy café.  As you walk in, there’s the sweetest chorus of “Bonjour!” and you are led to your table.

The café is decorated with bright walls that are covered with frames, pictures and paintings. I absolutely enjoyed the open kitchen with an open window, where the chef flashes an adorable smile every so often! 

Click here to get a feel of the restaurant.

Chef William Rolle sneaking me a smile! :D

This restaurant is owned by Chef William Rolle who is there to bring his family recipes that date back to his father in Lyon, France, right to our palates. You can feel the homeliness in the friendly, family-oriented atmosphere.

This restaurant actually featured in Diner’s, Dine-ins & Dives with Guy Fieri. Click here to see (05:36 onwards).

Some of Chef William Rolle’s recipes can be found at foodnetwork.com too.

Coming back, this ‘sandwicherie’ has a super to-the-point menu that consists of small plates, salads and sandwiches! A crazy sandwich galore indeed!

Our server came to brief us up with the bestsellers and honestly, between us, I think his voice was one of the hot sellers! He goes by the name of Nico Chandler, very assistive and friendly and oh God when he spoke, my sister had to ask him if he sang!! Turns out he was a singer, an opera singer if I’m not mistaken. Really appreciated his highly ambitious attitude towards life.

Anyway, for starters we ordered their Chilled Salmon served with fresh dill and crème fraiche, Chilled Foie Gras, and Chicken Breast Pate Plate.

As told to us by Nico, their salmon was voted best in Sacramento since 13 years! I’m not a salmon eater, at all, and I’ve declared myself as psychologically allergic to it but this fresh slab of fish did NOT get me gagging! Really flavorful and definitely the best-looking salmon I’ve ever seen. Also, it’s the chef’s special family recipe and we all know that everything world-class is always found in a home kitchen!
I like pates. They’re tricky to get right, and clearly Café Rolle figured the trick out. I loved it here.

Left: Chicken Breast Pate Right: Chilled Salmon with creme faiche

It was my first time having Foie Gras, and am certainly glad I spent the special moment here. If I were to not get into its technicalities, it was really just a God-sent piece from heaven that had the ability to melt in your mouth and tear your eyes up out of sheer gratitude for the man who created it. Basically.

Chilled Foie Gras

These were just starters, by the way, the “small plates”. Our main course consisted of Croque Lamb Monsieur, Hot Prawns Sandwich, and the Croque Chicken Monsieur.

After the arrival of my Hot Prawns Sandwich, Chef William Rolle himself brought the other two sandwiches and with his sweet, contagious smile prompted us to “bon appetit”.

Croque Lamb Monsieur takes meat sandwiches to a whole different level. It’s not your average “roast lamb” sort of sandwich. You can taste the high quality meat with its fresh, moist taste surrounded with a generous touch of fat – remarkable!

The dressing on their Spring Mixed Salad served on the side was fantastic, by the way! They seem to nail everything.

Croque Lamb Monsieur

The Croque Chicken Monsieur was investigated thoroughly by each of us because there was no way a chicken breast fillet could be that moist and tender. But what can we say? It was just that beautifully cooked! There’s a hint of pesto that tickles the taste buds and definitely makes you pray for the sandwich to not end. Ever. (Chicken sandwiches aren’t something I usually crave since they’re always available everywhere in clichéd forms but this – I, damn well, crave right now!)

Croque Chicken Monsieur

Saved this one for the last because HOLY COW IT RAISED MY SANDWICH STANDARD TO A COMPLETELY UNREACHABLE LEVEL!

The Hot Prawns Sandwich is like nothing I’ve ever had in my entire life. I’ve forgotten to mention that their breads are absolutely fantastic and the temperature that they serve their hot sandwiches at is solely perfection.

Every devoured bite experiences layers of flavors.

You chew into a hot quality bread, feel a piece of a perfectly cooked tiger prawn make its way through followed by oozing Gruyere cheese, and this entire episode of a bite is constantly splashed with flavors of pesto that does not overpower any other flavor. If that doesn’t sound good, what in the world does? Totally worth the long, descriptive sentence.

I could go on about this sandwich but I suggest you head to Café Rolle to discover the feeling.

Hot Prawns Sandwich

We concluded the meal with the best Toffee Crème Brulee, rather one of the best Crème Brulee’s I have ever had. This one you can judge for yourself below!

Toffee Creme Brulee

I hope this video loads for you. If not, CLICK HERE to get to my instagram account

(Psst, if you listen close enough you will hear Nico's voice saying "you're welcome" right at the end... sigh)

After a beautiful meal, I had no other option but to go compliment the chef through his adorable window and ask for his name to remember this experience forever.

To my pleasant surprise, this friendly chef not only gave me a virtual autograph on my Samsung Galaxy Note 4, but also allowed me to come into the kitchen and take a picture with the Café Rolle crew, AND I got to have a selfie with him too!!!!

Team Cafe Rolle 

Selfie with Chef William Rolle <3 <3

The day & age of virtual signatures!

Thank you Mr. William Rolle, for one of the best experiences I’ve ever had and for being one of the most humble chefs ever!