Written by: Hurmat Majid
Posted on: February 13, 2020 | 
| 中文
Carving the Laham Khubus Pilaf
There are few things a good broth cannot fix in this parting winter weather, and those in Ala Rahi's kitchen know exactly how to make one out of any meat! Located in a relatively quiet nook in Shahbaz Commercial Area, Karachi. The eatery has an inviting exterior and a cosy interior in earthen shades and lots of artwork on the walls.
Ala Rahi’s menu is extensive, but very meat focused. The only non-meat options available are breads, starter-sized salads and hummus. That said, as Middle Eastern cuisine itself is quite meat-centric, this is forgivable on their part. Because the menu has several unfamiliar names on it, the establishment made a smart move by putting up shot clips showing the preparation and final product on a screen. This not only helped diners decide what they wanted to eat, but also introduced them to a wide variety of Middle Eastern cuisines.
As starters, the menu offers broth-based soups and a couple of fresh salads, but in true Middle Eastern style we chose the Beef Yakhni. We also decided to go for the cheese stuffed Manakeesh from the bread section. The Beef Yakhni was subtle in terms of seasoning, but packed full of beef flavor. One could tell by the depth of flavor that it had been left simmering for hours.
The Cheese Manakeesh (photo credits to the writer)
The cheese stuffed Manakeesh was a golden, oval flatbread with black sesame seeds on top. The cheese inside was a little bit sparse, but what really made it our least favorite dish was the lack of any seasoning in the bread. However, least favorite is a relative term, especially when everything else tasted so good.
For mains, the establishment lets you choose from beef, mutton, fish and chicken, but it also has a 'specials' section, with the best dishes of each type. Most of the specials come with some sort of at-the-table serving theatrics by the server, making for a more interactive evening than most. We chose the Laham Khubus Pilaf and the Taouk Pirzola.
Both mains were shared plates, and either dish would have been plenty for our party of two. Our host for the night let us know about the portion size, and later explained that the restaurant does not like to waste food.
Laham Khubus Pilaf (photo credits to Ala Rahi)
Laham Khubus Pilaf can be roughly translated into 'mutton-and-rice-wrapped-in-bread'. The dish appears as a round loaf of bread, but then the host scores and carves off the crunchy top, revealing the piping hot rice and meat inside. The aroma alone is worth all of the theatrics. The rice is cooked in mutton stock and had a lot of flavor with the little pieces of carrots and sliced almonds. The mutton was succulent and extremely tender, giving way at the slightest push of a spoon.
The Pirzola was a chicken dish, literally translated as 'chicken chops'. The dish had flattened pieces of chicken chest, which looked slightly charred on the outside. The meat was held up by a double skewer contraption, with a bed of rice cooked in chicken stock underneath it. Our server was kind enough to remove the chicken from the skewers, instead of letting us struggle with and almost maim ourselves in the process.
Taoulk Pirzola (photo credits to Ala Rahi)
Even though we aren't big fans of chicken, this dish blew it out of the park for us. The meat had a lot of flavour and wasn't dry at all, a feat which most restaurants fail to achieve. It melted off the bone, and had a distinctly grilled taste. Again, the rice was cooked to perfection, and we could taste the chicken stock. This came as a pleasant surprise, as we have previously been to establishments that use a one-stock-fits-all policy, which resulted all varieties of rice dishes having an identical taste.
The two mains were served with three different sauces: tomato-based and tangy, green chili and coriander-based and smoked yoghurt with garlic. Although we have seen these sauces before, never have they tasted so good that our companion insisted on taking them home! As for the drinks, the Apple Mint Lemonade was okay, but the Green Apple Mojito was a different tale all together. It was refreshing and carried a green apple taste combined with the pop of a fizzy drink.
Even though we had eaten more than our fill by now, who leaves a Middle Eastern establishment without trying some Kunafa and Baklava? The dishes were served warm with a large dollop of vanilla ice cream, which definitely didn't come out of a box. The ice cream was milk-based but still not heavy, and had very balanced amounts of sugar in it.
Kunafa (photo credits to the writer)
The Kunafa had just the right amount of sugar syrup drizzled on, enough to soak the crispy vermicelli layer without making it soggy. Even with a full stomach, we basically had a spoon war over the pieces on the place. One thing that would have brought the whole dish together better, if it had been gooier. The cheese inside was starting to toughen up, making it slightly harder to bite into. The Baklava was warm and flaky, filled with a date-and-nut filling. This wasn't the best baklava, but it was a close second.
The Baklava (photo credits to Ala Rahi)
Overall our dining experience was a complete delight, with the damage to the pocket being Rs. 6,480, after tax. While this may seem a bit steep, we had enough leftovers for another full meal the next day and no regrets. However, we do suggest that diners visit in bigger groups, as the meals are meant for sharing. It is not often that a much-hyped restaurant lives up to its reputation, but Ala Rahi is a unique and gourmet restaurant, and that deserves celebration!
You may also like:
