Phenomenal World and his partner in crime visits a fantastic place which can be considered a dream come true for true blue non vegetarians with flavours from the NorthWest frontier and Pakistan. Come with me on an unbelievable journey of warmth, hospitality and culture, come with me to the Ghiza Kitchen.
This year has been extremely good with new places and new experiences. Alas my blog was not able to keep up with it and I am just about playing ketchup. You would have read about the Bohra Thaal and my experience as a cocktail judge for an in house whiskey sour competition that was organised at The Reservoire. That barely covers the tip of the iceberg. It has been a never ending party and not all can be fit into the this blog.
Before all this happened by better half as part of my birthday which falls in Aug (Leo all the way) took me to this special place. I had heard about the place from another friend but I never had a clue our lunch was booked there. So off we went from almost Electronic City to literally the other end of the Uru. The fact that a friend of mine lived nearby made it slightly more convenient as we reached quite early.
This pop up place was in a house and run by Himayath Khan who is a 4th or 5th generation pathan settled in Bengaluru. His family traditionally was into horse training and stud farms. The setting was lovely with a low table seating arrangements for 6. Te others were repeat guests who had already experienced this before hand and were prepared for the food. His wife who is the chef behind the menu is from Pakistan.
Ghiza Kitchen Setting
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Ghiza Kitchen Menu
Pehl|Starters
Sherbet Pakhair Raghley – A raisin flavoured shervet with basil seeds which was very refreshing in the August heat
Khosh Mazaa Shami – Minced mutton patties served with a tamarind chutney. Absolutely melt in the mouth. The spices (secrets from Pakistan) was brilliantly used for flavour at the same time not overwhelm the patties. Adorable and I made the first mistake of eating more than advisable.
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Tawa Fried Seekh – Minced chicken on skewers served with a mint chutney. A brilliant combination though I had only a few bites
Khorak|Main Course
Dum Afghan – I realised my mistake only when the main course started coming. This was a combination of Kabuli Pilaf garnished with raisins to be had with slow cooked mutton. The mutton was unbelievably exquisite. The meat so tender that it was melt in the mouth with minimal spice used (Afghans like the flavour of meat and hate it to be overpowered by too much spice). The pilaf was absolutely flavourful with the raisins providing a great contrast to the subtle flavours.
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Charsi Tikka – Moist chicken meat served with parantha and chutney. Really well made grilled chicken that was crispy and moist at the same time. That lady can really do magic to a meat I don’t really like but still make me relish it. By this time I was slowly and surely getting stuffed to the gills and then realised there was more to come. Now you know the “two mistakes” :D. Thankfully Himayath allowed all of us a small respite to let our stuffed bellies get some much needed rest before more food came in. This was when he showed us the video of their traditional Pashtuni dance that was choreographed by his better half at a family event.
Mutton Qorma – I have had mutton qormas from many different places. Even the Bengali style mutton qorma or the Odiya Mutton Kassa. However no one and I mean no one comes close to perfecting it than a Pakistani. This took me back to my time in London when I used to have the mutton qorma or the nehari almost every day from a Pakistani restaurant. Rustic, no nonsense and simple this is a soulful dish at its best packed with flavour and the call of home. Along with the really soft kulcha’s which came all the way from Delhi, it took me back a few years down memory lane. Absolutely spot on which only only a Pakistani can accomplish. Masha Allah !
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Khoog|Dessert
Kheer – I hate hot kheer and my secret to having it is chill it in the fridge, this lessens the sweetness and makes it more thick. The kheer that was served here was exactly how I love it. It was a bit on the sweeter side but hey it was chilled and thick !
The whole fiesta ended with Kahwa from Saudi Arabia along with jaggery. We were advised to have it in a very interesting way. Take a small piece of jaggery on the tongue and then sip the kahwa. This melted the jaggery as it went in sweetening the tea. Brilliant ! The Saudi kahwa is different from the Kashmiri one. This was more bitter and was not served with raisins or almonds, hence the jaggery trick.
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After Thoughts
What made this even more magical was that every course that came was well complimented by stories of the chef’s life and family in Lahore with lovely trivia about their culture. Himayath Khan also showed us a lovely video of a Pashtuni dance they performed at their family event which was choreographed by his better half. Things like this really adds a lovely layer to the already brilliant food that steadily came from the kitchen. The couple are master story tellers and this makes it an experience. Going to restaurant doesn’t compare to such culturally rich hospitality.
Let me also take you back to the start when I mentioned about horses. This is an actual hoof of an old horse!
Price
For this experience we paid Rs. 1550 per person.
How to book your seats?
Whatsapp +91-9591 958 918 to book your seats well in advance. This usually happens on Sundays but you can check their schedule by contacting Himayath Khan. You can also follow them on instagram @ghizakitchen or facebook page Ghiza Kitchen
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Such delectable pics of the food that I was salivating through the entire read of the post. Very well documented and reviewed Pravin