Salateen Restaurant- Some hits, some misses

Restaurant- Salateen Restaurant
622 FM 1959 Houston, Texas 77034
Buffet or a-la-carte? Both available
Date of visit: 9/28/13

Background:

Salam/Hello guys! Today I will be reviewing Salateen restaurant, a restaurant that is near Ellington Field in Southeast Houston. The food is mainly Pakistani, which is similar to Indian cuisine. The major difference is that Pakistani food has beef. I was craving for some biryani as it had definitely been a while since I had some cooked by my mom. I haven't had the time to eat for a while because everyone in my family is so busy that all the week's food is cooked on Sunday and it had to last for the whole week. I needed to find some place near UH for some nice, cheap biryani. Southwest side of town was ruled out because a lot of their biryanis cost around $8 BY ITSELF. The cheapest ones right now are $5 after Friday Prayers at mosques all over Houston. Then I found this restaurant. This was literally the only restaurant that is near UH and not in the Southwest area that serves biryani. This is quite shocking considering how there are so many halal restaurants in Houston. Luckily, chemistry lab at UH got out at 11:30. Taking advantage of the early release, I left for the restaurant.

Let The Experience Begin:

Salateen is located a few blocks after the exit for Ellington Field. As I went in, the place was practically empty. For a few minutes, I was the only one in the restaurant eating the food. It felt weird to be honest. For lunch, the restaurant offers an option of either buffet or a-la-carte. One problem though: the people were STILL setting up the tables. Seriously, doesn't the restaurant being open mean that everything would be ready. When I came in, the cutlery was still being folded into the napkin. Suppose if someone came in and they wanted to do a-la-carte? The service would have been a lot slower, and the customer wouldn't have been happy. I have seen restaurants being busy preparing the food and tables before opening for business. Anyways the waitress saw me and asked how many people, and I replied just me. She then told me to sit wherever.

Let's Eat!

I decided to take a risk and go for the buffet. It's been nearly 4 months since I actually ate at a buffet in a restaurant. I wanted to see if it is worth eating a buffet at an Indian/Pakistani restaurant. I was hoping to have a better experience than what I had experienced at Inchin Bamboo Garden in Cleveland. Plus, it would allow me to sample various items from their menu. The buffet consisted of various Pakistani dishes, like biryani, chicken tikka masala, chicken karahi, beef nihari and tandoori chicken, and vegetarian options like palak paneer, mixed vegetables karahi, pakora, and dal channa. Along with it I got a Pepsi with free refills and free naan. The condiments were on the other side of the buffet spread. I paid a total of $12.97 (tax included), which is more on the expensive end. My main complaint was the price of the Pepsi: $1.99!! WHY CHARGE SO MUCH FOR A GLASS OF SODA????? I could buy a bottle of Pepsi from the convenient store for $1.59 instead of paying excessively. Only stadiums and amusement parks charge soda really high, NOT restaurants, unless you are dining under a celebrity chef. But in this case, there was no celebrity chef. Because this is a buffet, there is no points given for waiting time because the food is readily available to be eaten.

Menu: There's no separate menu on their website. You have to click on the types that are on top (appetizers, Tandoori, etc.) -->http://www.salateenrestaurant.com/index.html

Buffet. Condiments to the right. Main dishes on the left

Buffet helping #1 (biryani, karahi, tikka masala, pakora, tandoori chicken, and yogurt sauce)

Buffet helping #2 (biryani, karahi, tikka masala, tandoori chicken, nihari)

The Verdict:

Being a buffet, I had some pretty low standards. With this one, there were both hits and misses. First the hits. The best parts of the buffet were the naan, chicken tikka masala, and the tandoori chicken. Using a clay oven to make tandoori chicken is an excellent concept for an restaurant. It gives the feeling that you are back home in India or Pakistan and eating at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant knows for its tandoori chicken. The onions were a great addition to the tandoori chicken. The naan was nice and fresh. Not too crispy, not to soggy. The chicken tikka masala was cooked perfectly and there was a lot of flavor in it. Now the misses: the rest. Biryani is my favorite Indian dish, but this one missed the spot. The rice was very bland. I could barely taste any flavor in it. This biryani reminds of the one that was at Inchin Bamboo Garden in Cleveland. The karahi was quite oily, and that made it tasteless. The worst part was the nihari. It was one of the most soggiest niharis that I have eaten in my life. It was really cold. It seemed like it was out in the open for quite a long time. The pakora was also soggy. I have not heard of a soggy pakora before. All the pakoras that I have eaten were very fresh and crispy. Everything was drained with a couple glasses of Pepsi. Overall, one thumb up for the hits and one thumb down for the misses.

Conclusion:

So was the risk worth it? The answer is no. Salateen, like most other Indian/Pakistani restaurants, has hits and misses. There are some stuff that are good, and there are some stuff that are awful. A buffet should have top quality of everything in the spread, not just a select few. But then again, we can't expect most buffets to have top quality right? They do, however, have a-la-carte only services in the evening, and I would try that. If you want to have an excellent Indian/Pakistani buffet, then I would suggest you look somewhere else around town. I know I will be waiting for a day where I will have an amazing buffet at an Indian/ Pakistani restaurant.

Grading:

Service: 8/10 (1 point deducted for lack of preparation and overpriced soda)

Food: 6.5/10 (Good and bad stuff = not good overall)

Waiting Time: N/A

Total: 14.5/20 = 72.5% (C)

Pricing: $$ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

Salateen Restaurant
622 FM 1959 Houston, Texas 77034
Phone: (281) 372-6335
Website: http://www.salateenrestaurant.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Salateen-Restaurant/217792288318574
Timings: Mon-Thu: 11 AM - 11 PM; Fri-Sun: 11:30 AM - 11 PM
Buffet Time: Open-4:00 PM
Caters: Yes

Feel Free to Comment Below!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

Bijan Persian Grill- Houston's Best Persian restaurant?

Restaurant- Bijan Persian Grill
5922 Hillcroft Avenue Houston, Texas 77036
Buffer or a-la-carte? a-la-carte
Date of visit: 9/21/13

Photo Credit: http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/03/34/2f/6a/bijan-s-persian-grill.jpg

UPDATE 8/13/16:

I've been back here on several occasions and the food has never disappointed. They now have a patio where people can smoke hookah. Thankfully, the smoking is not in the restaurant part. I've primarily ordered the mix koobideh combo and the Bijan special. They're both delicious and filling.

Background:

Salam/hello guys! Today I will be reviewing Bijan Persian Grill, which is located in the strip mall at the intersection of US 59 and Hillcroft avenue. It even has a second location in Sugar Land, which opened up a few months ago. It is actually popular among Houstonians. Every time I would drive on Hillcroft, I would see this place packed day and night I've even seen really rich people with their Lamborghinis and Bentleys come and eat at the restaurant. I always thought about trying it, but the parking lot was so full that it was impossible for me to eat. Also, the turning into the restaurant from Hillcroft was so bad that I thought of not going. There were no turning lanes and there was a really high risk of getting hit by an oncoming car. Nevertheless, I actually decided to try this place out. Like almost every week so far in September, I went from UH after finishing my chemistry lab.

Let the Experience Begin!

I arrived at the restaurant a few seconds after I was stuck for 5 minutes on the turning on a jam-packed Hillcroft Avenue. Stepping into Bijan, the first thing that happened was the waitress noticing me and escorting me to a table. She then handed the menu and went off to serve another table. She was however very nice! She smiled, and she let me take my time to decide what to order. She was very attentive and she made sure that I was happy. There was patio seating available, but it was covered because of the torrential rain that has been around Houston for the past 48 hours. There were at least 3 TVs in the restaurant, and they were all showing football (soccer) games. The ambiance was very nice. There were people talking and a Farsi radio station playing in the restaurant. After around 3 minutes, I was ready to order.

Let's Eat!

I ordered the shishleik, which is chunks of filet mignon served with traditional Persian rice, onions, fried tomatoes and onions, onion salad, and , interestingly, butter. Yes, filet mignon. Yes, it is one of the most expensive cuts of beef. Yes it is normally found at high end restaurants. However, the price was amazing: $17.32 (tax included). In normal restaurants, filet mignon ranges from $20 to as much as $100!! To drink, I got a glass of water. Also, while waiting for the food, the waitress gave me traditional Persian bread and feta cheese salad to eat! Definitely rare in other restaurants today! The waiting time was great: 9 minutes and 47 seconds.

Menu: The menu can be found here --> http://restaurantbijan.com/HTML/menue.html

Persian bread with feta cheese and mint leaves

Shishleik with rice, vegetables, butter with water

The Verdict:
The wait for trying filet mignon was finally over, and after taking the first bite of the filet mignon, the waiting was absolutely worth it. No wonder everyone says that filet mignon is the most tender part of beef. I have tried nearly every cut of beef, from sirloin to shank to ribs to brisket, but filet mignon is now my favorite cut of beef. Halal filet mignon is really rare around Houston, but I will definitely cherish it whenever I find out of other places with it. The rice was great, and so were the vegetables. The bread and feta cheese were an amazing combination. In fact, it was so good that I asked for seconds on the same thing. I did not eat the mint leaves as I am not a fan of mint leaves. Overall, two thumbs up for this amazing meal!


Conclusion:
If you want to try out some authentic Persian food, then Bijan Persian Grill is a great place for you to come, especially if you want to try out something you rarely find like filet mignon. There are also other rare items such as quail (baby birds) and shank. Some people say that Persian food is similar to Middle Eastern food because of the presence of kababs, rice, and bread, but that is not the case. Persian food has been around for a really long time as well, and their cooking styles and tastes are distinct from their Middle Eastern counterparts. It is definitely worth trying out and you will definitely enjoy your experience there.



Grading:
Service: 10/10 (Friendly, attentive)
Food: 10/10 (Absolutely delicious)
Waiting time: (9 minutes and 47 seconds)
Total: 30/30 = 100% (A)
Pricing: $$ out of $$$$


Restaurant Information:
Bijan Persian Grill
5922 Hillcroft Avenue Houston, Texas 77036
Phone: (832) 242-1500
Website: http://restaurantbijan.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bijan-Persian-Grill/486856207991211?rf=111558832216290
Timings: Mon-Thu & Sun: 11 AM - 10 PM; Fri-Sat: 11 AM - 11 PM
Caters: Yes
Party Hall and Delivery Available.


Feel Free to Comment Below!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

Ranosh Cafe- Houston's best beef kabobs?

Restaurant- Ranosh Cafe
3402 Fondren Road, Houston, Texas 77064
Buffet or a-la-carte? a-la-carte
Date of visit: 9/19/13

Photo Credit (https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-AiBkQ-Tpt8k/UXAs3YXWhjI/AAAAAAAABdM/Pqz8B-142hk/s0/4-18-2013%2B12-26-24%2BPM.jpg)

UPDATE 8/13/16: I made two trips this year to Ranosh with my family. Though we do not smoke, we enjoyed the food. I ordered the mix grill on the first trip and the beef shish kabab on the second trip. Both tasted great! I would definitely make more trips here by myself if there were to be an area that would be just for those who do not smoke, since neither every person is a smoker nor does everyone like the smell of hookah. Same score, same reason for the point deduction.


============================ORIGINAL POST===============================

Background:
Salam/Hello everyone and welcome to my latest review! Today I will be reviewing Ranosh Cafe, a popular hangout spot for people near the Galleria. It was around 9 pm last night and I was waiting for my carpool crew to finish their ISM meeting. All of a sudden, they decided to go here. One of them is a regular there, and that he knows what is best to eat there. At first, I was actually not willing to go because of one thing: hookah. Hookah is an alternative way of smoking that has taken the US by storm. A lot of the people that I know have fallen victim to this. I would always see pictures of them smoking it on Facebook. But what they don't realize is that it is 10 times worse than smoking cigarettes and has a higher risk of lung cancer and a shorter life. I have noticed that people have started judging Mediterranean restaurants based on hookah. As a big Mediterranean food fan from my days in Saudi Arabia, it really saddens me. Even the hookah affects the smell and taste of the food. So from juicy, it tastes like nicotine and tar. Heck, I know non-smokers who have complained about the food tasting like hookah when they were at another Mediterranean restaurant. Only on the condition that the hookah would be nowhere near me, I went with them.

Let The Experience Begin:

The parking lot was FULL. In fact, it was so full that we had to park a few blocks from the actual establishment. There were people actually working at the parking lots and telling people that it was full. Whenever there was room, they would come out and escort the car into a parking spot. There is indoor and patio seating available. The patio was mainly used for people who were smoking hookah. Fortunately, enormous fans were there to make sure that the hookah smoke doesn't affect the customers' food. I am glad that the management knows that there are people who do not do hookah and go just to eat. There were two giant TVs at opposite ends showing the Chiefs vs. Eagles game. The waiters were very friendly! They knew one member of my carpool crew. They were smiling and were willing to let us take our time and pictures. They would always go around the whole patio area AND the inside to make sure that the customers were happy. After around 5 minutes of waiting, we decided to order.

Let's Eat!

Out of the 4 people there, three (including me) ordered the beef shish kabab. The other two got rice as their side, while I got rice and fries. The 4th person ordered a chicken shawarma. We all got water, and two of them got hookah to wait for the food. All of them came with bread, white sauce, chili sauce, fried onions and bell peppers, and ketchup. They had made sure that the smoke would not come near me while I was watching the game and eating the food. Roughly 90% of the people were smoking hookah, but the place did not smell like it thankfully. The pricing was decent. we paid around $45 total, thus making it around $11.25 per person (both tax included). The waiting time was also good at around 19 minutes, considering that there were 4 people at the table.

Let's Eat: The menu is pretty basic, but I am not concerned about that (Photo Credits: my friend's Galaxy SIII)

Plates

Platters

Sandwiches, Appetizers, Beverages, and Their Special

Shawarma, my plate, and a plate of bread

Beef Shish Kabob

The Verdict:

No wonder one of my carpool crew members is a regular here. The food was great! It definitely did not taste like cigarettes and tar! The beef was cooked perfectly! It was pleasant seeing a Mediterranean restaurant managing to cook their beef perfectly. The rice was also delicious, and so were the fries. The fries were eaten with the white sauce, because eating them with ketchup is too mainstream. This has evolved into one of my favorite combinations of all time. The other guys really liked their food too, and said they would come again if we decide on another trip like this late at night. The only fault was the bread, which was burnt at the bottom. I took a bite and I could only taste charcoal. The food was washed down with water.

Conclusion:

Ranosh Cafe is a great place to eat even though there is hookah. The smoke is whisked away by the enormous fans, thus the taste was not obliterated. The portions were perfect for the price of the platter. Just don't burn the bread. Other than that, I will highly recommend this place if you are looking for a place to eat some good food and (for some) hookah.

Grading

Service: 10/10 (Friendly, no problems here!)

Food: 9/10 (Point deducted for burnt bread)

Waiting time: 10/10 (19 minutes for 4 people = good)

Total: 29/30 = 96.6% (A) (Highest grade for Mediterranean restaurant yet)

Pricing: $ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information
Ranosh Cafe

3402 Fondren Road, Houston, Texas 77064

Phone: (832) 242-5200

Website: None

Facebook: None

Timings: Mon-Thu & Sun: 11 AM - 12:30 AM; Fri-Sat: 11 AM - 1 AM

Caters: Yes

Feel Free to Comment Below!

Cheers! 

Zain Mohammed

House of Kabob- Cheap, convenient, and interesting

Restaurant- House of Kabob

6433 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 77057

Buffet or A-La-Carte? A-La-Carte

Date of Visit: 9/14/13

(All photo credits: My HTC One Phone)

Entrance

UPDATE 12/29/15:
I came to this place and tried the shawarma a few weeks ago. It was better than Shawarma King, but not as good as either Adam's or Zamani. I would still recommend every kabab except the beef one if you were to eat here.

Background:

Salam/Hello guys and welcome to my latest review! Today I will be reviewing House of Kabob, near the intersection of Westheimer and Hillcroft. I had a busy day at UH today as I was meeting up with friends to finish up my homework for my engineering class after my chemistry lab.  I, however, had time to kill before I met them. So I decided to go here to House of Kabob. It has been nearly 4 years since I last went here, which was during a family outing. Nothing really much has changed. I do not remember how the food tasted back then, and this blog didn't even exist. All I know is that it is a popular place for singles to hang out during the day, but it is populated with families during the night time. So after battling traffic on US 59 and Hillcroft Avenue, I arrived at the restaurant.

Let The Experience Begin!

The restaurant was busy with customers and there was only one man behind the counter. He was the one taking the orders and then cooking the food. There were condiments lined up, so you could have a peek of how your food is prepared. There are fresh chicken and beef shawarmas waiting to be cut off from the revolving open cooker. And there are bags of khubs (Arab bread) waiting to be heated up and eaten by the customers. There was college football playing on the big TV and there were people having a nice chat while eating their food. One thing I will caution you about: The parking. The parking lot is very narrow, so I would advise you to be careful while parking in front of the restaurant. As I was coming in, the lot was literally blocked by people that were trying to get out. Interestingly the menu was on the wall. So I studied the menu and decided what to order.

Let's Eat!

I ordered the combination kabab, which was chicken, beef, and kafta kabab in one dish. It came with rice and a choice of sides. I only took the yogurt sauce as my side. They gave a plate of garlic sauce and chili and some khubs. To drink I took a bottle of Pepsi. I also took an extra khubs and garlic sauce after finishing the meal. The waiting time was very brief: 12 minutes and 2 seconds and I ended up paying around $12.32 (tax included). For a mixed/combo grill, that is a very good price. The way you get your food is different. First you order, eat and then pay. Then when getting the food, you are called up from your table to get the food that is waiting. Couldn't they have a number system like M&M Grill does??? Or couldn't the cashier come out of the kitchen and serve the food? It would be more organized and people would be alert on when their food is ready. For me, it took a couple of calls from the cashier to realize that the food was waiting for me. Definitely not good.

Menu: 

The Menu

The meal spread

The Combination kabob

The garlic sauce and chili sauce

The Khubs

The Verdict:

The food was really tasty! The chicken and kafta were excellent. They had a lot of flavor and were marinated perfectly. Not too much, nor too little spices. The beef, however, was dry. Parts of the bottom were overcooked and there was no taste in it. The rice was decent, but the yogurrt sauce and garlic sauce were really tasty. The khubs was very fresh. One thing that I didn't like was that when I went to get the extra khubs and garlic sauce, the person doing it literally threw everything on the plate. He did it with force. He then gave me a grin for some reason...... What did I do wrong??? All I did was come in and eat :P What's the big deal if I want something more? Never in my life have I seen someone throw food in that rude manner. All was washed down with a Pepsi.

Conclusion:

If you live around the Galleria/Westheimer area, House of Kabob would be your best bet. Get anything but the beef, and you will be fine. And watch out for the rude guy behind the counter. You don't wanna mess with him. I hope that next time I visit, the people behind the counter would be nicer and not grin if I want anything extra.

Grading:

Service: 6/10 (rude when I asked for more)

Food: 8/10 (liked everything but the beef)

Waiting Time: 10/10 (12 minutes and 2 seconds)

Overall: 24/30 = 80% (B)

Pricing: $ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

House of Kabob

6433 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 77057
Phone: (713) 781-5226
Website: None
Facebook: None
Timings--> Mon-Thu & Sat: 11 AM - 11 PM; Fri: 2:30 PM - 11 PM; Sun: 11 AM - 10 PM
Caters: No

Feel Free to Comment Below!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

La Fendee Mediterranean Grill - The Halal Version of the Typical Montrose/Neartown Restaurant

Restaurant: La Fendee Mediterranean Grill
1402 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 77006
Buffet or a-la-carte? A-la-carte
Date of Visit: 9/7/2013

Photo Credit: (http://www.bigkidsmallcity.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/SignScale.jpg)

Background:

Salam/Hello guys! Today I will be reviewing La Fendee Mediterranean Grill, a restaurant that is located in the Montrose/Neartown area of Houston. After my Chemistry Lab finished, I had time to spare until I had to attend a seminar about how to be financially well after college. The problem was that I only had an hour to drive to the restaurant, get the food, and come back in time for the seminar. Originally I was planning on going to Turquoise Grill, but I had to pay for parking. Driving on Westheimer in the Montrose area, I immediately saw the restaurant and immediately Googled it on my phone to see if it was halal, and it was! So I pulled up to the parking spot.

Let The Experience Begin!

After going through roads that had construction going, and driving on single lane roads that were so dangerous that one twitch would have caused an accident, I arrived at the restaurant. La Fendee restaurant is like any other restaurant in the Neartown/Montrose area. It has a very nice and bright interior, and it has a nice patio outside, which was covered because it was raining for nearly the whole day. Parking was very welcoming, as the space was much bigger than most of the restaurants on Westheimer Road. While coming, I had seen many cars parallel parked, a rare sight here in Texas. Inside the restaurant, you could see the assembling of the food, and you could see the food get ready while you wait. They also have an option of either a fountain drink or a regular bottle drink. Nice variety. The owner was a very friendly lady. She went around all the tables, asking them if they were satisfied with the food. She always smiled and greeted the customers whenever they entered the restaurant. When a customer leaves, she says "Thanks for coming and have a nice day!". Great service there! It made sure that the customers were happy and felt welcome in this restaurant. There was a TV playing while the customers were waiting for the food. I then proceeded to see the menu.

Let's Eat!

Considering the short amount of time I had before the seminar, I decided to have takeout instead of dining in. So I decided to have a simple dish of a beef shawarma sandwich with a Pepsi. The price was reasonable at around $8.10 (tax included). The wait was a short one thankfully, at around 6 minutes and 10 seconds. One thing that I noticed was the large availability of hookah in the restaurant, so for all the hookah lovers out there, this could be a good spot for you guys to hang out and smoke.



Menu: The menu can be found here --> http://www.lafendeegrill.com/menu/

Beef Shawarma and Pepsi (Better quality because I got a new phone!)

The Verdict:

The shawarma was fresh, and tasted well. The garlic sauce and beef complimented each other. One thing I did not like however was that the vegetables were at the bottom of the shawarma. Shouldn't they spread out all over the roll like the beef and garlic sauce are? I mean, the vegetables can fit perfectly with the sauce and the beef. I first could taste the vegetables after eating half the shawarma. Despite this, the vegetables were delicious and were fresh. Another thing I found interesting was the presence of grape leaves. Out of all the years that I have had shawarma since my days in Saudi Arabia, I had never seen the presence of grape leaves. Interesting to be honest. Maybe it was there to give the whole roll some taste and make it spicy (Mediterranean food experts, please help!). I accidentally bit into two of them and spat them out. I honestly didn't know whether they were for eating or not, as in the Indian cuisine that I am used to, we do not eat the curry leaves in the lentils curry (daal). Anyways, the shawarma was washed down with a nice Pepsi fountain drink.

Conclusion:

In my opinion, if you want to eat here, come for lunch. I would suggest that you avoid coming for dinner as it will be full of people smoking hookah. The odor of hookah can affect the smell and taste of the food. In fact, the smell of hookah is A LOT worse than the smell of cigarettes. So the food might smell and taste like hookah itself. But if you have to come for dinner, either take out, or eat at a place in the restaurant where there is no hookah. 

Now the food: Eat here. It's good and you will enjoy. If you order shawarma (or any sandwich), be careful of the grape leaves. The other food items seemed appetizing, and I think you guys will enjoy it.

Grading:

Service: 10/10 (very friendly, made me feel welcome)

Food: 8/10 (Decent. Just put more vegetables next time)

Waiting Time: 10/10 (6 minutes and 10 seconds)

Overall: 28/30 = 93.3% (A)

Pricing: $$ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information

Le Fendee Mediterranean Grill

1402 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 77006

Phone: (713) 522-1505

Website: http://www.lafendeegrill.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/La-Fendee/119876414736899

Timings --> Mon-Thu: 11 AM - 10 PM; Fri-Sat: 11 AM - 11 PM; Sun: 12 PM- 10 PM

Caters: Yes

Feel Free To Comment Below!

Cheers!

Zain Mohammed