Bombay Pizza Company- A Different Approach to a Beloved item

Restaurant: Bombay Pizza Company
636 Highway 6, Suite 100, Sugar Land, Texas 77478
Buffet or a-la-carte: A-la-carte
Date of visit: 5/23/14

Photo Credit: http://www.downtownhouston.org/site_media/uploads/photos/2010-04-07/Bombay-Pizza-Co._800x600.jpg

Background:

Salam/hey guys! Finally after nearly a month, I am writing a review of a new restaurant! This time I went to Bombay Pizza Company. Bombay Pizza Company is a unique fusion of Indian and Italian food. It combines favorite pizza toppings with Indian favorites such as chutney, and paneer (Indian cottage cheese). They have grown to be very successful and well-known in Houston. They have two locations: Downtown on Main St. and Sugar Land. This one reviews the Sugar Land location. Now I hardly go to Sugar Land or try any restaurants there because it is far from UH and my house in Cypress. This trip only happened because after Friday Prayers, I would be participating in a fundraiser for children all across the world hosted by Children's International at the University of Houston. I had plenty of time before the Friday Prayers would start. So I decided to give this place a try.

Let The Experience Begin!

Bombay Pizza is located in the strip mall that is located at the Highway 6 Access road and University Drive next to the Marble Slab Creamery. Inside were huge TVs and a bar. The rush was not that bad, so I only waited in the line for 3 minutes to order my food.

Let's Eat!

I made my own pizza. My toppings were chicken, beef, provolone cheese, and bell peppers. To drink, I got a bottle of Maaza. I paid a total of $11.06 (tax included). The waiting time was a good 8 minutes and 11 seconds. To wait, I watched the TV



Menu: http://www.bombaypizzaco.com/menu.html
Only the chicken and beef is halal. So whichever has pepperoni, sausage, New York strip or bacon is not halal.

The Custom made pizza. The crust of made from naan

The Verdict:
My first time trying naan crust pizza turned out to be a very good experience. The food tasted great! The cheese was fresh and both meats were cooked perfectly. Naan crust is more crispy than regular crust. What I really liked about this place was that they serve personal full size pizzas. The food was washed down with a bottle of Maaza. Overall, two thumbs up.
The service was good too. They happily helped me understand what was halal and what wasn't unlike last time. The people were friendly and easy to talk to.



Conclusion:
If you want pizza, but not the traditional way, Bombay Pizza Company would be the best bet for you. All I am hoping for right now is that they would open a location in the north side of town. This way, I can enjoy the food without driving so far. But if I am in Sugar Land, I'll again give this place a try.



Grading:
Service: 8/10
Food: 9/10
Waiting Time: 10/10
Overall: 27/30 = 90% (A)
Pricing: $$ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
Bombay Pizza Company
636 Highway 6, Suite 100, Sugar Land, Texas 77478
Phone: (281) 242-1131
Website: http://www.bombaypizzaco.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bombay-Pizza-Co/228400071168
Timings: (Sugar Land) Sun-Thu: 11 AM - 10 PM; Fri-Sat: 11 AM - 11 PM
Caters: Yes

Feel free to comment below, message me on Facebook, or send me an email!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

CLOSED: Milano's Pizzeria & Italian Grill- It's OK to Ask Whether the Food is Zabiha or Not

Restaurant: Milano's Pizzeria & Italian Grill
9135 West Sam Houston Parkway North, Houston, Texas 77064
Buffet or a-la-carte: A-la-carte
Date of visit: 5/1/14

Photo Credit: http://s3.amazonaws.com/mypizza-logos/shops/1950/original/1950.png

UPDATE 12/25/15: According to Yelp, they're closed. Guess I don't have to worry about the person being rude about me asking him whether the food is halal or not lol


UPDATE 2/5/15

I called to update their halal status. They were really rude about it, so I just hung up the phone. Something is seriously fishy out there

Background:
Salam/hey guys! Sorry I am writing it now as I finally got my WiFi back. Today I will be reviewing Milano's Pizzeria & Italian Grill. It is a halal Italian restaurant that is in the strip mall that is located on Beltway 8 and West Road. I got to try this restaurant as I had a long time to wait to pick my sister up from her school. I would always take West Road while going to her school. Traffic was thankfully painless so after 15 minutes, I arrived at the restaurant.



Let The Experience Begin!
The restaurant reminded me of one of my favorite ones that closed down before I started this blog: Palio's Pizza that was located on Westheimer and Fountainview. I came in and the counter was right in front of me. After looking at the menu, I was ready to order.



Let's Eat!
Sadly they do not serve by the slice, so I couldn't order any pizza. I instead went for the Italian club, which consisted of smoked turkey, Canadian turkey bacon, beef pepperoni with creamy Italian dressing topped with mozzarella cheese, lettuce, and tomato on an Italian bread. I paid a total of $6.05 (tax included). The waiting time was 8 minutes and 42 seconds.



Menu: (click to see)

Appetizers, Soup & Salads, and Sandwiches

Specialty Pizzas and Pastas

Create Your Own Pizza, Drinks, Kids Zone, and Desserts

Italian Club Sandwich

The Verdict:

The food was very good, even though the meat was stuffed at the bottom of the vegetables. Thankfully the vegetables were fresh. Overall, two thumbs up.
The service, however, can improve. There was a huge halal sign that was at the counter, so I assumed that everything was halal (zabiha). However, I found out later on zabihah.com that 98% of the meat was halal. I asked him that everything was halal, and he got angry, repeatedly saying that there was no pork in the meat. If anyone knows the real truth, please comment below so that I can go back again knowing what to eat and what not to eat. I seriously think that restaurant owners should clearly state what is halal and what isn't. For example, Stanton City Bites always says to mention halal so that they can cook it separately on a separate grill. I remember seeing in a restaurant in Chicago (long before I started this blog) that the non-Zabiha items were clearly labeled. If the Muslim owners do not do that, then they will be answerable to Allah, NOT the consumer.



Conclusion:
Milano's impresses me, but they should clearly indicate what is halal or not. If they do, then I'll be back again.



Grading:
Service: 7/10
Food: 8.5/10
Waiting time: 10/10
Overall: 25.5/30 = 85% (B)
Pricing: $$ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
Milano's Pizzeria & Italian Grill
9135 West Sam Houston Parkway North, Houston, Texas 77064
Phone: (281) 469-8600
Website: http://houston.eat24hours.com/milano-s-pizzeria/17365?W (ordering online)
Facebook: inactive
Timings: Mon-Sun: 11 AM - 10 PM
Caters: Yes

Feel free to comment below, message me on Facebook, or send me an email!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

CLOSED: Dollar Fried Chicken- Less oily than its Counterparts

Restaurant: Dollar Fried Chicken
10750 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77038
Buffet or a-la-carte: a-la-carte
Date of visit: 4/30/14

Photo Credit: http://www.houston.com/images/bl/12/38375612a_tn220x220.jpg

UPDAYE 3/10/15: This place has now closed down.

Background:
Salam/hey guys! After a long hiatus, I'm back! What happened was that I no longer have WiFi at my house. So I have to go to the library to use the Internet. My first review after the hiatus is Dollar Fried Chicken. Dollar Fried chicken is considered to be an alternative to KFC or Church's. They claim that nothing in the restaurant is over $1! I got to go as I was very early for picking up my sister from high school. The drive was rather short because there was much less traffic compared to the other times I went and picked her up.



Let The Experience Begin!
Dollar Fried Chicken is located at the Shell gas station at the intersection of Beltway 8 and Veterans Memorial Drive. They had some deals at the window. The inside resembled the Church's chicken that I went to, with a counter, some tables, and a TV. After looking at the menu, I was ready to order.



Let's Eat!
I ordered the special deal of one leg, one thigh, fried, and a roll. I didn't get anything to drink. I paid a grand total of $2.15 (tax included), making this the cheapest meal I have eaten in America so far. The waiting time was a good 4 minutes and 21 seconds.



Menu: http://www.dollarfriedchicken.com/menu-and-combos/
Contrary to the restaurant name and claim, only a few things were a dollar. Nevertheless, the food is absolutely affordable. The specials are on the windows of the restaurant.

The Meal

The Verdict:

The chicken fresh and hot when I opened it up.It tasted great. The best part was that it wasn't as oily as Church's or KFC. The biscuit was fluffy and delicious. The fries were a tad undercooked. The food was washed down with water. 

The service was nothing to criticize or praise. I got the food and left out.

Conclusion:

If you are picky about whether KFC is truly halal, the you should give this place a try. It is a lot like KFC except that the food is less oily. I will try this place again as you get good tasting chicken for a great price.

Grading:

Service: 8/10

Food: 8/10

Waiting Time: 10/10

Total: 26/30 = 86.7% (B)

Pricing: $ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

Dollar Fried Chicken
10750 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77038
Phone: (281) 445-4336
Website: http://www.dollarfriedchicken.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dollar-Fried-Chicken/207242639329354
Timings: Mon-Sat: 11 AM - 9 PM; Sun: closed
Caters: Yes

Feel free to comment below, message me on Facebook, or send an email!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

RELOCATED: Khan BBQ & Grill- Not a Good Place for Biryani

Restaurant: Khan BBQ & Grill
16618 Clay Road, Houston, Texas 77084
Buffet or a-la-carte: neither
Date of visit: 4/22/14

UPDATE 1/31/16: I have had their karahi, pulao chappli kabab, and naan. Hands down the chappli kabab and naan were actually great items! The pulao is was good, but not as good as the two previously mentioned items. The karahi was very disappointing however. Overall, food grade goes up from 3.5/10 to 4.5/10

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UPDATE 8/10/15: They have been open for a while.

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UPDATE 2/5/14:
They are opening up next to the shell gas station on West Little York near Kahla Middle School. The date of opening has not been determined yet.

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UPDATE 11/14/14:
Their location at Clay has closed down. They will be relocating to a new location at West Little York near Masjid al-Mustafa.

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**ORIGINAL POST**

Background:
Salam/hey guys! Once again, there is no logo or front picture of the restaurant. I haven't been posting a review because I no longer have Internet access at my house. This time I will be reviewing Khan BBQ and Grill. This restaurant is actually well known in the Bear Creek mosque community for it's back home feeling and good quality food. In fact, this is my dad's favorite restaurant, alongside many of the older people in Bear Creek mosque. This time I had to get food for takeout as my mother was returning from her Europe trip. After he ordered the food and I was off to get it.



Let The Experience Begin!
Khan BBQ & Grill is located just opposite the Harris County Courthouse Annex on Clay Road. The inside of the restaurant was just boring. Just plain white walls with tables and chairs. In front was the menu, a big cooler, and the cashier.



Let's Eat!
My dad ordered 4 chicken biryani to go, since it is his favorite dish. I paid around $25 (tax included). Thankfully, the food was ready by the time I asked for it. For those non Indian Subcontinent folks out there, the cashier asks the people in the kitchen whether the food is ready or not. If it is, then they would bring it to you. Otherwise, they tell you to wait.



Menu: Sorry I forgot to take a picture of the menu. Basically it is the same things you get at any Indian/Pakistani restaurant. Biryani, kabab, and karahi. The pricing is very cheap.

The Chicken Biryani that I had

The Verdict:

When I got the food home, it was still very hot and fresh. However, the taste did not satisfy my taste buds. The biryani was very bland and lacked taste. In fact, this was much worse than Paradise Biryani Pointe. It seemed like the biryani is just a mixture of rice, chicken, and Shan Masala, nothing else. In other places, the chicken is usually marinated with yogurt and spices. The food was washed down with a glass of water. Overall, two thumbs down.

The service was neutral. I have nothing to praise or criticize. I just got the food, paid, and left.

Conclusion:

Khan BBQ & Grill may be recommended by people from the mosque, but for me? Nope. There are definitely other places that serve better tasting biryani. If you want to try some good biryani in the north side of town, then I suggest you find somewhere else.

Grading:

Service: 7/10

Food: 3.5/10

Waiting Time: 10/10

Overall: 20.5/30 = 68.3% (D)

Pricing: $ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

Khan BBQ & Grill

16618 Clay Road, Houston, Texas 77084

Phone: (832) 593-0110

Website: none

Facebook: None

Timings: Tue-Sun: 11 AM - 10 PM; Mon closed

Caters: Yes

Feel free to comment below, send a Facebook message, or send me an email!

Cheers!

Zain Mohammed

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