Istanbul Grill: Not your average Doner

Restaurant: Istanbul Grill
Address: 5613 Morningside Drive, Houston, Texas 77005
Buffet or a-la-carte: A-la-carte
Date of visit: 1/23/15

Photo Credit: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/istanbul1234.jpg

Background:

Salam/hey guys! After a while, I am back! Today I will be revieweing Istanbul Grill. Istanbul Grill is the oldest halal Turkish restaurant in Houston. This place opened up in 1998. This has been regarded as one of the more popular Turkish places in town. My class got cancelled, so I had time to eat somewhere before going back to campus to attend Friday Prayers. I really wanted to go somewhere that is cheap and healthy and near campus. Since last June, I have lost 16 pounds. Part of the reason it took long was because I broke my toe in October, which prevented me from going to the gym and forcing me to give up until the start of this semester. I ended up going here.

Let The Experience Begin!

Istanbul Grill is located very near to Pasha, and the Rice Village location of Torchy's Tacos. It is located adjacent to Rice Village and Rice University. It is tricky to get to the parking lot. I was literally the first customer to enter the restaurant for the day. In fact, I was so early that I got to the restaurant and was able to finish my homework and then go in. There was traditional Turkish music playing and a TV showing highlights of a soccer game. I was allowed to sit wherever I wanted. After looking at the menu, I was ready to order.



Let's Eat!
I decided to go light and healthy by going for a Doner Kebap sandwich. I also had a tight budget. To drink, I had Turkish tea in the traditional glass. Water was free. I paid a total of $9.61 (tax included). The waiting time was 10 minutes and 41 seconds. As I was waiting, I saw the doner kebap being made, meaning that it was fresh!



Menu: http://istanbulgrill.com/ISTANBUL%20GRILL%20MENU%202013.pdf
This restaurant has the same Turkish favorites such as the different kebaps, lahmacun, pide, and baklava. Regarding the price, it is pricey, but not as much as Empire Turkish Grille. This place does serve alcohol though.

The Doner Kebap

The Verdict:

Compared to other doner kebaps that I have had, they didn't have the white sauce. They instead gave a very small sauce, which I am assuming to be a red sauce that is common in Turkish food. They had it in bunches near the kitchen. I took a bite of the doner kebap without the sauce; bad decision. It had no taste whatsoever. I am a big fan of Turkish food, but this wasn't that great. But when I put the sauce in, it was much better. Sources tell me that the doner kebap without the sauce is more authentic. Maybe if there was some sumac with the onions, it would definitely add more taste. The food was washed down with a nice glass of Turkish tea. One thing I didn't get is that they didn't have those sugar cubes. I normally put 1-2 in my glass. Instead, there was packets of Splendora.

The service was good though. The people were really friendly.

Conclusion:

Just the sauce for the doner prevented me from giving this place a low grade. They should consider putting in sumac to make the doner kebap taste better. For the doner kebap, I would recommend you go somewhere else. I also suggest that the restaurant does a lunch special. Since it is located near a major university, I believe that having a lunch special would attract the students that are on a budget. Since the good balanced with the bad, I will be nice on the grading.

Grading: 

Service: 8.5/10

Food: 6.5/10

Waiting Time: 10/10

Total: 25/30 = 83.3% (B)

Pricing: $$ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

Istanbul Grill

5613 Morningside Drive, Houston, Texas 77005

Phone: (713) 526-2800

Website: http://istanbulgrill.com/index.html

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

Caters: Yes

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

Cheers!

Zain Mohammed

Zato Thai- A Halal Restaurant in Montgomery County

Restaurant: Zato Thai
Address: 421 Sawdust Road, The Woodlands, Texas 77380
Buffet or a-la-carte: a-la-carte
Date of Visit: 1/6/15

Photo Credit: http://woodlandsevents.com/images/stories/dining/zato-thai.png

UPDATE 8/10/15: Per their menu on their website, they no longer serve any pork.

Background: 

Salam/hey guys! I am back after a while! Today I will be reviewing Zato Thai in The Woodlands. This is the first time I am reviewing a halal restaurant in Montgomery County. All Houston Metro counties except Waller, Liberty, and Chambers have at least one halal restaurant. I was in the Woodlands because I was hanging out with one of my best friends from high school. After playing FIFA 14, we were hungry, and were eager to go and try a restaurant before we went bowling. Initially, I was planning on going to a sushi place, but it was expensive. Then I thought of Thai, since I wasn't able to try Noodle Wave when I was in Dallas. He agreed on that. After the smooth 10 minute ride, we arrived at the restaurant.

Let The Experience Begin!

The restaurant is located in the big strip mall that is near I-45. The ambiance was really nice. It was like a normal diner. We got a table for 3, since one more person was coming to hang out. While waiting for him, we ordered the food.

Let's Eat!

I ordered the beef Pad Thai, while my friend went with the Thai Fried Rice. When the other friend came, he ordered the corn patties. To drink, I had a Diet Pepsi while the others had water. The waiting time was good at 11 minutes and 24 seconds.

Menu: http://www.zatowoodlands.com/#!menu/c21ei

Once you click the link, you will have to choose which part of the menu you want to see. They have regular Thai food, like the curries, the noodles, and the fried rice. There is pork on the menu, but the people assured me that  that they have halal meat available and they cook it separately.

Beef Pad Thai

Chicken Thai Fried Rice

Corn Patties

The Verdict:

The Pad Thai was decent, but not as great as Anothai to be very honest. The corn patties were really good, and this is coming from a guy that isn't really a big corn fan. My friend really liked his Thai Fried rice. Overall, one thumb up.

The service was good. I really appreciate their honesty regarding the halal status. This makes me confident that the business is being truthful in their practices.

Conclusion:

Zato Thai is a good addition to the halal food scene. I hope there will be more halal restaurants in Montgomery county in the future. But if you want the best Thai restaurant in town, then I would suggest you make the drive to Anothai.

Grading: 

Service: 9/10

Food: 7.5/10

Waiting Time: 10/10

Total: 26.5/30 = 88.3% (B)
Pricing: $$ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

Zato Thai
421 Sawdust Road, The Woodlands, Texas 77380
Phone: (281) 419-7619
Website: http://www.zatowoodlands.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zato-Thai-Restaurant/167158783464811
Timings: Mon-Thu: 11 AM - 3 PM and 5 PM - 10 PM; Fri: 11 AM - 3 PM and 5 PM - 11 PM; Sat: Noon - 11 PM; Sun: Noon - 10 PM
Caters: Yes

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

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

Saravanaa Bhavan- A First For This Blog

Restaurant: Saravanaa Bhavan
Address: 8604 North MacArthur Boulevard, Irving, Texas 75063
Buffet or a-la-carte: a-la-carte
Date of visit: 1/2/2015

Photo Credit: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ee/Logo_saravana.jpg

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UPDATE 8/10/15:

My family loves going to the Houston location (8350 Westheimer Rd). The Houston location is opposite Fadi's and literally next to Fogo De Chao. I've had their vegetarian biryani and gobi mattar (cauliflower and vegetables curry). Pretty good for vegetarian food. Grading remains the same

Vegetable Biryani

Gobi Mattar and Rice

Houston Address: 8350 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 

Houston Phone Number: (713) 789-7755

========================================================================

**ORIGINAL POST**

Background:
Salam/hey guys! Today I will be reviewing my first restaurant visit of the new year: Saravanaa Bhavan. And by the pic, it is clear that in the blog full of juicy meat comes something new. That's right! We are going vegetarian for today. Usually Indian restaurants typically feature vegetarian and non-vegetarian food? This restaurant specializes in vegetarian food. Now let me tell you something about vegetarian food. There is always a high possibility that a vegetarian restaurant would be an Indian restaurant. This is because India has the highest number of vegetarians in the world, and a good number of them reside elsewhere in the world. The vegetarians got their food with them, and Indian vegetarian food is enjoyed elsewhere in the world. Saravanaa Bhavan is a restaurant chain that specializes in vegetarian food from South India. It was founded in 1981, and has locations in Chennai, Delhi, Nairobi, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Paris, Frankfurt, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Kuwait, Muscat, Saudi Arabia (Dammam and Riyadh), Doha, Bahrain, four locations in the UK, Toronto, Northern California, New Jersey, New York City, and Houston (8350 Westheimer Rd). This is very similar to Paradise Biryani point, which is an Indian restaurant chain that specializes in biryani. While the latter failed to impress in being "The Best Biryani in USA", this one claims to be "A Chain Of High Quality Vegetarian Restaurants". So how did a meat person like me end up eating at a vegetarian restaurant? Well, it's simple. My mom and two aunts are huge fans of vegetarian food. They simply decided at the last minute that we should drive down to Irving from Allen (north of Plano) to eat there. So 14 people got into 2 vans and left to the restaurant.



Let The Experience Begin!
The distance to the restaurant from my aunt's house was 29.3 miles. That sets a new record for most miles driven to a restaurant in a single metro area. The record all time was a staggering 151 miles from my uncle's house in North Olmstead, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, to Dearborn, Michigan in 2013. When we got there, it was PACKED. In fact, it was so packed that the waitress told us initially that they were not able to accommodate for 14 people! Then the problem was solved when the people were asked to move to another table in a good manner. The people obliged. My aunt had ordered masala dosas (lentils and rice crepe suffed with mildly spiced mashed potatoes and onions) and regular dosas (non-stuffed lentils and rice crepes) for my 11 year old, 6 year old, and 9 year old cousins. After getting our table, we got menus and went through the menu.



Let's Eat!
Everyone in the group either ordered dosas or thalis. They ordered idlis (rice and black lentils cake) to go with their dishes. I went ahead and ordered the veggie pulao (milder version of biryani), which also came with raita. The average price per person was roughly $10-11, which was great considering that there were 14 people in the group including me. We got our food fast. Within 30 minutes, we all got our food. Now here is why I have ordered something no one else had ordered. Ever since the days of living in Saudi, I loved trying different things. There were some things I thought looked disgusting, but it turned out to be amazing. One clear example was broccoli. When I had visited New York, I was literally forced to try it. To this day, I am thankful that I had tried it, and now I would get it whenever I get a chance to. There were also some things I loved as a kid but stopped eating as I grew older. The prime example was plain sugar. I would eat it to the point that my mom had to hide it so that I wouldn't see it. Now, I just pass by a jar of sugar whenever I see it. Regarding idlis and dosas, I have tried it many times (most recent = August) and I still do not like the taste. I honestly find them to be very sour to my liking. I strongly dislike the mashed potato and onions. But does that mean I hate Indian vegetarian cuisine in general? No. You will see below.



Menu: http://www.urbanspoon.com/cities/13-dallas-fort-worth/restaurants/1718697-saravana-bhavan/menu
As you can see in the menu, idlis and dosas do not define the entire vegetarian cuisine of India. Vegetarian cuisine is widespread in India, since there are vegetarians and non-vegetarians in every major city in India. Believe it or not, there are many vegetarian dishes on the menu that I absolutely love. Examples include Aloo Gobi, and anything that doesn't have paneer (Indian cottage cheese) or baignan (eggplant/aubergine). Why did I not have these before? Because the huge meat fanatic inside me prevented me from going to vegetarian restaurants, and many of the restaurants I have been to rarely have any vegetarian options. It is good to see that all the vegetarian dishes from India are included in the menu.

The Vegetable Pulao

The Verdict:
So how did the meat-eater like me find this dish? Well, it was absolutely delicious! The rice was perfectly cooked and spiced. The raita was also phenomenal. The food was washed down with a glass of water. Overall, two thumbs up.
The best thing about the service was that the food came out very quickly even though we were a party of 14 and the restaurant was packed. The people were also really nice.



Conclusion:
If you have any vegetarian friends in Dallas, then Saravanaa Bhavan is a perfect place to take them! They have really good food and the people are nice. I will definitely review more vegetarian restaurants in the future.



Grading:
Service: 9/10
Food: 9/10
Waiting Time: 10/10
Total: 28/30 = 93.3% (A)
Pricing: $ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
Saravanaa Bhavan
8604 North MacArthur Boulevard, Irving, Texas 75063
Phone: (972) 506-7755
Website: http://saravanabhavan.com/
Facebook: None
Timings: Mon-Fri: 11:30 AM - 3 PM and 5:30 PM - 10 PM; Sat and Sun- 11 AM - 10 PM
Caters: Yes


Feel free to message me on Facebook, leave a comment here, or send me an email!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

Grand Cafe- A nice way to end 2014

Restaurant: Grand Cafe
Address: 1887 North Plano Street, Richardson, Texas 75081
Buffet or a-la-carte: a-la-carte
Date of visit: 12/31/14

Photo Credit: http://s3-media2.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/dmERBzMBx8odfzx0l1I2CA/ls.jpg

Background:

Salam/hey guys, and a happy new year! I will be in Dallas until either Friday or Sunday. The first review for 2015 will be of Grand Cafe. We went here on my uncle's recommendation. This was also convenient for us because we had been grocery shopping, going to all sorts of different places in Richardson. We decided going here after he had picked up his passport to fly to Saudi to perform Umrah. He told me that he loved this place when he had visited there. After the passports were picked up, we headed for the restaurant.

Let The Experience Begin!

Grand Cafe is located in a strip mall next to a gas station just after the intersection at East Campbell Road. Inside, there was booth seating and normal table seating. On top there were shishas displayed, which implied that they also serve shisha (if they don't, please comment below or email me at zain.mohammed93@gmail.com). I usually don't review places that serve shisha because after a trip to Fatoush for takeout back in Houston, my throat started swelling, even though I didn't smoke. This means that I have an allergic reaction to shisha. Sitting outside was ruled out for two reasons: it was 34 degrees Fahrenheit (1.11 Celsius) and there was no outside seating! The very friendly people welcomed us, and we immediately consulted the menu.

Let's Eat!

I ordered the Philly Cheesesteak, while my uncle ordered the Philly Chicken. We paid an amazing price of $14.05 (tax included). To drink, we got water. The waiting time was 10 minutes and 45 seconds.

Menu: The menu is a great value for the buck. Nothing on the menu is over $10 except the grand platter and the grand veggie platter. So if you are a college student, this can be a place where you can eat.

Platters, Veggie Platters, Mediterranean Sandwiches and American Sandwiches. Photo Credit: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/grand-cafe-richardson?select=zys4uJbLcHWWgAROPkoxCA#DhNv_3uoGfVLdiyYfl0NMw

Salad Platters & Soup, Kids Meal, Side Orders, Deserts (*Desserts), and Beverages. Photo Credit: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/grand-cafe-richardson?select=zys4uJbLcHWWgAROPkoxCA#zys4uJbLcHWWgAROPkoxCA

Philly Cheesesteak and Fries

The Verdict:

My uncle was spot on. This place had excellent food! There was slightly more bread than meat, but the taste was phenomenal once the meat was tasted. My uncle also enjoyed his Philly Chicken. The fries were cooked perfectly, not too soggy, and not too crispy. The food was washed down with a glass of water. Overall, two thumbs up.

The service was very good too. The people in the restaurant were very nice! They always smiled, and they had a wonderful conversation with us about life. It felt like it was a great place to socialize and eat some really delicious food. In family run restaurants, it is important that the people get along with the employees and the customers. This restaurant did both.

Conclusion:

If you are on a budget and want some good food in Richardson, then this place is perfect for you. The people are very nice, and they are willing to help you and make you feel welcome. I would definitely recommend this place.

Grading:

Service: 10/10

Food: 9/10

Waiting Time: 10/10

Total: 29/30 = 96.7% (A)

Pricing: $ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

Grand Cafe
1887 North Plano Street, Richardson, Texas 75081
Phone: (972) 231-7400
Website: none
Facebook: None
Timings: Mon-Fri: 10:45 AM - 9:30 PM; Sat: 10:45 AM - 10:30 PM; Sun: 1 PM - 9:30 PM
Caters: Yes



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

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed