Monday, November 26, 2018

Mezban - A Desi Buffet Spot That is Actually Good

Restaurant: Mezban
Address: 6655 Harwin Street, Houston, TX
Buffet or a-la-carte: A-la-carte
Date of visit: 11/15/18



Background:
Salam/hey guys! Today I will be talking about my recent experience at one of Houston's most well known Pakistani spots in town: Mezban. I wanted to look for a Pakistani buffet that is not in the suburbs that actually tasted good. Being a person who grew up eating Indian/Pakistani buffets that were excellent, I had high expectations for the buffets. So far, it has been disappointments with the buffets that were not in the suburbs. But there were only two I had (Shahnai and Haveli), and one that I refused to step into because they nearly gave me food poisoning (Lazeeza). I did have Mezban before, since they catered to some of the events that I would go to. And they were great. Sohail, the owner, and his team did a great job with the quality and taste of the food. But one thing I learned during my 5.5 years of blogging is that often the catering food is far different than the food that you'd get at the actual restaurant. There's only one spot so far that has been consistent in both, and that is Aga's. I did hear good things about the food that was at the actual restaurant. So one day, I headed there.



Let The Experience Begin!
Mezban is located in a strip mall on Harwin near the Hillcroft intersection. It's in the strip mall that has Parivar Groceries and Roop Sari Palace. There's a waiting area once you enter the restaurant, and then the main dining area comes.



Let's Eat!
Starting here at Mezban is simple. You get a table and then it's up to the buffet line. The line has a variety of things, from appetizers to desserts. The prices vary based on what time you go. For Mon-Fri lunch, it's $11.98 (tax included). With the buffet, you get free fresh naan.


Menu: https://www.mezban.biz/online-ordering
Though they have a buffet all day, they have a takeout menu. It's on the online ordering part of the website, but you can also order over the phone as well as at the counter. The price of the biryani ($4.99) is really good in my opinion, and what's greater is that it's the same price everyday!. Along with the regular dine in buffet, they have a to-go buffet, as well as a halwa puri (popular Pakistani breakfast dish) buffet that consists of popular Pakistani breakfast items. One thing that was interesting is that they offer a Philly cheesesteak Paratha roll.


Plate One: Chicken Biryani, Chicken Karahi, Goat Curry, and Chicken Bihari

Second Pic: Goat Curry, Mezban Chicken, Chicken Pasanda, and Tandoori Chicken


The Verdict:
The last good Indian/Pakistani buffet I had was back in 2015 at Taz Indian Restaurant in College Station. That long wait is over. This place is actually good. Mind you, this is a Desi buffet that I am talking about. The food was actually fresh; it didn't taste like it was leftovers from their catering or it was reheated. The goat curry was fantastic (hence me getting it in both plates). The biryani was delicious, and the fact that it's $5 is a steal! The only thing I didn't like was the Mezban Chicken. I thought it could have some more flavor. But overall, a satisfactory meal. No complaints about the service; the people were nice.




Conclusion:
Mezban is for now the only good Pakistani buffet spot in town. It's refreshing to see that a Pakistani spot would make fresh and tasty buffet food, given how the majority of buffets at Pakistani places would get a bad rap for providing stale food or leftovers from banquets that they catered. If you guys want to have a fresh and tasty Pakistani buffet, then this is the place to be.


Grading:
Service: 8/10
Food: 8/10
Total: 16/20 = 80% (B)
Pricing: $$ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:
Mezban
6655 Harwin Street, Houston, TX
Phone: (713) 952-0606
Website: https://www.mezban.biz/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mezbanhouston/
Instagram: @mezbanhouston
Timings: Mon-Sun: 11 AM - 10 PM
Caters: Yes

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

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Peli Peli- One of Houston's Well Known Restaurants

Restaurant: Peli Peli
Address: The Galleria, Houston, TX
Buffet or a-la-carte: A-la-carte
Date of visit: 11/5/18



Background:
Salam/hey guys! Today I will be talking about my experience(s) at one of Houston's most well known spots in town: Peli Peli. Peli Peli is a South African restaurant that is run by co-owners Paul Friedman and Thomas Nguyen. So how did I find out about this place? Well, let's flashback to 2015. They had just opened their Galleria location, which was their second location after Vintage Park, and they invited bloggers to go. Being a person who just joined a food blogger group, I decided to go so that I could network with other bloggers. I remember having their shrimp, and I had really enjoyed them. At that time, I really wished that they would serve halal options, since the food was really good. Over time I'd see them be featured for their food. They were featured on the CNBC show Restaurant Startup. They won the 2017 People's Choice Awards, which was conducted by the Greater Houston Restaurant Association. They are rated top 10 in Houston by both TripAdvisor and Yelp. They even won the best food at the 2017 Menu of Menus Event, where restaurants come in and people vote on who has the best restaurant out there. A Facebook video of their espetada went viral recently. And their food looked absolutely mouthwatering. They then opened up a location in Cinco Ranch at LaCenterra. Fast forward to last Saturday (11/3) and someone had just tagged me in a comment. And I couldn't believe it. The restaurant said that they were going to start serving halal chicken (except the wings) and lamb the following week, and then by Spring they'd have halal beef. I then inquired about their fast casual concept Peli Peli kitchen (locations in Heights and Spring Branch). They were going to start with the halal items in two weeks. Alas, a prayer answered, Alhamdulilah. I then went ahead and made a reservation for lunch the following Monday. But that's not all. That Monday was also one of my best friend's birthday. His wife wanted a nice place so that she, her son, and all his friends can come and dine for the occasion. After studying for my GRE, I went for lunch. And after studying more, I headed to the Cinco Ranch location.



Let The Experience Begin!
The Galleria location of Peli Peli is located at one of the main entrances to the Galleria. You can calmly park at the Galleria garage and then walk, or you can park in the open lot as well. The inside was really nice. In the front you have a patio outside, and the inside has tables. The Cinco Ranch location had a great vibe as well.



Let's Eat!
For lunch, I ordered the Cape Malay Chicken Potjie Pot as well as South African Seafood Cakes. Potjie is basically a pot for a stew. Thus, the dish was basically a stew. It consists of chicken, potatoes, carrots, peas, cilantro, chopped red onions, chopped tomatoes, toasted coconut, mango chutney, and South African Rice. The Seafood Cakes had kingklip (a fish native to South Africa), prawns, their special seasoning and breading, and peppadew tartar sauce. The Potjie Pot was $12+ tax for lunch, and the Seafood Cakes were for $16. I got the Cakes for free because there was a special promotion going on. The waiting time was about 13 minutes in total.
For dinner, I and the majority of the guys got the chicken espetada. It's chicken that is hung vertically with garlic herb butter on top. Just like that video on Facebook but with chicken instead of beef. And it floats! It came with sauteed baby spinach, onions, roasted red potatoes and carrot bredie (a type of South African Stew). The dinner price for the espetada is $28 + tax, while the lunch price is $17 + tax.


Menu: https://www.pelipeli.com/pdf/menu/FullMenu01232018.pdf
As mentioned above, only the chicken (except the wings) and the lamb are halal. I met with one of the managers at the Galleria location. I confirmed that the items were indeed halal. I also asked them to clean the grill. But wow, a whole new cuisine that has halal options available in the Houston area! The seafood items look great as well.



The Trio of Seafood Cakes


Cape Malay Chicken Potjie Pot

Chicken Espetada



The Verdict:
What can I say. This place was incredible. The Potjie Pot was wonderful. One thing though: everyone suggested that to get the best taste, you mix everything inside the pot, and then eat. The seafood cakes were some of the best seafood I've had, especially the peppadew sauce. As a first time eater of Kingklip, it was wonderful. The espetada was amazing as well. The garlic butter fits perfectly with the meat. The sides were also great. The rest of the guys enjoyed the food that they ordered. I had a few bites of their chocolate dessert and it was great as well. Overall, two thumbs up.
The service was amazing as a whole. Though it was a little slow at the Galleria location because it became busy, the Cinco Ranch location was wonderful. The folks there are really nice and are attentive.



Conclusion:
Peli Peli is a wonderful place to go if you're going for lunch or for a special occasion. The lunch prices are reasonable, though the menu options are limited. The great part is that both the Galleria and Cinco Ranch locations were consistent in their food quality. I can't wait to go back and try the other dishes as well as their halal steaks that come out in 2019.



Grading:
Service: 9.5/10 overall
Food: 9/10
Total: 18.5/20 = 92.5% (A)
Pricing: $$$$ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:
Peli Peli
Locations in Galleria, LaCenterra (Cinco Ranch), and Vintage Park, Houston, TX
Phone: (281) 257-9500 (works for all thee locations)
Website: https://www.pelipeli.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peligalleria (Galleria location)
https://www.facebook.com/pelicincoranch/ (Cinco Ranch)
Instagram: @pelipelihouston
Timings: Galleria- Sun-Thu: 11 AM - 10 PM; Fri-Sat: 11 AM - 11 PM;
Cinco Ranch: Mon-Thu: 11 AM - 9 PM; Fri: 11 AM - 10 PM; Sat: 10:30 AM - 10 PM; Sun: 10:30 AM - 9 PM
Caters: Yes
Reservations recommended on weekends.

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

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed


Monday, November 5, 2018

CLOSED: Rhotey Rotisserie: Gourmet Sandwiches in Westchase

Restaurant: Rhotey Rotiseerie
Address: 9296 Westheimer, Houston, TX
Buffet or a-la-carte: a-la-carte
Date of visit: 11/1/2018

UPDATE 2/23/19: Sadly this place closed down. It will be really missed :(

Background:
Salam/hey guys! Today I will be writing about my two experiences at a small shop called Rhotey Rotisserie. Rhotey Rotisserie is a sandwich shop that offers various sandwiches with different rotisserie meats. I found out about this spot after seeing that this place uses Creekstone Farms beef for their beef sandwiches. After confirming that they use it and cross contamination is not there (more description below), I went there for lunch one day. Then, I got a message from the owner saying that they would start using halal chicken. So I went again and had it.



Let' The Experience Begin!
They are located just after the intersection of Gessner on Westheimer Road. It's a small shop. You could see the folks making the sandwich in front of you.

Let's Eat!
On the first trip, I got their rotisserie beef sandwich. I got their rotisserrie chicken. The rotisserie beef sandwich is $10, and the rotisserie chicken sandwich is $9. The waiting time wasn't bad at all


Menu:
https://www.rhotey.com/menu/
The menu is very simple. There are two sandwiches available for each type of meat. You can even turn the sandwiches into a salad. While they do have pork, they cook and cut it separately from the other meats.


Rotisserie Chicken Sandwich

Rotisserie Beef Sandwich




The Verdict:
The sandwiches were really tasty. They both had a lot of flavor and were filling as well. Thumbs up for the food. The service was great as well!

Conclusion:
If you want to go to a sandwich spot that serves halal meat, then Rhotey is the place to be! I'll definitely be back on more occasions!


Grading:
Service: 9/10
Food: 9/10
Total: 18/20 = 90% (A)
Pricing: $$ out of $$$$


Restaurant Information
Rhotey Rotisserie
9296 Westheimer, Houston, TX
Phone: (713) 643-4474
Website: https://www.rhotey.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rhotey/
Timings: Mon-Sat: 11 AM - 9 PM; Sun: closed
Caters: Yes
Online ordering available via Doordash and Ubereats

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

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed