LAHORE KEBAB HOUSE
Verdict: I pass, as it was not really a restaurant meal.
On 24 February 2008, D and I went to the town intending to eat at the newly opened Lebanese restaurant, but when we arrived at around 4 o'clock, it was closed. According to the take-away menu I have, it was supposed to open from noon to night everyday.
Well, never mind. Shall we go to Chinese place? No. D resisted. He wanted kebab, as his mind was already on it. Shiraz, where we passed in front by bus looked packed, so we decided to try Lahore in Balti Triangle which was recommended by a friend of mine (on the signage I read only Lahore, but it is Lahore Kebab House in Yellow Page and on their receipts).
When you enter the shop, the first area is for fastfood eat-in, then there is a large restaurant dining area where the food is served by waiters. This type of exercise is getting more and more popular in Balti Triangle. This place, however, seeems particularly popular among the locals.
In the showcase are skewers of meat marinated in spice. From the right, chicken legs on ones, then born-off, cubed chicken meat on skewers, and marinated lamb on skewers. They looked attractive.
At the fastfood counter they sell burgers, various curries and rice dishes (biryani and pilau), cooked whole chickens as well as kebabs. There are quite a few customers who came to buy these ready meals.
After having placed our order at the counter, we were told to grab our drinks from the fridge (that you see in the photo) take any table in the fastfood area, where we meant to eat in. As it was pretty busy, I think we waited for 15 min. or so.
White we were waiting, I started to look around the shop. The tables, in general, were dirty with some left-overs of the previous customers and sticky from spilled sauces and drinks. The clientel was mainly Asian, but there were two big, tatooed, white guys sitting next to us, and at least one white young family in the restaurant area. And there is this hand-washing basin in the fastfood area. This is a common sight in Asian fastfood restaurants where people tend to eat with hand (right hand, of course). But there was no dryer or paper to dry the hands.
After some wait, a waiter brought us the food. He also brought us some sauces and paper napkins, and seeing that we were not Asians, asked us if we wanted knife and fork.
This is Lamb Tikka on Naan that D ordered (£3.80). There were some shredded iceberg lettuce and sliced onions on top.
The meat is not in a big serving, but if you eat all the naan, probably you will be filled up. But a piece of kebab that D gave to me was pretty tough (and I am not kind of a parson who complain often about tough meat), although it tasted all right. As a matter of comparison, I once had better lamb chop tikka at Zam Zam just a block down Ladypool Road.
D ordered also these chips. It was pretty cheap for £1, but I have nothing to comment on the lukewarm frozen chips. I thought they look slightly yellow, probably because they were fried in the same oil in which other spiced food were fried.
Next to the chips is mint yoghurt sauce, the same kind of things that you get with papadoms in cheap balti houses. I have never seen the sauce offered in this way at fastfood places.
I had a masala fish on naan (£4).
This also was of moderate size. On top of the fish, there were a few slices of tomato as well as lettuce and onions. I poured chili sauce and yoghurt on top, which I regretted slightly as especially the chili sauce was salty.
Masala fish was a piece of cod marinated in spice, and deep-fried with batter. This is my first masala fish, and I cannot tell it is always like that or the style differs according to who cooks. I felt guilty as nowadays it is not ethical to eat cod.
The fish meat was crunchy, and it was pretty light even it was deep-fried. I felt it was less oily than usual English battered cod. It was also slightly sour (I don't know where this sourness came from), and did not require lemon or vinegar. It tasted pretty nice, but, as it was the first time, I cannot really tell if it was superior or inferior in quality.
After the meal, you go to the counter and settle your bill. We had also a small bottle of water and a can of coca cola, and D paid £10.30.
The shop people were pleasant (it was nice to see the people workins in the kitchen so happily), and the food tasted all right, but I did not feel strong need to go back. There is nothing deters me to go back, but before that I would try other places.
Lahore Kebab House
202-208, Ladypool Rd, Birmingham,
West Midlands B12 8JS iMapj
Tel: 0121 766 8477
