bbq tonight in karachi

bbq tonight and every night actually in karachi.
its a famous restaurant that serves mainly grilled and roasted meats that is immensely popular in pakistan.
must be the cold cold nights particularly in winter and much to my surprise, the roasts and broasts as its called is as popular as biryani in this south asian nation.
this was my second trip to karachi in as many months, the first being the cusp of 2007/2008 - yeah i spent new year's eve in karachi! not too bad a way to welcome a new year.
back to the food at hand.
a colleague took me to bbq tonight which today is a three-storey building complete with a rooftop dining area to see the surrounding sights in the upscale clifton area in karachi. let's just say its a bit like how trendy bangsar baru used to be a few years ago.
and the area counts among its residents the slain pakistani leader benazir bhutto, just murdered artist ismail gulgee and still-serving president pervez musharraf.
bbq tonight used to be just a stall - like devi's corner in bangsar baru - but a decade on, its a huge enterprise with meats sizzling and food tempting the good folks that make their way to karachi.
we made our way past the long line of grills in front of the restaurant and headed to the rooftop which was bounded by thick carpets to keep away the chilly breeze and promptly ordered a selection of kebabs.
the kebab du jour was the behari kebab - a sensational spicy smoky barbecued hunk of minced meat done just right with huge dollops of yoghurt and chilli at the side to make it a memorable repast.
didn't even miss my dram of whisky for the top quality beef that was the basis of most dishes there.
great! just great! and definitely a place to go if you are ever in karachi.

biryani and shandy

made my second trip to pakistan this year and it coincided with the start of ramadan, called ramazan in pakistan but it means the same.
except ramazan started on friday september 14 while most of the rest of the muslim world began fasting a day earlier.
even without visiting during ramazan, there is a plethora of good food in pakistan and it ranges from samosas and naans to of course, biryanis. and a lot in between.
my favourite is of course the biryani, be it chicken or mutton, and almost every shop makes a wonderful version of the biryani.
anyway, had the most excellent chicken biryani with tender pieces of chicken marinated in a variety of spices together with dollops of yoghurt to accentuate the taste.
and had it with some ben shaws bitter shandy - which to my knowledge is not available anywhere in malaysia.
and it is quite funny considering that there is almost no alcohol sold in pakistan without a permit - for non-muslims and expatriates - hence why i have yet to get my hands on some murree single malt whisky.
but it wasn't that bitter a shandy and with just a tot of beer in it, it tasted heavenly with the biryani. something sweet and fizzy to counteract the moist ghee in the biryani.
maybe i was just too thirsty. maybe i was just too hungry. but both went together so well that i am looking forward to more of both in pakistan.