Thursday, June 17, 2010

Room Service At The Office

June 17th, 2010: This is just something I have to mention, I ordered in with a couple of friends from a only place called 'Room Service'. I had tried it out with some friends when it opened up and had some consistency issues, but, people had been telling me for a while that the place had gotten it's act together. It was about time I gave it another shot.

They have a menu that has a good range, pastas, burgers, salads, soups etc. The Prices were not exactly very cheap but considering the serving per order they sent over, it was pretty reasonable.

I found the Beef in Oyster and Mushroom Sauce to be an interesting option, but, on recommendation by Hufsa I ordered the Beef Teppanyaki. They said they would deliver in 30 minutes and they lived up to that promise. The food got here warm and on time.

The Teppanyaki looked brilliant even in the food saver, I'm sorry there are no pictures because at the time it just did not cross my mind, I was more focused on eating the food.

Enough about the setup, lets talk about the food itself.

My greatest fear with beef is that some chef's out of an attempt to churn out food at a quick pace, leave it slightly undercooked, no such worries here. The food was very well cooked and the balance of meat and vegetables was pretty okay, I can't even complain that there were more veggies than meat.

The food tasted fantastic, there was a very healthy serving and I finished it all. Nothing was under or over cooked, even the rice and the vegetables and there wasn't too much or too less of any spice. It was all just right. The proportions of the ingredients was balanced out very well. Points scored for Room Service that gave me a pretty good meal.

Overall, a marked improvement from the last time, this time I was impressed. I just have one question and one recommendation. The question is: what is up with all the asterisks in the menu? The recommendation is: Punh-leeze send over some better cutlery! The plastic forks and knives are just sad!

Menu below! Give it a whirl and leave a comment!

Cheers,

Z


Monday, June 14, 2010

A Farewell To Remember!

12th June, 2010: We were giving a bunch of our own a farewell dinner, Fatima, Faisal, Shaheryar and Ardy have left our ranks to pursue adventures elsewhere. On a Saturday, we took them to Fuchsia.

This will probably be the shortest update I will ever make on this blog. This blog is titled Food and "WHINE" so an essential element is criticism, now read on.

The food was fantastic! There is no other way to say it. It was absolutely perfect, it came on time, the service was friendly and prompt. The best part is, the food was not served ala carte, so everyone could have everything.

For starters we had the Prawn Fritters, Prawn Dumplings, Marinated Beef Soya Sauce and the Garlic Chicken. Shazia graciously handed me her Tom Yum Soup which was a little salty but brilliant nonetheless.

For our main course we had the Dried Beef in Basil, Red Curry Prawns, Chicken with Cashew Nuts, Chicken in Green Curry and Red Snapper in Tamarind Sauce.

There is nothing I can whine about in Fuchsia. It's my new favourite place in town!

Cheers,

Z

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

All I want is Flo: Shaheryar Mirza

This is a brilliant piece written by my great friend and colleague Shaheryar Mirza. This will put into perspective the eating habits of the Ogilvy-ites.

Enjoy!




*Part 1 inspired by 'All I want is you' (U2)
**Part 2 inspired by 'Killing me Softly' by Roberta Flack
*** Dedicated to our food-lovin' gang.


PART 1

You say you want
Diners with chairs of gold
Home delivery to remain un-cold
You say you’ll trade
Sabzi for Dominos
Nando’s for a slice of toast
But all the orders we place
From the taste-bud to the waist
When all I want is Flo

Yaa-sir he caught
A Daewoo with no one on it
A bumble bee in his bonnet
A song without a sonnet
A Bombay with no bakery
All the bitches in the night

You say you’ll give
Your blood for BAT
Your sweat for Disco Auntie
Your tears for daal roti
But all the shawermas we ate
From the platter to the ‘pait’
When all you want is Flo

Mimi she brings me
Wet tissues in a time of dryness
Chocolates in a time of blandness
A Dabur from the chemist
She says she’ll wait
Till everyone agrees
It’s a total democracy
Nothing’s free
In love and gluttony
But all the Butter Puffs she slays
From teatime to After-Eight
When all she wants is Flo

You say you want
Khao soi from Simple Dimple
Lasagnia from Room Service
A Zinger from Uncle Sander’s
Green Curry from Chairman Mao
But all the ulcers we embrace
From Sindhi Muslim to every DHA Phase
When all we want is
Let’s face it…sex
No wait
Flooooooo…all I want is Flooooooo

Fahad get the plates
Mohsin line up the Coke
Sani attacks his Student Biryani
Hasnain prowls like Daku Rani
Henny’s I shrunk the kids
‘Cause the sandwich never came
If it’s Bihari from Mealtime
Sherry’s to blame
All Roasters and no service
Makes Shazia crabby
Zubi went to Kahva
And found it shabby
Hufsah smacked the rider
‘Cause he was 2 minutes late
Sanober stopped bringing Karhee
Since she put on weight
When the day is done
We turn to brew
And when the Achaari’s too spicy
We go “Aaachooooo”


--------------------------
------

PART 2

I heard they served a good meal
I had they had a style
So we went to Cafe Koel
To eat appetizers for a while
And there she was this French girl
A stranger to my speed dial

Recommending her guests fish fingers
Steaming my rice with her words
Grilling me softly this French girl
Grilling me softly this French girl
Thrilling my steak knife with her swirl
Grilling me softly with her song

She said I run this place called Flo
We get a pretty good crowd
I almost dropped the butter
Her 'Bonjour' left no space for doubt
I fumbled with the English language
But she just kept right on

Marinating my mind with her fingers
Seasoning my wine with her words
Tried to woo her with my rendition of 'voulez vous'
But she didn't like Abba
She may have grilled me softly
But the bill came harshly
And so I bid 'Au Revoir'
To my French muse
And went back to Chicken Sour
From Eaton