Written by: Haroon Shuaib
Posted on: November 11, 2019 | 
| 中文
Freshly Made Gratto Jaleebi
When one shortlists the most famed cities of Pakistan for their native grubs, Lahore and Karachi are the frontrunners with multitude of diverse, quality, and economical choices. Peshawar and Quetta with their delectable distinct Pashtun cuisines, are dreams come true for the carnivores. Even smaller towns such as Gujranwala, Mardan and Multan have their own specialities.
The young capital city Islamabad is slowly but gradually finding its place on the gourmet stand, with an array of restaurants offering more contemporary and global cuisines. Perhaps, capital’s twin city Rawalpindi is the most underrated food destination in the country. Not many outside the garrison city know of the wide range of picks the unpretentious city offers. You guessed it right, this is a proud Pindi boy talking!
Refreshment Centre for Breakfast
Let us start with the breakfast of halwa puri and nihari from the Refreshment Centre of Commercial Market in Satellite Town. On a Sunday morning, the experience of devouring piping hot puris with a nutritious suji ka halwa, sweetened to perfection, is a pleasure that can wash away the week’s burden. The nihari at Refreshment Centre has a moderate spice quotient, compared to its spicier counterparts in Karachi and Lahore. Don’t forget to wash down the nashta, with a cup of karak chai. Since the breakfast will cost around PKR 200-250, one can eat to your heart’s content.
(Left) Nihari & Halwa Puri(Right)
The best part about Rawalpindi food trail is that most of the eateries are very near each other. A fifteen-minute brisk walk brings one to the heart of the city. Rawalpindi’s Bhabra Bazzar has an extensive collection of traditional food, which deserves a full day’s sojourn just for that. I have always been a fan of the dahi bhallas of Bhabra Bazar for their wholesomeness, pure ingredients and supreme taste. Although there are many dahi bhalla shops in this neighbourhood, Lucky Dahi Bhalla Shop is what you should look for.
The owner, whose ancestors migrated from Dehli at the time of Partition, has perfected the art of making the most unforgettable yogurt-based treat. The yogurt is always fresh, the onions and tomatoes crunchy, and the deep fried dumplings of lentils are soft to the core. The impeccable balance of spices and a wide assortment of chutneys, topped with crispy papri, turn each plate into a perfect treat for the palate. At a mere PKR 160 a plate, it makes for a perfect afternoon snack. The cleanliness of this overcrowded part of the city might concern the timid, but if you dare to brave the not so perfect ambience, Bhabra Bazar’s dahi bhallas are definitely not to be missed.
Lunch should be the chicken pulao at Savour Foods, the nearest branch of which is 10 minutes away from Bhabra Bazzar. This particular branch of Savour Food was the first to be set up by Haji Mohammad Naeem on College Road, Rawalpindi in 1988. Today, Savour Pulao has eight branches, five in the twin cities, one in Wah and two in Lahore. The enterprise is planning to expand to more cities, and has expanded their menu to burgers and roasted chicken under the name ‘Savour Krispo’. The manager of the College Road branch, Mr. Sajjad, is always more than happy to give a guided tour of the kitchen.
The production of chicken pulao at Savour Foods happens on an industrial scale assembly line, to ensure consistency. Savour has its own rice processing unit and chicken and dairy farms in Kot Momin, which brings a daily supply of uncooked rice, chicken meat, curd for raita, and minced red meat for shami kebabs. Sajjad was not sure how many plates of pulao were sold daily, but the total staff present at this one branch was more than 150. A plate of Savour Chicken Pulao, priced at PKR 200 with fried long grain rice, a roasted chicken piece, two shami kebabs and a side serving of yogurt and thinly sliced onions and tomatoes has never disappointed anyone.
A dish of Savor Food Chicken Pulao
Moving towards Saddar Bazzar in the cantonment, the Kareem Restaurant is a bit of a landmark, due to its distinctive Samosas. What started as a small samosa stall about four decades ago, is now a full-fledged restaurant with two spacious halls to seat customers. What has not changed is the taste and quality of samosas at Kareem, and the inimitable mint chutney that is served with them.
Kareem Samosas
In Hathi Chowk area of Saddar, you will find the perfect gram flour (basin) fried fish that come winter, becomes the perfect dinner recommendation, and Mustafa Darul Mahi or Mustafa Fish House stands out. While the outlet boasts nearly all types of fish prepared in different ways, from skillet fried to BBQ, my favourite is the deep fried variety. Mr. Shahid Mustafa set up this shop over half a century ago, and today customers have to stand in line for a good half hour any night, before they can get their hands on this delectable fried fish.
The Gratto Jaleebi shop
For the dessert, my favourite in Rawalpindi is Gratto Jaleebi. The bright orange jaleebi is a well-known traditional dessert of the Subcontinent, with slight variations typical for each region. But not many know that the thicker golden jaleebi known as gratto jaleebi, actually originated from Rawalpindi. Three decades ago, a sweetmeat maker from Rawalpindi decided to abandon the use of artificial colours used in regular, narrow-piped jaleebi, and introduced a golden jaleebi made of a simple mixture of fine wheat flour, ground black lentils, yeast and water. He named his shop after his now-famous variant of jaleebi, and you can still find the thick and crispy golden brown fritters dipped in sugar syrup there. A close contender to satisfy the sweet cravings are the golden Gulab Jamans from Jamil Sweets, that also started operations from Rawalpindi, and today has multiple outlets in the twin cities.
Gulab Jaman from Jamil Sweets
Next time you are in the capital, but are bored of the predictable options for food, be a little adventurous and make a trip across the zero point to the bustling Rawalpindi, and be prepared to get a pleasant gastronomic surprise.
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