My last meal in Pakistan before I flew off the next day was at Shahzada Khan, a “dhaba” (roadside eatery) along the main street of Taxila, a 1,200-year-old city in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwala region on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
I was at Taxila to visit the old Buddhist archaeological site and a beautiful museum full of Gandharan art dating back to the 1st-7th centuries CE.
On the way back, my colleague and I decided to try out Taxila’s street food. The main street was really busy with vehicles, some pretty decorative.
Shahzada Khan’s got a very interesting “seating” arrangement - the locals seemed to like to lie or recline on charpai beds whilst eating:
We ordered two items, both freshly prepared in front of us - “Chapli Kabab”, a burger-like lightly-spiced beef patty; and their house specialty: crisp-fried freshwater “rohu” (carp).
The burly sushi chef with his lethal-looking knife.
Both items are served with “naan” bread, and a lemon-yoghurt dip.
In Pakistan, Pepsi rules in the battle of the Colas. We see Pepsi banners and billboards everywhere, but zilch for Coca-Cola!
