I checked out this new place near me on Bissonnet @ 59. The signage indicates it’s an Indo-Pak Mediterranean restaurant but the menu is pretty much strictly Pakistani.
I never went in the previous tenant here, a buffet called Wok Bo, but I presume they spent some money upgrading what was there. It’s posher than the nearby competition, Aga’s and Savoy, both on Wilcrest, and the two Desi game rooms along W. Bellfort, Salaam Namaste and the oddly named Alfa Capri. The interior is dark, done in brown tones with black linen table cloths, nice china and stemware on the tables but paper napkins. It’s a wee bit pricey.
The simple salad of sliced carrots, raw onions and tomatoes came out first. the raita came out with the entree, more than 10 minutes later. The raita was very cucumbery, deficient in cilantro or garlic.
I got the Goat Biryani. The meat was very tender but I thought it might have actually been beef. There were no whole spices such as cardamom or whole curry leaves such as you usually find in biryani and overall it was nowhere near as complex and interesting as the biryani at Himalaya.
I didn’t have very high expectations until I had seen the packed parking lot on Sunday. There were quite a few cars when I went in but only 3 other diners for lunch so they must be letting the employees park right in front. I would be interested in their Beef Haleem and Beef Nihari but I kind of doubt I’ll be going back.
If you can put up with the curtness and paper plates and plastic ware and lack of ambience I’ve had much better food at Savoy, although I’ve never ordered the biryani there and I always order take-out. Aga’s changed hands a couple of years ago and the service improved markedly but I thought the food went downhill. I’m haven’t been in a couple of years.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Salt-N-Pepper-Grill/804635426257536
