Bhabi's Kitchen Report

After numerous recommendations from multiple sources (including a few of the people from this board), I finally made it into Bhabi's Kitchen on Monday night with a small group of my closest friends.

I can honestly say that the food, atmosphere, and hospitality are without parallel. You truly feel as if you are eating in the home of Mr. Syed, his wife, and his sister.

To Start:

Vegetarian Samosas and Ground Beef Samosas - Fresh, flaky, and just the right spices. Unlike many of the other samosas on Devon, I could pick these out in a blind taste test.

A beef patty appetizer - name unknown (not on the takeout menu that I took with me). In appearance, these looked like hamburgers. They had a mild spicy flavor and a texture like rare meatloaf. I found them delicious, but I was in the minority. I wound up eating three of them.

Papadams, of course.

Entrees:

Mutter Paneer - (peas and cheese) - I could eat this dish every day. Green peas and paneer swimming in a rich spicy tomato sauce. The bowl was returned completely clean.

Aloo Palak - (spinach and potato) - The spinach had a rich, fresh flavor and went great with a pile of basmati rice.

Butter Chicken - Easily the best item we tried. Tender chicken chunks in a buttery, spicy tomato sauce. Another bowl that went back licked clean.

Chicken Masala - A nice contrast to the butter chicken. Similar in texture and presentation, (served on the bone this time) but a whole different flavor experience. (Could've been spicier).

Frontier Gosht - A beef and onion dish reminiscent of a Mongolian beef. This dish was spiced nicely; a huge hit.

Rice, sauces, pickles, chutneys, naan (plain & onion-garlic-green pepper).

Interestingly, I spent more time talking with Mr. Syed than I did with my friends. He is very proud of his wife and sister's cooking, especially the fact that they are conscious of health and use very little oil. (This was evident in the fact that my stomach felt just fine later that evening--which is rare for a trip to Devon). He gave me a history of his business experiences on Devon and how he is at a point in his life where the comfort of his regular customers is more important than putting money in his pocket. "I know how to make money," he said, "I just want happy customers." I told him how happy we were and how highly regarded his business is. He proudly showed me a photo of a group outside his restaurant, a group that many of you were a part of with Alpana Singh (I recognized everyone from other photos).

Mr. Syed spent quite a bit of time selling me dishes to try for my next visit: Chili chicken, eggplant, broccoli rabe, chicken charga, pistachio naan. He claimed that he is the only restaurant IN THE COUNTRY that serves different fresh baked breads made from six different types of flours. He is not modest in praising his family, proclaiming many of their dishes to be "the best". I have a hard time arguing.

I can't wait to return.

Bhabi's Kitchen
6352 N. Oakley
773-764-7007

Good report, though you should have taken his advice on the broccoli rabe--it is exquisite.

ParkerS wrote:Good report, though you should have taken his advice on the broccoli rabe--it is exquisite.

He gave me so many recommendations that it was impossible to order all of it. He was still recommending food as we were walking out the door. Definitely next time.

I couldn't agree more with your praise for Bhabi's Kitchen--it is by far the best restaurant I have tried in the Devon Ave. area. Quite frankly, I am surprised that so many frequent posters here/Chowhounds seem to have lukewarm (at best) feelings for it. The samosas, chicken dishes, vegetables, and naan are all fresh, cleanly prepared and multilayered in taste. In my opinion, the food at Bhabi's Kitchen dwarfs the offerings of a place like Sabri Nehari, which has been widely praised by many, but which seems inferior by comparison. To me, Bhabi's Kitchen is one of the best bargains in Chicago dining.

Granted I've been to Bhabi once, and Sabri (and all sorts of places on Devon plenty of times), but I found not much to praise at all about Bhabi. Sure there were a lot of breads, but they were mostly dry and/or greasy. I'm sure I'll give it another shot someday, but right now, I'd have to be counted in the anti-Bhabi group.

Sure there were a lot of breads, but they were mostly dry and/or greasy.

I've been to Bhabi's a few times and have never had problems with greasy naan--or greasy anything, for that matter. The owners pride themselves on their extremely clean, almost entirely greaseless preparations. Certainly all of the dishes I've had at Bhabi's have been much, much less greasy than other Devon spots I've recently hit--including Sabri, Hema's, Tiffin, Indian Garden, Sher-A-Punjab, King Sweets, etc. But maybe Bhabi's was having an off night when you tried them--or maybe we just don't see things the same way.

As far as "dry" bread goes, I'm not sure exactly what you mean. Obviously, Bhabi's makes a significantly different style of naan than other Devon places in that theirs has a crisp exterior and soft interior. I don't think this makes the bread dry, though, as the interior is quite moist. I think both styles have their merits and enjoy both. I simply think that the execution level at Bhabi's is extremely high--the naan is ALWAYS fresh and has a wonderfully pungent flavor. The onion, pepper and garlic naan is, in my opinion, a great example of different flavors and textures working harmoniously together to produce a great bread.

One last thing I will say about Bhabi's is that the quality of chicken they use in their dishes seems to be much higher than at just about all of the Devon restaurants--even the ostensibly "high end" ones like Tiffin. Combine this fact with the fresh preparations, complex spicing (which can be adjusted upon request) and low prices, and you have a tremendous food bargain on your hands.

I completely agree with you, Kenny. The naan is different but I didn't find it dry or greasy. I was, in fact, impressed by the distinct lack of grease in all the food. We had the plain naan as well as the onion,pepper,garlic one you mentioned. Mr. Syed insisted that I return and order the pistachio naan which really peaked my interest.

I also agree with the assessment of the chicken quality. It tasted fresher and more tender than any other place I've been to on Devon.

Well, I couldn't wait to get back. I wasn't lying.

I headed back to Bhabi's on Friday night with some vegetarian friends. I had planned on taking them to Spoon, but I decided that we could use a few more options.

We had the broccoli rabe which was rich and very flavorful. Also, Bhabi's special eggplant was fantastic: 3 whole baby eggplant stewed in a spicy, nutty sauce for hours. I also tried the pistachio naan which Mr. Syed chastised me for not ordering earlier in the week. It was light, crispy, and sweet. Delicious.

On my way out, Mr. Syed gave me a tour of the kitchen (really just showing me his tandoori oven) and he told me about even MORE dishes that I should have ordered.

Well, I couldn't wait to get back. I wasn't lying. I headed back to Bhabi's on Friday night....

Hey, I was there Friday night, too. In fact, I think I saw your group there, as I overheard some people talking about the broccoli rabe and pistachio naan. Anyway, Bhabi's was excellent again! It was good to see some tables filled up there, as the place is usually pretty empty when I go.

I had a nice meal at Bhabi's last night with my aunt and uncle, particularly enjoying the bihari kebab, sarson ki saag, pistachio parantha, and the delightful hospitality of Mr. & Mrs. Syed.

Mr. Syed spent some of the time that we were there monitoring the construction of his expansion efforts that have finally started. The storefront immediately to the south of BK is being converted to additional dining space and two doorways are going to be cut through the wall. The kitchen is going to be expanded east, towards the window, to accomodate more equipment.

He was reluctant to predict a completion date.

Best,
Michael / EC

I had a nice meal at Bhabi's last night with my aunt and uncle, particularly enjoying the bihari kebab, sarson ki saag, pistachio parantha, and the delightful hospitality of Mr. & Mrs. Syed.

Good to hear a positive recent review of Bhabi's. I haven't returned since March or April due to a string of mediocre meals there. Their declining food quality--the restaurant seemed to be using less fresh and tasty ingredients across the board--combined with the then-recent price increase didn't have me in a hurry to return. This was especially disappointing because I was once a very frequent customer and, as the above posts show, an enthusiastic supporter. Maybe I will give it another try this weekend....

Kenny from Rogers Park wrote:

I had a nice meal at Bhabi's last night with my aunt and uncle, particularly enjoying the bihari kebab, sarson ki saag, pistachio parantha, and the delightful hospitality of Mr. & Mrs. Syed.

Good to hear a positive recent review of Bhabi's. I haven't returned since March or April due to a string of mediocre meals there. Their declining food quality--the restaurant seemed to be using less fresh and tasty ingredients across the board--combined with the then-recent price increase didn't have me in a hurry to return.

Well, I'm not going to say that it was my best meal ever there, but those particular dishes were good. On the ride home, petit pois and I discussed the fact that Bhabi's doesn't seem to be declining in quality but rather increasing in inconsistency.

I've been there three times since the menu change and I've had three radically different versions of the sarson ki saag. Sometimes particular spices are way more dominant than others, and sometimes there's a balance, and other times there's a bland quality. Once when it was served with a heavy fresh ginger taste, I mentioned it to Mr. Syed and he gave me a long explanation of how different elements (ingredients, time, his wife's mood ) will affect certain dishes.

From time to time, I find the inconsistencies enjoyable. For example, I liked the burst of ginger that one time, and I consider this part of BK's charm. As many people have said, they don't serve the most authentic or intense Indian and Pakistani dishes, but I always get the feeling there that I've been invited to their home and I'm eating in their kitchen and that makes their food taste a bit better. I've always thought of BK as Indo-Pak comfort food.

Best,
Michael / EC

The patty you mention in the first post is no doubt a shami kebab, meat mixed with pureed chick peas. Bhabi's does a great job; I am told they are very difficult to do properly.

eatchicago wrote:From time to time, I find the inconsistencies enjoyable. For example, I liked the burst of ginger that one time, and I consider this part of BK's charm. As many people have said, they don't serve the most authentic or intense Indian and Pakistani dishes, but I always get the feeling there that I've been invited to their home and I'm eating in their kitchen and that makes their food taste a bit better. I've always thought of BK as Indo-Pak comfort food.

Best,
Michael / EC

Bhabi's . . . the new Hema's Kitchen

A friend of mine just reported that she attempted to go to Bhabi's this evening but found a "Closed For Remodeling" sign on the door, with no opening date provided.

Just wanted to update everyone on the Bhabi's remodeling project. We stopped by tonight, hoping against hope that they might be finished. Mr. Syed greeted us outside of the restaurant, apologizing profusely, explaining that while the main (small) restaurant was indeed open, all of the tables were booked solid for the evening. He did tell us that the remodeling (which is an expansion into the space to the south of them) will be done tomorrow, and when finished, they'll be able to seat an additional 60 people (!). Things still looked pretty unfinished, but I suppose a lot can be done in 24 hours.

He then sent us to Hema's, where we had a good, if unremarkable, meal, topped off by sweets at Ambala that nearly killed us all. We were even careful to heed the warnings of LTH that a little goes a long way, but after a few pinches (literally - not even bites, pinches) of the sweets, I nearly lapsed into a sugar-induced coma. This, of course, is not to say that it wasn't very, very good.

Visiting Bhabi's Kitchen for the first time last night, I can't say enough about the friendliness of the owner/host and the attentiveness of our server, but the food really was just a step above mediocre.

My friend and I started with vegetable and kheema (ground beef) samosas, which, in retrospect, were the highlight of the dinner. They were light, crisp and nicely seasoned. Tamarind and spicy coriander sauces complemented them nicely. Sadly, our three other dishes failed to live up to the promise of the appetizers. Chicken Tikka, three small pieces swimming in a bland tomato sauce, lacked the creamy, spicy depth you'd find in this dish at almost any other Indian restaurant. Sersoo Ka Saag, with broccoli rabe, sounded intriguing but, other than the characteristic bitterness of the vegetable, had little else to recommend it.

After a fairly big buildup by our server, Bhari Kababi, grilled, marinated beef, both was dry and over-tenderized, parts of it actually having turned to mush.

The menu lists twenty different naans and parathas. We ordered the naan with garlic, onion and green pepper, which was fine but not remarkable.

With tax and tip, the bill came to about $48. I know passions run high about this but in my opinion, nearby Hema's Kitchen is a much better choice.

Bhabi's Kitchen
6352 N. Oakley
773-764-7007

Hema's Kitchen
6406 N. Oakley
773-338-1627

I had dinner at Bhabi's for the first time over the weekend and I have to say, it was a disappoinment. I thought the food was pretty average. I liked the family atmosphere and the people were very friendly. The service was terrible (which doesn't really bother me in family run restaurants, if the food is good). We waited about 20 minutes before anyone came to the table. However, after we placed our order, the food arrived instananeously which made me assume everything had been pre-made. Everything was luke warm as well. The samosa's with meat were quite good with a nice, crisp wrapper which was similar to filo dough. The chicken qorma was too mildly-flavored and cold. The nan was cold and very dry. A lamb curry (can't remember the name) was fairly bland, but a little tastier than the chicken; I will say that it arrived hot.
Bhabi's is very reasonably-priced and, because the people were so friendly, I wanted to like it more than I did. But I won't be going back.

Despite my warning, a close friend of mine visited Bhabi's the other night and had an experience nearly identical to that of thaiobsessed. He also suspects the dishes are pre-made and stored, as his chicken dish had a rubbery consistency and, according to his description, "absolutely no flavor." Similarly, he reported the naan tasted as if it had been made from pizza dough.

Has anybody had a good experience there lately?

I had a fine experience within the past 6 weeks. Everything seemed freshly made (although one of the naans was a little overdone). That being said, Mr. Syed recognizes me, so I might not get the same as an anonymous patron.

In any case, we'll be back. Beth's quite fond of it, and she's the one who has cravings for indian food.

gleam wrote:I had a fine experience within the past 6 weeks. Everything seemed freshly made (although one of the naans was a little overdone). That being said, Mr. Syed recognizes me, so I might not get the same as an anonymous patron.

In any case, we'll be back. Beth's quite fond of it, and she's the one who has cravings for indian food.

I think you and I are in the same boat, Ed. We always have a nice meal at Bhabi's, partially because we are recognized and partially because we have figured out exactly what to order and what not to order. It's not my first choice these days, but petit pois gets a craving for it every once in a while and there's no arguing.

I have learned to stay away from the quorma and curries, sticking to mostly the mutter paneer, butter chicken, bihari kebab, and sarson ki saag.

Best,
Michael

Paul SL wrote:
With tax and tip, the bill came to about $48. I know passions run high about this but in my opinion, nearby Hema's Kitchen is a much better choice.

hmmm, just wanted to make clear that when I compared Bhabi's to Hema's earlier, it was not meant as a complement to either.

EC,
you mention that you "know exactly what to order" at Bhabi's, including sarson ka saag. I wonder - have you tried the sarson ka saag at Chopal? IMO (and I think c8w's as well) its pretty far superior to that at Bhabi's

zim wrote:EC,
you mention that you "know exactly what to order" at Bhabi's, including sarson ka saag. I wonder - have you tried the sarson ka saag at Chopal? IMO (and I think c8w's as well) its pretty far superior to that at Bhabi's

I have, and I would agree that it is superior in flavor. That does not discount the fact that I do enjoy the dish at Bhabi's and consider it one of the good dishes on their menu. The statement "know exactly what to order" in no way indicates that Bhabi's is the "best" at these items, rather a version that I enjoy and am pleased to order when I'm there. In fact, I prefer the bihari kebab at Khan's, but I enjoy it at Bhabi's as well.

Best,
Michael

Paul SL wrote:
With tax and tip, the bill came to about $48. I know passions run high about this but in my opinion, nearby Hema's Kitchen is a much better choice.

hmmm, just wanted to make clear that when I compared Bhabi's to Hema's earlier, it was not meant as a complement to either.

I'll second that opinion.

My views on Bhabi's have been mentioned earlier - however, a post a couple days
ago mentioned that Bhabi's was "reasonably priced" (though in their opinion
not stellar). I really wonder about that - IMHO it *used* to be reasonably
priced, a few months ago when they were still on their "old" menu. Now Iam
not certain the same designation applies - as noted above by the OP, the bill
came to $48 (for was it 2 or 3 people)? You can get out of most "non-fancy"
Indian restaurants in that much - usually much lower, no? Chopal, Usmaniya,
Sabri Nehari etc (ie not the "cabbie joints") - you can get out of them at
well under 20 bucks per head I would think, unless youre ravenously hungry
and able to eat far more than Iam

EC,
you mention that you "know exactly what to order" at Bhabi's, including sarson ka saag. I wonder - have you tried the sarson ka saag at Chopal? IMO (and I think c8w's as well) its pretty far superior to that at Bhabi's

My uncle's opinion, more than mine - I pretty much agree, but Iam not a huge
sarson-ka-saag guy anyway and so should not be trusted on this matter
My uncle, however, did a direct head-to-head test - he picked up SKS to go
from Chopal, then I introduced him to the Bhabi's menu, and going in he
was so taken by Mr.Syed (and his effusive praise for their own SKS) that
he picked up one there too, and so did a direct comparison when he got
home. He came down on the side of Chopal by a fair margin, eventually.
(BTW, he was most disappointed at the "phirni" at Bhabi's - he had insisted
on going into Bhabi's when he saw the menu I had on me because he saw
phirni on the menu, and he hadnt had a good phirni in literally a decade or
more. I got a disappointed and almost-irate call from him later - it wasnt even
phirni that he had been given, he said, it was basically just kheer

c8w

c8w wrote:My views on Bhabi's have been mentioned earlier - however, a post a couple days ago mentioned that Bhabi's was "reasonably priced" (though in their opinion not stellar). I really wonder about that - IMHO it *used* to be reasonably priced, a few months ago when they were still on their "old" menu. Now I am not certain the same designation applies - as noted above by the OP, the bill came to $48 (for was it 2 or 3 people)?

I have to agree here. Bhabi's is no longer reasonably priced in my book, and one of the reasons it fell off my "first choice" list. Since the menu change, the prices increased considerably and I can rarely get out of there for under $40 for two people. Bhabi's used to be reasonably priced, now it borders on overpriced.

Best,
Michael

I hate to make this report, I really do, given the family nature of BK and the reputation they've had, but here it is.

I went to Bhabi's Kitchen on the Saturday after Thanksgiving with two friends. It took a half-hour for us to be greeted by a stoned, clueless teenager with water in dirty glasses. In fact, all the dinnerware was dirty. It then took another hour and a half for the server and kitchen to serve us an incomplete order served lukewarm.

It was so bad that fellow diners wandered around to each table wondering if, indeed, others' service and food was as bad as they were experiencing. I lip-read a fellow diner from across the room saying "God Damn It!" after receiving their, (I'm speculating) incomplete order.

What can I say? It's the worst restaurant I've ever eaten at. No exaggeration. I would have rather had a veggie burger from another BK: Burger King.

This restaurant is a prime example of the "Check Please" effect: a formally good restaurant gets featured on "Check Please" whereupon the increased traffic overwhelms the capabilities of the restaurant.

They first need to fire the blissed-out teenager. Then they need to either hire a consultant or simply invest some money and time to increase their capacity without sacrificing quality or else others, like myself, will never go back.

Don't go back. There's so much more on the Devon strip, there's no reason to risk that again. Check here for posts on Khan BBQ, Hyderabad House, Ghareeb Nawaz (though my last meal there was pretty mediocre), etc. etc.

Me, I haven't been back to Bhabi since October 8, 2002. Plenty of others to try.

I've generally had reliable luck with Tiffin, but the effusive, unanimous praise I observed on Check Please bode well for trying something new.

Thanks for the suggestions, though; I'll be checking LTH for these from here on out.

I will also endeavor to provide some positive posts as well; it's unfortunate to be starting out with negativity.

Speaking of the Check, Please Effect and Indian restaurants on Oakley, we had a nice meal at the original Hema's Kitchen a couple of weeks ago. It was not at all crowded on an early Saturday afternoon. The first time we went was after they had been on Check, Please and I remember being relatively underwhelmed. My take was that it was quality food, but not so great as to make it worth fighting crowds considering the bounty of options.

However, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed their channa -- that's one of my baseline dishes at Indian restaurants, and Hema's cranks up the spicy heat intensity a good notch above most other places I've tried. It's really tasty, and if the crowds have subsided, I could probably make it more of a habit...

germuska wrote:Speaking of the Check, Please Effect and Indian restaurants on Oakley, we had a nice meal at the original Hema's Kitchen a couple of weeks ago.

I'm glad someone did. My wife insisted on Hema's a couple months ago and it was probably the most bland, one-note meal I've ever had on or around Devon Ave. Although, I didn't try their channa.

Best,
Michael