Kababish of London

LTH,

Kababish of London is one of those places I go once in a while even though I'm typically lukewarm on the food. I find it hit and miss, mainly miss.

So a few nights ago I'm on my way home wondering what to have and Monica Eng's Nehari article pops into my head. Sabri Nehari for take out nehari, which is one of my favorites anyway, along with spicy, deep fried charga chicken, sounds like a plan.

Sabri Nehari is jammed, looks to be a 30-minute wait, even for take out, and no parking anyway. Open spot in front of Kababish of London, serendipity.

Typically I get Kababish's kababs and naan, but I was in the mood for something a little more hearty. I almost got paya, which Zim had recently told me was the same saucing and spicing as nehari but made with trotter, but went with London Gosht, goat curry.

The bone-on goat was tender with a thin, spicy, oily sauce that went well with the included slivered onion and naan. My one complaint was the naan had a texture that comes from reheating, maybe multiple times, and a slightly burnt flavor. Strange, as Kababish's naan is typically their strong suit.

All in all very good London Gosht, ~shrug~ on the naan, 50%, about right for Kababish of London.

Enjoy,
Gary

Kababish of London
2437 W Devon
Chicago, IL 60659
773-973-0225

Sabri Nehari
2511 W. Devon Ave.
Chicago, IL 60659
773-743-6200

Gary and Zim,

Thanks for the heads up. I'm looking forward to trying the paya at Kababish this Sunday.

How about a foot inspired outing, a foot-a-thon?

Chicken and duck feet in Chinatown. Menudos with beef and also pigs feet.
Paya. Those succulent stewed trotters at Johnsons family restaurant, the veal trotter dish at Giocco...I'm sure there are others.

Evil Ronnie wrote:Gary and Zim,

Thanks for the heads up. I'm looking forward to trying the paya at Kababish this Sunday.

Evil,

Though I have not had paya at Kababaish of London I would suggest Usmania, based on a recommendation by Zim. Cathy2 and I attempted to go to Usmania for lunch on Thursday, but they do not open until 1pm.

Though I would have liked to try Usmania's paya Cathy and I had an excellent lunch at Hyderabad House 1/2-block East. Hyderabad is what has been referred to as a taxi driver joint, not unlike Shan, Kababish on Orleans or Ghareeb Nawaz.

I just wanted to briefly mention Cathy and my lunch at Hyderabad, it was delicious, with extremely generous portions and, almost, embarrassingly inexpensive. I say briefly as I intend to write full post, with pictures.

Enjoy,
Gary

Usmania Restaurant
2253 W Devon Ave
Chicago, IL 60659
773-262-1900

Hyderabad House
2225 W Devon Ave
Chicago, IL 60659
773-381-1230

Shan
5060-A N. Sheridan Rd
Chicago, IL. 60640
773-769-4961

Kababish Restaurant
939 N. Orleans
Chicago, IL 60610
312-642-8622

Ghareeb Nawaz
2032 W. Devon
Chicago, IL

G Wiv wrote:Though I have not had paya at Kababaish of London I would suggest Usmania, based on a recommendation by Zim. Cathy2 and I attempted to go to Usmania for lunch on Thursday, but they do not open until 1pm.

Though I would have liked to try Usmania's paya Cathy and I had an excellent lunch at Hyderabad House 1/2-block East. Hyderabad is what has been referred to as a taxi driver joint, not unlike Shan, Kababish on Orleans or Ghareeb Nawaz.

I just wanted to briefly mention Cathy and my lunch at Hyderabad, it was delicious, with extremely generous portions and, almost, embarrassingly inexpensive. I say briefly as I intend to write full post, with pictures.

Enjoy,
Gary

Aha! Shall look forward to it. I think Hyderabad House is probably the best of
the cabbie joints - their food is excellent. Daata Durbar used to be very good
a while ago, but management has changed (and I believe the chef defected
to HH a while ago). Had a few very good meals there. Probably my fave -
good Hyderabadi food, and very cheap as you say (though Ghareeb
Nawaz is cheaper). If you really want "embarassingly inexpensive",
thatst he place to go But HH is fresher and better probably. And their
portions *are* generous - a very big briyani for example.

Have to visit HH again soon. Last time I was there was last Tuesday I
think (lateish night). Talked to the guy behind the counter, he told me to
have the biryani, claimed it was excellent. I was sort of demurring cos I
wanted something smaller, but he insisted - said I would appreciate it.
So, I agreed. And he turned around and ordered some... and was told
the last plate was just going to that table right by there. It was apparently
so good that it had finished real quick, with order after order coming in
(and while I stil there, another couple cabbies came in and asked for
the biryani - said they had just been told by a friend that it was especially
good today Seems like they have their own little chow-network

BTW, Usmaniya is reputed (or at least so a couple of Hyderabadis told
me so again this weekend) to have the best Hyderabadi Biryani in town.
By which they mean "Goat Biryani", unlike the lamb found so many other
places.

c8w

c8w wrote:I Daata Durbar used to be very good a while ago, but management has changed (and I believe the chef defected to HH a while ago). Had a few very good meals there. Probably my fave - good Hyderabadi food, and very cheap as you say

aah, that explains quite a bit. Used to love daata durbar and thought not much of HH - thanks for the info about the cook (though doesn't sound like the cook Gary was introduced to, who i think was from Jalisco)

c8w wrote:(though Ghareeb
Nawaz is cheaper). If you really want "embarassingly inexpensive",
thatst he place to go

they should be. given their name. I always thought the price was the main draw to ghareeb, though.

c8w wrote:BTW, Usmaniya is reputed (or at least so a couple of Hyderabadis told
me so again this weekend) to have the best Hyderabadi Biryani in town.
By which they mean "Goat Biryani", unlike the lamb found so many other
places.

c8w

you've made the preference for goat a few times, which I find interesting. Kashmiris (probably the biggest meat eaters in india) have a strong preference for lamb as opposed to goat for texture and flavor reasons, goat is viewed as something you would buy if you didn't have the money for lamb. (and this is true for muslims as well as hindus)

btw there's an excellent article on kashmiri meat cuisine at http://www.outlooktraveller.com/aspscri ... =46&page=1

c8w wrote:I Daata Durbar used to be very good a while ago, but management has changed (and I believe the chef defected to HH a while ago). Had a few very good meals there. Probably my fave - good Hyderabadi food, and very cheap as you say

aah, that explains quite a bit. Used to love daata durbar and thought not much of HH - thanks for the info about the cook (though doesn't sound like the cook Gary was introduced to, who i think was from Jalisco)

BTW, this is based on you being an *old* customer of these two spots. That
is - management changed at Daata in maybe 2001 or 2002 I think? It used
to be one Hyderabadi owner (Niyamat Bhai , it is now 2 guys - one Indian
and one Pakistani I think. The cook news is second hand - heard it from
one of the cabbies who frequents both spots I think. But its very believable
to me - I used to go to Daata a lot in about 1999/2000 (watched most of
a World Cup there in 1999, spread over a month), and still go fairly often,
but I think the food is not nearly as good as it used to be. However, HH has
impressed me with its food a few times in the past year or so (and when I
mentioned it to one of the cabbies there, he told me that the old Daata guy
was working at HH since a while).

But, again, it sort of depends on freshness - and its a cabbie joint, with
everything that involves. I once asked for a Chilli Chicken, and got nothing
for a long time - then about 25 minutes later this wonderful dish comes
rolling in, very good indeed, which I consume with gusto... but it wasnt
Chilli Chicken. So when I went to pay I asked the guy - and he told me that
he saw my order, but they were making Chicken 65 fresh and it was very
good, and so he called an audible and sent me that instead (without bothering
to consult me He said "I knew you'd like it" - and I did, actually, quite a bit.
But most restaurants wouldnt do that sort of thing

c8w wrote:(though Ghareeb
Nawaz is cheaper). If you really want "embarassingly inexpensive",
thatst he place to go

they should be. given their name. I always thought the price was the main draw to ghareeb, though.

True, though its not actually referring to poverty as much as to a Holy Man in
this case Ghareeb Nawaz is the name often used to refer to Moinuddin
Chisti of Ajmer - whose burial site is the spot where thousands of pilgrims
(from India and Pakistan) gather every year.

And the price is very good, but the biryani really isnt bad at all - my big
complaint is that they dont put enough meat in it, but the flavour is one
of the better ones around. Also, BTW, a very famous biryani - not sure
I mentioned this, but I met this bunch of guys from St Louis who *had* to
have biryani there on their visit to Chicago (not having eaten biryani
anywhere in Chicago, but having heard so many great things about this
particular biryani from so many different sources, that without ever
visiting they considered it the Holy Grail of Biryanis in Chicago. Sort of
like how so many may not have actually visited Lem's, but still would want
to try that before anything else in the BBQ section of Chicago, having
heard so much about it). And then met aother group of guys from
Milwaukee, who had the exact same opinion on *their* visit to Chicago -
also their first time!

c8w wrote:BTW, Usmaniya is reputed (or at least so a couple of Hyderabadis told
me so again this weekend) to have the best Hyderabadi Biryani in town.
By which they mean "Goat Biryani", unlike the lamb found so many other
places.

c8w

you've made the preference for goat a few times, which I find interesting. Kashmiris (probably the biggest meat eaters in india) have a strong preference for lamb as opposed to goat for texture and flavor reasons, goat is viewed as something you would buy if you didn't have the money for lamb. (and this is true for muslims as well as hindus)

Yes, but I really think this is much more of a Kashmiri thing than any other,
probably. The Muslims of Bombay, for example, are very big meat eaters
as well - and its almost exclusively Goat (if you dont have enough money
for it, then you go to Beef). I think Hyderabad is the same - at least in terms
of Biryani. The "memon-style" biryani of Karachi must surely be similar
I think?

I suppose it depends what youve grown up with. In biryanis Ive always
preferred the taste and texture of goat, myself! I found this interesting,
so was talking about it a while ago to a Bombayite friend - he is sort of
Goan/Catholic, however, but a big meat-eater and Bombay born and bred.
And he confirmed the above - he said, actually, that he had never eaten
lamb in his entire life until he came to college in the good ole USA! *All*
the "mutton" he had ever eaten in Indian dishes was goat. On occasion
some dishes had Beef. And, being from Goa heritage-wise, he had had
a fair bit of Pork. But never any Lamb of any kind (probably as a result,
he too prefers Indian dishes cooked with Goat rather than Lamb - and is a
fan of Usmaniya's biryani).

btw there's an excellent article on kashmiri meat cuisine at http://www.outlooktraveller.com/aspscri ... =46&page=1

Thanks. Whats the best Kashmiri-style spot in Chicago, in your opinion? Ive
actually been to Kashmir and enjoyed the food - but was only a kid then
and dont recall it as well as I should :_)

c8w

What I find strange is the reputation that Hyderabad has for Biryani. It probably came to the city through the persians, but the persian style of food is more entrenched in the north. But somehow the cooks of hyderabad (especially the Muslims) who cook during Eid and also for all the weddings have developed this recipe to a level that has people from all over talking about Hyderabadi biryani.

As a vegetarian it is difficult for me to find a place that serves good vegetarian hyderabadi style, but the best I found so far was in Hema's Kitchen. Hema, I think, is from Hyderabad; so understands the mportance of biryani!

c8w wrote: The Muslims of Bombay, for example, are very big meat eaters as well - and its almost exclusively Goat (if you dont have enough money for it, then you go to Beef). I think Hyderabad is the same - at least in terms of Biryani. The "memon-style" biryani of Karachi must surely be similar
I think?

I suppose it depends what youve grown up with. In biryanis Ive always
preferred the taste and texture of goat, myself! I found this interesting,
so was talking about it a while ago to a Bombayite friend - he is sort of
Goan/Catholic, however, but a big meat-eater and Bombay born and bred.
And he confirmed the above - he said, actually, that he had never eaten
lamb in his entire life until he came to college in the good ole USA! *All*
the "mutton" he had ever eaten in Indian dishes was goat. On occasion
some dishes had Beef. And, being from Goa heritage-wise, he had had
a fair bit of Pork. But never any Lamb of any kind (probably as a result,
he too prefers Indian dishes cooked with Goat rather than Lamb - and is a
fan of Usmaniya's biryani).
c8w

Yeah, I guess you are right about other areas of India, My dad who spent most of his youth in delhi has much more of a fondness for goat than the kashmiri side of the family, though having spent a couple years in kashmir, would still opt for lamb. I always took the use of goat as a sign of cheapness

c8w wrote:

Whats the best Kashmiri-style spot in Chicago, in your opinion? Ive
actually been to Kashmir and enjoyed the food - but was only a kid then
and dont recall it as well as I should :_)
c8w

unfortunately, there isn't one, I just have to prevail upon my mom, sister, and various aunties to cook for me

Has anyone tried this place:

Banda Nawaz Restaurant
17W612 14th Street, Oakbrook Terrace
Tel: (866) 889-0786

I have been told it is a bit of a cabbie place out here in the western exurbs, and makes a decent, very cheap Biryani. Not a lot of meat, but good flavor, and I think there is some link to Ghareeb Nawaz.

I was given the same advice for buying Biryani here as I mentioned in my post of Shahi Nehari - buy a tray and then they will make it fresh for you. But I have not yet been.

dicksond wrote:No, I am not a lurker.

D,

Are you sure? You know, unlike some other message boards, we have a fairly reliable search function here. Sometimes you even find what you're looking for. The addresses and phone numbers appear slightly different, though, so who knows.

Cheers,

Aaron

c8w wrote:- a very big briyani for example.

Have to visit HH again soon. Last time I was there was last Tuesday I
think (lateish night). Talked to the guy behind the counter, he told me to
have the biryani, claimed it was excellent. I was sort of demurring cos I
wanted something smaller, but he insisted - said I would appreciate it.
So, I agreed. And he turned around and ordered some... and was told
the last plate was just going to that table right by there. It was apparently
so good that it had finished real quick, with order after order coming in
(and while I stil there, another couple cabbies came in and asked for
the biryani - said they had just been told by a friend that it was especially
good today Seems like they have their own little chow-network

BTW, Usmaniya is reputed (or at least so a couple of Hyderabadis told
me so again this weekend) to have the best Hyderabadi Biryani in town.
By which they mean "Goat Biryani", unlike the lamb found so many other
places.

c8w

Happened to pick up some biryani from HH yesterday(mutton), very nice flavor to the rice, nicely spiced, very nice chutney along side, though the meat in the rice I though could have been tastier.

probably the best thing I got yesterday (and if you're reading all my posts today you can see we tried tons of stuff) was the chicken boti I grabbed from khan's. I've always loved the smell of the place though for some reason have never gotten stuff from them before with the exception of some nan, which was just ok. However, I have to say their chicken boti is probably my favorite right now on devon, grilled till juicy and then smeared with a very nice cilantro and chili laden spice paste still moist and adhering to the chicken. Bihari kabab was pretty good as well. it's not quite the deal as JK (you don't get the extras, rice and parantha) but I thought quite a bit tastier.

Aaron Deacon wrote:

dicksond wrote:No, I am not a lurker.

D,

Are you sure? You know, unlike some other message boards, we have a fairly reliable search function here. Sometimes you even find what you're looking for. The addresses and phone numbers appear slightly different, though, so who knows.

Cheers,

Aaron

ouch. I will change that signature tout de suite!

Thanks, too.