Flavors of Islamabad brings you the best reviews in town! NEW ARRIVALS, DIY, ALL CUISINES

Friday 17 May 2019

Tandoori Chicken with Boiled Rice (DIY)






Tandoori chicken is one of the easiest and the tastiest dishes that a person can make. It is very fulfilling and it does not take much time to make it. Whenever some unexpected guests arrive this is the kind of dish which is, presentable as well and has good quantity too, and takes a maximum of 2 hours.

Ingredients:

 -A complete chicken
 -A half cup of yogurt
 -Some herbs for seasoning
 -Rice.

Instructions:

Marinate the chicken in yogurt and herbs for 30 minutes, in the meanwhile heat a piece of coal, and also let the rice settle in water. After the chicken is done fry for 5 minutes and start boiling the rice, after the chicken is done frying put the coal on a piece of bread and put it on the chicken, cover the mixture and heat it for 10 minutes to give it a hint of barbecue, finally take out the chicken, the rice and it will be ready to serve.


Chicken white karahi (DIY)




This recipe is an amazing day saver and even face saver. When you have no time to cook or you have unexpected guest or you have been out whole day and you don’t want to order food because you want home-cooked food. This quick recipe of white karahi never disappoints on such occasions. And, did I tell you kids love it! I particularly wanted to share this trick so someone can benefit. Try to cook in a wok (karahi) but if you don’t have one then you can cook in pot or pan as well.

Ingredients:

• Cooking oil
• Chicken pieces
• Cream (milk pack/ Olpers)
• Tomatoes
• Red Chili powder to taste
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat oil in wok and add chicken pieces. Fry for 2 minutes on high heat until pinkish hue vanishes. Cook for 5 minutes on high heat stirring until chicken color changes to brown. Add tomatoes and fry it,then add red chili powder and salt. After that when the chicken is tender and a layer of oil has separated. Add cream and cook for 1-2 minutes until desired consistency of gravy is reached. In the end add black pepper to the taste. Your chicken white Karahi is ready. Cut medium green chili into halves and remove seeds. Add half of it in karahi for aroma and add save remaining half for garnish.

Recipe Note:


To reheat the chicken, add a little milk if gravy is dry.

Honey Mustard Chicken with Boiled Rice (DIY)




Honey mustard chicken with rice is a dish I make at least twice a week. Its an excellent option for diet food, contains less calories, ingredients which don't contain much fats and I myself use this recipe while being on a diet. This dish is a combination of a sour and sweet flavor which can be a mood changer while following a diet. When individuals are on a diet they usually eat meals with less flavor and I believe flavors bring meaning and happiness to life.

Ingredients:

-250 grams on boneless chicken breast
-1 cup of rice
-1 tablespoon of mustard powder
-1 table spoon of garlic powder
-1 table spoon of honey
-1 teaspoon of salt
-1 teaspoon of black pepper
-1 table spoon of olive oil for cooking the chicken and rice.

The meal is of 880 calories, consists of carbs and protein and good fats.

Instructions:

I usually cut the chicken breast in small pieces and let it marinate and defrost at the same time, this enhances the flavor of the chicken. I make the chicken on a non stick pan, and I make sure to keep the lid on so the chicken cooks well.
For the rice I put it in a rice maker, takes less time and the final product is perfect.
This dish takes 30 mins to make, full of simple flavor and healthy at the same time. Best served with a drizzle of like juice on top before eating.


Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta (DIY)







Ingredients:

* Olive oil
* Butter
* Garlic cloves, chopped
* Mushrooms, cut in half
* Chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* Chicken stock
* Milk or heavy whipping cream
* pasta
* Cream cheese
* Parmesan cheese, grated (to garnish)
* Basil (to garnish)
* Black pepper (to garnish)

Instructions:

Set an Instant pot on the stove after that, add olive oil or any cooking oil you prefer and butter. Fry the garlic for a few minutes, until it gets brown caramelized. Add mushrooms, you can get from any grocery stores and fry until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes. After that add pasta, chicken, stock and cream, and cancel cooking because we will use pot Close and lock the Instant Pot and set to manually pressure cook on high for 6 minutes. Release the pressure and remove the lid. Stir in the cream cheese.


Garnish with Parmesan, basil, or you can add any kind of topping you want. Your instant pasta is ready!!

Jessies

The mushroom beef burger at #jessies is what I had for lunch today! The burger was juicy and tender and super yummy! 😋. The mushroom sauce was excellent and it had a mouthwatering blend of flavors. The bucket of crunchy fries that came with it were the best!

I love the serving size of #jessies, the burger was huge, their beef was good but sometimes the beef falls apart and starts dripping. Still it’s an excellent choice for those who want a juicy beef patty and it was perfectly cooked.The bun was fresh and soft. Cheese added amazing flavor to it. Taste was prefect. Ambiance and quality was great too. The quality of fries was great that you can easily fill your stomach with them.

My friend ordered the same mushroom burger in chicken and it was good too. Those who like chicken burger I will also recommend them as well. 

And their staff was pretty amazing and friendly. My experience was amazing! Loved everything. I will surely visit again 
Highly recommended ✅

Service: 8.5/10 

Price: 550( excluded tax and drink) 
Rate: 8/10



Burger

Karamel


Karamel Cafe, Karachi based cookie company, recently opened in Islamabad at Beverly Centre. So I decided to visit with my friends to karamel and try some cookies


So we tried the milk chocolate chip cookie which had a soft texture and tasted very fresh. Cookies were really fresh and they smelled very nice. We ordered ice cream with our cookies which are baked fresh daily. They have different flavors with different toppings and every cookie taste just as good! They make a perfect afternoon snack. I think a home delivery service would be a plus point for tea parties and birthdays which they should’ve started. So far, the cafe serves instant coffee as-well

However, once you bite into that chewy goodness, you might just forget all! Thanks to Karamel, life is now full of cookies!


Cookies

BLT



BLT is my personal favourite. You can’t go wrong with BLT. The location, the food, the service, the ambiance, everything is next to perfect. BLT is my favourite place to go. I always order the Parma Hot Chicken with Mint Margarita. The taste and the quantity are absolutely admirable. 

Once the Parma Hot chicken was a little undercooked and the waiter immediately exchanged it with a fresh dish and didn’t add it to the bill. Their compensation and concern towards customers is amazing. 

I absolutely love the environment and atmosphere created. The outdoor sitting is magical, with the flower decor on the roof. 

It’s safe to say, I trust going to BLT with my eyes closed. They accommodate you even if something does go wrong. 

Taste 9/10 
Ambiance 9/10
Service 9/10

Highly recommend it!


Burgers and Steaks


Roasters


 Roasters is known to have the biggest serving in Islamabad specially. If you order a burger, you'll be amazed by it's size. Their steaks & soups are really good. Every meal is over-sized and so full filling. One order is enough for two persons. If you want to share. The taste and service is amazingly good. I recommend it to everyone. There is an offer these days, if you order one main course the other one you get on 50% discount. So thumbs up.

I always visit with friends and it is amazing like always. Ambiance and service is excellent here. The food is served in good quantity and menu is very rich.Very friendly and cooperative staff guides you through the menu according to your wishes. The food quantity is amazing and so is the taste. They serve the food hot and fresh in appropriate time. The ambiance is very elegant. The service is fast and cooperative.

Food portions are really huge and bigger the food better the quality.
There is simply so much choices and variety on the menu and I am sure there is bound to be something that suits everyone’s mood of the day.
I Highly Recommended. If you are visiting Islamabad then its a must try.

Prices 8/10
Service 9/10
Burgers


Chikachino


This is a kind of place where people go not so much for the food but rather for the ambiance. Chikachino is considered as a major spot of Islamabad, where people like to go to chill out with friends, eat something light and feel refreshed. It is open till 3 am and till the Last second you will find people sitting there.

It offers all kinds of food and beverages, ranging from burgers, to samosa, pakoras, fries, Channa chaat, etc and for beverages the place has margaritas, soft drinks, lemon soda, tea, cover etc. Whenever you want to hangout with friends,Chikachino is a highly recommended place, in today's day and age, we have indulged ourselves in long and monotonous routine, and chikachino gives us an escape from such environment. With the perfect atmosphere, good food, and a nice service this place is truly excellent. 

A dish that would be a must try from Chikachino is their chana chaat, it has a blend of excellent flavors, freshness and the mint leaves it's juicy as well.

Food 7/10
Ambiance 10/10
Service 8/10 

Tea and Snacks







Howdy Islamabad


It was indeed one chilly day and we don't regret our decision.
First of all let me talk about the place. The restaurant is so artistically architectured, the theme of cowboy with the entrance door attract people's attention.
The outdoor sitting area was love, but as we were all family and have kids we decided to sit inside. What more i loved was the pictures on their walls regarding cowboy and food which was funny too.

Here is to one of the best Grilled Burgers in town 🍔
WHAT: Go Wild Burger
WHERE: Howdy F7 Islamabad @howdyislamabad

@howdyislamabad is one of my top picks for burgers in Islamabad
My most reached for burger there is their Go wild burger - juicy and rich in flavor - It is a double grilled chicken patty burger with tomatoes, onions, cheese and spicy red sauce. Their burgers come along with fries and drink.

I love how they are on the affordable side and with the best service. 
They'll always make sure we are taken care of and see if anything is needed or needs to be changed and I cannot appreciate them enough for that.
Also also I really really like how their food is always super super hot. Personally the hotter the better for me.✌.

It was different in taste from the other burgers it was with plane bun and having some seasoning taste. I never had a taste like that before. It was mouth watering.

Service: 8/10
Price: Rs 699/- (exclusive of tax)
So the price mentioned is for burger,fries and a drink.
Rating: 8/10

Burgers



Asian Wok


My favorite Chinese Thai restaurant where i can wait in queue to get in because food, ambiance and service is excellent here. The food is served in good quantity and kept hot on lamps all the time. Menu is very rich.

Their unique selling point is that they serve mint margaritas and fish crackers complimentary in starters and you can refill them as much as you want.

After the food which is delicious they serve free complimentary lemon grass green tea.
Their very friendly and cooperative staff guides you through the menu according to your wishes. The food quantity is amazing and so is the taste. They serve the food hot and fresh in appropriate time. The ambiance is very elegant and fancy. The service is fast and cooperative. The food quality and quantity is a 10/10 for me. I loved asian wok and I’ll be going back soon.

Highly Recommended. If you are visiting Islamabad then its a must try.

Service:9/10
Price:8/10

Chinese


Ginyaki


 It has a very unique way to order your food. The items on the menu come in single servings and are priced accordingly; which will give you the idea of the bill as well.

 A ‘Make Your Bowl Your Way’ , the menu says and gives customers options between an economy bowl and a deluxe bowl. Actually, the economy bowl comes with one item from the entrees with either rice or noodles whereas the deluxe bowl gives the option of add-ons. 

After visiting this place, I got convinced on the point that Ginyaki is going to give very tough time to other Chinese restaurants in Islamabad. A must visit restaurant.

Service:9/10
Price:8/10

Pan Asian


What A Paratha



Wide range of mouthwatering deliciousness!
To all desi food lovers out there! Go and try out @whataparatha
No better paratha than this one. It’s such a treat to my taste buds. It tastes so delicious that it makes you enjoy your very own company. And off course I heard a lot about this place.
They have wide range of parathas. We ordered their deal in which we get a pizza paratha, chicken barbecue paratha, cheese paratha and 1.5 litre coke just at (Rs 660 including tax.) I love the mayo sauce they serve with it.

  •  Pizza paratha was heavenly crispy with the inner taste of taste (if you bored with pizza taste must try it.)
  •  chicken barbecue paratha off course you can imagine how mouthwatering it will be chicken barbecue covered with crispy paratha.
  •  cheese paratha was extremely cheesy and flavourful

We loved the place, the food was hot and freshly served, and the place was hygienically prefect.

Highly recommended to all the foodies to go and eat at @whataparatha and get the best in town. Fasten up and head towards @whataparatha near you.

Service: 8/10
Price:9/10

Paratha