Lahori Chaska

This video is made specially for all the "ZINDA DILANE LAHORIS" who love food. Hope you people will enjoy it!!

Halwa Puri (Ghalib Market)

When it comes to a Sunday morning in Lahore the hottest words are Halwa puri. Believe it or not its like a ritual of the place to have a halva puri on a Sunday morning for most us lahoris and we religiously follow it specially when we have a guest over outside the city, or friends over for the night or early morning Sunday cricket match or just a family holiday breakfast well see that’s what we mean when we say Halva Puri is synonymous to a Sunday morning in Lahore.

Just because this is one of the famous dishes of the city we have bunch loads of options but most of the good ones are in the interior city which seems to be a tedious job in itself, however there are a couple of good ones scattered around the city and me and my friends recently found one just in gulberg, Ghalib Market. Before anything I would say it was a beautiful cool breezy morning with the sun just pouring in mildly and the breeze making the green dance over you. Now in this kind of an aura you would love anything and so we did when our fresh puris reached the table. Funny thing about the lahoris, we attack it the moment it lands no matter if we are sitting at a dhaba or a fine dine its just our style and we say we know eating better than anyone. Maybe we are just keen to analyse the food or maybe we just love it too much to stay away. Hands down the puris were good above average compared to the best in town, the chanas were average and so was the halwa but surprisingly the chicken kachori was politely delicious. We ate without complains and a loads of laughter (noting about the food just personal jokes) but at all times keeping in my mind the responsibility of me bringing you my exact experience at the place. We followed it with tea from a neighboring tea stall, which was great and like I said the entire experience we had no complains. I suggest you pay a visit to the place, it deserves it specially due to the environment and the puris.

Cooco's Den: True Lahori food in a surreal setting

So guys, i just came back from a wonderful dinner at one of my all time favourite places "Cooco's Den" and thought of telling you people about this amazing place.

In the heart of Lahore, flanked by Badshahi Mosque on one side, and the Lahore Fort on the other, Cuckoo's Den is not just a restaurant with excellent food, but an experience of historic proportions regardless of how many times you go there.

Serving everything from traditional appetizers to a variety of delectable Lahori entrees, and topping it off with great tasting dessert, Cooco's Den is definitely a food connoisseur's delight.

Moreover, the history of the building itself, the surrounding architecture, and the drive up to the restaurant (going through the Mall Road, past NCA, Government College, Data Darbar, and everything in between), whets one's appetite for a complete cultural and gastronomic experience.

The view from the rooftop at Cooco's Den is just amazing. Until about 11 pm every night, the historic monuments around the inner city stay lit, creating a dramatic and dazzling ambiance for Cuckoo's guests.

In Cooco's Den, you can find a table in pretty much every setting. Indoors, patio, terrace, and rooftop. The indoors are no less intriguing than the dazzling outdoors. Regardless of where you sit, you are bound to feel like you're living in a different era. Dinner-time stories will quite likely take a turn either towards your own past or that of the city you're in...you can't help it; it's all in the ambiance!

The rooftop tables seat anywhere from two to eight, ten, or twelve people. Although we got the feeling that smaller groups would not only be easier to accommodate, but would work better with the setting...who wants to hear someone yelling across the table when completely taken in by the mystical aura of inner Lahore?!?

A beautiful statue of Virgin Mary graces the main patio. The bell above it is not only a part of the sculpture but is also used to summon orders from the lower floors.

Ropes strung from the rooftop enable cooks at the street level to send food up without the staff having to physically carry it upstairs. This method is again an old inner city tradition, often used by housewives to purchase groceries, vegetables, or just get some food hauled up to the top floors of the house.

The staircase, though very interesting to see, is quite hard to climb. So wear comfortable shoes and if you have someone in the group with a condition that doesn't allow too much exercise, get a table on the first two floors!

But wait...who said climbing or descending those steps is boring?

The door on the left is one of many "make you stand and gape" features of the Cooco's building. Some day we would love to sit down with the owner and find out the history behind each of the features, but for now, let us just show them to you!

Undoubtedly, Cooco's Den is not just a place to sit and eat, but a very complete concept of what a restaurant ought to be. It has captured the essence of inner city living, creating a fantastic mix of good food, a historic ambiance, and the little architectural and interior decor touches that truly bring the inner city experience home for the visitor.

Definitely take an evening out for this place on your next visit. You will not be disappointed!

Cooco's Den

Sabir Daal Chawal, Main Market, Lahore

So, this is my first post on this blog and trust me it is not going to be a disappointing one my friends.

It was late in the night and i was out with my friends yesterday searching for food, yes exotic food jaded with all the fancy places we holed out to the tight little streets that offshoot from fancy busy markets. We had affirmative information about this Daal/Chawal place in Main Market and we were going to find it and so we did. Eyeing spying and interrogating bystanders we finally reached our destination just opposite K.M. Store in a street just beside an optician there it was ‘Sabir Daal Chawal’ with a sweet little board naming its brand.
We sat behind the man hosting the huge dishes. The moment we settled our eye caught the rate list right on the wall, not something to worry about at all and still you are promised good food and we immediately put this promise to a test. We order ourselves, daal/chawal with a tikki, we didn’t have much choice on the menu although you can add a boiled egg for your liking, along with clear sodas. The very first bite everyone looked at each other and confirmed the good taste. Just as we were informed, it was really delicious and yes to mention here very hygienic as well. Imagine a plate of boiled white rice with daal topped with pickled salad and a potato tikki along with chatni, easily makes your mouth water just as it is doing for me while I mention this all. I think it was a great casual meal that’s not at all heavy on the pocket neither importantly on the health and plus you get to have a good time and the feeling of dining out. Its something we would recommend to people not living with their families to have everyday even, honestly its that good.

Daal Chawal