The Crazy Food Lady

Disclaimer: A friend sent me this ramen to try, so I didn't pay for it, but my opinion is as honest as it always is. Okay, I have to admit. I'm a sucker for packaged, unhealthy, and sinfully delicious ramen. So when my friend Omer, husband of the very famous Eman's Cakes (A blog is up on that already, by the way) told me he wanted to send over authentic Thai ramen to me, imported from Thailand, was I going to say no? Of course not! What arrived at my doorstep was this: Of course, there was no sign of English anywhere on this, but packaged ramen aren't that hard to follow through with. So out came the ramen itself into the bowl, along with the shrimp flavored powder, the spicy sauce that makes everything come together and a guesstimate of the water I wanted. What I ended up after nuking it for 2 minutes was this: This was soupy, spicy, not particularly strong in shrimp taste, probably because I added way too much water, but that's how I like it, 2 me

You know how some places keep on evolving and expanding as time goes on? This primarily stems from a personal desire to invest into and consider new avenues of deliciousness for one's customers. Because let's face it, we are all always looking for something new and it doesn't take a lot to take our attention away from a once-favorite food item we couldn't live without. Which is why when Dragonfly Kitchen introduced it's new range of sandwiched this past week, I was quite excited to try them. Knowing the desire to use fresh ingredients, play around with a range of flavors, along with keeping the prices easy on one's pocket, I wasn't surprised that I loved each and everyone of these sandwiches. 1. Chicken Sandwich with Avocado and Cilantro Twist Dressing: Number one on my list of favorites. The chicken is poached to succulent tenderness. The dressing is spread on the bread, giving it the creamy, herby, sour punch this sandwich needs to come together. The

When you have the sweetest friends who make some of the best desserts in town, how can you not expect a sweet surprise? Yasha of The Poached Pear sent over this absolutely delicious lemon meringue pie yesterday evening which as you can tell, I didn't really wait to let cool and ate immediately. It was still so good!  The packaging has been upgraded, and the Australian lemons were a tad bit more sweeter than the South African ones but still so, so delicious. Had Yasha not told me, I wouldn't have been able to tell. I'm going to love spending the rest of the week polishing this off. *Bliss*

OCD is usually known as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, a mental illness that can take over your life and deter you from doing the most normal daily activities. My addiction to coffee is such that I can't function without inhaling my first cup of coffee. Which obviously translates into Obsessive Coffee Disorder. Now imagine my delight when I found out a coffee shop of the same name was opening at Park Towers (And not at DMC, where it's almost impossible to get in most evenings). Is it any surprise I was on a mission to check this place out? Of course not. So off I went, with a good friend in tow (Helps that he's good friends with the owner) *cheeky grin* last evening to OCD. Tucked away near Jafferjies on the first floor, OCD is a quaint little place with a cheerful, welcoming interior that's boasting some of the most deliciously decadent desserts I have had recently. Being at OCD, I found it ironic that the food consumed was in reverse. We started off with a dessert

A meeting with a friend that turned into our usual gossip session was at PANTRY earlier this week. Since it was too early for dinner, I risked (And paid) the cost of insomnia for a double shot espresso cappuccino. We also chose to gobble down some of our favorites, the sweet potato fries and the buffalo tenders, both of which were awesome, as usual. If you haven't had tried out these 2 things at PANT(R)Y (Sorry, I couldn't resist), you absolutely must! Both flavor profiles are pretty amazing in their own rights, with generous portions.

In my neck of the woods, Eid-ul-Azha is called Bakra Eid, simply because, well...bakras, cows, even camels are omnomnom meat fests for a week or more post Eid. Now this may be a bit of surprise, but as much as I love eating in general, I somehow manage to skip meals during any kind of festive season. Whether it's Meethi Eid or Bakra Eid the very thought of a proper meal makes me feel full. Don't ask me how or why, it just happens. Which is why I end up eating things considerably lighter and easier to digest than red meat. I have to admit though, my sleeping pattern and zero interest in socializing are two other important factors that make me skimp on the omnomnomming. Consequently, when everyone else is discussing the delicious barbecue they ate or the chops they inhaled, I'm talking about the yummy mixed vegetables I ate with roti or the Chinese rice with ketchup, the latter which I scarfed down while frying vegetables for the garnishing my mother wanted on her gorgeous

Disclaimer: By no means do I count myself as an expert on food, but I do love to eat. These restaurants are entirely my choice and by no means have to be agreed with. 1. Bhai Babu's Halwa Puri If you're craving halwa puri on a lazy Sunday morning, then you better forget about getting anything from Bhai Babu's dukaan. Located in the lane of the very famous Ghaffar's, Bhai Babu is the best of the best when it comes to halwa puri. Whether it's young boys seeking halwa puri after a fun night match or a dad getting breakfast right after fajr namaz, Bhai Babu is out of halwa, puri, aalu, achar and chanay by 8 a.m. most Sundays. So if you want legit halwa puri, wake up bright and early on a Sunday morning and brave the long line outside of Bhai Babu's dukaan. 2. Boat Basin's Halwa Puri and Parathay Don't worry, I got you pull kay uss par walay covered too, One of my fondest memories of halwa puri (And parathas) is of going to Boat Basin with my

I have always believed that if you want to eat acha Pakistani khana, there's no place like home. That's why I was so reluctant to go to Desi Tarka, recommended by a co-worker as a must visit place. Nestled in a lane on Rahat Commercial, this little place seating not more than 15-20 people definitely has some childhood favorites which just can't be created at home. The decor itself is colorful and welcoming, representative of most Pakistanis. You need to start off with the pani puri, which if you don't want to go all the way to Tariq Road to pick up from Aunty Pani Puri (Her nephew Salman just can't copy it, I'm sorry no)you'll find here. You know how some panis of the pani puris are either too bland or too spicy or too sour? This is the perfect, and I don't exaggerate, perfect combination of spicy, salty and sour. They aren't stingy on the channas either. I counted, there were 6 in each! So you know how much fun it is to go all the way to Pakist

I'm not going to lie. I've always enjoyed taste testings. It means I get to sample a little bit of everything without feeling weighed down by too much food. So when Saima, proprietor of The Patio invited me for a taste testing over the weekend, I couldn't refuse. Off I traipsed to the beautifully designed restaurant for some delicious food. The first thing served was the Chicken Cobb salad. It was creamy, smooth, slightly tangy and I felt this would be the perfect pair with a hearty soup, such as the Laksa or the Mushroom Soup with Truffle Oil.  Speaking of, the two soups we got to try were the Red Lentil Soup with Mint Oil and Mushroom Soup with Truffle Oil. The Red Lentil Soup was served with sour cream. I felt the Mushroom Soup was definitely a hit, and the Red Lentil Soup came in as a close second. However, I must warn you that the Red Lentil Soup isn't for those who don't like to experiment with new flavors and cuisines. This is definitely for those who appr

When I first went to Chop Chop Wok, I fell in love with the place. And then I started reading fairly disappointing reviews ranging from everything about no space to food being just plain sad. Of course, that just made me want to go all the more and far be it from me to deprive myself of my cravings. So off I traipsed to Chop Chop Wok, armed with my friend Funty's photography skills and a hungry tummy. One of the latest improvements is the manager there. Interactive without being intrusive, knowing his food and constantly in motion, making sure we got everything from the salad to extra ice in our iced tea. Moving on to the food, the Thai Beef Salad was earthy, spicy, crunchy deliciousness of tender little beef strips with a lot of bean sprouts. Now please note I say 'a lot' in relative terms. The helpings aren't massive, okay? It's not that kind of place. If you're more than 2 people, order 2 of those salads, or even 3 depending if one of you wants to have on

Going with a friend for a meeting regarding work, I couldn't think of a better place than NYC to enjoy a cup of coffee and cake in the evening. Before the cake, I of course wanted something savory and spicy to nibble on, but because I couldn't decide between the wings and the mozzarella sticks, we went for the sampler platter.  And what a good choice it was! It had everything from the aforementioned wings to mini burgers, chicken tenders and fried onion rings, It was served with barbecue, honey mustard, blue cheese & buffalo sauce. I won't lie about it. I ate everything with the buffalo sauce. My friend ordered another serving of honey mustard but had to stop himself from ordering a third because we were about to have cheesecake. NYC is one of those comfortable places where the staff will be at a comfortable distance and will also give you privacy. With the expanse of space available, they will never push you to leave the premise when they see you're done eati

When there is a special event that warrants a cake, I either trust my own taste buds or my buds buds (Get it?) And what could be more special than celebrating both my parents' birthdays together? Since I wanted something different this year, I turned to my friends for advice and they vociferously vouched for Goodsies Cupcakes. So happily I placed my order on a fair weathered Tuesday, requiring the cake to be delivered at 5 p.m. via Delivery Chacha on the 16th of August. There  was no fussy fondant required, no two-tiered layers needed. Just a simple chocolate cake, with 'Happy birthday, Ami and Abu written on it. Lo and behold, along came Sunday, 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. with no sign of any cake. By the time 7:30 rolled around I was really upset, thinking that Delivery Chacha had messed up my order. Unfortunately when I got in touch with Uzma, the owner of Goodsies, I was disappointed to find the order had been overlooked due to human error and while I understood how it had

You know the saying, 'The way to a man's heart is through his stomach'? Well, either that saying applies to anyone who loves food or I'm a man. And I'm definitely not a man. What appeals to me more than the first impression of any eatery, is the consistency with which they continue their service and menu. At Dragonfly Kitchen, Farhan is doing a spectacular job with not only maintaining consistency in the products already available on the menu, he is also constantly surprising his customers with new, and even better delightful concoctions. Brownie Buttered Toast Scrambled Eggs Warm Brownie and Custard Toasted  Chicken  and  Cheese Sandwich Now allow me to share my delectable experience over the past few days with Dragonfly Kitchen. Located on main I.I.Chundrigar Road, my lunchtime has been ruled entirely by it. Over the past few days, I have tried and loved the following: - Tomato and Basil Soup: This was way better than what I mak