Chilly Nights and Chocolate

As I sit here in the chilly 12°C weather (Chilly for us Karachi walay) sipping on my hot chocolate, I can't help but be thankful for those who come for my food advice and then implement it. Now, I'm by no means saying I'm an expert in the food business, but if people trust my taste buds, who am I to argue? 

A year ago, I was introduced to a girl who I was told makes fabulous hot chocolate, and she just needed to take the plunge into selling her product. I was invited to try it out, and of course I gave my insights for improvement.

Fast forward a year later, I got a hankering for hot chocolate and the now established owner of A Pastry Soirée's Effat Haq was kind enough to send along a few brookies as well. Truth be told, you can't have both the items in one go as they're both quite rich, chocolatey and decadent. The hot chocolate is smooth, not the least bit grainy upon reheating and emits the most gorgeous chocolatey scent. Add a few marshmallows if you must, but I like my hot chocolate straight up. I sometimes even eat it like a pudding straight from the fridge! The brookies have a fudgy brownie bottom, with chocolate-spackled cookie dough on top. No chocolate chips, but good quality chocolate chopped into shards. Warm it up for 10-15 seconds in the microwave and serve with a scoop of ice cream, and you'll have a fantastic dessert.

I wouldn't recommend something if I didn't like it, and the goodies from A Pastry Soiree are absolute love.

Comments

Mandi House, Grand Launch

I'll be real with you. I have actually never really been fond of mandi. Pulao with tender meat pieces is something I was born eating. I didn't understand the fuss about it. You know how different food fads have trended wherever you live? Chinese, Pan Asian, burgers, Continental cuisines area all different from the local palate. Pulao aur boti toh mai ghar pe bhi kha sakti hun. So I never got on to the mandi house fad. And the servings at these places are huge, bordering on wasteful. I wasn't going to go there with just one or two friends to eat mandi. No Sirree Bob. Mandis are meant for at least 3-5 people to enjoy, depending on hunger levels. Recently I was invited to the grand launch of the new Mandi House on main Shaheed-e-Millat's now populated restaurant strip. The place was easy to find since it's so prominently visible from the main road. The restaurant itself is made really well, with a waiting area and seating space on both floors. Options for dining in ...

Golden Dragonization

I’ve always loved desi Chinese food. I’ve been raised on desi Chinese food. The more sweetish side of things, with so many spices that one’s left wondering whether to eat or wipe one’s nose or eat one’s food. But oh, so good. Thus, I convinced the family to order Golden Dragon tonight, even though they were most reluctant to order from a new place. Since my father and I are both allergic to ajino moto, we requested that no ajino moto be added in our food. Stuck to the basics, since it was my first time ordering. We ordered the hot and sour soup, hot and spicy wontons, crispy beef, hot and spicy chicken, chicken in oyster sauce, and vegetable fried rice. The first thing we got to open was the wontons. All the food was steaming, amazingly hot. Since Abu was in the kitchen with me, the first thing he did was make a face and say, ‘Aye hai! Steamed wontons hamaray matlab k thori hain.’ I took a bite, then forced him to take a bite. When I raised my eyebrows at him in quest...

Almost a Year Later at RAK's Table

Hello darkness, my old friend! While I know that blogposts aren't exactly the preferred social media communication method nowadays, something keeps pulling me back to this baby of mine that I can't seem to let go of, even though last I posted was September 4, 2024. I also feel like this particular culinary experience of mind deserved a blogpost of its own, it was THAT good! It wasn't just the food, but the company with which I enjoyed each morsel, which came about thanks to my foodie friend Sadia Safdar, who kindly thought of me when Rida Alam Khan, head chef at Yazu and RAK's Table requested a taste-testing of some choice dishes from her yet-to-be-opened restaurant. The panel consisted of OG food lovers, not just bloggers, but people who genuinely have a passion for food and can taste the nuanced notes and secret ingredients in perfectly crafted recipes. Considering I had never been to Yazu, I was quite impressed by the entrance, very tasteful, just like the food as...

The Crazy Food Lady

Search This Blog