Skip to main content

The Melt - The Shake Shack of Pakistan. Or is it?

Hanging out with my friend, and trying out new food is the perfect way for the devil to prepare for re-entering society. We wanted to see for ourselves whether the establishment deserved the bashing it’s been getting lately, so off we went to The Melt. Happy to report, it’s more of a mountain out of a molehill situation. 

The place while emulating the quick service, wavy fries, and smash patty style burger is basically where it stops being Shake Shackish, just to let you guys know, I’m not a fan of Shake Shack, and neither is Sadia. I found this local burger to have more flavor than the international brand. The burgers were made and served in 4 minutes, and that definitely is impressive. 

The Melt was recommended, a double patty burger served with raclette cheese, and I forget the name of the second burger, but it was London-something burger, both beef. They do have chicken options and sides. The menu has the prices listed in AED, which I didn’t understand, but unka menu, unki marzi. The fire extinguishers are covered with the Pakistani flag, so that’s a nice patriotic touch, but the open kitchen, loud exhaust and high ceilings with no music makes for a very loud ambiance, which could result in a headache for some. 

The ingredients are fresh, everything including the bun is made in-house and the beef patty is heavily seasoned with pepper, which caused every other flavor to be masked. Halfway through, the bottom bun started falling apart, and that’s a big no for me. I preferred the London burger over the melt, just because there wasn’t as much going on in it. 

The price point was fair for the food. 2 drinks, 2 burgers, one of which was a combo with fries was a setback of 1490 rupees (I think. Please check kar lena price, LA), so two meals within 1500 rupees is reasonable. Also keep in mind this is a soft launch. The Melt has yet to officially start operations. We gave it a 6.5-7 out of 10. 

There are also dessert options by Sugaries, which seemed tempting but Sadia and I were full. I did try the brownie sample offered and liked it. It was a bakery brownies, slightly softer, but nice. If they can get their burger bun and pepper situation under control the place definitely has potential to give other similar joints a run for their money.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meet the Chaza Queen of Karachi and proud owner of Juniper Kitchens, Shama! I had the absolute pleasure of being invited to her home for a lunch that left me in awe of the versatility found in Burmese cuisine. While Shama herself isn't Burmese, her ancestors have had a long-standing history with visiting Burma and adapting their local cuisine into their home. For those of you who don't know, Shama offers catering services and has a devoted clientele for her home-based catering services named Juniper Kitchens. I visited Shama's beautiful home with my friend Lailumah Shah , where we were welcomed with a refreshing hibiscus drink and an assortment of snacks including roasted and salted nuts, dried mango, and spicy tamarind. After a while, the table was laid with an assortment of salads, appetizers and entrees that was too much food for just 2 people. We started with the green tea leaf salad, a spicy mix of crunchy, nutty notes and the subtle fragrance of top tier green tea. I...
Post a Comment
Read more

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 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more