LAHORE: As Pakistanis, we are all familiar with the famous Burns Road food street in Karachi that is known to be a pioneer of food street culture in the country.
When we heard that a “Burns Road House” opened up in Lahore we were anticipating a few if not all, authentic Karachi street food items in the city.
We spoke to the Manager Tariq at the outlet before we got down to the eating business who said that the idea of opening the open-area restaurant was to “bring authentic Karachi food items to Lahore, which were not already available here”.
From puri parathas to bun kababs, BBQ items and various kinds of Tandoori chai, the menu at the moment is limited, he said, adding that the management is planning to expand it into a fine dining area as well, offering seafood as well as other items.
Moreover, the expanded area will have an open-kitchen, giving it a proper “street” feel to the customers with charpois for seating along with the usual table and chair setting. The expanded area is expected to open in the next three to six months.
As soon as we got to the outlet, we were welcomed by the chilly wind blowing on our faces as we took our seats and had a look around to get the feel of the place. We noticed that it’s definitely a good place to hang out with your friends for some chai and good music.
After going through the menu, we ordered reshmi kababs, bihari kababs, bun kababs and the zafrani tandoori chai along with the normal tandoori chai; because there is always room for chai and some more chai.
Now, let’s get to the food business, we couldn’t wait to dig in because of the mouthwatering smell of BBQ and the chai, of course.
The puri parathas were served warm and fresh and surprisingly not as oily as we’d thought and we have always been fans of garma garam puri parathas; they not only tasted good but were perfectly fried as well. It was time to enjoy the reshmi kababs with the puri parathas, the kababs were cooked to perfection with the right amount of spices and garnishing; the kababs were so soft that it just melted in your mouth as soon as you took a bite.
Similarly, the bun kababs had the right amount of sauces with the kababs freshly cooked sandwiched between soft and fresh buns. Usually, the bun kababs served around the city have sauces dripping all over, which was not the case for this one.
Next up were the bihari kababs (beef), which, in our opinion, could have been softer and a little more cooked.
Then comes up the most important part of our meal; chai.
Ever since we moved back to Pakistan, finding a good chai place has been the most difficult task until now. Usually, either there is way too much milk or not enough tea leaves to give it taste. Both the tandoori chai and the zafrani tandoori chai was just PERFECT!
Served in small clay cups, this chai was perfect and trust us when we say that, considering how particular we are about chai. It had the right amount of tea leaves, milk and sugar. Most importantly, it was served hot!
The chai definitely gets a 10 on 10 from us!
If you are looking for a casual place to hang out and have good chai at a reasonable price, Burns Road House is the place to go.
