Arabian Savoury 3.25/5.00

Muuna Bhai calls to say he received his long overdue paypacket and wants to eat out. He's been craving some hummus so we head to Zaks and as it was closed (so were all of the joints on St. John's road. Why?) head to Arabian Savoury where Dilettante joins us. I'm grateful to Dilettante for introducing me to the wonders of this place.

Clever people, the owners. Using Corelle means they have higher capital costs but lower running costs in terms of replacing breakages.

Essential drink here is called the "Cooler". Mint, lime, sugar, ice and water make for a very refreshing drink. It's fabulous in summer and goes really well with the food. You need to have at least two per person.

Hummus for Munnabhai. The chickpea paste isn't bad but the oil certainly isn't olive. All in all, goes well with the meal but not essential.

Something called a plate shawarma I think. Pretty much like a lamb donner kebab served with hummus, assorted vegetables and some white garlicy yoghurt over the top. Very tasty and lots of texture. Crisp vegetables, crunchy meat and the hummus paste.

Arabic style charcoal roasted chicken. Excellent. Much better than their grilled chicken. And not overcooked so the meast is tender and juicy with a wonderful charcoaly crust on the outside.

Super Kerala parotas to dunk in the hummus, wrap the plate shawarma around and eat the chicken with. Flaky, soft and hot. I think these are better than the ones at Imperial but don't say I told you that! (Tip: When in Kerala, don't ask for a Kerala parota, it's just a parota there. I've made a fool of myself more times than I'd care to remember!)

Pickled beetroot and Kashmiri chillies to go with the meal. I don't care for them but Dilettante does. Ask him why.

A picture of Dilettantes food oddities. No tomato, actually nothing that smells of tomato. Sauce is fine. He had the chicken version of the plate shawarma. That's another one, no red meat, unless it's bacon around a prawn.

Dessert was a Sharjah milkshake. Banana, vanilla (or apple?) ice cream and some chocolate sauce. Too bloody thick to drink with a straw and it conjures up horrid bukkake-flashbacks. It does taste bloody good though. (I think he said apple just to make 20 bucks of me. Dilettante will explain.)

Scraps? Leftovers? Fear not, organic trash disposal was around. Damn fat it was too.

Munnabhai, thanks for buying me dinner.

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