More on Food- Al Bake Shawarma- part of the article written for The Students Inc.

...I went to Al-bake, popularly known as the “Shawarma point” after its star attraction. Located at New Friends Colony’s Community Centre, the place is swarmed with visitors, mostly students all through the day.

It is a small, crowded place that claims to serve “authentic Chinese, Lebanese and Tibetan” food. Not that we know what the difference between the three is. Anything with noodles in it, and anybody with slanting eyes is Chinese.

More about Al-bake’s claim to fame- Shawarmas. They are these incredible chicken rolls of sorts served with mayonnaise, writing about which is a Herculean task owing to the distraction in the very nature of the subject. Not that it is the only thing that is served here. The menu makes a very interesting read, with over a hundred items (written in appalling spelling, I may add). Now most of the people who go to Al-bake do not know a menu card exists. They come, they sit, they say “Shawrmas”, they eat, they eat some more, they leave. And it’s a good thing they don’t try other items on the menu.

The fried rice is bland. The tangri kebabs are over-cooked (I’m being demure here, I was screaming “this is burnt” when I was at Al-bake’s), the chutneys and even the onions served are mostly non-edible. The mutton momos are decent, but since I am not a very big fan of momos, I wouldn’t count on my judgement to decide how good they actually are are.

The major issue with Al-bake is hygiene. Rats are abundant. Occasionally, you shall experience your blissful moments with shawarmas, ruined by an un-godly shriek that can mostly be traced to a deceased insect in a plate of chilly potatoes or chicken momos.

Price wise shawarmas are not expensive at all. For Rs. 20 you get one plate. The “plate” is worn-out, orange porcelain with 2 shawarmas and some mayonnaise sauce. The problem is you don’t know where the shawarmas go. So you order another plate, and another and another. So managing a trip to Al-bake without spending a minimum of eighty or hundred bucks would be quite an achievement.

Happy indulging!