sharazade, one more time this week, cannot get enough of that lamb leg ...

i looked up at the sign over the door this visit and it says sharazade, not sherazade, i apologize for the misspellings before. funny, after eating there for 16 years, i finally learned how they spell it. the place has been there for 26 years, hmmmmmmmmmmmm, must be an ok restaurant, nah?

this visit i took the pictures before i ate the lamb. i also had some more of their great egyptian feta cheese with olive oil, and also the babaganoush.

just as i arrived a group of 18 came in. no reservation and half of them were children in strollers. they were driving the staff nuts with their demands. it was all taken in stride, even by the customers that were politely asked to give up their tables and relocate so that a table for 18 could be morphed into place.

i have spent 30 years working in restaurants and it never amazes me how some folks just do not think it sensible, in their best interests, polite or proper to call ahead for a reservation, especially for a table of 18, and, upon arrival, they think that moses should be parting the sea for them. lucky for these folks the people at sharazade are true restaurateurs who never show their disdain or mention there dismay at the utter lack or sensibility and etiquette.

a closer shot of this perfectly toasted lamb leg.

very busy day today too, look at how full the grill is.

i always finish my meal with one of these lighter-than-air custards
with ground almonds and coconut, and a not-to-sweet turkish coffee.



i have had to forgo my coffee of late
because they are currently not serving hot beverages after 6:00 pm
in accordance with islamic belief.

another 15 days and i can get my fix.
they offered to make me one,
but i said that although it was appreciated,
no need to break with custom.
i got big face and big smiles of appreciation for that decision.
maybe it was a test.

the owner approached me while i was taking the grill pic and he told me
his wife had mentioned that i wanted a turkish coffee pot so i could make turkish coffee at home.
he promised to pick one up in dubai on his next trip through.
his wife then said she will also get me a bag or two of beans.
how awesome is that?

someone once told me the pots are shaped as they are
so when there is no wood to be found in the dessert
you can simply draw the hot sand up around the sides of the pot,
and the sun will boil it for you.
i do not know if that is true, but its a nifty little anecdote any ways.

TGIF, didn't cook for anyone, ate out twice ...

once or twice a week i do not cook lunch for myself or the the others, and we order in or i pick something up. today i went out to the street vendors and picked up some "khao man gai", khao = rice, man = fat and gai = chicken, basically it is chicken and rice thai style.

the chickens are boiled or steamed in water with very little added, usually just some winter melon, but not much else. the rice is twice cooked in a special preparation making it very tasty and glossy. the chicken is boneless breast meat, smacked with the broad side of a knife and then thinly sliced. the broth is served on the side, and the "nam chin" or sauce, is a "siew", or soya based sauce with chili added. it is not a fiery hot chili, but a mellow tasty one.

one true testament to the popularity and the simplicity and elegance of this dish is how many links i discovered when i was searching for stuff to tie into this article. here are four good reasons why this is such a popular dish:

1. http://www.bangkokrecorder.com/magazine/bangkok-life/cheap-eats---khao-man-gai-487.html
2. http://www.thailandmusings.com/thai-food-recipes/khao-man-gai-thai-chicken-and-rice/
3. http://www.simply-thai.com/thai-food-recipes-khao-man-gai.htm
4. http://importfood.com/recipes/tchickenandrice.html

i picked up mine on pridi soi 3 in the phra khanong district, an awesome street for true thai tastes. phra khanong being a middle or working-class neighborhood has an abundance of good, cheap thai food of every variety. there are a few random vendors during the day, but as the afternoon shifts into evening, they come up and line the street for blocks in 4 directions. 'n' the bes' thang is, they are open until early morning in order to cater to the night workers who drift back into the neighborhood after all the entertainment venues shut down around 2 am.

khao man gai.
usually for just 30 thai baht/$1 usd
this is an order that was made "pee-set", special.
it contains 50% more chicken and double on the broth.
and, the rice is simply "khao suay", steamed, i'm trying to cut down on the fat.
i paid 40 thb/$1.30 usd - right, 30% more cost, yet 50% more food.

we also get off work a tad early on friday's, so after i had enjoyed a few beers with a good friend i was feeling a bit hungry again. so i trapsed on over to sukhumvit soi3/1 and had a bite a sherazade, an egyptian restaurant that i think ranks so high on my list, that none other actually comes close. and that is regardless of cuisine, meal time, service, ambiance, or any other factor you would care to apply. if you told me i could only eat in one restaurant for the rest of my life, it would be sherazade.

tonight i had a fantastically moist bar-b-qued leg of lamb, specifically it was the rear shank or lower leg portion. some perfectly prepared garlicky babaganoush, and a plate of egyptian feta cheese. what sets the cheese apart form other fetas available in bkk is the fact that it has the texture of marscapone, it is not too salty, and it is packed in a uht type paper and wax-coated box. not a tin or plastic. i think that, in and of itself, helps this cheese be all that it can be. i swiped all of the lamb from the bone and the cheese and the 'noush with my fingers and 2 light-as-air chapatis that were made to order.

again, simplicty and elegance, and all for just a little over $12 usd.

sorry, i was in such a rush to eat this delicacy i started before i thought to take the pic.
check out the texture of the cheese.
granted i added a tablespoon of olive oil to it, but still, creeeeeeeee-mee!
note the pocket in the chapati, perfection. nothing beats fresh bread with any meal.

the all important fire.
anything cooked over this pit that burns locally pressed charcoal is dee-lish.
the tikka and kofta are also highly recommended here.