Comments on: Downtown Lunch: Lahore Pakistani Fast Food

By: avisualperson

avisualperson — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:18:46 +0000

ya this place is a cab stand, but I just don’t find the food flavorful or generous. PTH is boring now, Pak Punjab on 1st and 1st (or is it 2nd on 2nd) is actually pretty good, and I’m totally bored of the place on houston and essex as well. late night indian food just ain’t what it used to be.

By: DocChuck's blow-up doll

DocChuck's blow-up doll — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:03:38 +0000

I wish I had abrain. I mean….a brain.

By: Abrain

Abrain — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:24:38 +0000

Good god folks! While eating all this food it would not hurt to learn a thing or two about it. Roti is definitely South Asian fare(India, Pakistan etc…). When the British ruled more than half the world they needed workers for their far flung colonies(example Carribbean which had lots of plantations or another example South Africa especially mines)…so they recruited/forced South Asians who were considered good source of labor…so they brought along their cuisine…which became a hybrid of the cuisine of the land they worked in. Also, the natives and these workers intermningled. Thus their is a distince ethnic difference between a West Indian and an East Indian.

The dry bread in the picture is in most places in Pakistan and India referred to as a roti…notice it is not fried. If it was fried it would be called a paratha.

Someone mentioned doubles which is basically again from south asian influence. In most places in Pakistan and India the fried bread in a double is called a Puri and the chickpea or potato stuffing is usually served on a separate plate. But in trinidad and other places like it they combine the bread and stuffing to form a kind of round ball sandwich…which I think is mighy cool.

Hope u found this informative and a bit tasty! CIAO!

By: Sarah

Sarah — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 21:32:06 +0000

alright! thanks guys! you have enlightened me thoroughly. Perhaps I should stop questioning and start eating such thing…

By: Zach@MidtownLunch

Zach@MidtownLunch — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:48:09 +0000

I think in most cases roti just refers to fried bread, which can be different from culture to culture. I know sometimes it refers to a stuffed piece of fried bread (which in some ways could be considered a dumpling?) And there are Trinidadian “doubles”, which is like a roti sandwich… I’m guessing some people may just refer to that as just roti as well. (Since it is two pieces of puffed up roti, with a filling in between.)

By: lc

lc — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:01:24 +0000

this place is open 24 hours, by the way, and makes wonderful chai tea ($1). I have stumbled in here many a drunken night and early morning. I’ve always stuck to their veg offerings, though (except one time when, after having them fill a takeout container with some of pretty much every veg curry they had, I noticed the chicken patties and made them stuff one of those in also. absolutely no recollection of how it tasted, except that it was all nice and spicy)

By: Mamacita

Mamacita — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:59:25 +0000

Sarah you Trini-freind was probably talking down to you in a way. Thought you’d understand dumpling as an adjative.. it’s pretty far from it, size wise at least.
Roti.. hum kinda like a burrito. Stuff it with what you want.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:46:49 +0000

@ Daniel: sure, but is it ever different in different cuisines? I might have been lead astray by a trinidadian-american friend telling me roti was caribbean dumplings. and I live in Crown Heights and some of the Jamaican places around me have like “Vegetable Roti”… I mean I know I could just go order vegetable roti and see what I got, but… well I’m at work now and I’m bored and wondering about this…

By: Daniel Krieger

Daniel Krieger — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:59:07 +0000

You drink on the way to work Crackhead? I see your name is fitting.

sarah – roti is flat bread..its the stuff the guy was holding up.

By: Crackhead

Crackhead — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:31:25 +0000

So this place has been on my daily commute for about 5 years. It is, single-handedly, the stinkiest restaurant in the western hemisphere. There is a precise riptide of vital stinkal tete-a-tete midway between this place and the gas station on the corner. If you are not careful, the tidal effect will carry you right up to the bar in Puck Tavern and put a pint of Olde Speckled Hen in your belly. Very, very dangerous.