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Pop goes the weasel and the weasel go POP! A new Pakistani place serving nihari? I'm gonna be there ten seconds ago yo...
Upon the recommendation of the same friend who put me in touch with my beloved Al Watan Halal, I headed over to Bilal Halal for lunch yesterday with the girl and my aforementioned friend. Marathon lunch? You betcha, we were rolling in oil and spanking naan like pigs rolling in a bushel of HEEEYO! What does that mean? I have no freaking idea, but we dropped it like it was hot... nihari spicy hot.
Since it was our first trip to Bilal, we had to get a little bit of everything to sample. We started with the veggie samosas ($1.99 for two pieces), and they were excellent. They had some nice heat kick for samosas, and the chutneys were tasty. The tamarind was a little more tart than the usual sweet, which went very well with the perfectly fried dumplings of love.
Amongst the three of us, we split a bunch of dishes. The chicken tikka masala ($8.50) was sweet and spicy, very tasty. The chicken itself was tender and flavorful.
Next up? Beef paya ($8), which is comprised of heels and shanks of the cow slow-cooked with spices. What does this amount to? A spicy, oily broth with some bones in it, and when you scoop through the bottom you come up with these huge chunks of wonderfully tender marrow. Marrow? Yes, the gift of Ryman's gods. So fattening, and yet seriously delicious. If you haven't had this before, I recommend trying it... excellent.
Last up was the nulli nihari ($9), which was your standard nihari (braised fall-apart-tender beef, spices, oil), but with one alteration... it also had little goodies floating in it... marrow to be exact. Yup, it was a marrow feast, and I was in heaven. My only complaint about the nihari was that it wasn't super spicy (by my standards mind you)... perhaps they thought that the white people couldn't handle the heat (even though we were with my Indian friend). Don't let the cover deceive you... this book likes some HEAT!
We also had rice (standard fare, it was fine), and naan, which was cooked perfectly.
My only concern was the service. First off, the server wouldn't deal with me... he only dealt with my Indian friend. I started ordering for us, but he just looked at my Indian friend until he began requesting the same order as I was. Also, although I was picking up the tab, the server automatically placed the bill in front of my Indian friend. We waited about 10 minutes for our bill to come, even after both I (and then my friend of course) flagged down the server.
All in all, Bilal has some interesting menu options, and totally reasonable prices. Will I go back? Definitely. But Al Watan is still the best. 4 stars.
Also, a note... Bilal is in the same complex as Front Page Jamaican. Pretty stiff competition if I may say so myself... Front Page edges Bilal. But if you're in the mood for Indian/Pakistani, this is a legit restaurant. Just be sure to tell them that us white folks like heat too, so don't tone it down!
Bilal is the quintessential hole-in-the-wall. In other words, if you're an ambiance focused eater, then go somewhere else. If you're a true foodie, then haul your patootie down the 405, take the Manchester exit and go just West (i.e. away from the 'Wood) of the freeway.
The grub is amazing.
I am in LOVE with the Nulli Nihari, which is a traditional beef stew/curry cooked in marrow and (sometimes) cow brains. The spice level is perfect, the beef melts in your mouth.
The Taftan is not too greasy, but perfectly spongy, savory and comes out piping hot.
The Biryani, is well spiced, well flavored, with perfectly cooked rice. Chunks of lamb pepper the rice.
Three dishes, two mouths, $25.
my chiro on weschester was running late.. so i was yelping on my blackberry and found this. So i thought to go try the lunch special since they say it's available until 4pm..
so this place just happened to be 2 doors down from the jamaican place we went to 2 months ago.,...
well, in comparison with al watan.... i've concluded that this place was not as good. the naan was chewy.. the chicken curry was a OK, the vegetable curry was A ok... meaning wasn't spicy.....
compared to al watan... al watan seemed to be more tasty.... this one.. was missing some kick or flavor..
The food is amazing. Every dish I have had has been tender, lean, and flavorful. The service was great. The chicken tika masala is amazing, as well as the garlic chicken. Its just a great place.
Gave it couple of tries. First time a pretty mediocre mutton biriyani. Next time it was the worst chicken tandoori I ever had, under seasoned pilao although the veg curry was ok. Won't recommend it.
Wish there was a branch of Shalimar in LA area... *sigh* Sadly Pakistani restaurants in SoCal can't stand a chance against their counterparts in bay area.
Very good quality Indo-Pakistani food, probably in the top five rated on taste in the LA area. Their Nihari dish (beef chunks with ginger in a rich sauce) is excellent, as is the Chicken Tikka Masala. They have affordable lunch specials also.
The venue, however, is nothing special. This is not a place to take a date, but someplace a couple that's been together for a while might put on their regular rotation and visit in their casual street clothes. I usually stop by for take-out unless we happen to be doing something in the area. Make sure to enjoy a cup of chai to finish off your meal.
OMG... this place rocks! I always eat here before or after traveling to LAX. The Taftan naans are amazing and so is the haleem. My husband loves the paneer makhani. This restaurant has the best Pakistani cuisine in all of LA. Even the little Pistachio Kulfi treats are really good. Oh, and you have to try some Mango Lussie, it's delicious!
Excellent value, fresh naan and friendly service. Easy-to-get-to location off Century, near both LAX and Inglewood.
Although the strip-mall location is no-frills, you can get a solid lunch here for $12. I enjoyed the eggplant and the shrimp curry, as well as 3 types of Naan. I'll definitely be back next time I'm in the neighborhood.
great little divey indian in the woooood! I like their combos and the food is really good. could be a bit cleaner in the restaurant though.
Great food, helpful staff and quick service. This place has the most delightful desi grub in the Southland.
But there's a catch. Remember to match up your check with the prices on the menu. Check the total. They always have a lot of people and sometimes I've been handed a check with a bunch of mistakes. (-1 star)
If you haven't tried Indian food, here's your chance.
MMMMMMMMMMMM, it's good. Like everyone else, the decor is nothing to shout about, but it's fine. Nothing took away from the food.
I'd never had Pakistani chicken dishes, but would definitely do it again.
Easy and quick and delicious. Nice amount of spice.
I ordered Saag Paneer and I love it - it was spicier than a lot of prior dishes that I've ordered elsewhere and definitely delicious.
Try it - the hole-in-the-walls are the best - proved yet again!
SURPRISINGLY GOOD!
After dining at places like Al Noor and Alwatan, I didn't expect this place to be better. However, it surprised me. It was 100% better. The prices were more affordable, the dishes were better cooked (succulent lamb, chicken, and beef dishes with proper spicing, made to order), and the service was great.
They offer lunch specials. I recommend the lamb karahi with garlic naan.
Excellent food. We had the Shrimp Tandoori with the Saffron rice. The portions are pretty large, so two people can eat one entree. The interior is a little plain, but this is a place to go to grab a bite to eat, not suited for a romantic dinner.
My meal at Bilal marked my first foray into Pakistani-Indian Cuisine and unfortunately, I was underwhelmed. It's not as if anything was really bad or inedible and it's not as if I hated or disliked anything, there just wasn't much to the meal that made me go "Wow!"
Out of 11 dishes (including salad and bread), only 3 items really stood out for me. First, there was the Saag Paneer which is stir fried spinach cooked with homemade cheese. The spinach had a nice earthy green taste to it and I liked the consistency of the cheese, which had a bit of a firm texture to it.
If you're going to order anything at all, you definitely have to special order the Chargha, a whole chicken that is marinated & then barbecued in the oven. Now that dish deserves a "Wow!" In fact, it deserves a double "WOW!" The chicken was amazing. It was moist, juicy and tender and the flavor of that marinade was hot and spicy. I have a fairly good "heat" thresh hold, so I was loving it. However, for those you who have a milder palate, this chicken may be way too much to handle. I would go back just for that chicken. It's just that good.
The third dish that I really liked was the Kheer, the rice pudding. It was light, creamy and wasn't overly sweet. After having that fiery chicken I mentioned above, that rice pudding was nice and cooling to my taste buds.
Other than those three dishes and excluding the bread and salad, everything else just tasted the same to me. There just didn't seem to be a distinction of flavors between any of the other dishes, which was kind of disappointing. I wouldn't go out of my way to return to Bilal, although that chicken is awfully tempting, but I wouldn't necessarily avoid it either if I were asked to go with friends. Overall, the dishes were solid and sometimes that's all you can ask for.
To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/...
This is a hole in the wall place, right off 405, frequented by a lot of people who work at LAX.
Considering that they have expanded and absorbed the shop next to theirs, is a sign that they are growing. They are famous for their chicken biryani. The portions are huge. The interior decor is bare with two TVs playing south Asian programs. I usually get take out and the $8 biryani is enough to satisfy my hunger for lunch and dinner.
I ordered Rogani Naan, Pepper Chicken, Chicken Biryani and roti.
Rogani Nan - 0 star
Pepper chicken - 0 star
Chicken Biryani - 2 star
roti - 2 star
The Rogani Nan was burnt, I showed it to the manager and pointed out. He said its very well cooked inside. Am I eating a crab where the shells are burnt but the meat inside is well cooked ? This is nan for christ sake it has to be eaten as such!!!t. Did I mention that Nan had too much oil in it. Regarding the pepper chicken and tandoori chicken it was soaked in oil. Tandoori chicken is not supposed to have oil. It was not fresh. Just one word the food was very oily and talking about service it cannot get any worse. There was one guy trying to take phone order and server 4 table.
When I mentioned it to the person that the nan is burnt, he looked at it laughed and said the food is oil, he just escaped the table. The Service gets 1 star..
Now you may not believe me. I have attached photos. The watery thing that you see in the pepper chicken is neither the sauce nor water. Its OIL
This place has excellent food. Delicious chutneys (sauces)...their brown one was unique...I'd never seen that at any other Indo-Pak restaurant, and it was outstanding!! I totally used it to balance anything that was too spicy for me, and the food would be more perfect than it was before. Their green chutney is also fabulous.
I'm in love with chicken tikka masala, so that's what I got, and it was fabulous as expected. I went here because a lot of my friends have said this is one of the top two best Indo-Pak restaurants in so-cal (the goodness of their food anyway) and I'd have to agree. The decor is not bad...they have a lot of authentic, regional paintings, nice curtains around the entrance, but I wouldn't bring anyone here for a fancy or extra romantic outing. Excellent for family or friends outings though!
Service is also EXCELLENT! The servers and owner were so nice! They were very helpful and answered all our questions, and were always very quick to bring stuff or check on us (but not tooooo quick :-)
Basically, I'd highly recommend. I will definitely go again.
Disappointed with the bhindi masala, which tasted mediocre and used good okra, but lacked tomatoes. A small rice will set you back $3.50, but it's not a small plate and will easily feed two people.
In my opinion, this is just a quick bite stopover for cops and taxi drivers. Service was quick and friendly. The food will fill your stomach, but nothing fancy here. If you are looking for fine Indian cuisine is, you need not look here.
This is my favorite Indian/Pakistani Restaurant
Like many have said before, you don't go to this place for the decor or the place, this is simply for the food and that to me is the only reason food should be pursued not for a trendy locale or decor.
Halal food, the portions are enormous, the prices are the cheapest i've seen anywhere. If you want to eat good indian food and don't care about the locale or the decor, go here you wont regret it.
i think this is the first indian-pakistani restaurant i've been to. i'll admit the place looked sketchy at first but sooo glad i tried it! the food was delicious. and like the others have said, very home-style, good portions and reasonable prices.
Finding CTM (Chicken Tikka Marsala) within 2-mile radius from my office = Great Success! High 5! (Borat voice)
Fantastic place -- maybe the best Indian-Pakistani food in the near-South Bay area. Great takeout, but all is better to eat there -- which is kind of a small, hole in the wall place. Run, don't walk, to get the Chargha, which is basically a whole barbequed spicily-marinated chicken. Also, the lamb biryani is epic, with bone-in lamb strewn throughout -- great flavor. Also try the mixed grill, and especially the Malai chicken (which comes with it). Curries are good, especially the chicken tikka masala, as are some of the veg dishes, especially the saag paneer. But the Chargha is one of the best dishes I've had in the LA area. Great place.
Great hole-in-the-wall buried inside a strip mall in Inglewood. They have curtains around a couple of the tables for veiled women to eat in private. The northwestern Pakistani food is cheap and tasty, and they have great lunch specials. I love the eggplant! They've also got sauteed brain, but I decided to pass on that...
This is some of the best Indian/Pakistani food I've ever had! The portions are large, the prices low. Don't expect great ambiance; they didn't waste any money spritzing up the place.
The chicken tikka masala is perfect. The samosas are delicious (I've been craving them for months since my last visit). Go with a small group or a large one and order a bunch of dishes to share.
Parking is easy; the restaurant is tucked into a little strip mall.
An authentic Pakistani dhaba. It's not your pseudo indian (desi) food. The best yet. Everything is good. However, for best Nihari I still prefer "Chutneys" on Pico in West LA and for Biryani "Karachi."
My first ever Pakistani foodie experience. My Paki friends agree that this is the spot to go to in L.A. for their cuisine. The chicken tikka masala has the perfect sauce- not too runny and not too overpowering. Scoop up the nehari (beef chunks in a stew) and haleem (beef with lentils) with some hot naan. And be liberal with the chutney... it's got a nice kick.
On a continuing quest to search out tasty Pakistani offerings in LA, Bilal in Inglewood was apparently a must. The Balti chicken was hearty (hearty could often be applied to describe how Pakistani cuisine differs from many Indian dishes) made with dark meat chicken and suitably charged spices. Noticed the naan somehow didn't match that of Al Watan's, though certainly authentic and clay oven made. Service was fast and friendly though atmosphere here, again, is a non-starter. Self-described as Pakistani-Indian, this is an establishment of the former with Indian dishes served to capture a wider market .
Bilal's is the place I go when I want a homecooked meal. They dont pretend to be haute cuisine. They are strictly home cooked. The eggplant is phenomenal, the haleem is perfectly spiced and the nihari makes you want to lick the bowl!
My fiance, future bro-in-law and I go there when we want to catch up and share a tasty really fulfilling meal. The wait staff is friendly and nice and are always quick to get us started!
Dont go there expecting amazing decor, and ambiance.. it really is a hole in the wall... But go there with pants that have an elastic waist because you will not want to stop eating.
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I love it. You love it. Now where to go... This…
