Like millions of Muslims across the globe, I have been taking part in the holy month of Ramadan. For all of March I have abstained from consuming any food or liquids during the day and finally breaking my fast when the sun sets during a meal referred to as Iftar.
A very important time for Muslims, it is also a period in their lives where they are asked to work on strengthening their faith through prayer, reflection, and acts of charity. As you can imagine, after around 14 hours of no sustenance, Iftar is one of the most magical moments of the holy month with people encouraged to visit friends, families, and mosques to break fast together.
It also means that what you decide to eat is very important, nobody wants to wait 14 hours to eat something that disappoints them, unfortunately, that is exactly what happened to me.
This week I visited the well-loved Chef’s Platter on Fog Lane in Burnage. An Indian street and Indo Chinese food restaurant, the small but mighty spot which is owned by experienced chef, Akbar Singh, has been making waves locally for its expansive menu of platters, curries and grilled meats.
However, what really caught my eye was the eye-brow raising ‘naan wich’, Chef Platters describe it as a ‘juicy, spiced sheekh kebab wrapped in soft, warm naan bread’ and as a big lover of naan breads and sheekh kebabs I just had to try it.
Arriving at the quaint little restaurant was easy enough and once greeted by the friendly staff my partner and I sat and watered within five minutes of arriving. I had come for the naanwich, but with my stomach feeling hollow, we also decided to test out what else was on the menu.
We opted for the Indo-Chinese Platter, which was made up of spicy and sweet chicken bits with crispy lamb, some pilau rice, a side of samosa chaat, and naan bread. All this including the naanwich, which came with a side of fries cost a respectable £43.
I had high hopes for the naanwich, but unfortunately it did not deliver. It was a struggle to finish because of just how bland the dish was.
The dish is more of a roll than a sandwich. A light and crumbly layer of naan bread wrapped around a salty and dense kebab, it left me wondering if perhaps it would have fared better with a different design that allowed for a salad or sauce to be incorporated into the dish.
The naan bread was so flimsy that it did little to provide reprieve from the very salty kebab that was a struggle to consume having been dehydrated for hours already. I guess I only have myself to blame as the naanwich is typically only available on the lunchtime menu on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday so my high hopes might have been misplaced.
While the naanwich was a disappointing thumbs down, the rest of the menu did more than enough to raise spirits again. The samosa chaat was delectable, refreshingly minty, crunchy, and sweet, it was a joy to mix it with everything else on my plate. The pilau rice was fluffy, filling, and homely, and the naan bread was the quality you’d expect from an establishment that uses traditional clay ovens.
But the real winner of the night was the Indo-Chinese Platter. A real spectacle of a dish that arrives at your table still sizzling, the mountain of chicken, vegetables and sauce intimidating you and inviting you all at the same time.
A perfect platter for two, I found myself still picking bits off my plate even though I had declared how incredibly full I was.
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