One of the oldest, and probably among the finest, ‘tikka’ shops of Lahore is M. Ashraf’s in Gulberg’s main market. Last week I visited this place twice, each time satisfied that it is a class act.My gracious host, on both occasions, was my London-return friend Mir Arif Ali and his much-better half Mahru.

The repeat visit was the result of our mutual friend Imtiaz Khalid, long lost to the pasteurized world of Islamabad.

The order on both occasions was almost the same, and what better way to judge the consistency of the fare than a repeat visit. I have known Ashraf from our college days, when he owned a small butcher`s shop in the market, then with a few buildings only. He has done wonderfully well, and all because he was an honest person using the very best ingredients.

Our order was a plate of `magaaz`, a plate of chicl(en `tikka botee`, a plate of `seekh kebabs` and a plate of mutton chops. The special instruction for the `magaaz` was that they should not reduce it to a mince, but to keep it wholesome, use less spices, a lot of ginger and top it with a lot of greens. I must confess that the chef, who by now knows whatI want, did a superb job. The last time I took him to task over his sloppy ways I reported in this column. The result was that Ashraf made him stand on one leg for an hour.

Not bad, for it produce the correct result.

The mutton chops we divine, and I am not using this adjective in vain. Superb, juicy and it virtually melted in the mouth. The chicken `botee` was also well done, and to be honest I did not try thechicken `seekh kebabs`. Had they been beef, I would definitely have tried them. The fresh `kulchas` added to the fun, and we were away.

This `eat-in-the-car` experience was worth it, and given that every item was a quality one, it is always worth going to this place if one is sick of home food, or if the `chef` is in a bad mood. Let us mark this experience on the Michelin Scale of one to nine. For food quality it gets seven, for taste seven, for service seven, for cleanliness of crockery five, for prices five (this is no cheap place). Other variables like ambience, etc. do not come into contention. This gives thisexperience an Average Eating Out score of 6.2 out of nine, which is just about fine given the quality of the food.

Recommended.

HAREESA: I will not name names, but a top chef known to almost everyone who loves good food, tried last week to make `hareesa` and invited me and a few honourable friends to experience it. He used the wrong `dals` and result was a liquid that was consumed with a smile. My advice remains: Stick to what you do best.

Lahore has just three `hareesa` shops, and this low number is because this is a very difficult dish to make, and, more importantly, to serve correctly.

My friend Sheero, a blue-blooded Kashmiri, last week invited us to the annual `hareesa` party, and it was divine.

HAMZA STREET: On Saturday night I experienced the food of the new Fort Road `food street`. This is the pet project of Hamza Shahbaz who, allegedly, got the Gowalmandi `food street` closed to make room for this crazy idea. On the food I will comment after trying it, but a `food street` does not mean that the fort and mosque be damaged. We will watch intensely this soap opera. — AMSHE