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Weekend grub: This paratha place is a hit with Isloo's foodies

Weekend grub: This paratha place is a hit with Isloo's foodies

Parliamentarians in Prada pajamas and laborers eat side by side at Cheema & Chattha
13 Nov, 2015

For years, I have watched my mother, making her groceries list as the month's end inches close.

I also remember her switching loyalties from time to time. At one point, Murree Kiryana was her all-time favorite, then came Malkato and now Cheema & Chattha is her retailer of choice.

Cheema & Chattha is more than a humble grocery mart. Not too long ago, it spread its wings further and opened up an eatery by the same name. However, the buzzword in town is not Cheema & Chattha, but CnC.

Despite being a foodie, I must confess that I didn’t know about CnC's existence until a friend of mine called to get my feedback.

"Come on, you haven’t had Desi Ghee Tandoori Paratha and Channa Dal at CnC? What world are you living in?!" he exclaimed.

It turned out that Cheema and Chattha's 'paratha daal' has been a breakfast favourite among Islamabad's foodies
It turned out that Cheema and Chattha's 'paratha daal' has been a breakfast favourite among Islamabad's foodies

Come the following Sunday, I invited a party of eight for 10am breakfast at CnC. My treat, I promised.

The experience lived up to its name, and is thus recommended for the readers' weekend plans.

Where to go: Cheema & Chattha

Cheema & Chattha Kiryana has been in business for the last 19 years in Islamabad, but it was young Waqar Chattha who opened an eatery of the same name in its storage space.

“I hold a Masters degree in Finance from Glasgow and have also worked as a banker in the UK, but my passion for food tops it all and here I am making my dream turn into reality,” shared the 27-year-old entrepreneur with Images.

The place caters to all strata of society: both parliamentarians and corporate executives in their Gucci and Prada PJs, and groups of laborers on an early lunch break are spotted among CnC's customers of the day.

When to go:

CnC open doors at 7am on the weekdays and by 12 noon on the weekends.

The place cannot accommodate more than 40 guests at a time, so don't dally too long in getting there or you'll risk getting stuck in the long queues outside.

What to order:

Since we already had our minds set on tandoori parathas and daal, we only vaguely scanned through the rest of the menu.

But Waqar proved to be a sharp salesman. He successfully enticed us into also ordering puri aalo channa, halwa, boneless chicken handi and chilled lassi. We agreed, and our breakfast became brunch.

The waiter soon laid down golden crisp parathas on jute thaals and daal channa in silver plated bowls on our table.

CnC's parathas are served with daal enriched with desi ghee
CnC's parathas are served with daal enriched with desi ghee

I took the first bite of whole wheat paratha without dipping it into the daal, as I wanted to feel the crunch of the dough and the taste of evenly glazed desi ghee separately.

The parathas were heavenly and would have made for a great breakfast just with a hot cup of tea. Daal with desi ghee just inflated the calorie count of the meal!

The puris arrived in puffed form, and one couldn't help but burst the bubble, which let out whorls of steam. It seemed to melt in nanoseconds, as it touched our taste buds.

One couldn't help but pop this puri bubble the minute it arrived on the table
One couldn't help but pop this puri bubble the minute it arrived on the table

The serving of aalo channa did justice to the puri as both got wiped out at the same time. It easily secured a B+ as our hands were still grease-free.

The puri channa got a B+ from the diners
The puri channa got a B+ from the diners

The lassi was quite refreshing, but tea would have been a more soothing complement to our meal.

Although we didn't try it, Cnc also serves Kashmiri chai, which is better suited to a meal like the above
Although we didn't try it, Cnc also serves Kashmiri chai, which is better suited to a meal like the above

The chicken handi received the lowest number of votes; it was nothing to write home about.

The chicken handi was quite disappointing
The chicken handi was quite disappointing

“There is no rocket science to making this paratha or daal," shared the banker-turned-master chef, who fills in when his cook is on leave. "Only two things need to be kept in mind: quality and quantity. I shop myself every day for the ingredients and personally supervise the preparations."

While not giving away his secret recipe, he further revealed, "All Cheemas and Chatthas grow up on these parathas and daal. This recipe comes from every household of Wazairabad and its surrounding areas."

Damage on the pocket:

Paratha/Daal carries a price tag of Rs260 per head, whereas Puri /Channa is priced at Rs100 without the halwa.

The Paratha/Daal combo is more economical as it is more filling and thus offers better value for money.

Comments

Shum Ch Nov 13, 2015 12:39pm
location? is that the same in F-8 markaz?
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NoFame Nov 13, 2015 12:43pm
had a quick read but didnt see address? Am I missing it or not given? Address please!
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M.Saeed Nov 13, 2015 01:20pm
Although phone numbers are readable in the picture of the place, article should have given the address of the place under: "where to go"!
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ysk Nov 13, 2015 01:22pm
an address to go with recommendation would be a good addition
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Mian Khaliq Ur Rehman Nov 13, 2015 01:41pm
@Shum Ch Yes F-8 markaz and they also have opened a restaurant in F-11-1 .. next to Tehzeeb bakers
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Akram Nov 13, 2015 02:31pm
Simple recipes never go wrong. Between Lalamusa and Kharian on GT road there is a Mian Jee Da Hotel which was a typical truck-driver hotel back in the 80's. His daal parathas made him so huge that now you just have to see the place to believe it.
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Hasan Nov 13, 2015 02:34pm
They should add the local specialties of Potohar in the menu as well. Phaini ( A form of vermicelli ) for the breakfast, Kulchas, Makhni doodh ( Butter Milk), Wallon ala paratha ( Layered Paratha) , Katlama and Lamboo roti ( A form of Romali roti) to name a few.
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Hassan Nov 13, 2015 02:50pm
You can google the place. They have a facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/cncf11/
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Mohammad Salim Khalid Nov 13, 2015 02:52pm
I have just checked Address is Suleman Market, F-11/2 Islamabad
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Goga Nalaik Nov 13, 2015 03:42pm
Beware food junkies: its 1000 calories per bite... :) But I don't care. I will eat this lovely stuff when I'm in Islamabad next
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Salman Ahmad Nov 13, 2015 04:12pm
Guys it is in F-11/2 choti market alongside Tehzeeb bakers
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Pakistani Nov 13, 2015 06:10pm
I was in Islamabad last year. Why didn't anyone tell me this? Now whats the point?
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atif khan Nov 13, 2015 06:26pm
cornor shop in abpara market also server excellent parathas, they start at 10pm and serves all night. so 2am in winters thats the place to go
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Aysha Nov 13, 2015 06:56pm
Lets move towards Healthy food that fat riddance calories made anatomy a weak and greasy too . Keep in Mind Pak has huge issues regarding heart and blood pressure
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azkhan71 Nov 13, 2015 09:56pm
Yummy!!! One more new place added into my wish list.
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PakPower Nov 13, 2015 11:11pm
Been to this restaurant in F-11, next to Tehzeeb. Wasn't impressed with what was offered. Don't know how the writer rated this eatery so highly.
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Khalid Nov 13, 2015 11:12pm
make sure you keep your "blood cholesterol levels in check too!" tasty but healthy?
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GS@Y Nov 13, 2015 11:47pm
Looks yummy! But, although I haven't been in Pakistan for about four years, daal and paratha for Rs.260 seems pretty steep. The place doesn't look all that fancy either. What are they charging for?
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Hasan Nov 14, 2015 02:05am
Me and my wife love to go to this place. Its paratha and daal are truly heavenly. No wonder ppl are loving their food.
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Fiz Nov 14, 2015 02:49am
Paratha looks yummy. I can feel it in my mouth with daal. It's crispy (I can hear the sound), hot , crunchy and oooh yum, yum! Can I have that Kashmiri chai please!
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kishorev Nov 14, 2015 06:18am
the paratha is nice, good that some vegetarian option exists
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Syed Ganga Din Nov 14, 2015 02:07pm
Bread cooked at such high temperatures should be virtually free of bacteria and that's reassuring.
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Maria Mansoor Nov 14, 2015 08:25pm
@Pakistani Hahahaha
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Ehsaanullah Nov 14, 2015 09:42pm
You guys have to try the Fish at this place. They offer it grilled and deep fried, both are equally delicious. The one thing you will notice is you don't feel the usual acidity and dirty oil after taste that you do at some eateries because they keep reusing the oil over and over again. CnC doesn't cut corners to make a buck and the owner constantly keeps an eagle eye at everything so consistency is always there.
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Anwar Ul Haq Nov 14, 2015 09:57pm
During my summer vacations in Pakistan, me and my kids enjoyed a lot from the Pratha and Dal of CnC. My son living for away in a medical college hostel used to come here earlier but my first breakfast at CnC proved me to go there again and again with my family during my stay in Islamabad. Quality of food is matchless.....
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Mohammed Naviwala Nov 15, 2015 02:19am
Eat in moderation, eat organic sugarless oatmeal. Mix with dates and almonds, warmu up with skim milk. A
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