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| Spotlight |
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Street Food with all the taste but no dust and grime!
Lahore Chatkhara is a dream come true for people who love to relive the good old school and college days on trips to Pakistan by eating the indigenous 'junk food', i.e. gol gappas, chaat, etc.
On previous trips, you may have resisted the temptation for the fear of getting sick from the additional ingredients that are rampant in all these delicious eats...fear no more! Lahore Chatkhara has brought all the recipes that will truly satisfy your palate (unlike their bland counterparts at most restaurants and hotels). And if you do get sick, it is likely to be from overeating, or perhaps ill-fate. |
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Chatkhara (loosely translated means lip-smacking, sharp taste) was the brainchild of the Alam family. Otherwise famous for producing the top polo players of Pakistan, Chatkhara is the Alam family's maiden food venture. The owner, Tammy Alam, was herself known for her painting and writing, more than her flair for business.
"The whole idea was to take street food, which people love, but are terrified of eating in fear of getting hepatitis and all, and put it into a clean environment, keeping the taste right! Basically, my son loved the Chatkhara in Karachi and it was on his insistence that I started this venture. Personally, I was a painter and a writer! I was never into business, and I'd say I'm still learning. But this business is exciting and it's full of surprises; like I used to think that girls and young women love chaat, but then I see men and older women sitting there and all of them love it! So, it leads me to believe that Masha Allah we are on to a good thing. We just need to keep up our quality and make sure that things work."
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Tammy Alam |
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"We started with a small location in Defense, with the different variations of chaat. Then, of course, because of my Hyderabadi connection, I introduced several items that are not really Punjabi. As we went along, from chaat we went into rolls, and from the rolls we went into the Thalis, which most Punjabis had never heard of, except for the ones who had been to India."
Now, Chatkhara's menu has a range of options from the junk/snack food items like chaat and Gujarati Puri, to fast food like rolls, and main entrees like the Thali and Chapli Kabab.
"Life is changing pace in Pakistan. People just don’t have the help they used to have; as a result they have started eating out a lot. One of the things we do is to keep our prices reasonable. Even though most Punjabis like to go to the most expensive restaurants and be seen in those places, we try and keep our prices affordable, to cater to younger customers (we have busloads of college kids coming to our restaurant). Also, if we keep our quality and taste right, we will continue to be a frequent take-away or dine-in place for families as well." |
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"The biggest problem in our country is education, or the lack of it. You not only have to train people to cook and serve, but also to be clean and courteous. So finding the right staff is very important. Things are changing in our working classes as well, and people, especially a lot of women, are coming into the work force. But still, one has to be very diligent. We have installed surveillance cameras, so we just turn on the computer and watch what is going on. That's the only way we can expand into other cities. In Lahore, I go to the restaurant every day and do surprise visits as well, but can't do that in other cities."
"We get a lot of requests from all over Pakistan, and have even received insistent inquiries from the US to open up stores there. But we are not that keen on franchising because in Pakistan, there are no franchising laws and you can't keep people on the straight and narrow without laws. We don't believe in just handing off our recipes and let the franchisee run amok. So we are going to expand but on our own terms and most probably with our own management." Tammy Alam is also working on producing a line of packaged chutneys that will use her standard recipe and preserve the taste and freshness. "Maybe once that happens, we can seriously consider franchising as well, because we won't have to worry that the chutney at Chatkhara in New York doesn't taste the same!" |
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"We are working on a full service restaurant in Y Block Defense in Lahore, which in itself is a huge undertaking. There's many things to work out as we design the place. There aren't any restaurant consultants here who could tell us what all we need, so we are figuring things out as we go along. I am very keen to have a fleet of mobile vans that drive all over the city, park outside city parks, schools, and then drive back home. It's my dream which I know will work. And one day it will happen, but the time is not right just yet."
Whenever Chatkhara expands and in whatever way, we wish Mrs. Alam and her group of talented, courteous staff the very best. It is a restaurant that is truly preserving an integral part of Lahore's food culture in a mainstream way, with the original taste and excellent quality. We hope it stays there for a long time to come!!
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