What a fun time to kick off the long Memorial Day weekend. Learning from the Black & Gold Event at Uncle Chin's, I elected for Option 2 such that I could drive out to Katy post-rush hour and not be sitting in lots of traffic.
The event started slightly past the 8:00pm start time, but once we were allowed in, the tables were made very nicely with place settings and Yelp swag all around.
The night started out with Jando and owner Sal giving speeches. It was great to hear the story behind Mirchi, a fusion between Pakistani and African cuisines. We were then given free belly dancing entertainment. This was super unique touch at a Yelp event - not sure if it was coordinated through Yelp or Mirchi, but either way it was fun to watch and brought everyone together! Shortly after, we were served Sal's special-made strawberry lychee green tea lemonade. This was perfect and refreshing it had been a hot day earlier!
Now for the food. The first plate that came out was the chicken wings. These were nice and crispy, and the sauce added a nice touch. Next were the quesadillas. I honestly thought these were average - nothing beyond your standard quesadilla, and I had to add sauce for flavor. The Peri Peri and garlic lime sauces at the table were a nice addition and helped add flavor to some of the food. I think I remember Sal mentioning that he imports Peri Peri sauce from London, which is pretty impressive. I had my first Nando's Peri Peri right in London, so you know the sauce is legit!
Next was the bone-in chicken served with rice. The chicken has a nice grill flavor to it, but I was hoping for more spices. The table sauces definitely gave this one good flavor. Main thing to point out here was that not all of the chicken was cooked all the way through. There were some pieces that still had pink or blood inside, which is a huge no-no. A sort of cream corn came out to eat with the chicken. This was a nice balance to eat with the meat, but honestly nothing spectacular.
For dessert, Sal brought out his special flan cake. This was actually really good - the top crust had a slight coffee flavor to it, and sweetness of the caramel was just right.
I'm a little disappointed that we didn't get to try the other dishes that were advertised, like the chicken lollipop, beef bihari burgers, alfredo mac and cheese, and fries, as I was really looking forward to some of these. They made up for it by continuously bringing more bone-in chicken, chicken wings, and quesadillas. A really nice gesture, but most of us at the table were fatigued to have more of the same stuff.
Thanks to Jando, Sal, and the Yelp Houston team for an excellent Community Event. I look forward to returning if I'm ever out in Katy and need a quick bite, as I saw that they offer a variety of lunch specials during the week. While there are some things left to be desired, I'm hoping they'll be even better on my next visit! read more