Always on the lookout for new tastes and new ideas in the metro dining community, I recently stopped by a new place where all your exotic culinary dreams will come true – Kebabish Bites, 283 34th Avenue SW in Norman.
Opening earlier in the year, they deliver the impressive flavor of Pakistani-style sustenance to your table, post haste.
Located in a shopping center near the dominating Sam’s Club, I took my mother there for a casual afternoon birthday lunch.
The place was much slower than it should have been – support this place, Norman! – and after grabbing a quick seat, an experienced waiter quickly brought out menus and complementary water as a preamble.
With aromatic spices emanating from the kitchen, the hot chai was calling my name, so I ordered a cup then and there.
As I looked over the food menu, I found new-to-me dishes, including Chana Chaat—an appetizer made from chickpeas, tomato, and onion seasoned with chaat masala—and Veggie Pakora— vegetables coated in spiced chickpea batter and deep-fried—but, I settled on the basic Masala Fries ($3.99) as a starter.
A spin on the typical French fries, they are seasoned with a pattering of flavorful spices, as well as a very offbeat form of spicy ketchup as a dip.
Together, this duo was an unstoppable force in casual snacking. The strong spices left fingerprint marks on my napkin, providing evidence of the damage I had done. Inhaling the brim of otherworldly tastes, I would definitely like to have these fries again.
My mother, doing her trademarked vegetarian thing, had a specialty entree – the Aloo Palak ($14.99).
Infused with the tastes of tender potatoes and vibrant sautéed spinach, with onions, ginger, and garlic, it had a captivating blend of spices including cumin, coriander, turmeric, and other seasonings.
With a side of Garlic Naan ($3.99), it was extremely tasty, regardless of your vegetarian leanings. The taste of the potatoes and spinach was incredible, with a rough texture and a spicy outcry, giving the dish a whole reason to live boldly. In other words, it’s perfect.
For my own entrée, I had the undeniable Mutton Karahi ($15.99). Delivering a succulent festival of aromatic flavors, it was a delicious helping of goat meat cooked in a house blend of Pakistani spices, served with ever-present onions and tomato-based gravy as a base.
Perfectly balanced by the Masala Chai ($3.99), I took one fatty bite of the fortuitous mutton and was in pure ecstasy. With the traditional rice blend and the cucumber-melon salad, every bite of goat meat was incredibly palatable and incredibly filling, with every morsel going down efficiently and effortlessly.
I wanted to try their various desserts—with special attention to the Blueberry Lassi, a yogurt-based drink—but filled with the goodness of Kebabish Bites, I threw my napkin down and said "Next time!" because I will definitely be back. Cómpralo ya!
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