A trip down the tree-lined avenue of Hamad Al-Jaser Street in Rawdah is never a chore. There are dozens of restaurants here, from Afghani Tamees to fast-food burgers.

There’s probably something for everyone, yet it’s the often-overlooked restaurants nestled just off the main road that make for the greatest find.

Shama, an Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi Restaurant is just such a find. If you’re on a tight budget or simply looking for great value for money, Shama is your answer.

Famous for its breakfasts, Shama also has a fairly spacious restaurant behind its street-side grill. Traditional Indo-Pakistani dishes are available here such as chicken korma, mutton curry, and chicken tikka. All are available for only 6SR each, which is a far cry from the usual SR30-40 prices one finds at “fancier” South Asian venues across town.

Passing by early one morning we noticed the staff already hard at work churning out fresh paratha (a flaky, buttery, South Asian flat bread). The parathas are rolled out from rows of neatly arranged balls of dough before being seasoned and placed on the hot griddle where they are pan fried in full view of Shama’s waiting customers.

There are two types of paratha at Shama: the South Indian Keralite version made from white flour, and the Pakistani version, slightly larger and made from brown flour.

Both are popular, and served either plain — with a free side dish of mild chickpea curry (1 SR), with egg (2 SR), or the “aloo” version (3 SR), which is a mix of potato, coriander and spices fused into the flat bread.

On the first day we dropped by we decided to try the Keralite paratha with egg for breakfast, only SR2. Be sure not to miss how the chef prepare this, the egg is first beaten with fresh vegetables (tomato, chili, peppers), then poured on to the sizzling griddle, and before it has chance to set a fresh paratha is squashed over it. This is then left for a few more minutes before being wrapped up like a Mexican burrito.

Ideal for breakfast on the go, the egg wrap was satisfying and much milder than we expected-definitely worth a try if you live nearby. We came back the next day for the Pakistani offering and were even more impressed. We tried both the plain and “aloo” paratha. The nearest thing I can describe this to is a cross between an Irish potato cake and a pancake. These were deliciously spicy! The side serving of chickpea curry that comes with it also got the thumbs up. It was addictively good and the ideal compliment to the bread.

Feeling we were on to a good thing, we decided to come back later that evening to try the restaurant. On first appearance this looks much like any other low-budget eatery across town; the basic necessities is all you’ll find inside. Tiled walls, basic tables, chairs, and a large air conditioner was more than enough for us. This is not a fancy place. If you like your napkins folded and your table scraped for crumbs, this may not be your cup of tea.

The menu is a laminated sheet, which is passed around when needed and lists a handful of dishes. We settled for the chicken tikka, korma, potato palak, and a kebab. A portion of dhal and tandoor-baked flatbread come with every order.

Soon after ordering, the waiter returned to inform us that the kebab was unfortunately unavailable. No matter, we thought, we had ordered more than enough. While our chicken tikka was slowly grilling outside, we found ourselves (like all others that night in Shama) fixed to the TV, which was appropriately showing the live Cricket match between England and Pakistan.

The food arrived not long after, and we started with the chicken tikka, which was incredibly spicy. If you think you have a high tolerance to spice, think again! Despite the sweat-inducing factor of ten, the tikka was delicious. Perhaps it was all the endorphins being released clouding our rationale, but, spice or not, not a single piece of chicken remained at the end of the meal.

Of course the spice managed to overpower most of the other dishes we tried, to us the korma was no longer mild, nor was the aloo palak (spinach and potato dish). However, if you have some Kleenex handy (to wipe away sweat!), the spice is almost tolerable. In fact what managed to save the day for us was a last-minute request for some raita chutney; a refreshing yogurt based sauce mixed with coriander and cucumber. This managed to wash away the fiery spices lingering on our taste buds.

The final reprieve to our suffering came in the form of a cold Pakistani dessert called Kheer. Kheer is a semolina-and-flour based dessert that is much like rice pudding, and enhanced with spices such as saffron, cardamom and nuts. The milky creaminess was just what we were after, and an excellent end to a day at Shama.

Location: Hamad Al-Jaser Street, just off the corner where United Pharmacy is located.

Opening hours: 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.

Tel: 691-3741