The Revolving Restaurant, Caesar's Tower, Shahrah-e-Faisal

I had only heard of The Revolving Restaurant and seen it from my car window as I peered upwards sometimes whilst passing by Caesar's Tower on main Shahrah-e-Faisal. I'd spot a round shape atop the tall building adorned by glittering, multi-colored lights, and wonder if it really did rotate as its name implied.

Finally, on one of the last nights of Ramadan, after the culmination of taraweeh, we decided to give this famed restaurant a try.

The entrance to Caesars Tower boasts of its 'crowning glory', so to speak.

From the entrance to the Caesars Tower building, we were guided to one of several elevators that would take us to the rooftop restaurant.

We seemed to be the only customers, and after entering the restaurant, we were told that indeed, business during Ramadan was very low.

This winding staircase took us to the entrance of the restaurant. I liked how Allah's name was printed on the welcoming placard!

The restaurant is circular, working somewhat like a disk. The seats and tables were on the rotating part of this disk, whilst the glass windows and the central portion, where the food platters are kept, remained fixed. 

This is the central, circular room that remains fixed as you revolve. The food platters are placed along its circular periphery.

The soup counter - there were two kinds of soup: Chicken Corn and Cream of Chicken Soup

The view of Karachi from the windows. The restaurant completes one full circle in an hour and a half, so that your view keeps discreetly changing.

Like I said, we were the only ones dining that night, a rare and unusual occurrence that we actually ended up enjoying because of the added privacy.  

All in all, the decor and ambience was nice.

The salad bar was mediocre - average fare you'll find at any regular wedding or restaurant.

The desserts were disappointingly stale and shoddy. Most of the items, though probably enjoyable when fresh, were either stale or so broken-down in appearance (due to being taken haphazardly) that I did not feel inclined to have anything except the ice cream.
What was on offer: fresh cream pineapple cake, creme caramel or caramel pudding, chocolate cake, jelly, fruit trifle, fruit chaat, chocolate mousse, sheer khurma, strawberry cake, and strawberry ice cream (not pictured).  

The dinner menu, on the other hand, was much better in quality and taste. This was the Mutton Kunna.

Whole fried batair.

Vegetable Chow Mien. This was very well-made and tasty. 

Chinese Chicken Szechuan 

Chinese vegetable fried rice.

Prawn Tempura and Pasta in Creamy White Sauce were also part of the menu, and is visible on this plate. In the middle is the Dry Beef with Chillies that was also on offer in the chinese fare.


Other dishes that were there, pictures of which I could not snap but which I can just quote from memory, were: Soup, Mutton Biryani, Chicken Shashlik, Chicken Tikka Boti, seekh kabab, Arabic paratha, Naan, and spicy Lahori fried fish. 

Doodh patti chai to finish off. 

All in all, I liked the experience, even though some of the items on offer were obviously not freshly prepared. The price per head came to Rs 600- Rs 700. There were extra charges for our soft drinks and tea. Our children, aged 5 and 3, were not charged.

Note: Some people might feel slightly dizzy when the restaurant revolves. Even though, most of the time, you cannot feel the movement, there are some points in its cycle when the floor wobbles more, at which point you definitely feel your stomach become a wee bit queasy. :)

Our children loved the novel, unusual experience of dining high in the sky in a restaurant that moves, with a spectacular view that keeps changing, so families with children might definitely enjoy dining here. The experience and food is worth the money, in my opinion. The staff was very friendly and welcoming of children, a point you can gauge by the fact that my son accidentally broke a glass and they all laughed it off and refused to charge us for it despite our insistence! :) *phew* The waiters, on the contrary, were too busy playing catch with our children to mind their naughtiness!

The Revolving Restaurant of Karachi has its own updated website. You can visit it here.

Nadia Coffee Shop Breakfast Buffet, Marriott

The Nadia Coffee Shop at Marriott needs no introduction. It has been around since as far back as I can recall. 

The ambience of the shop is inviting and cozy, as you can see.

On Eid this year, after the early morning Eid prayers, our hunger pangs made us decide to stop and have brunch at Nadia. It was a first time for us, so we decided to make the Eid morning a bit special and feed ourselves heartily after a month of fasting and worship. 

As we all know, eating food during the morning on Eid feels really special because it is something all Muslims have not done together in 30 days!

The leather seats were very comfortable, and the tables were laid out to perfection.

The weather that morning was cloudy and pleasant. 

Fresh fruit was on offer in a large variety, in addition to jams, jellies, and yogurt.

Chutneys and sauces were also available.

The bread counter: croissants, doughnuts, bagels, crumpets, scones, French loaf, you name it! All sweet and savory kinds of breads were there. 

The desi breakfast was also available: qeema mutter (mince with peas), aaloo ki bhujia, puri's and paratha's.

Cereals with warm or cold milk

Cheeses and juices. Sweet and salty lassi was also there! Note: foreign cheeses should be checked to see if they are halal, so we decided to pass. 

Cheese, olive, and mushroom omelette: the best I have ever had, no exaggeration! 

A seasoned chef made these before our eyes, and it was really expertly prepared: well browned on all sides and on cutting off a piece, the melted cheddar cheese inside oozing out. 

Waffle with maple syrup and butter. 

Pancakes (made before your eyes) with maple syrup and butter

Paratha, hash brown, beef sausage, Scottish meatloaf, and an omelette with the works: cheese, black olives, mushrooms, tomatoes, green chillies and onions. 

Seasonal and canned fresh fruit

Starting clockwise from right: A hash brown, beef frankfurters, aaloo bhaji, qeema mutter and paratha's (top). In addition to these items, there were red baked beans, rice pudding (of porridge consistency), puri's and unlimited tea and coffee.

For Rs 750 per head, including taxes, I think the feast was fit for a king! Although many people are not fans of buffets, what I like about them is that everyone can have as much of what they like as they want to, without any reservations. 

My two children aged 5 and 3 were greeted and served cordially by the friendly staff, which is a prime concern for me where ever I go. And they were not charged, by the way. 

Verdict: All I can say is, "Why didn't I ever have breakfast at Nadia before?!" :) Perhaps one reason I enjoyed it so much was because it was Eid morning and I hadn't had breakfast in days! 

Rangoli Theme Buffet Restaurant, Arena, Karsaz

Rangoli is an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant off main Karsaz road.

The restaurant is atop a gaming zone that offers many kinds of unique activities for families, such as an ice skating rink, simulated rock climbing, and bowling.

The investors have really taken pains to spruce up the place! Outdoor elevators. :)

As I said, Arena is actually the name of a gaming complex. As you can see, the family can enjoy games downstairs before or after eating upstairs. Bowling is very popular here.

The deals offer combinations of gaming and eating.

The waiting area next to the reception.

The spacious reception.

The area where food is served in closed-lid platters.

From memory, the menu included: Chicken Corn Soup, Prawn Tempura, Fried Fish fingers, Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani, Fried Daal, Mince-Stuffed Capsicums, Special Qeema/Mince, Vegetable Cutlets, Mixed Vegetables/Bhujjia, Green Fish Curry, Beef Boti, Paya, Mutton Kunna, Chicken Haleem, Beef Nihari, Chicken Kasturi Boti, Fried Rice, Fish Sweet and Sour, Thai Beef Curry, Vegetable Chow Mien, Spicy Wings, Lasagne, Sandwiches, French Fries, Parathas, and Roghni Naans.

The lighting is dim throughout the restaurant.

The place was thronging with families and children of all ages.

Salad bar. 5 stars!

Sajji a.k.a steamed chicken with minimum spices, is prepared before your very eyes. This area of the restaurant features live chefs. They prepare chaat, Sajji, Chapli kababs and pasta in front of you. For the pasta, you can dictate which ingredients are to be put in.

From back to front: pie with cream, mithai, sugar-free souffle, custard trifle and Shahi tukray (bread pudding).

Back to front: Chocolate mousse, more trifle, and kheer. There was also kulfi, which was great!

Back to front: Jelly, Apple Pie, and Creme Brulle (Caramel Pudding).

A huge slab of Tiramisu next to an equally huge bowl of fresh fruit!

Green tea to finish off.

This is the view of Maritime Museum's grounds, having an artificial, simulated lake right outside Rangoli's wide, glass windows. It is decorated with Navy boats, ships and planes, as Arena is within the PNS Jauhar area.

Verdict: I personally think that Rangoli is excellent value for money. It is better than Clifton's Salt 'n Pepper Village buffet restaurant by a wide mark. It is more sprawled-out, giving back to the diner in variety and quality what it misses out in the breathtaking view of the sea.

What is good about buffets - if you are strong-willed enough to be able to carefully pick and choose what you will eat, preventing yourself from overeating - is that you enjoy a much wider choice. The whole family can have whatever they like whilst dining together, without being restricted by a limited menu, the number of items that can be ordered, or portion size. For example, if my daughter loves fruit and paratha, my son loves rice and vegetables, my husband likes barbecue, and I prefer Italian lasagna/Chinese entree's, we can all have what we want in customized portions, without overloading the table, or stretching our budget.

A must-visit!