Silver Ibex Restaurant, Arcadian Blue Pines Inn, Murree

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

This is a digressive blog post. 

I admit that this blog is about eating out in Karachi, but after our recent short vacation up north, I cannot resist sharing what it was like to eat out in the natural hilly surroundings of beautiful Murree in Punjab, Pakistan.

In my online search for a private, quiet, relatively new, exclusive, and family-friendly accommodation in the hills, I happened across the website of Arcadian Hotels and Resorts.

Turns out it was the perfect choice, alhamdulillah. I mean, who can resist such breath-taking valley views?! Certainly not a Karachiite! :)

Apparently, Arcadian is already running fully operational resorts in Shogran and Kaghan valley, but since we wanted to stay at a shorter hop from Islamabad, I was more interested in their more recently acquired resort in Murree, called Blue Pines Inn.

This is the cemented winding road that leads up to, and through the resort, from lower Jhika Gali.

This road is known as Ghora Gali ("Horse Road"), and it goes right up to Pindi Point. 

 The drive is not for the faint-hearted, though, as the road is pretty narrow and steep.  

Pictured on the left in the above shot is one of the main lodges housing the guest rooms at the resort.

These cobbled paths lead up to the rooms from the main reception area.

More lodges with pathways in between.

The management has placed these deck/lounge chairs in an open area between the lodges for guests to relax on.

A bonus: free wifi across the resort!

Silver Ibex Restaurant is the in-house restaurant at all Arcadian resorts, with the menu reportedly designed by the owner himself.

Pictured above is the raised restaurant building, which also houses the resort's reception area (pictured above in the lower right corner of the photo) and kitchen in the lower floor.

The entrance to Silver Ibex restaurant.

An outdoor barbecue station is visible on the right. They also serve food on the tables in the garden (weather permitting). 

A small masjid is visible at a distance, in the middle of the photo above.

The interior is modern, using mirrors to capitalize on the phenomenal valley views. 

There is a room adjoining the main dining hall, which is used as a conference room (also offering valley views).

 The said valley views. The picture hasn't done justice.

When the weather was not overcast, we could see the roads and buildings of Murree at a far distance down across the valley, over the clouds, while sitting at our corner table!

The Silver Ibex restaurant interior at night.

The mirror effect gives an impression of added spaciousness.

After the short thunderstorms blew over, the sun would come out over the garden, facilitating alfresco dining.

As soon as the weather permitted and the skies got clear, we'd sit in the garden. 

Now, on to the menu. 

There is a variety of cuisines available. And yes, at a price.
When you go on vacation, you can't really pinch pennies or cook in your hotel room, can you?

As you can see, the prices are a notch above average (perhaps not so for those urbanized Karachiites who regularly eat out at the more highly-priced places), but the food quality was worth it.

Do remember that this food is being made available to you, freshly prepared, in a rather remote area of Murree,- a fair driving distance away from the nearest store or market, by staff who live 24/7 on the property, away from their families, in order to work for their livelihoods.

Continental, desi (Pakistani), Chinese, and Thai items are all available.

The preparation of the food took some time, so we ordered half an hour in advance.

Breakfast: pancakes, half-fried eggs, butter and jam.
Breakfast was served between 7:30 a.m and 11 a.m.

Their pancakes resembled crepes in size and thickness. Our children loved devouring them drenched in maple syrup every morning! They were prepared expertly by the resident chefs.

Pakistani omelet and whole-wheat paratha.
FYI: Breakfast is available as a buffet during peak season, reportedly.
Our breakfast for two adults though, comprising of a standardized menu, came included with the room rent. But we had to pay for our children's breakfast.

Appetizers: Shami Kebabs and (cough) Garlic Bread. :)

Potato Pakora's. We loved having these with chai whenever it rained! :)

Our children actually loved the garlic bread too, despite it being quite different from the "French loaf" variety available everywhere in Karachi, because it was delicious.

Daal with salad.

Because the water is different in Murree, any food prepared with it (including this daal) tasted lovely.

Butter Chicken with Rice (rice is pictured below)
This was awesome! When is butter chicken not? :)

Vegetable Chow Mien

Prepared very professionally, as you can see, because of the way the vegetables in it have been sliced 'julienne' style (instead of being diced desi style).

Aaloo Palak (the aaloo's kind of drowned in the spinach, but they were there in ample quantity).

This was absolutely delicious! The spinach was very creamy and soft, perhaps prepared with butter or ghee.

Mutter/Peas Pulao
Again, the taste was great, perhaps because of the water.

For lunch, we almost always had light vegetarian items (the breakfast was very filling!), especially the Mulligatawny soup (which I couldn't photograph).

The Shami Kababs with salad again.
These were prepared with high daal (pulses) content and beef.

The hotel management arranges bonfires for guests in an open area between the lodges, upon request, at a small charge. They provide comfortable deck/lounge chairs for this purpose as well.

Chicken Malai Boti and Beef Seekh Kababs.
 
We had these as an alfresco barbecue dinner one night, sitting next to a bonfire.

You do not get to see beautiful sunrises over the hills like these every day, do you?

Verdict: We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Arcadian Blue Pines Inn, Murree, perhaps more so because it was off season and we were the only guests.

And the great-tasting, professionally and freshly prepared food was one of the memorable highlights of our trip. The prompt service by the polite staff left little to be desired.

Anyone passing by the resort (and not staying there as a guest) can also dine at Silver Ibex Restaurant. If you live in Islamabad, give it a try.

It is located off lower Jhika Gali, a stone's throw away from Lawrence Girl's College and Pindi Point.

****************

As an aside, for those who don't already know, operational kiosks of McDonald's and Butler's Chocolate Cafe are present in the domestic departures waiting lounge of Quaid-e-Azam International Airport, Karachi.

Sadly, this outlet of Butler's doesn't serve any of their breakfast menu items.
So off I went to search for something fresh for my kids to eat, early in the morning before our flight.

Thankfully, McDonald's hot cakes came to the rescue at 6:30 a.m in the morning! :)

I think McDonald's hot cakes (now served all day long) are the best pancakes available commercially in Pakistan.
Fire me for it, but that is what I think. They are too light and fluffy for words!



We enjoyed this view whilst downing the hot cakes and coffee, alhamdulillah.

Also, The Elbow Room now serves food (mostly beverages, wraps, sandwiches, and baked items) in the waiting lounge of Benazir Bhutto Airport, Islamabad, as well as that of Karachi airport.

Sky BBQ & Pizza, Avari Towers Rooftop

The cool Karachi evening breeze during the summer calls for alfresco dining. Indeed, one craves the outdoors after sundown for some relief after the sweltering heat of the long, hot days.

The online photos of Avari Towers' Sky BBQ & Pizza rooftop restaurant were enticing enough to make us decide to try dining there. Someone I know who had eaten at Sky BBQ gave us a positive opinion. So there we were, at the entrance of the hotel (photo above).

Dainty cacti have been planted next to the humungous stone steps that lead up to the entrance of Avari Towers.

The entrance to Cinnamon Cafe in the front lobby of Avari Towers.
It was rather empty.

Inside the elevator that goes to the rooftop.

As soon as you embark from the elevator on the top floor, you are greeted by a lobby having this aquarium, with an overall Oriental ambiance. Guess why?

Because the entrance to the famous Japanese restaurant Fujiyama is there, opposite to that of Sky BBQ & Pizza.
Wonder who thought of putting up that scary piece of art on the entrance curtain of a restaurant?!

The view of the sprawling "City of Lights" from the rooftop.

Not a big fan of orange-colored walls, but the lofty, under-the-starry-sky dining experience compensated for the somewhat garish color of the environs.

After we entered, we were surprised at the fact that the restaurant was much smaller than it had appeared to be in the online photographs.

They have circular-shaped windows in the walls from which you can look down at the city. Note: these windows can open, have no grills or barricades, and are low enough to be easily accessed. So keep excited children in check!

We got a table near the dessert counter (check out the untouched crème caramel!).

The view is great.
Panes of glass and the orange walls have been erected to undoubtedly keep the wind factor from affecting the dining experience (who wants their food blown off their plate? I have experienced this when dining in the open-air lawn of a local club. Karachi's evening breeze can be quite gusty!).



The chairs were uncomfortable. The seating arrangement reminded me of the ones we see at almost all local weddings.

Across one side along the length of the restaurant lay the platters and pots containing the food.

The salad bar (the plate at the bottom is mine, because I put it there to take this shot. It is not part of the salad bar). I really liked the freshness of all the items, especially the potato salad and the Cole Slaw.

After you partake from the salads, you go on to the main course dishes.
It was a bit awkward to lift a heavy lid each time to take out food from those huge pots. Sometimes, the chefs obliged, but mostly, the diners have to lift the lids themselves; not easy when the pots are at eye level and you cannot see the food inside unless you crane your neck to peer in.

Nevertheless, the food quality was excellent!
Clockwise, from top right: potato salad, moong daal, mutton pilaf, beef kofta, cole slaw, tomato slices, and fish curry.
Other main-course items were the standard desi fare, such as biryani, qorma, karhai, mixed sabzi or vegetable curry, and plain rice.

Sides: pickles, yogurt, chutneys, tartar sauce, shredded ginger, sliced lemons, and other condiments to drizzle on or dab into while you eat your food. 

Now for the BBQ! They display the kinds of different BBQ meat on the main food counter, and the head waiter asks you which ones you'd like to have. You pick and choose your meats, and they deliver them to your table on a platter, after freshly barbecuing them.

Clockwise, from right to left: Prawn Tempura, Fried (boneless) Fish, Chicken Reshmi Kabab, Afghani Beef Boti, and Chicken Malai Tikka.
Such a platter would cost no less than Rs 3000-Rs 5000 at any other upscale restaurant.

Everything was piping hot (straight off the grill), succulent from the inside and crisp on the outside. I especially liked the fish. It was flat and fried like a fritter (pakora) but extremely tender inside.

The Prawn Tempura was a huge hit!

Freshly squeezed seasonal fruit juices are available, at an additional cost of Rs 295 per glass. This is a tall glass of chilled orange juice. I think it is quite overpriced, but we got this for our children, because this was a once-in-a-while dining experience for our family any way. The juice had tons of pulp in it, and no added sugar. Quite au naturel!

The stone oven where pizzas are baked.
We had presumed (since it was not stated anywhere otherwise) that the pizzas were part of the buffet. However, the waiter informed us that pizza was on a separate, a la carte menu. Disappointment! Our children would have liked some cheese pizza.

The station where fresh naans (flatbreads) are kneaded and baked in a portable tandoor (oven), is located adjacent to the stone oven.

Desserts galore! After the meaty dinner, we hardly had any stomach space left for greasy desserts. I opted for one scoop of the branded ice cream that was available in a freezer (not pictured) next to this dessert counter.
The array of sweet items on offer included: an assortment of traditional sweetmeats (mithai), fruit trifle, tarts, cream-filled eclairs, sheer khurma (vermicelli milk pudding), Swiss rolls and fresh fruit.

The tarts (top left) looked decidedly stale.

The crème caramel (I had a bite) was fresh and good, though.

Jalebis, fried fresh before your eyes. They were thinner than the variety found elsewhere in local markets, and quite crisp.
One of our kids who loves consuming these, was delighted. :)
Note: green tea and chai (milked black tea) can be availed after dinner, as part of the buffet i.e. at no extra charge.

The total charges are Rs 1195 per head, plus tax.

They did not charge our children, even though the older one is 6+. The waiters keep a keen eye on the diners throughout their dinner, so I think the reason why my children were not charged was because they are not wasteful in stocking their plates, even at buffets. We ensure that they take only as much food as they will eat.

The waiters place a large mineral water bottle on your table as soon as you arrive, which costs Rs 175 plus tax.

Soft drinks are Rs 110 plus tax.

FYI: If we had ordered no drinks besides the mineral water, the bill would have been only ~Rs 3000, for 2 adults and 2 small children. But we were thirsty, perspiring Karachiites dining out in the heat of summer, after all!

Considering the wide variety of BBQ food that you can have here (including seafood), this is not too exorbitant.

A single platter/serving of such food costs the same as the total bill (above) at any other restaurant in the city. At BBQ Tonite, for example, the BBQ special platter costs Rs 5000!

Verdict: Loud noises of any kind spoil our dining experience, because we as a family value peace, quiet, lack of distractions and privacy when eating anywhere. Hence, the immensely loud live music was a bit of a turn-off. 

However, the overall experience was quite satisfactory. We went there primarily for the rooftop view, and the exclusive, high-altitude, in-the-breeze, and under-the-stars alfresco experience, and we got that. 

Avari Sky BBQ & Pizza is not a bad option if you want to dine under the stars with a great view of the lighted city of Karachi on a hot summer evening to celebrate a happy occasion or milestone with your family. The food was overall good value for money الحمد لله.