Chatkharay Breakfast, Clifton Block 3

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Chatkharay needs no introduction for Karachi dwellers. 

A new branch of the eatery has opened it's doors in Clifton block 3, a stone's throw away from South City Hospital and located right next to Anjarwala's bakery and sweet shop.

Recently, the branch has undergone a much-advertised interior renovation. 

It serves breakfast all days of the week, starting 8 a.m.

You can see that it does look much better inside now. 

They advertise a daily brunch too, which is not a very elaborate affair, but when we arrived a few minutes after 8:00 a.m, there was no sign of the same. 

Better to call them ahead at 021-35874815-7 and ask.

Their menu at a glance. Take a look at the full menu here. 

When the weather gets really hot in Karachi, early morning breakfasts start gaining value over lunch outings (at least for our family), because we try to avoid the scorching midday heat.

Halwa puri standard fare. 

If you want to have halwa puri in an air-conditioned setting early on a weekday morning (and if you don't mind paying a bit extra for this), Chatkharay is a good option.

 The aaloo bhujia and cholay were very mildly spiced, with the puri's made and served fresh. None of us had any major complains.

Unlike that served every morning at Dera (Boat Basin), this aaloo bhujia had no scraps of potato peels in it.

Cheese paratha with cream cheese and chopped veggies inside. 

The red chilli chutney that came along with this paratha was awesome!

 As probably apparent, this was more than adequately filling....enough for 2 people! Leftovers were packed for later.

Pakistani omelet.

This was clearly prepared in haste, and we had to complain to the server that it was served last (even after the stuffed paratha - pictured below -and tea).

Nevertheless, the taste was pretty alright.

I forgot to photograph the mug of freshly blended sweet lassi, which was really good (we went for seconds).  

The doodh patti tea, however, could be easily given a pass (too many bits of cream floating on top of it.....meh).

Verdict: Worth it. Go enjoy an early-bird weekday breakfast before the midday heat sets in. The weather will be mild between 8 and 9 a.m. during the coming summer months.

Just beware: the beggars thronging this area rise early to start their job too. Sigh. :-/

Lal Qila Restaurant, main Shahrah-e-Faisal

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Lal Qila is a famous buffet restaurant located on main Shahrah-e-Faisal.
The whole structure has been designed as a fort and constructed with red bricks, hence the name.
We visited it over a year ago, so this review is very late. But better late than never, as they say.

For the current rates of buffet lunch, hi-tea and dinner, please visit the Lal Qila website.

The massive wooden entrance doors lead into the main reception area.

The compact seating area at the reception has been designed traditionally.

Once they get the go-ahead, the customers enter the main restaurant area, which is open-air.

There is an indoor dining room and a play area for little children (both not pictured above) as well. 

An artificial fountain and waterfall on one side provide the pleasant sound of running water - a real bonus for the outdoor diners.

This red-brick building next to the entrance/exit houses the children's play area and office (not pictured).
The play area is designed completely in wood as a small fort! Very nice idea. Children were delighted.

For lunch, cloth awnings are temporarily erected to provide shade to the diners who choose to dine outside.



Since we decided to have lunch here on a weekday during winter, we chose to dine alfresco.

The washroom (where we go to wash our hands) was very clean, but in dire need of some maintenance and repair.
Notice how the mirrors and tissue-box are done up to match the decor of the restaurant?

There is a sitting area on an upstairs terrace as well, which these stairs lead to.
It was not open for lunch.

The drapes/awnings don't look all that elegant for a high-end restaurant, yeah, and they hide the grandeur of the red-brick architecture of the 'fort' juxtaposed against the blue sky during the day, but one must admit that they are direly needed to shield diners from the intense midday heat of the sun (even during winters!).

The view of the "fort" above the awnings.

There is a central 'square' that houses the food area, where customers can help themselves to the food from large bronze/copper-colored pots.

Prawn Tempura

Fried fresh for diners.

Fried Potatoes

I really have no idea what these were or why they were there?!

The BBQ station is off to one side.
 It serves tikka and kababs in chicken and beef, barbecued live.

Live BBQ: Chicken seekh kababs, Chicken Tikka, and Beef seekh kababs, in that order.

The salad, sauce/chutney and dessert bar.
It looks messy in the picture above, but that is the customers' fault. Everything in the salad bar was very fresh.

My child's plate (from top right): prawn tempura, pasta salad, and a piece of fish

Clockwise from top right:

Fried Fish, Prawn Tempura, Chinese Egg Fried Rice, Chicken in Sweet and Sour Sauce, Beef in Black Pepper Sauce, and Vegetable Thin Mien

Samandri Heera - boneless fried fish

There were handi's with Haleem and Nihari, along with their accompanying garnishes.

There were Chapli Kababs being fried live as well. 

Fried fish and prawn tempura again, with sauces (such as tartar sauce) from the salad bar.

From left: Chicken Biryani, Aaloo Bhujia, Cholay (partitioned in the same container) and a tray for fresh Puri's

At this station, the chefs also knead, roll out, and deep-fry fresh puri's and kachori's

The dough balls for the puri's, and a very orange-colored Suji ka Halwa

Khubani ka Meetha, Jelly Mousse, and Chickpea salad

Potato salad, Arabic Labban, Oriental salad and Pasta salad

No traditional buffet at a Pakistani restaurant would be complete without this popular dessert: hot and tender Gulab Jamans floating in their oozy sweet syrup.

BBQ Kababs, Fried Rice and Black Pepper Beef.

Doesn't the barbecued mince look delectable?

Hot n Sour Soup with chicken and shrimps

Soft drinks are provided in cans

A tall glass of sweet lassi for Rs 70

Titled as "Dil ki Thandak" on the menu, this was the best lassi I have ever had! And I am not even a big fan of the drink. 

We all shared this huge glass of fresh wholesomeness. 

Ice cream, khubani ka meetha, and jelly

Lab-e-Shireen, Khubani ka meetha, and gulab jaman

Verdict: I think the above photographs speak amply in favor of the quality and freshness of the food. Sorry if they made you drool on an empty stomach!

The floor of the restaurant was not very clean (I suppose because it is open-air?) but everything else was more than satisfactory, especially the quality of the food.

I would recommend going to Lal Qila for lunch instead of dinner, because at the latter time, the entire restaurant is extremely crowded, especially on weekends, and the platters empty very quickly (taking time to be replenished), especially the salad bar. There are long queues in front of the fried items.

We should try to support our local restaurants in addition to, if not more than, foreign food franchises, because they are making a mark for themselves by consistently providing a quality dining experience and catering services in the face of stiff international competition, rising inflation, and a struggling economy faced with political chaos.

Kudos to Lal Qila for not just surviving, but thriving, in the local food-scape of Karachi.

Chai Master, Shahbaz Commercial, Defence Phase 5

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Do you like having spiced chai? And are paratha's of different kinds (including the Arabic stuffed and fried flatbread called fateera) something you like to have with your chai?

If your answer is yes, then you have to give Chai Master a visit.

Chai Master is located in Shahbaz commercial area (or is it Seher commercial?) in the same vicinity as a handful of other new cafes, such as Cafe Pink Cadillac and Cafe Riverwood.
It is located in the lane that starts right opposite the centrally located Imam bargah - a landmark hard to miss. 

It is a small eatery. Keep a lookout for it when you pass by, else you'll miss it.
It's size is clearly it's biggest 'shortcoming', if I might call it that.

Inside, there is just enough seating capacity for 6 people, max. 

If you like Arab-style teas, though, then you'll like eating here, even if it means doing so whilst sitting in your car.

The menu is not very elaborate, which is good, in my opinion.
Less is more. :)

We ordered the Disco Chai, but sadly I forgot to photograph it.

It came in small, concave glass cups (the kind in which Arabs drink their coffee/tea) with metallic handles. Something like this, but much less ornate.

The chai was alright; a bit small in portion for the price of Rs 60 per cup.

Plus, I don't like tea that has a thick film of cream on top.

The decor of the small outlet is very simple. 

Plain Paratha: Rs 30 each

I prefer whole wheat paratha's (thanks to my Ammi, who always made fresh ones for us for lunch after school), but these piping hot, white-flour ones that were served to us right off the stove fared very well as breakfast on a Sunday morning. 

Desi Omelet with Cheese - Rs 110

In the background in the photo above, you can also see a plain whole wheat paratha (already torn from all sides by us) that the management asked us to try because they are thinking of introducing it into the menu.

I loved this omelet!

A total hit, it was packed with veggies such as onions, green chillies, and tomatoes, with melted cheddar in its folded midst. It was evenly well-browned throughout- just the way I like it. Every bite was a joy.

"Half-fry" (this is what a 'sunny side up' fried egg is called in our local lingo): Rs 50

This was nothing to write home about.
It was also a rather small egg, as you can see. :P We had to order another. Heh!

Plain Pizza Paratha: Rs 100

This is basically a paratha that is topped midway through being prepared with plain beaten egg.
This was a hit with the children, for whom we especially ordered it plain (sans any spices or veggies). 

Arabic Paratha with Egg - Rs 130

We ordered this for takeaway on another day. It is a paratha that is stuffed with vegetables and beaten egg (omelet) inside. 

If you like stuffed paratha's, you'll love having this.

The only other eateries that I know of where I can get good whole-wheat tawa paratha's are: the rather over-priced Neco's, and Chatkharay.

If you know of any other eatery that offers tawa paratha's on it's menu (especially whole wheat ones), please let me know. 

Verdict: The chai was alright, but I am a fan of Chai Master already because of their paratha's! Perhaps they should rename themselves: Paratha Master? :) 

We also tried their Nutella Paratha, priced at Rs 130 (sorry, once again I forgot to photograph it) and it was quite awesome! If you like paratha's with sweet stuffing (like my husband and kids do), then you'll probably love their Nutella paratha as well. 

Chai Master is open early on Sundays for breakfast. On the rest of the days of the week, they open after 2 p.m. 

So give their breakfast a try on a Sunday, but remember to arrive early, because as I said, there is limited sitting space. You'll actually have to sit outside on plastic tables and chairs to eat. 

But if the food is good, who's complaining? :)