Courtyard Cafe, South City Hospital, Block 3, Clifton

In a serene, residential neighborhood in Clifton Block 3, sandwiched between Clifton Gardens apartments and a famous painter's residence, lies South City Hospital.

 Smack in the middle of this private hospital lies a small cafe lit brightly via a massive skylight during the day, appropriately called 'Courtyard Cafe'.

The ambiance is formal. An actual tree is planted in the middle of the cafe, with more indoor plants adding a lovely touch of green to the peaceful atmosphere.

The waiting staff at Courtyard is courteous and polite.



The management clearly seems to have taken care of ensuring that diners at Courtyard feel indulged and pampered.
The sofa's, cushioned chairs and stemmed glassware deserve a big thumbs-up!

Glass windows on 3 sides of the square-shaped room provide passersby with a view of the cafe, not to mention provide natural light to the corridors during the day. 
There is a small kids' play area right outside the entrance of the cafe, which is itself also child-friendly.

 The menu is placed on a placard outside the cafe entrance. Sorry about the dim photograph, but that was all I could manage in a hurry.
The entrees include Soups, Starters, and most standard items of Chinese cuisine having Fish, Chicken, Beef and Prawn; in addition to a limited variety of pastas, sandwiches and burgers.
They also claim to offer Gelato ice cream for dessert, and beverages.
However, when we ordered cold coffee, they were out of it, which was disappointing.

The prices vary between Rs 300 - 500. The good news: these prices have no additional taxes levied on them! What you see is what you pay.

Chicken Chow Mien, Rs 315
This was excellent! Authentic Chinese flavors and ample portion size.

Club Sandwich, Rs 360
Again, no complains at all. The sandwich was just great!

We also ordered Chicken Nuggets (partially pictured in one of the photos above) for Rs 265. The nuggets were thin and crisp like pakora's, and were accompanied by ample French Fries.

Verdict: Courtyard Cafe at South City Hospital just might give the other eateries in the vicinity a run for their money, once people get to know more about it (it is not advertised at all, as far as I know, not even on Facebook).

In terms of location, ambiance and the quality of food and service, it is at par with the best names in the game. In fact, I think its ambiance is much better than some overrated, overpriced and cramped-for-space cafes on Zamzama. Plus, there is no invasive loud music - a big plus point for our family.

As far as prices go, it definitely takes the cake! No GST even though the quality of food is much above run-of-the-mill.

Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area feeling hunger pangs.

Chatkharay, Khadda Market, Phase 5, Defence

Chatkharay is a very famous and thriving restaurant in Khadda Market, Defence phase 5, right opposite the stadium. 

As the name suggests, it offers traditional Pakistani desi cuisine in an upscale dining environment.

They also offer breakfast on all days of the week now.

Chinese and fast food is also available.

Inside, the blackboard announces the special menu of the day.

Downstairs, jars of "homemade" pickles/achar and other chutneys, sauces and spicy condiments are for sale.

We usually proceed to the more spacious hall upstairs.

The sides are lined with sofas, giving the hint of a casual cafe.

The stairway entrance upstairs.

I try to take photos of the menu in such a way that the flash doesn't obscure the text. Here, you can see the diversity of the menu. The prices are a bit on the high side, but still low for a restaurant that boasts a thronging clientele.

South Indian cuisine, Chinese, Barbecue, Chaat, Pakistani food - everything is there.

Desserts, drinks and frozen takeaway items.
Notice that they offer the usual coffees as well.

Mix Chaat for Rs 100.
I was disappointed, maybe because of my high expectations of the chaat at this place, based on the raving reviews/praises I have heard about Chatkharay? Mirchi's is much better, in my opinion.
But at the end of the day, no one does chaat like Flamingo in Boat Basin.

Pani puri, or Gol Guppay, for Rs 100

Chicken Shashlik with Rice for Rs 240
The sauce was a bit sweet, tasting exactly like that in Chicken Manchurian (overdose of tomato ketchup perhaps)? Nevertheless, it was great in taste in quantity. It can easily serve 2 people.

Chicken Nuggets with Fries for Rs 130
The nuggets were very dry, and tasted like flour. The waiter insisted that they were fresh, made from chicken mince. We all thought they were really lousy, though.

We ordered a paratha for the kids, for Rs 40. This is the regular variety, the kind that your Ammi makes at home.

Sweet Lassi, Rs 80 per glass. Well worth the price!

The total bill came to Rs 810.
Not too expensive, eh? Considering that two adults and two children ate (and drank) to their full?

Verdict: Whenever I dine at Chatkharay, I wonder what the hoopla is all about. Sure, the food is good, and the ambience too, but I still don't understand why people flock to this place the way they do.

I must mention, though, that I have had their Continental breakfast once (regular omelette, toasts and tea) and it was really good.

For the chaat type snack stuff, Chatkharay has nothing better to offer than the regular chaat vendors standing on the roads, except perhaps a better indoor environment to devour the bhel puri's and dahi bara's in. I would recommend Mirchi for that over Chatkharay any day. For now, their staff is more polite and cordial. 

Lastly, I have noted one thing each and every time I have been to Chatkharay for it to be a one-time occurrence - the staff is unfriendly and sullen-faced. More smiles wouldn't hurt their popularity.