Burns Road Food Centre, Block 5, Clifton

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

With the increasing price hike, it is good to have an option for eating food that is great on the taste buds as well as kind on the wallet.
The variety of street food available on Burns Road has enjoyed decades of popularity.
However, till recently there was no option to enjoy this street food whilst seated in a clean and air-conditioned environment, on site.

Well, the good news is that it is now available at Burns Road Food Centre, which has two branches, one located in Clifton Block 5, and the other on main Burns Road.

In Clifton, Food Centre is located right opposite Arabian Nights restaurant, and behind the vintage Maxim's restaurant.

The building is multistory and has a limited outdoor seating option as well. The outlet is quite clean and cool (air-conditioned). It is good that they have invested in the interior decor, as you can see.

Food Centre at Clifton also has a back entrance, which is opposite the road (and across the wide car parking space) in front of Motta's store and Jeddah Food Centre.

There is no music on the premises, nor a distracting wall-mounted television blasting the latest 'breaking' news,-- which, in our book, are plus points.

On weeknights you'll find lower customer attendance. Not so much on weekends, when the place is literally bustling and bursting to the brim with families.
Another good thing about this outlet, is the availability of an elevator, allowing wheel-chair access to elderly customers.

The menu at both branches of Food Centre is the same.

As you can see, the prices are lower as compared to other places.
Thankfully, the quality of the food is not compromised despite the lower prices.

 

I was not expecting deals or combos, but there are some pretty good ones on offer, such as Meal 3 (above, right), which we almost always order.

Note: The prices sown on the menu are inclusive of tax.

Good ol' quintessential Chicken Biryani. Single serving: Rs 120.

Pakistanis know how to cook their Biryani, that's for sure.

Hot 'n Sour soup.

This is the typical 'Pakistani Chinese' variety, clearly infused with a hearty dose of bottled ketchup and chilli garlic sauce. Not 'Chinese'-tasting in the least, but wholesome nutrition nevertheless.

Meal 3, as I said, includes Singaporean Rice, Pasta Alfredo, and 3 Buffalo Wings with a dinner roll - Rs 330.

Our favorite! Finger Fish (with fries and tartar sauce) - Rs 250.

These are just too good! Flaky & tender on the inside, and they just melt in your mouth.

You have to have them, and why not, when they're priced at only Rs 250? 

Our kids love the finger fish at Food Centre.

Okay, vegetarians, heart/high blood pressure patients, and weight watchers, please turn away now. Heh!

This is Nalli Nihari with it's accompaniments, which though not found printed on the restaurant menu, we (rather, my husband) asked the waiter to serve to us.
You, too, can ask the waiter if nihari is available. Since they bring their food in from Burns Road, a daig might just be present on the premises.

I don't remember the price of this single plate of oil-and-cholesterol-rich, beef-and-marrow galore. Eek.
But it was probably between Rs 100 and Rs 200.

Both sheermal's and taftan's are available.

Pasta Alfredo - Rs 200

This was actually rather good, and the quantity left nothing to be desired.

I don't think the "Alfredo" sauce in it was made with cream, but with milk (that is, it was bechamel sauce).
That is actually a plus point for me, because I prefer the latter, since it is much lower in fat content.

This is the Food Centre outlet located on Burns Road.
As you can see, it has roof-top seating arrangement too.

Succulent, whole Chicken Sajji was being prepared right outside the entrance.

As were the large, paper-thin, fresh chapati's.

If you can read the fine print in this photo, you will see that the menu is exactly the same as that of the Food Centre at Clifton.

A closeup, cropped shot for you.

Meal 6: double Prawn Biryani, Chicken Qorma (boneless), 3 beef Shami Kababs, and one Naan - Rs 460
There were ample prawns in the (rather spicy) Prawn Biryani, and the Chicken Qorma was surprisingly mildly spiced and delicious. Although you'll need to leave the excess oil out while eating it. 

The Shami Kababs were too dry for our taste. So we probably wouldn't order them again.

The Chicken Qorma and Prawn Biryani in Meal 6, however, were worth ordering the deal.

Our kids wanted the 6 pieces of Finger Fish with tartar sauce again.

Verdict: It is commendable that Burns Road Food Centre has opened up these 2 multistory, comfortable and spacious outlets for those who'd like to eat the amazing street food of Burns Road whilst seated in a family-friendly environment, instead of inside their cars or on rickety plastic tables.

A great option for those who'd like to eat out with their families on a budget, but without compromising on food quality or quantity. 

Note: The Clifton outlet is quieter and smaller, and the one at Burns Road, though much more spacious, is much more noisy and crowded.

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. :-/

Espresso, Dolmen Mall, Clifton

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

We are all undoubtedly familiar with the local chain of cafe's called Espresso.
Recently, it opened one of its branches in - yawn - where else? Yes, Dolmen City Mall, in Clifton.

 
I admit I've been to Espresso only a few of times up till now, mostly with family or girlfriends, but only for coffee or desserts, never breakfast.

I've been told that "no one does breakfast like Espresso". Really?
So this year, we thought we'd give their breakfast a try, as soon as the current post-Eid shopping lull commenced.
This outlet of Espresso is located a bit deep inside the belly of Dolmen City Mall, i.e. going past Liberty Books on the ground floor (which is located at a tangent across Papparoti), then turning right and walking further down the corridor.

There are no scenic ocean views, sadly, but thankfully, what this branch of Espresso lacks in windows and aerial views, it makes up in the form of natural light coming in through the high skylight above.  

That is, there is nothing above this outlet of Espresso on all the 3 floors of the mall except the distant glass panes of the gigantic skylight.

We decided to visit it as soon as the mall opens on weekdays i.e. around 10 a.m., and as you can see, we were the first ones in. We walked in on a staff meeting, actually. ;)

Truth be told, we do not enjoy eating at noisy, crowded cafes, especially if smokers are present. Whenever I've walked past this outlet of Espresso during "peak" business hours, I found it noisily thronging with people.....and cigarette smoke! [*gag*]

We opted to sit on one of the raised kiosk-type booths visible on the left (which is not such a good idea with small children, as our son stumbled on the narrow step twice!)

Overall, I like the ambiance and 'open plan' interior decor of this branch of Espresso.
It is not at all like the cramped outlets on Zamzama (is it still there?) and The Forum, and much more spacious than the one on main Khayaban-e-Shahbaz. 

My children were mesmerized by the movement of these elevators that constantly went up and down.

FYI, these elevators are located just adjacent to Espresso, and as is obvious from the above photo, are visible from within the cafe, so if you are on the second floor of Dolmen Mall, you can enter these elevators from behind GunSmoke and come directly down here.
Very few mall visitors are hitherto aware of this route of movement.  

A shot of the skylight above. Can you spot a wiper?
Yes, a man was actually standing up there, wiping away the rainwater from the glass panes, much to my children's amazement!

Here is a shot of their main attraction: the coffee drinks menu.
Prices are exclusive of 16% G.S.T (government sales tax). 

I really liked their simply designed, no-frills menu. Very neat and easy to peruse at a glance. 
All breakfast dishes on the menu at Espresso will cut you back roughly Rs 400-500.

The main entrees. I haven't tried any of these yet. 

The desserts and drinks section.

Cheese and Mushroom Omelet - Rs 425 + tax

Cheese, Pepperoni and Onion Omelette - Rs 425 + tax

Waffles with Ice Cream and Maple Syrup - Rs 320 + tax
This vanilla ice cream was just awesome!

Pancakes with Maple Syrup- Rs 295 + tax
I took this photo after my daughter had drizzled some syrup over the fluffy pancakes. You can see the darker patches on them where it was absorbed almost immediately.
Fresh pancake goodness at its warm, gooey best!

A shot of the melted mozzarella cheese oozing out from the omelet. 
The omelets were hardly spiced, to our surprise. You can see from the yellowness of the egg that it has no spices at all!
The desi in me had to generously sprinkle back pepper on top. I guess I should have had the "Pakistani" omelet? :)

Similar shot of the omelet with pepperoni. Delectably laden with cheese, but again, no spices. 
The grilled tomatoes and hash browns incited zero complains.

However, we prefer our omelets browned well in oil until they are golden (instead of yellow). We also like our bran bread (there is a choice of white or bran at the time of ordering) toasted more, until it is very crunchy on the outside.

We also had to order two more toasts to down these massive omelets with, which came quickly at no extra charge.

Tea - Rs 120 + tax.
This had to be sent to be reheated mid-meal, which the staff obliged to do immediately.
It tasted very good sweetened with those cute little brown sugar cubes.

Verdict: We were quite a satisfied lot, alhamdulillah, but I definitely like the omelets at Butler's better. The waffles at Hobnob Cafe are better than the ones here too, in my opinion.

If you like your eggs fried and spiced very rarely, you will probably enjoy the breakfast at Espresso more than I did.

Perhaps one day I will come to Espresso again, to give their main entrees a try, insha'Allah. 

Until then, overpriced breakfasts like these will probably remain the once-in-a-while, occasional treat for us.