China Grill, Dolmen Mall, Clifton

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Its no secret that the Food Court at Dolmen Mall, Clifton, is by now a regular jaunt for our family, because we tend to do our groceries in bulk from the mega mart located on the floor below it, a.k.a Hyperstar.
Air conditioned and all-inclusive commodity-wise, and surprisingly boasting competitively economical prices, it is a great, one-stop place to get all your household and grocery shopping needs met under one roof.

Shopping there means we get to try out the Food Court rather regularly as well.
Above is the bird's eye, aerial view of the mall from the Food Court, which is on the second floor.
Right across, you can see Gun Smoke restaurant and advertisements for Fat Burger.

Of course that is not a head-less man! Duh. I just use good photo editing software to wipe out the identity of the people caught on camera (despite my best efforts to try to avoid shooting others). :P
I included this picture to display the spaciousness of the Food Court.

Shooting for a drama serial was going on in this section (on the raised wooden deck that is located right in front of the elevator).

The tables and chairs extend across almost the entire 2nd floor (with more branded eateries yet to open, such as Fat Burger and The Noodle House).
What I like best about eating here is the overall family-friendly atmosphere (lots of strollers, bawling infants, children running around, doting grandparents balancing little tots on their knees....you get the picture!) and the complete absence of loud music.
Rather nice high-chairs are also available for toddlers.

Anyway, One Potato Two Potato (a.k.a OPTP) is the food business attracting the longest customer queues nowadays at the Food Court of Dolmen Mall, Clifton.
However, we all know that burgers and fries are something we should not eat too regularly...at least those of us who are no longer 12 years old. :)
Which is why I almost always make a beeline for China Grill.

I really like the taste of the Chow Mien, Fried Rice and curries at China Grill.

Peppercorn Shrimps: this is my favorite curry among all the ones that China Grill offers. 

This is the menu. For a more detailed look, you can visit their Facebook page.

I chose to order the Wok-a-Meal combo, which has 2 main entrees (curries), one side of either rice or noodles (chow mien - only available in chicken), and one soft drink. 

Price of Wok-a-Meal is Rs 399.
If you want Peppercorn Shrimps curry with your combo, you can add it to your meal for an additional Rs 70.

Recently they have started offering juices as well. 

My combo ready and served at the counter. Serving time is 10 minutes.

This whole thing cost Rs 640: Rs 470 for the combo (because I chose shrimps), plus Rs 190 for the additional Chow Mien (visible on the right).
Portion size is definitely not a plus point. However, the combo will fill you up adequately, insha'Allah.
And as I said, the taste and quality of ingredients is great!

 I counted. There were a grand total of seven shrimps in the Peppercorn Shrimp curry. The Kung Pao Chicken curry that is visible on the right side of the plate was hardly any different.

Sorry for sounding like such a cheapskate, but I actually want to use this blog to inform the readers what they will get for their money, even if the taste of all the items was great. Just don't expect a big portion size.

That being said, I love the way the Peppercorn Shrimp Curry lives up to its name and comes doused with coarsely chopped peppercorns, instead of pepper powder.

Please remember that almost all the fresh food that is available at the Food Court in Dolmen Mall is a bit on the steep side. You won't get anything substantial (i.e. a filling meal) for under Rs 400, that is for sure.

Exceptions are the fresh baked goods (such as croissants, breads and muffins), not to mention, the full roasted chicken that you can buy from the deli inside Hyperstar for only Rs 389 (no kidding!).
In addition to these, the Hyperstar deli also offers fried rice, vegetable noodles, samosa's, spring rolls, biyrani, cold salads, daal, chicken makhni, crispy fried chicken, and other desi foods. Not everything is always fresh, though. 

Note: outside food is not allowed inside the Food Court. Yes, if you want to eat at the Food Court, you must buy something from one of its vendors.
Go figure! :)

Verdict: I really like the food at China Grill, albeit the slightly steep rates. It is hitherto my favorite vendor there.

Cinnabon, Dolmen Mall, Clifton

Some time earlier this year, the international cinnamon roll franchise called Cinnabon opened its doors on the first floor of Dolmen Mall, Clifton, Karachi. For those who do not know, this mall is located a stone's throw away from Seaview McDonald's, and is crawling with international brand-chains, be they providers of food, clothing or whateva.

 The last time I had a huge, hot cinnamon roll swathed in toffee-colored sauce, it was at the now defunct Déjà Vu restaurant on Zamzama, back in the nineties. Don't fire me for being a loser. I just don't like cinnamon rolls that much. :-/ That has, however, changed with the arrival of Cinnabon. 

You can peer at the photograph above to see the menu and prices of the beverages. The coffees are the standard fare available at other cafes in the city, at the same prices, more or less.

I meant to photograph the cinnamon roll menu too, but couldn't.

With their permission, I took a shot of the counter housing these world famous cinnamon rolls. Yup, that was it. Its a pretty minimalist outlet, operating out of a counter, with tables and chairs placed in the open space in front. A self-service counter on the side stacks straws, plastic spoons and forks that you need to fetch yourself.

Don't expect a walled, comfy, cozy cafe. You will be eating right there on a marbled balcony on the first floor of the mall, on very small tables, with hardly any privacy, stuffing the rolls into your mouth as people pass by you looking at what you're having. :) 

Most of the time, shoppers just walk out of the mega Hyperstar nearby and stroll over to Cinnabon for a coffee, a roll, or just to see and be seen, if you know what I mean. ;) We dwell in "Burgher-land", after all.

Back to the rolls - you can see that they have them in two sizes: visible on the left above are the big ones. And by that I mean Hulk-style big. On the right are the more moderate-sized ones.

This was the Chocobon, priced at Rs 285.

No complains there. It was great! Portion size was more than satisfactory.

Another shot of the Chocobon. 

Cinnabon Classic Roll, Rs 270

Small Cappuccino, Rs 245 

Verdict: Cinnabon is reportedly open for breakfast as well, after 10 . If you like devouring soft and warm cinnamon rolls with coffee or other sweet beverages, you'll enjoy visiting this outlet. My children absolutely loved the cinnamon rolls!

FYI, Dolmen Mall is also already home to branches of Butlers Chocolate Cafe, Gloria Jeans Coffees and - according to the latest rumors - Hardees (I have heard it will open up in Dolmen Mall in the near future, Allah knows best). As I write this post, probably 2 more outlets of some restaurants (e.g. The Hot Spot) are opening up in that huge Goliath of a mall....no kidding! 

On a more serious note, for those shopping junkies who are into brands and tags, Dolmen Mall, Clifton will probably help them burn more holes in their wallets. :)

Update:

In October 2012, Cinnabon Pakistan launched their new line of cupcakes that come in three flavors: Red Velvet, Vanilla Bliss and Chocolate Passion. 

You can see the cupcakes arranged according to flavor in the picture above.Each cupcake costs Rs 135, regardless of flavor. 

The frosting on the cupcakes is their signature cream cheese classic icing, with toppings of sprinkles and other colorful goodies. 

A closeup shot of the Chocolate Passion cupcakes. These are my favorite among all three.

Sometimes, one needs a delicious, fluffy cupcake along with Cinnabon's Chocolate Mocha Chillatta (regular: Rs 325) to just sit back and enjoy the good sweet things in life!

I love their cupcakes and deem them to be one of the best (and lightest) I have ever had. No exaggeration. :)