Khausa, main Khayaban-e-Shahbaz, Defence phase 6

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

 Ah, the quick entry and exit of high-end restaurants from the diverse food spectrum of Karachi! Restaurants open up and close down in the blinking of an eye, or so it seems. 

I once visited Khausa Restaurant on main Tariq Road, and really liked it.

Well, there is some good news and bad news about it.

The bad news first: it has closed down.

The good news: it has now opened up on main Khayaban-e-Shahbaz, a stone's throw away from Desi and Gon Pacci. 

The establishment is spread out on more than one level, with a half-floor (sort of like a verandah) constructed above this downstairs portion within the premises.

The decor is more plush and elegant than the one that this basement restaurant had on Tariq Road.

There are 3 tables on the above floor, where we chose to dine. 

Actually, there is some more, somewhat-bad news. 

One of the better things I liked about the Khausa on main Tariq Road, was it's economical prices. Check out the old prices here (before they remove this jpeg, heh).

 The money on fuel that you'll save on the jaunt to Tariq Road will now be spent on the food at this new outlet, because the prices at Khausa have been conveniently doubled.

Yes, doubled. Ouch. :-|

I love Khau Suey, so I ordered the Burmese version (the one with yellow curry) with prawns.  

Khausa offers five types of curry that you can choose for the Khau Suey that you want to have: Classic Creamy, Coco Curry, Stir Fried, Yellow Curry, and the more expensive Mohinga Soup (whatever that is).

The base of curry and Khau Suey noodles will cost you Rs 345, but if you want a topping of meat curry on it (and who doesn't? :P), such as chicken, beef or prawns, there will be extra charges of Rs 145 - Rs 245.

So you'll be shelling out approximately Rs 500 or more per serving of Khau Suey at this restaurant, which is clearly above the going rate of Rs 350-Rs 450 that you can get per serving of Khau Suey at Simple Dimple or PepperLime. 

The consolation? The ample quantity, high quality, and freshness of the food. I had no complains about it. The service and ambiance has improved a big notch as well.

Every order of Khau Suey comes with this tray of crunchy, tasty and spicy accompaniments. 

Once you start eating the Khau Suey mixed with these lovely garnishes, this is what your plate will look like. Yum!

   

Chicken Chow Mien - Rs 325

Awesome flavors and freshness. You can see for yourself, eh?

The menu has a comprehensive Thai cuisine section, a few Chinese dishes, and some other additions as well (check out the whole menu on the restaurant's EatOye page), although the sandwiches/burgers have been removed.  

Verdict: if you like Khau Suey, you will probably enjoy the offerings at Khausa. 

While the economical prices and long car ride have been bid adieu with the restaurant's relocation to main Khayaban-e-Shahbaz (the head waiter told us that the lack of parking space in front of Khausa on main Tariq Road was the main reason for the restaurant's shut down there), the diners have gained in terms of ambiance, variety and freshness/quality of the food/ingredients. 

The customers that could previously not drive out all the way to Tariq Road and meander through it's heavy traffic, now have a nice place to sit down and eat Khau Suey.

Oh how I wish that everyone on this earth could afford to eat good, clean, and delicious food like this! :-(

Khausa Restaurant, main Tariq Road

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Located on main Tariq Road, on the left after passing by Dolmen Mall and Glamour One, Khausa Restaurant is a dimly-lit basement establishment. 

You will see a parked van with "Khausa" written in yellow boldly across its exterior, right outside the entrance to the restaurant.

Here is the restaurant's Facebook page.

These steep stairs lead directly downwards from the entrance.

 

The restaurant decor is modern and chique. 

The tables are thankfully not too close together.

There were a total of 3 wall-mounted televisions, each blaring a different channel. 

A bit too noisy for our taste.

We were courteously asked to sit in this spacious couch-booth, as we were the first customers that night.

The ceiling above displayed a nice multicolored light latticework. 

  

The wall on one side displayed a picture of the NY Times Square with "Khausa" depicted on it. Quirky!

Khau-suey is available in Prawn, Chicken, and Beef-flavored Curries

 

I tried to capture a shot of the rest of the menu, but it got blurred. 

You can view it here, if you don't wear spectacles, that is. :P

I'd really like to try the Pizza Paratha on the menu on our next visit, even if only to see just what it is! We wanted to have just the Khau Suey this time, though.

This muffin tray accompanied the 2 Khau Suey's that we ordered, with the standard condiments: chopped green onions, lemon wedges, papri, flaked red chillies, fried spaghetti stalks (where did that come from?) and chaat masala. Sadly they were out of chilli chips (Slims) or Lays crisps.

Unique idea with the muffin tray, eh? Reminiscent of other life hacks found so amply on the Internet.

The French Fries were large (like the Fat Fries at Fatburger), soft and steaming hot - literally. Breaking one into two actually released steam from the squidgy potato belly. 

We also ordered a plain ol' Chicken Sandwich (visible in the background) for the kids.

Prawn Khau Suey - Rs 350

 Chicken Khau Suey - Rs 325

 This was more spicy and had a generous sprinkling of vegetables. However, we would have preferred it with more curry.

 Here is what the Prawn Khau Suey looked like on the plate.

 A close-up shot of the quintessential Khau Suey goodness after it is combined with the condiments on one's plate.

The bill is modest. Khausa is not too heavy on the pocket.

Verdict: Overall, we were satisfied. The Prawn Khau Suey was definitely better than the Chicken one, and was more than enough to fill two adults. It did not hit the bulls' eye in being a 100% according to the taste of the original Burmese dish, but it was yummy nevertheless.

The Chicken sandwich was really nice too - very old school. One bite of it transported me back to the eighties, stirring up childhood memories of having chicken sandwiches outside Spinzer near Defence Market in phase 1 (which is near A-One now).