Pane & Amore, Zamzama 5th Lane

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

There was a time when gourmet cupcakes were a thing synonymous with The Cakery.

However, despite the efforts of many local eateries, home-based businesses, and international food chains such as Cinnabon, to take over the cupcake domain, I think that it currently remains conquered hook, line and sinker by Pane & Amore, a bakery and cafe that has recently relocated from it's previous location on Seher Commercial, to Zamzama's 5th commercial lane.

As you enter Pane & Amore, an indoor staircase takes you upstairs to the first floor, where the main dine-in area is located.

Indoor plants can never go wrong in my book!

The interior of the bakery cum cafe is dimly lit.

Blue-colored glass panes, a cobbled floor and more leafy indoor plants keep the atmosphere homely and cozy.

There are no sofas or couches, only white-colored tables and chairs.

We deliberately chose to sit on the balcony, which is what had attracted us to the bakery in the first place. Besides the famous cupcakes of course.



The potted-plant-skirted verandah of Pane & Amore is visible from main Zamzama boulevard.
Though there are pedestal fans kept on the sides to keep the verandah cool and airy, I think the best time to really enjoy sitting and dining here is during the (coming) winter and spring months, when an air-conditioner is not needed to keep the excessive heat at bay.

We chose to sit on this corner table. The sounds of the Zamzama traffic from below were more than clearly audible, though. It was definitely not quiet.

Stitches clothing store is right opposite Pane & Amore.

The view from the balcony when looking out over main Zamzama.

The menu was not even clear enough to read with the naked eye, let alone through a camera lens!

I hope you can still read some of the items, though.
Standard cafe fare is available: soups, salads, sandwiches, coffees, and the icing on the cake that we went for: cupcakes! Pun unintended. :)

The coffee menu is a bit more elaborate than that at most of the other other cafes.
E.g. I have no idea what a "shakerato" is. Heh!

 

 

All day breakfast - the new rage everywhere - is on offer here too. All prices in the menu are exclusive of taxes.
You can avail their deal and have a hot coffee with a cupcake for ~Rs 450.

The specials of the day were written on a blackboard in the balcony. We went on a Saturday evening, which I wouldn't recommend, as the traffic noise from down below was too deafening!

The indoor dessert counter had many sweet delights on display. I have no idea what these were. Your guess is as good as mine.

The specialty of Pane & Amore: Cupcakes!

Chocolate Ganache, Red Velvet, Vanilla, Coffee/Mocha, and Caramel flavors are on offer.
Priced at Rs 160 + tax each.

Does this French Toast with Banana Compote look delectable to you?

Well, looks are deceiving, because it wasn't.



The toasts were totally bland and dry inside i.e. they hadn't soaked the milk and egg mixture enough before being fried. And the banana compote topping them was bitter.

Next time we'll probably not be adventurous and stick to just the cupcakes, like the kids did.

Caramel cupcake upfront, and Double Chocolate cupcake in the background.

The winner, hands down: Chocolate Ganache.
Everyone thought this was the best one.
The Red Velvet was quite okay too. It's inside was chewy and rich, and the white cream cheese frosting on top of it was extremely light and fluffy.

Tea to go with the cupcake, for Rs 90

Verdict: Our little tea-and-cupcake family party ended up being a bit too noisy because of the time that we chose to visit Pane & Amore (Saturday evenings are peak business hours at Zamzama), but their cupcakes are surely not-to-be-missed as an occasional treat, especially if you have children.

The indoor dining area was too dimly lit for our taste, so I'd recommend visiting Pane & Amore just to have a cupcake with tea or coffee on their picturesque balcony. The staff at the bakery was nothing but polite and quick to serve.

Judging by the French Toast, though, I'd avoid the other dessert items on their menu. Let's hope they improve the quality of all the other items that they are offering on their menu over time, because they sure seem to have mastered the cupcake domain!

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. :)