Silver Ibex Restaurant, Arcadian Blue Pines Inn, Murree

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

This is a digressive blog post. 

I admit that this blog is about eating out in Karachi, but after our recent short vacation up north, I cannot resist sharing what it was like to eat out in the natural hilly surroundings of beautiful Murree in Punjab, Pakistan.

In my online search for a private, quiet, relatively new, exclusive, and family-friendly accommodation in the hills, I happened across the website of Arcadian Hotels and Resorts.

Turns out it was the perfect choice, alhamdulillah. I mean, who can resist such breath-taking valley views?! Certainly not a Karachiite! :)

Apparently, Arcadian is already running fully operational resorts in Shogran and Kaghan valley, but since we wanted to stay at a shorter hop from Islamabad, I was more interested in their more recently acquired resort in Murree, called Blue Pines Inn.

This is the cemented winding road that leads up to, and through the resort, from lower Jhika Gali.

This road is known as Ghora Gali ("Horse Road"), and it goes right up to Pindi Point. 

 The drive is not for the faint-hearted, though, as the road is pretty narrow and steep.  

Pictured on the left in the above shot is one of the main lodges housing the guest rooms at the resort.

These cobbled paths lead up to the rooms from the main reception area.

More lodges with pathways in between.

The management has placed these deck/lounge chairs in an open area between the lodges for guests to relax on.

A bonus: free wifi across the resort!

Silver Ibex Restaurant is the in-house restaurant at all Arcadian resorts, with the menu reportedly designed by the owner himself.

Pictured above is the raised restaurant building, which also houses the resort's reception area (pictured above in the lower right corner of the photo) and kitchen in the lower floor.

The entrance to Silver Ibex restaurant.

An outdoor barbecue station is visible on the right. They also serve food on the tables in the garden (weather permitting). 

A small masjid is visible at a distance, in the middle of the photo above.

The interior is modern, using mirrors to capitalize on the phenomenal valley views. 

There is a room adjoining the main dining hall, which is used as a conference room (also offering valley views).

 The said valley views. The picture hasn't done justice.

When the weather was not overcast, we could see the roads and buildings of Murree at a far distance down across the valley, over the clouds, while sitting at our corner table!

The Silver Ibex restaurant interior at night.

The mirror effect gives an impression of added spaciousness.

After the short thunderstorms blew over, the sun would come out over the garden, facilitating alfresco dining.

As soon as the weather permitted and the skies got clear, we'd sit in the garden. 

Now, on to the menu. 

There is a variety of cuisines available. And yes, at a price.
When you go on vacation, you can't really pinch pennies or cook in your hotel room, can you?

As you can see, the prices are a notch above average (perhaps not so for those urbanized Karachiites who regularly eat out at the more highly-priced places), but the food quality was worth it.

Do remember that this food is being made available to you, freshly prepared, in a rather remote area of Murree,- a fair driving distance away from the nearest store or market, by staff who live 24/7 on the property, away from their families, in order to work for their livelihoods.

Continental, desi (Pakistani), Chinese, and Thai items are all available.

The preparation of the food took some time, so we ordered half an hour in advance.

Breakfast: pancakes, half-fried eggs, butter and jam.
Breakfast was served between 7:30 a.m and 11 a.m.

Their pancakes resembled crepes in size and thickness. Our children loved devouring them drenched in maple syrup every morning! They were prepared expertly by the resident chefs.

Pakistani omelet and whole-wheat paratha.
FYI: Breakfast is available as a buffet during peak season, reportedly.
Our breakfast for two adults though, comprising of a standardized menu, came included with the room rent. But we had to pay for our children's breakfast.

Appetizers: Shami Kebabs and (cough) Garlic Bread. :)

Potato Pakora's. We loved having these with chai whenever it rained! :)

Our children actually loved the garlic bread too, despite it being quite different from the "French loaf" variety available everywhere in Karachi, because it was delicious.

Daal with salad.

Because the water is different in Murree, any food prepared with it (including this daal) tasted lovely.

Butter Chicken with Rice (rice is pictured below)
This was awesome! When is butter chicken not? :)

Vegetable Chow Mien

Prepared very professionally, as you can see, because of the way the vegetables in it have been sliced 'julienne' style (instead of being diced desi style).

Aaloo Palak (the aaloo's kind of drowned in the spinach, but they were there in ample quantity).

This was absolutely delicious! The spinach was very creamy and soft, perhaps prepared with butter or ghee.

Mutter/Peas Pulao
Again, the taste was great, perhaps because of the water.

For lunch, we almost always had light vegetarian items (the breakfast was very filling!), especially the Mulligatawny soup (which I couldn't photograph).

The Shami Kababs with salad again.
These were prepared with high daal (pulses) content and beef.

The hotel management arranges bonfires for guests in an open area between the lodges, upon request, at a small charge. They provide comfortable deck/lounge chairs for this purpose as well.

Chicken Malai Boti and Beef Seekh Kababs.
 
We had these as an alfresco barbecue dinner one night, sitting next to a bonfire.

You do not get to see beautiful sunrises over the hills like these every day, do you?

Verdict: We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Arcadian Blue Pines Inn, Murree, perhaps more so because it was off season and we were the only guests.

And the great-tasting, professionally and freshly prepared food was one of the memorable highlights of our trip. The prompt service by the polite staff left little to be desired.

Anyone passing by the resort (and not staying there as a guest) can also dine at Silver Ibex Restaurant. If you live in Islamabad, give it a try.

It is located off lower Jhika Gali, a stone's throw away from Lawrence Girl's College and Pindi Point.

****************

As an aside, for those who don't already know, operational kiosks of McDonald's and Butler's Chocolate Cafe are present in the domestic departures waiting lounge of Quaid-e-Azam International Airport, Karachi.

Sadly, this outlet of Butler's doesn't serve any of their breakfast menu items.
So off I went to search for something fresh for my kids to eat, early in the morning before our flight.

Thankfully, McDonald's hot cakes came to the rescue at 6:30 a.m in the morning! :)

I think McDonald's hot cakes (now served all day long) are the best pancakes available commercially in Pakistan.
Fire me for it, but that is what I think. They are too light and fluffy for words!



We enjoyed this view whilst downing the hot cakes and coffee, alhamdulillah.

Also, The Elbow Room now serves food (mostly beverages, wraps, sandwiches, and baked items) in the waiting lounge of Benazir Bhutto Airport, Islamabad, as well as that of Karachi airport.

Chai Master, Shahbaz Commercial, Defence Phase 5

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Do you like having spiced chai? And are paratha's of different kinds (including the Arabic stuffed and fried flatbread called fateera) something you like to have with your chai?

If your answer is yes, then you have to give Chai Master a visit.

Chai Master is located in Shahbaz commercial area (or is it Seher commercial?) in the same vicinity as a handful of other new cafes, such as Cafe Pink Cadillac and Cafe Riverwood.
It is located in the lane that starts right opposite the centrally located Imam bargah - a landmark hard to miss. 

It is a small eatery. Keep a lookout for it when you pass by, else you'll miss it.
It's size is clearly it's biggest 'shortcoming', if I might call it that.

Inside, there is just enough seating capacity for 6 people, max. 

If you like Arab-style teas, though, then you'll like eating here, even if it means doing so whilst sitting in your car.

The menu is not very elaborate, which is good, in my opinion.
Less is more. :)

We ordered the Disco Chai, but sadly I forgot to photograph it.

It came in small, concave glass cups (the kind in which Arabs drink their coffee/tea) with metallic handles. Something like this, but much less ornate.

The chai was alright; a bit small in portion for the price of Rs 60 per cup.

Plus, I don't like tea that has a thick film of cream on top.

The decor of the small outlet is very simple. 

Plain Paratha: Rs 30 each

I prefer whole wheat paratha's (thanks to my Ammi, who always made fresh ones for us for lunch after school), but these piping hot, white-flour ones that were served to us right off the stove fared very well as breakfast on a Sunday morning. 

Desi Omelet with Cheese - Rs 110

In the background in the photo above, you can also see a plain whole wheat paratha (already torn from all sides by us) that the management asked us to try because they are thinking of introducing it into the menu.

I loved this omelet!

A total hit, it was packed with veggies such as onions, green chillies, and tomatoes, with melted cheddar in its folded midst. It was evenly well-browned throughout- just the way I like it. Every bite was a joy.

"Half-fry" (this is what a 'sunny side up' fried egg is called in our local lingo): Rs 50

This was nothing to write home about.
It was also a rather small egg, as you can see. :P We had to order another. Heh!

Plain Pizza Paratha: Rs 100

This is basically a paratha that is topped midway through being prepared with plain beaten egg.
This was a hit with the children, for whom we especially ordered it plain (sans any spices or veggies). 

Arabic Paratha with Egg - Rs 130

We ordered this for takeaway on another day. It is a paratha that is stuffed with vegetables and beaten egg (omelet) inside. 

If you like stuffed paratha's, you'll love having this.

The only other eateries that I know of where I can get good whole-wheat tawa paratha's are: the rather over-priced Neco's, and Chatkharay.

If you know of any other eatery that offers tawa paratha's on it's menu (especially whole wheat ones), please let me know. 

Verdict: The chai was alright, but I am a fan of Chai Master already because of their paratha's! Perhaps they should rename themselves: Paratha Master? :) 

We also tried their Nutella Paratha, priced at Rs 130 (sorry, once again I forgot to photograph it) and it was quite awesome! If you like paratha's with sweet stuffing (like my husband and kids do), then you'll probably love their Nutella paratha as well. 

Chai Master is open early on Sundays for breakfast. On the rest of the days of the week, they open after 2 p.m. 

So give their breakfast a try on a Sunday, but remember to arrive early, because as I said, there is limited sitting space. You'll actually have to sit outside on plastic tables and chairs to eat. 

But if the food is good, who's complaining? :)