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).

Biryani of the Seas (BOTS), Clifton

 Biryani of the Seas is an eatery located in Clifton that is rapidly growing in popularity for the unique specialty that it offers: seafood prepared fresh, Chinese, continental and desi (IndoPak) style.

This particular outlet of BOTS is located in a side lane near Clifton Bridge, right opposite PSO House that is located behind Glass Towers.

There is another outlet in the city, located in Karachi Administration Employees Co-operative Housing Society, the details of which you can access at the BOTS Facebook page. 

In addition to other menu details, you can also view innumerable photos of their food, which will probably make your mouth water if you are hungry.

The outlet offers only ad-hoc roadside seating for dine-in, for now, or you can eat sitting in your car. The other outlet of BOTS in Karachi offers indoor, restaurant style dining.

Customers can purchase a wide variety of frozen seafood from here (check the left side of the menu).

As the rest of the menu shows, a range of desi and Chinese-style cooked seafood is on offer for both dine-in and takeaway orders.

The prices are reasonable, considering the good quality of seafood that you can get from BOTS.

Contact details are visible at the bottom of the menu.

A single serving of Prawn Nihari, priced at only Rs 150.

The nihari was spicy, as expected, and quite delicious. The serving size was more than satisfactory for its price.

Fried Fish (English style), with French Fries and tartar sauce, for Rs 300.

The two fillets were huge in size and mildly spiced (not desi masala); the fries were crisp and fresh. Very good value for money - a great meal!

We have since then been regularly eating at BOTS. We usually order two kinds of fish fillets, pictured below:

 Dhaka Fish Finger - Rs 180, and Red Fish Finger - Rs 150, served side by side on one plate.
The Dhaka Fish Finger is mildly spiced, whereas the Red Fish Finger is, as the name suggests, hot and spicy.
The fried fish at BOTS is always served fresh, straight out of the wok, and is tender to the core.

The fish always comes accompanied by spicy tamarind chutney and another red condiment that lends a wonderful and tangy taste to the main sea food spread.

Goan Shrimp Curry -  Rs 500

I had heard rave reviews of this curry, so I decided to try it. It did not disappoint, either in taste or quantity. Unique ingredients (I am still guessing what they are) lend a peculiar zest, taste and aroma to this spicy and somewhat tangy concoction that can be accompanied equally well with either hot naan, or rice.

Verdict: If you like seafood at affordable rates, especially that which is cooked Chinese-style, you will definitely love the food offered by Biryani of the Seas. We once tried their prawn biryani as well, and although it was a bit on the spicy side, it was really good!

Yuan Tung Chinese Restaurant, PECHS

Located in a side lane off main Tariq Road in PECHS Block 2 is a quaint, vintage Chinese Restaurant housed in a bungalow, known as Yuan Tung. 

The entrance to the side lane in which this restaurant is located, is directly opposite the huge, distinguishable English Boot House outlet located on main Tariq Road.

The placard outside the restaurant bears its name. 

I suppose the real, "authentic" Chinese restaurants also print their names in the native language! 

The entrance to the restaurant. Notice the Chinese-style architecture.

The address and phone number is printed on the menu.

Most of the main a la carte entrees are priced between Rs 300 and Rs 600. They serve 2~3 people.

Notice how the menu is also printed in Chinese, side by side?

We ordered item #16: Chicken Chillies with Vegetable. 

The Chow Mien and Chinese Rice menu. They also have some egg dish called Foo Yoong.

Beef, prawn and fish entrees. Notice the standardization of the prices of all. 

  

This part of their menu lists the more special/exotic type of dishes offered by the restaurant. Squid?! :) Eeek.

The ambience is a mix of traditional Pakistani, combined with the typical red-lighted Chinese decor. 

The red-and-white checkered tablecloths remind one of an American diner. 

Yuan Tung Hot & Sour Soup, priced at Rs 360

The quantity is enough for 3~4 people!

Chicken Chillies with Vegetable for Rs 360.

The vegetables were tender yet crispy-crunchy; just right!

Prawn Fried Rice priced at Rs 380

Chicken and Prawn Chow Mien, priced at Rs 420

This was out of this world!

All entree's were more than enough for two hungry adults, each. We had to have leftovers parceled. 

 

The bill. Rs 100 was charged for two soft drinks @ Rs 50 each.

  

The total bill was reasonable compared to the extremely good quality and quantity of all the food! We love dining at Yuan Tung. In fact, it is an old family favorite.

There is another Chinese restaurant right across the road, called Little China. It is also housed in a similar bungalow.

Verdict: As I said, the absolutely unparalleled, authentic Chinese taste of all the dishes we have had to date at Yuan Tung make it a family favorite, especially during winter, when we often crave hot soup in a cozy environment.

The restaurant is very family friendly and has a high turnover i.e. if you arrive after 9 p.m, you might have to wait for a table.