The Cakery, Tauheed Commercial, Defence Phase 5

The Cakery is the brainchild of Aamina Jehangir, a young entrepreneur and extremely talented baker, which is located right opposite the famous ice cream parlor called The Hot Spot in Tauheed commercial area, Defence phase 5. 

I first chanced upon the Facebook page of The Cakery and was immediately smitten by the photos of Aamina's delectable-looking cakes.

The Cakery is not a spacious cafe or hustling bustling eatery full of staff and customers.
It is a quaint, quiet little nook where you can enjoy some delicious baked sweet goodies, savory snacks and beverages in peace and quiet.

The undisputed "champ" of The Cakery - Red Velvet cupcake topped with cream cheese frosting, priced at Rs 140
Undoubtedly, Red Velvet cake (also available in bigger sizes) is the star of the menu at the Cakery. 

A slightly melted Red Velvet cupcake and a Peanut Butter cupcake. Rs 140 each.
The cream cheese frosting on the Red Velvet cupcake didn't stand much chance under the Karachi June heat. Who does? :)
I tasted the Peanut Butter cupcake and found the icing too sweet for my taste. However, I admit that I have never been a big fan of peanut butter any way.

Chocolate Ganache cupcake (left) and Hazelnut Stuffed cupcake (right) - again, Rs 140 each.
The latter has a blob/core of Nutella inside, which you get to eat as you break apart the cupcake while eating it. Hence the name. :)
I love the Cakery's Hazelnut cupcake! It is truly one-of-a-kind!

The slightly melted frosting is because of the excessive June heat of Karachi (yes, this post got a bit <*cough*> late in getting published).
By the time the cupcake box reached our home, it had to be instantly placed inside the fridge!

Double Chocolate cupcake - Rs 140

The cupcake box carries a menu of all the cupcake flavors available at The Cakery. The Chocoberry and Mint cupcakes are the only ones left for me to try.

Verdict: The Cakery's baked goods are definitely overpriced, but the great taste and superior quality of ingredients used, are guaranteed. If you want to support a young entreprenuer who works hard upon each product and regularly creates new and interesting culinary innovations, then do head over to the Cakery in Tauheed Commercial area, or pick up the phone to place your order.

For more details (and to view tons of delectable, mouth-watering product photos, check out the Cakery's Facebook Page). You can also view more details about it over at KarachiSnob.

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. :)