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.

Lal Qila Restaurant, main Shahrah-e-Faisal

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Lal Qila is a famous buffet restaurant located on main Shahrah-e-Faisal.
The whole structure has been designed as a fort and constructed with red bricks, hence the name.
We visited it over a year ago, so this review is very late. But better late than never, as they say.

For the current rates of buffet lunch, hi-tea and dinner, please visit the Lal Qila website.

The massive wooden entrance doors lead into the main reception area.

The compact seating area at the reception has been designed traditionally.

Once they get the go-ahead, the customers enter the main restaurant area, which is open-air.

There is an indoor dining room and a play area for little children (both not pictured above) as well. 

An artificial fountain and waterfall on one side provide the pleasant sound of running water - a real bonus for the outdoor diners.

This red-brick building next to the entrance/exit houses the children's play area and office (not pictured).
The play area is designed completely in wood as a small fort! Very nice idea. Children were delighted.

For lunch, cloth awnings are temporarily erected to provide shade to the diners who choose to dine outside.



Since we decided to have lunch here on a weekday during winter, we chose to dine alfresco.

The washroom (where we go to wash our hands) was very clean, but in dire need of some maintenance and repair.
Notice how the mirrors and tissue-box are done up to match the decor of the restaurant?

There is a sitting area on an upstairs terrace as well, which these stairs lead to.
It was not open for lunch.

The drapes/awnings don't look all that elegant for a high-end restaurant, yeah, and they hide the grandeur of the red-brick architecture of the 'fort' juxtaposed against the blue sky during the day, but one must admit that they are direly needed to shield diners from the intense midday heat of the sun (even during winters!).

The view of the "fort" above the awnings.

There is a central 'square' that houses the food area, where customers can help themselves to the food from large bronze/copper-colored pots.

Prawn Tempura

Fried fresh for diners.

Fried Potatoes

I really have no idea what these were or why they were there?!

The BBQ station is off to one side.
 It serves tikka and kababs in chicken and beef, barbecued live.

Live BBQ: Chicken seekh kababs, Chicken Tikka, and Beef seekh kababs, in that order.

The salad, sauce/chutney and dessert bar.
It looks messy in the picture above, but that is the customers' fault. Everything in the salad bar was very fresh.

My child's plate (from top right): prawn tempura, pasta salad, and a piece of fish

Clockwise from top right:

Fried Fish, Prawn Tempura, Chinese Egg Fried Rice, Chicken in Sweet and Sour Sauce, Beef in Black Pepper Sauce, and Vegetable Thin Mien

Samandri Heera - boneless fried fish

There were handi's with Haleem and Nihari, along with their accompanying garnishes.

There were Chapli Kababs being fried live as well. 

Fried fish and prawn tempura again, with sauces (such as tartar sauce) from the salad bar.

From left: Chicken Biryani, Aaloo Bhujia, Cholay (partitioned in the same container) and a tray for fresh Puri's

At this station, the chefs also knead, roll out, and deep-fry fresh puri's and kachori's

The dough balls for the puri's, and a very orange-colored Suji ka Halwa

Khubani ka Meetha, Jelly Mousse, and Chickpea salad

Potato salad, Arabic Labban, Oriental salad and Pasta salad

No traditional buffet at a Pakistani restaurant would be complete without this popular dessert: hot and tender Gulab Jamans floating in their oozy sweet syrup.

BBQ Kababs, Fried Rice and Black Pepper Beef.

Doesn't the barbecued mince look delectable?

Hot n Sour Soup with chicken and shrimps

Soft drinks are provided in cans

A tall glass of sweet lassi for Rs 70

Titled as "Dil ki Thandak" on the menu, this was the best lassi I have ever had! And I am not even a big fan of the drink. 

We all shared this huge glass of fresh wholesomeness. 

Ice cream, khubani ka meetha, and jelly

Lab-e-Shireen, Khubani ka meetha, and gulab jaman

Verdict: I think the above photographs speak amply in favor of the quality and freshness of the food. Sorry if they made you drool on an empty stomach!

The floor of the restaurant was not very clean (I suppose because it is open-air?) but everything else was more than satisfactory, especially the quality of the food.

I would recommend going to Lal Qila for lunch instead of dinner, because at the latter time, the entire restaurant is extremely crowded, especially on weekends, and the platters empty very quickly (taking time to be replenished), especially the salad bar. There are long queues in front of the fried items.

We should try to support our local restaurants in addition to, if not more than, foreign food franchises, because they are making a mark for themselves by consistently providing a quality dining experience and catering services in the face of stiff international competition, rising inflation, and a struggling economy faced with political chaos.

Kudos to Lal Qila for not just surviving, but thriving, in the local food-scape of Karachi.