Nursery Fish Point, Nursery, off main Shahrah-e-Faisal

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ 

Someone recently informed us about one of Karachi's well-kept culinary secrets:

a small, make-shift kiosk off main Shahrah-e-Faisal called Nursery Fish Point, that does delicious, fresh fried fish at affordable rates.

It is located in the side lane off main Shahrah-e-Faisal just in front of the prominent HBL (Habib Bank Limited) building that is almost directly opposite Hotel Faran, which is located right across from it on the other side of the main double road. Hard to miss.

A few street lights illuminate three stalls that discreetly start doing business soon after sundown every day, five days a week. 

The chicken soup selling stall is visible in the picture above.

And this is the main fish-selling stall that does good business. 

The third, Haleem stall (titled "Tasty Haleem") is visible to its right. 

Ad-hoc, make-shift roadside seating arrangements are present around these three kiosks. 

Very few vehicles pass along these dimly-lit lanes at night.

The masala-marinated boneless fish fillets are visible in the large tray above.

You can avail these fillets without masala too, if you want them mild in taste, by specifying this to the seller before they are fried. We opted for masala-less fish for our children.

One-fourth (quarter) kilogram of Finger Fish (a single plate) costs Rs 150

Both White Pomfret and Black Pomfret are available, priced at around Rs 600-700 per kilogram. One kilo yields 2-3 fish. 

They also have Mushka. 

The kiosk is boldly titled "Nursery Fish Point" in Urdu.

Chicken Soup with boiled egg topping - Rs 25

It is hard to believe that such a satisfying bowl of chicken soup can cost so less. Alhamdulillah! I preferred it without the boiled egg.

Single plate of Finger Fish (sans masala) (1/4 kg, or quarter kilogram) - Rs 150

Double plate of Finger Fish - Rs 300

You can see the masala sprinkled on top of the fillets.
The fish was fresh, tasty and really tender. 

Chapati's -Rs 10 each

Chicken Haleem, Rs 35

This was the best haleem I have had in a long time! It had the sticky-strand texture that is reminiscent of haleem's prepared on slow fires in days of yore, without the help of any modern-day short-cuts, such as blenders and food processors. 

Verdict: This is quintessential Karachi street-food dining at its best! Need more be said? Its winter! Go grab that piping hot soup, fish and haleem during the current breezy, chilly Karachi winter nights, before the sweltering summer sets in. :)

Butler's Chocolate Cafe, Dolmen Mall, Clifton

For the authentic chocolate flavor and quite a wide array of breakfast and savory items, Butlers Chocolate Cafe has definitely made its mark in Karachi.

Their first outlet still operates successfully on main Zamzama boulevard, but they are now also doing business in full swing at their new outlet which is on the ground floor of the burgeoning business center, Dolmen Mall Clifton.

Sadly, the outlet resembles more an airport 'thoroughfare' waiting lounge than a cafe, as it is open on 3 sides, with the constant heavy traffic of shoppers and passers-by having a look at what you're eating. Hardly any privacy. 

A furniture store flanks its back side. I must admit that this adds to the overall aesthetics of the ambience. :) 

Ouch. The tables are a bit too close together for comfort. Plus, I am not a big fan of the stiff, uncomfortable chairs in this cafe (which are the same in design as those in the Dolmen Mall Food Court up on the 3rd floor).

This outlet of Butler's is right opposite the debut branch of UK's Debenhams.

For hot chocolate, nothing beats this: Butler's Famous Hot Chocolate - Rs 290

Interestingly, the waiter at this outlet took our order by tapping away on his smartphone! :)

The service was prompt and polite. No complains. 

As for the hot chocolate itself, I can safely say that hitherto I have not found a combination of sugar and chocolate of any kind done as well as Butler's (except perhaps the chocolate cake at Nando's!). In fact, the only reason we visited this outlet in the first place was because of my sudden craving for a hot, chocolate drink (which is thankfully rather rare).

My children love this starter: Mozzarella Cheese Sticks - Rs 370

Those were some massive cheese sticks! Finger-licking good (hot and crisp). 

Although the price is steep, the quantity was worth it. We also enjoyed the sauces that accompanied them.

Chicken and Mushroom Soup - Rs 230

The bowl seems shallow in the picture, but the soup's quantity was good, as was its taste and texture. It was so hot that I had to wait a bit before tasting it. It was creamy and delicious, laced with ample, chunky mushroom slices. 

Here is the total bill of our rather eclectic snack-tryst. 

As you can see, the prices were exclusive of GST (Government Sales Tax). 

Verdict: A good place to hop into if you have a sudden craving for chocolate or coffee whilst shopping at Dolmen Mall. Don't expect any peace and quiet or privacy, though. You'll feel more like you're probably sitting on the platform of a railway/subway station. :P

Indulge, Zamzama

Indulge is the name of a chain of restaurants that is owned by Cupola, the same company that owns and runs the KFC franchise in Pakistan. 

We sometimes visit the Zamzama outlet that is a stone's throw away from our residence. The ambience is quite nice. There are 3 portions: one lower portion, one glass-walled one as seen in the above picture, and one main dining area (below).

An aquarium adds to the ambience of any room.

The children were transfixed whilst watching the fish.

The main dining area is spacious - this is the non-smoking section. 

Their motto.

A funky restaurant cannot be considered to "have arrived" nowadays unless it has a wall-mounted plasma television. Its besides the point that all that's ever on is either news or sports.

The menu 

Starting off, Soups and Salads on the menu - Indulge has very affordable prices.

Sandwiches and Wraps

Burgers

Main entrees (why does each page have "platters" printed on it?)

The pizza menu - yes, contrary to the corporation's aggressive billboard advertising that makes Indulge come off as a giant pizza enterprise, its pizza menu is actually quite limited.

Desserts

More desserts....trust me, the photographs are much better-looking than the actual products that are placed in front of you when you order!

Drinks and smoothies

Coffee variety

Garlic Dip came with French Fries

Thai Tom Yam soup for Rs. 80 plus tax

The soup contained pieces of mushroom, ginger and garlic.

Chicken Fajita Sandwich and Pasta Fettuccini in White Sauce

The Chicken Fajita Sandwich tasted great! The bread was fresh and soft, very similar to Subway's Oregano and Parmesan bread.

Regular Chicken Tikka pizza

Regular Chicken Fajita Pizza - both pizzas were extremely similar, almost alike, in taste. They were part of a deal priced at Rs 777, with a large soft drink bottle also thrown in. 

Brownie A La Mode, for Rs 80 including tax. Reasonable prices, eh? 

The brownie was extremely rich and warm.

Fruity Sundae for Rs 140 including tax. 

This was a bit of a disappointment, because the 2 ice cream scoops that were supposed to be topped by the fruit and cream had partially melted by the time this was served to us.

Cappuccino for Rs 90 plus tax.

Overall verdict: The service at Indulge is really lacking. The waiters are polite and serve you on time, but we had to ask them for everything, such as napkins, glasses, drinks, and after having the soup, we had to ask the waiter to take the bowl away. 

Portion size is small, which is what you can expect, since the prices are so reasonable. However, the quality of the food is up to the mark. You will not come away feeling as if you were ripped off, which is what one sometimes feels after dining at other overpriced eateries on Zamzama. 

I think the plush but comfy ambience and the affordable prices combined with the good quality of food are what keep Indulge still going strong.

They could do with an additional trained waiter or two at their Zamzama outlet, though!