New York Coffee, Zamzama, DHA 5

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـانِ الرَّحِيمِ

Apologies to my readers and subscribers for the year-long hiatus in updating this blog. We had not stopped eating out, though, in case you were wondering. Its just that I got tired of waiting for photos to upload here on blogger. :)

In the meantime, though, I was actively uploading photos (and the occasional video) of my foodie experiences on instagram. 

New York Coffee has been around for quite some time now, located on Zamzama boulevard just opposite the prominent building of Pizza Hut. It is a stone's throw away from Bella Vita. 

The cafe is quite spacious and has an open-plan kind of design. 

The seating arrangement includes wooden chairs and soft couches, both. High chairs are available for babies.
That's not a window in the photo above; the walls are all adorned with life-size mural-like pictures of scenes in New York. 

The bar: where the beverage-concocting magic takes place at the hands of the baristas. 

Muffins, chocolate fondue, lava cakes, cheesecakes, chocolate chip cookies, and other delectable baked goodies are on display near the coffee and drinks bar.

The cafe has several savories on offer to go along with coffee and desserts. Prices on the menu are quoted exclusive of taxes.

I spotted their 9-inch, thin crust pizza ordered by diners on an adjoining table. 

Coffees and teas. I have only tried their cappuccino and it was very good! 

Sorry about the blurred shots of the menu. 

I've heard their lava cake called Molten Rock Chocolate is tops! Here is what it purportedly looks like.
I haven't tried it yet, though, much as I love lava cakes. 

They also have special tables for pairs and couples. 

Mix Berries Delight Waffles- Rs 425

This is our favorite item on the menu, for which we keep going back. Few places in Karachi serve fresh, hot waffles straight off the griddle, and New York Coffee is one of them. 

They also serve waffles with plain maple syrup or Nutella. However, their "multi-berry" waffles come with tinned (and frozen) strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, dollops of whipped cream, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, in addition to maple syrup. 

Enough calories for two people! Or, as in our case, 3 children. :)

Fried Eggs With Beef Bacon - Rs 460

We had to ask for more bread, but otherwise, this dish left no room for complains. The egg portion was massive! I can't eat three eggs like this, so we shared (we do that a lot). 

Vegetarian Crepe - Rs 395

This crepe arrives hot, with a sumptuous center filled with mushrooms, melted cheese, and black olives. The crepes are large and soft.

The style of folding the crepes changed on a subsequent visit. And where were the Heinz baked beans? Forget much? :P

Nutella Pancake - Rs 375

The pancakes have Nutella in the batter too. You can see chocolate spots dotting the core of the cooked pancake when you dig in and break them apart to eat. 

Ready to dig in: drizzled with maple syrup and dotted with butter.

One of the best pancakes I have had in K-town: hot, light and fluffy. Much better than the overrated ones I have ordered at Espresso, The Pantry, or Marigold and Honey Cafe.

I don't like how they serve the butter though. Lurpak butter sachets?! Really? 

For a picture of what their "multi-berry" pancakes and a cup of cappuccino looks like, check out this instagram shot that I took: 

Four Cheese Omelet - Rs 450

The omelet was huge and stuffed and topped with melted cheeses! The hash brown was crisp and hot.

They accommodate customers' choice of either bran or white bread with the egg dishes on offer. The portion size of the eggs was once again more than enough for two adults. 

I like my omelets nicely golden browned, so I shall probably pass this in the future, and just stick to fried eggs.

Besides the food, New York Coffee cafe sure knows how to whip up a great cup of coffee! I sprinkled brown sugar on the creamy froth atop my 'small' cappuccino (yes, they serve large-sized caffeine portions too) and stirred it for your viewing pleasure. 

***

Verdict: Portion sizes of the dishes are great. You should go really hungry, if you want to finish your main entree dish and sample some of the great desserts on the menu as well. 

As for the ambiance, it's all good, except for the loud music and cigarette smoke, both of which are a real turn-off when its crowded! Since the cafe is open-plan and allows customers to smoke, you can end up inhaling some of the toxic vapors whilst dining. And who enjoys that?! 

Also, if the table next to you becomes occupied with boisterous youngsters, you probably won't enjoy your meal due to the added louse noise and lack of privacy. So go at a down time. 

The staff is courteous, welcoming, and friendly. The coffee and desserts won't disappoint!

If you like coffee, lava cakes, pancakes, and waffles, this is the place for you to visit next time.

Espresso, Dolmen Mall, Clifton

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

We are all undoubtedly familiar with the local chain of cafe's called Espresso.
Recently, it opened one of its branches in - yawn - where else? Yes, Dolmen City Mall, in Clifton.

 
I admit I've been to Espresso only a few of times up till now, mostly with family or girlfriends, but only for coffee or desserts, never breakfast.

I've been told that "no one does breakfast like Espresso". Really?
So this year, we thought we'd give their breakfast a try, as soon as the current post-Eid shopping lull commenced.
This outlet of Espresso is located a bit deep inside the belly of Dolmen City Mall, i.e. going past Liberty Books on the ground floor (which is located at a tangent across Papparoti), then turning right and walking further down the corridor.

There are no scenic ocean views, sadly, but thankfully, what this branch of Espresso lacks in windows and aerial views, it makes up in the form of natural light coming in through the high skylight above.  

That is, there is nothing above this outlet of Espresso on all the 3 floors of the mall except the distant glass panes of the gigantic skylight.

We decided to visit it as soon as the mall opens on weekdays i.e. around 10 a.m., and as you can see, we were the first ones in. We walked in on a staff meeting, actually. ;)

Truth be told, we do not enjoy eating at noisy, crowded cafes, especially if smokers are present. Whenever I've walked past this outlet of Espresso during "peak" business hours, I found it noisily thronging with people.....and cigarette smoke! [*gag*]

We opted to sit on one of the raised kiosk-type booths visible on the left (which is not such a good idea with small children, as our son stumbled on the narrow step twice!)

Overall, I like the ambiance and 'open plan' interior decor of this branch of Espresso.
It is not at all like the cramped outlets on Zamzama (is it still there?) and The Forum, and much more spacious than the one on main Khayaban-e-Shahbaz. 

My children were mesmerized by the movement of these elevators that constantly went up and down.

FYI, these elevators are located just adjacent to Espresso, and as is obvious from the above photo, are visible from within the cafe, so if you are on the second floor of Dolmen Mall, you can enter these elevators from behind GunSmoke and come directly down here.
Very few mall visitors are hitherto aware of this route of movement.  

A shot of the skylight above. Can you spot a wiper?
Yes, a man was actually standing up there, wiping away the rainwater from the glass panes, much to my children's amazement!

Here is a shot of their main attraction: the coffee drinks menu.
Prices are exclusive of 16% G.S.T (government sales tax). 

I really liked their simply designed, no-frills menu. Very neat and easy to peruse at a glance. 
All breakfast dishes on the menu at Espresso will cut you back roughly Rs 400-500.

The main entrees. I haven't tried any of these yet. 

The desserts and drinks section.

Cheese and Mushroom Omelet - Rs 425 + tax

Cheese, Pepperoni and Onion Omelette - Rs 425 + tax

Waffles with Ice Cream and Maple Syrup - Rs 320 + tax
This vanilla ice cream was just awesome!

Pancakes with Maple Syrup- Rs 295 + tax
I took this photo after my daughter had drizzled some syrup over the fluffy pancakes. You can see the darker patches on them where it was absorbed almost immediately.
Fresh pancake goodness at its warm, gooey best!

A shot of the melted mozzarella cheese oozing out from the omelet. 
The omelets were hardly spiced, to our surprise. You can see from the yellowness of the egg that it has no spices at all!
The desi in me had to generously sprinkle back pepper on top. I guess I should have had the "Pakistani" omelet? :)

Similar shot of the omelet with pepperoni. Delectably laden with cheese, but again, no spices. 
The grilled tomatoes and hash browns incited zero complains.

However, we prefer our omelets browned well in oil until they are golden (instead of yellow). We also like our bran bread (there is a choice of white or bran at the time of ordering) toasted more, until it is very crunchy on the outside.

We also had to order two more toasts to down these massive omelets with, which came quickly at no extra charge.

Tea - Rs 120 + tax.
This had to be sent to be reheated mid-meal, which the staff obliged to do immediately.
It tasted very good sweetened with those cute little brown sugar cubes.

Verdict: We were quite a satisfied lot, alhamdulillah, but I definitely like the omelets at Butler's better. The waffles at Hobnob Cafe are better than the ones here too, in my opinion.

If you like your eggs fried and spiced very rarely, you will probably enjoy the breakfast at Espresso more than I did.

Perhaps one day I will come to Espresso again, to give their main entrees a try, insha'Allah. 

Until then, overpriced breakfasts like these will probably remain the once-in-a-while, occasional treat for us.

N'ecos Natural Store and Cafe, Phase 5, Defence

N'ecos Natural Store and Cafe has recently opened its doors along one of the lanes between main Khayaban-e-Shujaat and 16th Street off Khayaban-e-Muhafiz. Its in the same lane as the men's clothing store Naushemian. 

This picture of the map was downloaded from their now defunct website.

Since this store and cafe boasts organic and high-quality ingredients, the prices are on the high side.

They serve breakfast all day, which includes traditional desi as well as foreign fare. The "doorstep-thick" French Toast (pictured below in this post), is a unique attraction offered only by Necos's that is as yet unparalleled by other eateries.

Eggs are free-range, and you can choose wholegrain or white bread, and pick cheese that is hormone-free.

Their menu is more exotic than what you find in other cafes, e.g. they have a variety of flatbreads that are wholegrain.

The dessert menu

The cafe ambience is spacious yet cozy because of the abundance of woodwork, not to mention a tree in its center! 

Assorted things were hanging from the tree branches. Kudos to whoever designed the interior of this cafe-cum-deli-cum-store.

A blackboard displays the day's special menu and new store products on offer. I absolutely loved the ample use of thick wood throughout the cafe!

The woodwork added a very "countryside" touch to the ambience.

Behind the counter, an array of N'ecos original organic products on display. 

The deli has scrumptious-looking items, such as tarts, cookies, croissants, buns and other snacks on display.

Muffins, cupcakes, and a multitude of different breads can be bought here.

The store staff was very welcoming towards children, and provided them with colors and paper, which kept them occupied constructively.

The staff also offered my children two chocolate chip cookies, priced at Rs 15 each, on the house as soon as we entered the cafe.

Unlike other cafes, you can rest assured that whatever you order is prepared in a clean kitchen under high standards of hygiene. 

Customers can watch the food they order being prepared by chefs behind an open counter, and the final dishes are assembled before their eyes. 

The salad bowls are quite unique in shape, aren't they?

Mineral water is complimentary and is served in exquisite stemmed glasses (even to children!) as soon as you sit down to dine.  

Moroccan Chicken with pasta in creamy sauce, priced at Rs 499.

Homemade pasta with prawns in pesto, also priced at Rs 499. At N'ecos, they use their own pasta in their dishes!

Since breakfast is served all day, traditional Pakistani omelette, with onions and tomatoes but sans chillies, and paratha were ordered for the children, priced at Rs 399. This came with one cup of tea as well. 

Are you wincing at the price? Well, the quantity was more than enough for even one very hungry adult, plus they use their own whole wheat aata and free-range eggs!

Notice that N'ecos has its own distinct crockery.

Khageena with wholewheat paratha and one cup of tea - Rs 399

Hummus with mini-toasts - Rs 180
The hummus was spicy, glossy and really delicious!

Doorstep-thick French Toast with topping of maple syrup and seasonal fruit - Rs 329

 
Doorstep-thick French Toast with topping of apple, raisin and cinnamon compote - Rs 329

Cottage Chicken - Rs 569
The menu describes this as: "Chicken breast stuffed with layers of basil pesto, cottage cheese and tomatoes, along with Bearnaise sauce served with sauteed vegetables".
This was delicious; the only quibble I had with it was the small portion size. At this price, why are they being so stingy with the size of the chicken breast, sauteed veggies and sauce? It would not suffice for a very hungry adult.

Wholewheat Waffles with topping of seasonal fruit and maple syrup - Rs 300

The warm, syrup-drizzled waffles made a thoroughly enjoyable treat for the children! You can't get these at home, unless you have a waffle-maker.

Wholewheat pancakes with seasonal fruit and maple syrup - Rs 250
You will feel less guilty about having these pancakes, because they are wholewheat i.e. healthier. 

Blueberry-sauce topped New York Style cheesecake, priced at Rs 260. It was crusty around the edges, which indicated that it was not fresh, but its taste was nevertheless great!

A cup of tea accompanied the anda paratha breakfast i.e. it was included in its price. You can choose between teabag tea or doodh patti, and the sugar that comes with it is brown sugar or gurr that is of course one of the store's own original products. 

The bill includes Rs 198 as "Service charges" - yes, this cafe includes service charges as part of the bill, and there is no GST. 

The cafe and deli occupy the main floor but there is an entire, spacious organic products store in the basement as well, which I was unable to photograph. 

You can visit the N'ecos Facebook page for more information, product details and photos. Headed by the same entrepreneur who owns Hobnob Cafe (the past "Copper Kettle") and Hobnob Bakery chain, N'ecos with its product originality and wholesomeness of ingredients indeed seems to be here to stay!