Fika: My Break for Coffee and to Grab a Bite

We need more of those places which serve all day breakfast. Had the privilege of going to Fika on the day they launched their all day breakfast menu. And man was I delighted! It had everything a breakfast-o-philiac like me would love.

I ordered the ‘Apple Cinnamon French Toast’ and a ‘Cappuccino’ at the recommendation of the attendant. I was just delighted when my order came. The French Toast was soooo perfect. The bread, crispy at the edges and the right blend of soggy and crispy in the middle. The honey syrup and apple fritas on the side made it so delectable. I am a Black Coffee person and I hardly ever order Cappuccinos and all. So I had my fingers crossed. But when I took a sip, I was glad I decided to go for it. It was the right amount of frothy and the right amount of bitter. 

Classic Cappuccino from the Coffee Menu

Apple Cinnamon French Toast for my Sweet Tooth

Oh by the by, I love how they’ve compiled their menu. It was quite an entertaining read, perusing through the witty side notes. Take a look here: 

Fika: Breakfast Menu

Fika: Breakfast Menu

Fika: Breakfast Menu

To sum it up, it was a wonderful experience. I would give it a 9/10. Thanks Fika for treating me well. :)

Tao – the Pan Asian experience for Food Connoisseurs

I was in Lahore when this new eatery got located on the map of eateries of Karachi. Friends had been raving about this new place opening up at Boat Basin bringing together food from different parts of Asia. WOM did the trick. I was planning a visit so I asked them to wait for me to get to Karachi. A few days after my arrival in the city, and I was already bugging my friends to go to this one. The next thing you know is we’re seated at a comfy table in the restaurant.  

I entered the premises. A bunch of my friends (all girls) had already gotten there by the time I reached (the obsessive need to be on time everywhere is not so good after all :p). The attendant who was serving on our table came with menu cards for the 4 of us. Two of my friends wesre on their way, but well we go nuts for food, so we started deciding what we’ll order [woman power! ;)]. So we had been occupying a table for like an hour and hadn’t ordered anything, but the attendant and the management were super patient and formidable. . The rest of the gang arrived minutes later. After a few minutes, the waiter came back to take our order but we hadn’t decided (as usual :p). So the man very courteously asked us if we needed help with that and the next moment we were all bugging him with what he recommends. After various arguments we decided on Dynamite Prawns and Assorted Nigiri to start with, and one item from each Poultry, Beef and Fish and Prawns sections. Our pick was Sweet and Spicy Basil Beef, Kimball chicken and Fish with Red Peppercorns. Pina Colada and Peach Iced Tea is a must (always). Didn’t need to order rice, as steamed rice were served in small bowls and we could have as much as we wanted.

Clockwise from the left: Fish with Red Peppercorns,
Dynamite Prawns and Sweet and Spicy Basil Beef

Dynamite prawns came a few minutes later and man were they hot [in all senses of hot ;)]. Beautifully served in a cocktail glass they were a major hit. Food came a few minutes later with a pair of chopsticks for everyone. The attendant demonstrated how to eat with them (yeah some of us are chopstick dummies :p). Everything looked super tempting and was met expectations taste-wise too. One word for the sweet and spicy basil beef: orgasmic [don’t okay? I can’t resist sweet corn]. The fish with red peppercorns added to the goodness. Was a little more peppery though. Kimball chicken wasn’t very laudable but was above average. Nigiri? Well not something that I wanna have, so no comments. My friends found it average though. Drinks were good, just the way they should have been at a fine dining restaurant.

Our bill totaled to approximately Rs. 5800. For six people on the table, that is a pretty decent amount. 8/10 is how I would rate my overall experience at Tao. The food, courtesy and level of service were very good. Tao is a must visit. If you’re one of those who understand and appreciate Pan Asian cuisine, then Tao is the place for you. Happy dining out! J

Hoagies: A different way of looking at Sandwiches

For a loyal Subway person, it is too darn difficult to find a place where good sandwiches are the offering. But well the constant need to find and try out new places compelled me to visit this new sandwich shop Hoagies on Saba Avenue. [Also because I wanted to review it for SWOT and join the race. Oops did I say too much? :p]

Alright, let’s come back to the topic. So we entered the place and were welcomed by the staff behind the counter. Pleasant. It was just like those self-service type places where you order food and they serve it on your table. We placed our order. My pick was the Hogatron (sounds like a movie name, no?) from the Hellafat menu (yeah I’m a chicken person. Don’t judge.) and my friend ordered the Hottie from their Dirty menu (let me come back to that later :p). The attendant told us that Hogatron comes with fries inside the sandwich. I was like fries inside a sandwich? That’s gotta be somethin’. My mind urged me to try, like it always does. Chose my bread and proceeded to check out. Took out my card to pay and the attendant goes like “cash only Ma’am”. Honestly speaking, that is one thing that bugs me like crazy. I mean when will these places understand the concept of plastic money? Even my friend was outta cash, so I left her there to take out money from the ATM. Came back a few minutes later. Made the payment and got seated.

The place was small but looked very comfortable. Meals came like a minute later. I took the first bite of my Hogatron and was delighted with the taste. A little too spicy for me but satisfied my taste buds since I’m a marinara sauce fan. Second bite was way richer (bit into the fries) but didn’t find it very appealing. Picked out the fries immediately after that (you do that too ok? :p). Hogged on the Hogatron after that and it was gone before I knew it. My friend seemed to enjoy her ‘dirty’ sandwich too ;) so I’m guessing it must’ve been good. A piece of advice: carry tissues/sanitizer if you’re planning to go for these! :p

The delicious Hogatron from the 'Hellafat' menu

The truly Dirty Hottie ;)

Below are my ratings for various aspects of the experience:

Ambiance: 8/10
Service and Staff: 9/10
Food: 7/10
Presentation: 7/10
Hygiene: 9/10
Value for money: 8/10
Overall experience: 7.5/10

To sum it up, their offerings are different. Whether you’ll like them or not is something you’ll find out once you try. Good luck! :D 

Important: We forgot to take pictures ourselves. The ones in this post have been taken from Hoagies' Instagram (I do that sometimes, yeah). 

A Casual Visit to Freddy’s Café at MM Alam Road

If you’re a true foodie based in Lahore, you must have heard of and tried Freddy’s Café, located on the most happening street of the city, that too numerous times. Now I don’t want to go into lousy details of the ambiance, the courtesy of the waiters and the service etc. because those are top notch here. I just want to talk about the food I tried.

We ordered 3 things from the menu on this last trip to the café, starting with a salad. You must be wondering why. Mainly because I couldn’t ignore the salad bar as I was passing by to get to my table inside. Sent my sister to make the salad and she came back with the most tempting things on the platter. It had chicken and was all saucy. Wouldn’t be fabricated if I said it was Christmas in my mouth, the moment I took my first bite.

Freddy's Saucy Salad

Freddy’s Special Burger was another delight. The bread was not stuffed with meat, neither it only filled with veggies and minimal meat; it was just the way I like it, although some carnivorous beasts [no offense please ;)] would disagree.

I also HAD TO try something from the ‘Chef’s Recommended’ menu at Freddy’s Café (I usually do) and my instant pick was Chicken Bonne Femme of course. Quite obvious that I love French [the language ;) men too I suppose]. Yeah I’ve taken and cleared the first module of the language during my exchange year in the US and I was one of the favorites of my teacher. :D *nostalgic here* Alright enough bragging there. Coming back to the chicken! So it came with amazingly aromatic saffron rice and the cheese stuffing. Was surely a treat for my buds and I was so full by the end of the meal that I wanted to have a smoke right away. But since it is a ‘Family Restaurant’ I couldn’t. We paid the bill and left to smoke outside of course. This wasn’t the best part but I’m sure they have their reasons.

Chicken Bonne Femme for a 'Good Girl' ;)

Now if you think this is a paid review, you’re very wrong. I just really like the place. Will soon be dining there again with friends and family. Those reading this piece, give Freddy’s a try. You won’t be disappointed (hopefully). 

Nandos for a Spicy Treat. Always.

TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday because this day means 2 hours of Lunch break. And that EXCITES me!

With a very busy first half and hectic dealing, we (me and my team) decided to treat ourselves at Nandos (I am thinking about that delicious cake as I write this). So, after the prayers we hit the road and reached Fortress. We quickly seated ourselves and placed the order.

Now Peri Bites, are a must if you are at Nandos; and if you haven’t tried it, my sympathies with you on missing out on one of the greatest innovations in the food world. There they were, Green Chilies filled with sauce and chicken covered with a thick layer of batter. And that dip sauce – it is so amazing I could just have it all day long. To our surprise, it was served within 5 minutes. What a great start to the lunch!

Peri Bites: a treat to die for!

For a change, I ordered Chicken Trinchado (I am a fan of Chicken Breast Fillet with cheese in Pita). I asked the attendant and he gave me a perfect description of the portions. Chicken cubes with little gravy served with rice and boy were they tasty. Mix the gravy with the Nandos Peri Peri sauce (I prefer the Mild flavor) and add a bit of Peri Peri Garlic sauce. The outcome? An irresistible-spicy-delicious rice bowl with chicken cubes coming with Coke for a filling and mouthwatering treat (Not to forget the free refills :D).

Chicken Trinchado in mild flavor

Overall, had amazing food to counter the strenuous first working day of the year. Good food, excellent service, and a pleasant ambiance – Thank you NANDOS!

Domino's Pizza Saves the Day

Disclaimer: I’m not a big pizza fan. I would rather order Chinese food.

Anyway, it was one of those lazy Sunday afternoons when I had woken up really late and was craving for something that I could have within half an hour to 45 minutes. Yeah talk about speed in food delivery and Domino’s clicks instantly. Hence I placed the order on the Foodpanda web portal.

Food arrived within an hour and tasted good as usual but I guess Domino’s needs to work on its promise harder than ever. The chain should try to bring its delivery time to half an hour at max, since now it is not just competing with giants such as Pizza Hut like itself. There is a lot of local competition and New York style hand-tossed pizza is becoming more popular among the masses.

But I wouldn’t deny the fact that Domino’s has always been up to serve me especially on days like these when all I want is oven hot, fresh food at my doorstep within minutes. I would say it was a pleasant experience overall.