No Forks Given

I have to admit that being a cheese fan, I was instantly intrigued when I heard about the launch of the Karachi-based Meat the Cheese here in Lahore. I knew it was going to be all about lots and lots of cheese. Then, of course, all those Instagram and Facebook posts showing gooey, melted cheese being poured over food just piqued my excitement. Yet, for some reason I wasn’t too eager to actually pay it a visit. But, one fine day, grabbed a couple of friends and paid it a visit. Located on Noor Jehan Road almost next to Hussain Chowk, Gulberg, the black and yellow exterior on the first floor is hard to miss. Upon entering, one is greeted by some funky graffiti with lots of yellow bulbs hanging over it. The space is big enough, but gives an unfilled feel the way tables have been placed at a distance from each other. Generally, the interior has a refined cellar-meets-backyard vibe with brass pipes on the ceiling, wood furniture and counter with a black wall inscribed with quirky...

Islamabad's popular burger joint Jessie’s opened its doors to Lahore in September 2018, around a year after it popped up in the capital city. Owned by musician/filmmaker Yasir Jaswal, the eatery is known for its burgers and shakes. But it has taken a huge risk by opening up off M.M. Alam Road a few feet from one of the giants of Lahore’s burger scene. From the outside, Jessie’s attracts with its neon signs. Inside, there are more neon lights, metal frames on the ceiling, there’s colourful vibrant graffiti, and also a conventional stand-up video game machine in a corner of one of the two dining halls. It’s loud with music blaring from speakers, yet it’s vibrant and lively, almost giving off vibes of a gaming arcade that’s been turned into a pub. The wooden benches, chairs and tables are perfectly in line with the entire ambiance, while there are a few tables outdoor also for the smokers. The menu isn’t too elaborate with the primary focus on burgers, of course. There ar...

Steaks are a tricky business. And no, I don’t mean chicken, but the succulent slabs of beef available in various cuts. It’s all a game of temperature they’re cooked and rested at; even a minute less or more can affect the texture. Though it depends on an individual what temperature they want their steak to be cooked at – rare, medium rare, medium, medium well, well done, but connoisseurs suggest ‘medium rare’ delivers the best texture and flavour. Bovinoes Steak House opened up in a busy market of Sector FF in Phase 4, Defence, around a year ago with a promise to offer delicious premium cuts of meat. Inside, it’s a small two-storey space with the interior mostly done in shades and textures of brown to go with the food on offer. Besides various categories of steaks, Bovinoes also offers pastas, burgers, grilled chicken and a handful of desserts. Tagging a friend along, I decided to pay the restaurant a visit after waiting for almost a year, and sat down at a table b...

Rarely does a restaurant offer its customers unusual, innovative, avant-garde food. A little bit of experiment wouldn’t hurt any food business and not go after run-of-the-mill options entirely; without a signature you’re as good as everyone else around. One such pretty-as-a-picture restaurant was Rivoli. Yes, it *was* because it's no more operational.  But back when it was very much there, I headed over to it as it had been on my mind ever since I saw beautiful pictures of their food on social media. Rivoli was located in Z block, Defence surrounded by a host of other known and lesser-known restaurants. At lunch time, the small, two-storey bistro brightens up with sunlight seeping in through the glass window; a black and white mural covers one of the walls, while the other sides and some portion of the ceiling are lined with brass pipes and light bulbs. The overall ambiance is cool, neat and refined. The menu is compact, but almost everything on it makes one curious an...

Small little cafés/restaurants, not occupying a lot of space, aiming at providing a cosy, comfy ambience to diners seems to be all the rage now. Not that the days of large-scale, spacious restaurants are over, but the former is what one mostly sees dotting the city now. Forklore was one such place till it served.  Tucked away in the corner of a mini shopping gallery on the other side of M.M. Alam Road (the patch between Firdous Market and Hussain Chowk), this weeks-old unassuming continental restaurant has a simple, minimalistic interior, open kitchen, and a comfortable dining area. The menu is compact, yet offers something to everyone. Grabbing a friend along, I headed over to Forklore on a hot day last week. As soon as we were seated at a corner table, we got on to ordering. Skipping the soups, obviously, the starters we ordered were a combination of the two types of prawns. The Golden Bites were succulent, perfectly cooked prawns coated with an in-house honey...

Around June 2018, I stumbled upon a unassuming new restaurant that had opened its doors only a couple of days earlier. Specialising in traditional Pakistani cuisine with their own signature reflecting in each dish, this outdoor restaurant claims to be serving popular delicacies from each of the 12 gates of old Lahore. Hence, its name, Baranh – signifying 12 gates of the Walled City. Located at Gaddafi Stadium sandwiched between the mighty Fazl-i-Haq Dera and Nadeem BBQ, Baranh presents a surreal ambiance in the evening with small lamp posts and bubble lamps hanging from trees. A limited indoor sitting space will be ready by the end of this month. There’s an open kitchen outside with a separate lassi counter on one side, and the menu doesn’t only include select old Lahore specialities – pathooray, haleem, tawa chicken to name a few, but a lot more of what desi cuisine is all about: from an assortment of parathas and lassis to mutton and chicken karahis. I was told the specialit...

Naming a restaurant ‘House of Chinese’ is, well, bold, and a tall claim to make. It evokes interest in that it refers to authenticity of the cuisine. House of Chinese had opened up in mid-2018 off M.M. Alam Road where once the restaurant Jazz stood. But it later ceased operations, and you might get an idea why after reading my review below I wrote back then.  With the interior giving off a vintage European, yet classy vibe replete with wooden furniture, window frames and doors with Chinese paintings to add the oriental touch, the vintage essence reflects off the menu as well; it could transport one back to their childhood when a humble Sweet ‘n Sour Chicken or Chicken Corn Soup was a delicacy. From the soups and appetizers to the mains, the selection of food at House of Chinese – barring probably the lobster, teppanyaki and teriyaki -- is safe and run of the mill: something I was told by the owner was deliberate keeping in mind customer preferences. What’s unique about...

Those aware of the home-based bakery, Ganache, would know it has specialised in cakes and desserts for a good over four years. So when a namesake café pops up, one expects the bakery’s signature goodies stocked up for all instead of placing orders. But that’s not it! Ganache Café offers not just delectable signature desserts, but also a whole range of savoury items. Opening up in February 2018 in Mall1 -- the latest but congested ‘it’ spot for any food business -- Ganache Café is a family venture -- it's now moved to a new location behind Mall1. The desserts are prepared by Madeeha -- the force behind the original home-based bakery, the savoury items on the menu curated by her younger sister, Mehrunnisa, and the operations overseen by their brother, Salman. The small two-storey café welcomes you with a large painting of Abida Parveen as well as other art pieces here and there. The interior is mainly done in soft hues of white, pink and light grey aimed at giving a g...