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As the annual month of abstinence approaches one cannot help but look forward to the various rituals that have engrained themselves into the fold and fabric of our daily life and appear now to be much anticipated and eagerly observed. Hello to days when you can shop till early morning during the last days of Ramazan, wake up for sehri and bravely show the world your true colours at 5 am when a warm bed seems alluring. The late night cricket matches in every mohallah and the enthusiasm surrounding them is second only to the World Cup. All these are important social Ramazan factors but it is food that the followers cannot indulge in between dawn to dusk that becomes the true focus of the holy season.
Coming sunset and the culinary delights beckon. Luring you could be hot and gooey jalebis whose curves seem never ending or it could be the spicy samosas and calorie-laden pakoras available at Nimco or your local mithai shop. Rooh Afza and lemon juice, the drink of the masses during Ramazan, is a staple. Others have a penchant for the many cheesy advertisements that take us back to the time of the over indulgent grandmother who told bedtime stories passing on her secrets to the obedient bahu whose secret of martial bliss lies in using pure banaspati ghee. And if comedy is something you desire while counting the minutes before iftar head towards the long queues outside Chatkharay as people fight over plates of paani puri and bhel puri and everyone ambitiously aims to head home before the siren's call.
That's the traditional rhythm to Ramazan. Perhaps this year you should be adventurous and experiment a bit.
Let's start with the main hotels in Karachi. Not really offering anything different this year to the gargantuan buffet spreads, the gang of PC, Avari, Marriott and Sheraton intend on having an iftar-cum-dinner at the poolside. Sheraton plans on laying out their tables at the refurbished Al-Bustan where they promise to have additional live cooking as compared to previous years. With the usual variety of typical iftar items as well as BBQ and other predominantly desi food items approximately Rs. 450 per head, despite the variety in terms of dishes these iftar-cum-dinner affairs can turn out to be quite over crowded and messy. So if you're willing to brave the crowds for the sake of eating all you can then this is your place! Also on the cards is sehri at these joints and the usual breakfast menu.
These hotels form only a small segment of what is being offered in Karachi. The common factor is the 'Eat all you can' deals which, over the years, have found their way in to the consumers hearts via their stomachs. New entrants on to the market such as Nandos and A&W are offering a major chunk of their menu at reasonable prices. With lots of fast food and soft drinks these places are a hot favourite with the younger generation. Copper Kettle intends on offering an extensive variety including CK favorites such as Caked Alaska - the warm chocolate fudge cake slice with a generous scoop of ice cream or the famous French fries that one cannot seem to possibly get enough of. Apart from that there is a live pasta station, but that's not really much to write back home about. With other diner's delights such as chili chicken, honey coated chicken wings, or garlic bread with cheese it is hardly surprising that this restaurant has managed to pull in a decade worth of decent trade as compared to most of its contemporaries.
On the other side of Zamzama, Okra will be closed for the first ten days of Ramazan for maintenance and repairs but when it re-opens, it plans on putting up a tent outside and let people enjoy shisha and coffee till the early hours of the morning. Cafe Aylanto will be serving a complimentary iftar, consisting of the usual stuff like chaat, samosas, jalebis and pakoras but later there will be their usual a la carte menu to choose from. Smoked salmon and bagels anyone?
Cafe Zouk does not plan on having any of the typical traditional iftar food at sunset. Instead they promise to have very 'different' and very 'trendy ' food. It's main strengths lie in its spicy Thai dishes, which is definitely something for those who like spicy food to look forward to.
The pizza places i.e., Pizza Express and Pizza Hut are offering an 'all you can eat' deal. Pizza Express has an edge over Pizza Hut for iftar as the latter becomes too much of a mad house and unless one wishes to be trampled or break your fast in the queue waiting for a table, it is clearly not your place. But its earning power lies in being one of few restaurants which are open for sehri, so in case you do crave pizza in the early hours of the morning, do head there for an economical deal.
Deja vu is repeating the same old lunch buffet menu they have had for the past year or so. Hardly any news items on the menu or any variation of any sort. It is still predominantly a chicken feast and inspires you little. Salt n Pepper Village on the other hand is offering quite a deal for Rs 400. One gets iftar-cum-dinner comprising of almost all sorts of rich desi food one can imagine... think paayas and nihari if your imagination is in need of a jump start.
Apart from that after 10 PM, the prices drop but the menu for dinner stays the same. So you can always opt for a light iftar at home and then go later to gorge on what we consider to be meaty delights. Also offering a daybreak menu i.e. sehri they are trying to maximize the options made available to you to pay them a visit if gluttony is on your cards. BBQ Tonite has again an iftar-cum-dinner buffet consisting of BBQ items like chicken boti, seekh kebab as well as chaat, dahi baras and the usual shenanigans. They also have some different stuff from their usual menu like pullau, and chicken biryani, but beware the pullau platter here is more inspired by Kabul than the River Chenab so the flavour is sweeter to what is preferred by most savory taste buds.
Subway with its healthy cuisine has a "buy one get one" free offer with their new extensive variety of toppings, breads and sauces. Its cousin Dunkin' Donuts again has an 'All you can eat' offer like every other restaurant in town. They are introducing new sandwiches this month, as well as different assortment of breads, and salads and dressings so drop in there to try out something other than the Boston Kreme Donut.
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