Part II: Local Fine Diner

To a certain extent, Karachi is similar to the Malaysian lifestyle... almost near. Infrastructure wise, its about 10-15 years behind, but lifestyle wise minus the alcohol, the night life here rocks! I had a glimpse into one of the eateries by the beach ... I wasnt really expecting anything... but I was quietly impressed.

This was the entrance of the eatery, adorned by classic east meets west decor

Kerosene Lamps and Bull carts at the front porch with serene uplighters, I have always had a fascination with these uplighters... isn't it just pretty?

Once inside, you are greeted by the traditional Urdu-Turkish array of colors in every corner of the wall

Now now... isnt every eatery's speciality is the kitchen itself? And what with food being cooked right in front of you? (L) Prawn Massala (R) Roti and Prata...

(L) BBQ Batair (R) Sashmi Kebab




















Some Pakistani intermediary soup + dairy stuff which looks to me like some ice kacang thingy.. I skipped this as there was a distant fear just days ago when I was down with diarrhea.














(L) Ice Cream a.k.a ice-cream potong ala Msia. (R) See what I mean by Ice Cream Potong? ... but the Pakistani way... please be advised that it contains high level of sugar... !

What is better than to have some artistes serenade a few loving Urdu songs?

Its spacious interior and superb lighting brings a very harmonious yet fun atmosphere and yeah, check out the musician on the left... table service for us!

Yes... in case you were wondering, it was my CW Manager's first wedding anniversary. No, the boy in the picture isnt theirs although they have a baby. I was invited as an honorary guest... and not one second I wasnt made to feel that way. Thanks Bilal!

Well... as the Pakistanis always say, what's better than to have something sweet to remember the day by?

Yes, they call it the Panwala... with a bit of 'daun sirih', cloves, cinnamon stick, spices, etc, and voila... you get some sweet dessert that is good for health. Accordingly, it's pretty famous in this part of the continent including India, where experiment on the Paan was found to be good for digestion when chewed. The tradition of eating Paan was popularised by Queen Noorjehan, the mother of King Shahjehan who built the world famous Taj Mahal for his Queen. I think it is also widespread in Malaysia... shame on me for knowing nuts about this. In older days women used natural elements for makeup and cosmetics. Queen Noorjehan discovered that by adding some particular ingredients to the Paan and eating it gives a beautiful natural red colour to the lips. So along with it's taste the Paan was eaten by women for reddening the lips.

What is a paan?
A Paan is a leaf from a creeper called the Paan creepers. There are different types of Paan creepers. These different types of Paan leaves are made into many different varieties of Paan by adding various different ingredients and then folding into triangular shaped Bidas.

Well, so much for understanding the finale of this great night out with Bilal... it was a truly sumptuous dinner, not to mention dragging me out of the guesthouse to feel the cool sea breeze as well!