Now since lets say since 2010 there are more restaurants in Pakistan than before. It seems as if everyone eats out rather than at their homes. Each restaurant that I passed was always busy, from 10am - 11pm there was someone eating. During my time in Pakistan, the majority of the places that I ate out were in the capital, Islamabad. Before there were a couple of restaurants which were in these beautiful homes however due to new laws all restaurants had to relocate to commercial areas. So if your in Islamabad and passing F-6 Jinnah Super Market or Kohsar Market or even the big shopping mall Centaurous I can guarantee that you will not go hungry as there is a restaurant in every corner. I find that Pakistan is the country for a foodie explorer. I can honestly say besides Pakistani cuisine, you have a extreme variety of other cuisines too. I went to a few places in Islamabad, in this post I have mentioned some restaurants that I went to, which I find people should visit if your ever in the country. Here are places:
6) MONAL RESTAURANT
- Situated at the top of the Margalla Hills (the famous “hills” in the capital of Islamabad) is Monal Restaurant. If you love a bit of meat and a good view, Monal Restaurant is the place to go. Besides the steep, curvy roads to get to Monal once you reach there you one, feel cooler and two see a beautiful view of Islamabad if there is no haze from the humidity. My cousin did our order and we had a platter of bbq meat which consisted of Shami Kebabs, Chicken Wings, Chicken Kebabs with Cheese, Kabuli Pilau, ALL TYPES OF NAAN ( some of which I didn’t even know their names), Dhaal, Mixed Vegetable Karahi of Potatoes, Beans and Carrots and then Mutton Karahi. It was a feast for foodies (aka my family)
7) KOHSAR MARKET
- Kohsar Market is situated in Islamabad and to be precise in sector F-6. Kohsar Market is a lovely building that is situated between lots of trees and is an incredibly cosy area. It’s not a food market per say where you buy your local fruit and veg but a Market of upscale continental restaurants and shops. You do have a supermarket there which has everything you need pretty much, and funnily enough you can buy a lot of American produce there. Three shops down there is this shop called Jaffergies which is a place that you must visit. It’s a leather shop full of bags, briefcases, belts, wallets. I don’t know about you but I love the smell of leather and when you enter this shop, its smells fantastic. It’s a great place to go into if you’re looking for a gift for a man and a woman.
8) TUSCANY
- When I went to Kohsar Market I ate at two restaurants Tuscany and Table Top, which you can’t miss as they are right next to each other. Tuscany as the name gives it away serves Italian food. From its low lighting, to the soft Italian music playing in the background, it felt as if you were in little Italy. Accompanied by my mother, aunt and cousin, we decided to have the Afternoon Tea platter as it was close to tea time.. I love Afternoon Tea and this platter at Tuscany was very different but so appetising. There were three plates of biting’s, on the bottom and middle plate were savoury bites and the top plate was sweet. I’m glad we had ordered two platters as one platter was suited for two people not necessarily four. On the savoury plates we had a mixture of mini pizzas, kebab burgers, chicken skewers, fish, and vol-au vents. Then on the sweet plates we had a mini slice of carrot cake, chocolate cake, strawberry cake, bread and butter pudding and lemon tart. It was Afternoon Tea platter that was extremely filling.
9) TABLE TALK
- Table Talk is the restaurant next door to Tuscany and I can say it’s completely different. Compared to Tuscany there is more light in Table Talk and due to its décor it reminds me of France in the late 70’s with checkered tiled floors, dark, velvet shades of green and dusty pink chairs, and pieces of art that scream art deco. Its menu again serves continental but they also serve Pakistani and Thai cuisine. So there are lots of choices to choose from. At the time that I went there I chose to eat the Crispy, Thai Chicken Noodles. This dish was superb, it had a mixture of carrots, small sweet corn, mushroom, dhania, lettuce, and chicken with its broth oh and crispy noodles. With the mixture of the chicken broth sauce it helped soften the CRISPY noodles. When Table Talk said Crispy they were not lying, I had the idea that there will be crispy parts in the dish not the noodles themselves. It was a delightful treat. Also besides their food, Table Talk also showcase a beautiful array of books. Whether you’re interested in learning about the culture of Pakistan, or reading sic-fiction novels Table Talk will definitely have a good selection of books.
10) ICE COFFEE AT BEHBUDS CAFE
- If you’re ever in Islamabad during the hot summers and want a cold drink, head over to F-6 and go to Café Behbuds. CAFE BEHBUD is a cafe shop owned by the boutique downstairs called Behbuds. If you ever want to get lovely clothes, small gifts go down to Behbuds Boutique. It has been open since the early 1980’s and all their merchandise is made for a good cause of educating women on tailoring in order for economic empowerment. For more information on their shop click HERE. Now back to food. The cafe is situated upstairs and it has a very cosy atmosphere to it. With windows looking over the parking lots of Jinnah Super Market the prettiness lies within the block, colour decor. The cold drink that you want to order from Behbud is a cold coffee. Now this cold coffee is great for the extreme hot days in Pakistan. With the mixture of instant coffee, ice cream, and more ice, it’s soothing to drink on a HOT summers day.
I could of explored more of Pakistan's food scene, but then also the home cooked meals at my Aunt's house were also in my mind restaurant quality. I could say this I was in food heaven for 3 weeks and I wish I was back there now during Eid.. because I definitely know the feast that my Aunt would be preparing! Pakistan has its charm and from what I experienced on my holiday, I can't wait to return.
* NOTE:
Majority of the images taken were from my phone (thats why some images are not as clear) also some were taken from Google Images, as at the time my phone ran out of battery.