The café with a difference

The construction-ridden and ever-narrowing streets of Zamzama now have another hotspot to boast of -– Olé, the latest entry in the world of cafes and restaurant.

Located in Lane 6, right opposite an empty plot, much to the delight of the customers looking for a convenient parking spot, the café offers a simple and elegant, all-wooden –– bar the windows –– entrance, that sets it apart from the existing all-glass facades that many eateries have adopted.

The lighting is neither dark enough for it to be mistaken for a posh restaurant, nor bright enough to be taken as a teen hangout –– and the seating arrangement limits the crowd to easily manageable groups, both in terms of numbers and sound levels. Since the clientele comprises of all age groups, the seating includes regular tables and chairs as well as cushioned benches.

The eatery caters to diners and coffee-lovers combined, and business hours are from lunchtime to just past midnight. Its fancy, colourful menu proved to be an extensive one; offering everything from nachos to steaks, burgers, Italian offerings, sandwiches and desserts. In the beverages section the menu included both lattes and cappuccinos –– including flavoured versions of both –– as well as iced substitutes, milk-based and soft drinks.

While the complementary offering of garlic bread was not the best start to the afternoon, as it lacked the garlic spirit and zest, the nachos, complemented by the pepper dip, made up for them, as did the fries.

The main course, in the form of the chimichanga –– pastry filled with chicken, cheese and a healthy, and generous, serving of vegetables –– and steak Olé, accompanied by a variety of steak sauces, arrived on-stage; the appetising aroma made us dive in straight away.

The chimichanga tasted more of cheese than anything else, but the serving was generous enough to fill one’s stomach, even if a day’s fast preceded the meal, and the salsa-type sauce definitely enhanced the taste. Do make a note that, in a similar manner to steaks, the chimichanga must be eaten hot or will become decidedly unappetising. Steak Olé lacked the a uniform level of cooking essential for steaks, however, with its serving of vegetables and potatoes on the side, it made for a satisfactory meal; not sparkling but filling.

Coming to the desserts selection, we were faced with quite a variety to choose from and decided to go with the vanilla mint blast, since it carried a “must try” tag, and a blueberry cheesecake. As we waited to be served we took in the ambiance and the music, which was on the loud side, considering the café’s target age-range. However, we did not get too much time to savour the surroundings as the service was quick and our dessert was soon on the table.

While the mint in the mint blast was on the lighter side, the scrumptious cheesecake, with a healthy amount of blueberries, was an apt end to a good meal.

On a separate visit, we decided to sample the coffee and a walnut brownie with vanilla ice cream. While it took 35 minutes for the coffee to arrive –– owing to machinery breakdown –– the walnut brownie, laden with chocolate syrup, made the long wait worthwhile. The latte, (made from Indian beans as we were told) although on the lighter side, was a welcome sight, especially as it boasted just the right amount of froth (unlike most outlets in Karachi) and tasted divine with the brownie.

Overall, the eatery could very well prove to be a major hit on Zamzama, not only due to its friendly and (mostly) quick service, but also the range offered on the menu, and their coffee. Although pricewise it is at par with the majority of the restaurants in the area, the entire experience makes it worthwhile.

© Faras Ghani 2008
Published in The Review (Dawn newspaper) Jun 5, 2008

Where's the passion?

‘The Return of the Aunty Disco Project’ failed to live up to its hype

Aunty Disco Project (ADP) have this annoying habit of leaving the attendees of their concerts in fits, at times undergoing non-stop head-banging routines while they deliver pure rock satisfaction on-stage.

It had always been the case of wanting more as the performance reaches closure time. But perhaps it was the rather solemn, culpable crowd at Indus Valley School (IVS) or maybe a new — albeit temporary — lineup that the ADP had brought on their last weekend’s performance that left many craving for a spark of brilliance to light up the night.

Organised by the school’s alumni, the concert witnessed the forced absence of Imran Lodhi (abroad due to academic commitments) but saw Ali Alam deputise for him yet again as well as Miqdad featuring as a guest saxophone player. Sound checks and dummy runs were undertaken as the Karachi crowd, notorious for delaying every single concert, trickled in and settled down on the lawns (note to ADP: Never have your audience sit down for your concerts, it makes for a dull environment). And with not much happening, the band got involved in some promotion of their own — interviews, selling t-shirts and their recently-launched album — while undertaking social commitments.

World-weary of the waiting act, ADP set about the virtuous act of running onstage and as Yasir Qureshi, the master darbukian, settled down nicely under a silver-strapped black hat, Omar Bilal Akhtar (OBA) announced that the night had officially begun. Muted response and applause was audible at best as the ADP started with a cover to get the crowd moving, and moved into Girta Nahin Mein.

Sensing that all was not well with the excitement levels in the crowd, and that the fervour levels had to be notched up several times, OBA threatened not to carry on with the act unless the crowd set up camp right in front of the stage, standing up instead of half-lying on the grass. The obedient obliged and while the majority remained on their backs for Shehr Kay Aansoo and what followed, the fervent followers ensured the settings of a rock concert were in effect.

And as Sultanat (arguably ADP’s catchiest and widely-appreciated tune) arrived, albeit with a reworked intro, the mercurial crowd suddenly breathed a new life and belied their inert presence till then. It was a good time for Ali Alam and OBA to swap places as the latter rested his effectively overworked vocal chords. Ali proved to be an effective change on the mic, not because OBA failed to work his magic but because a mild rest was required from a heaving performance, and the fact ADP had a second stint waiting.

The event also allowed ADP to show off a collection of their new songs from the second album that they had already started work on. According to Qureshi, the great response on the launch of their first album had them working on a sequel straight away. “We have come up with six to seven songs already and we are aiming towards good rock songs that have a punk rock element to them. Even the covers we play at events, we try and change them according to our music and our preference and include a bit of ADP into them,” he said.

“We played a couple of new songs at the event to see how they fare in performances and to get the audience’s response. We don’t want to deviate much from the type of music we make but, in short, you will see more Sultanat type of music in the future.”

While the darbuka received the beating of its lifetime, and the applause in return, the event as a whole failed to impress much, perhaps due to the high standards of performance ADP has set in the past or maybe the crowd involvement.

Omar Khalid (OK), as always, was at his best with the sticks, although he kept up the trend of losing drumsticks while playing (he has done that in every single concert I have attended). Miqdad was a welcome addition to the night’s lineup. Although he remained a bystander for the majority of the performance, the instances where he did show his art remained a treat, and rather impressive at the way the saxophone blend in with the rockness that was the duo of OBA and OK.

Unlike previous ADP concerts, there was not to be a solo stint in the middle of a song, although Qureshi and OK did manage to squeeze in a tiny bit. Surprisingly, it was the darbuka that won my award for the night.

The apt delivery of Sultanat and Ali’ Hum Na Rahe breathed life into an otherwise soggy crowd interaction. While Ali only delivered a couple of his songs, his delivery on bass remained impeccable and considering he is not a permanent member, an immaculate conflate was witnessed.

As the event drew close, OBA may have perhaps been the most disappointed man on the planet; his ever-increasing energy levels, numerous efforts to get the crowd going and faultless delivery failed to turn a decent performance into a spectacular one.

© Faras Ghani 2008
Published in Images (Dawn newspaper) Jun 1, 2008