When most people in Karachi talk about their favourite desi restaurants, Kaiser hardly ever figures on their list. Just as well, because if it stopped being the city’s best kept secret, I fear it would be inundated with Yuppies, and decline as a result.

As it is, Kaiser has been serving some of the best food in town for over 50 years, and barely figures on the foodie radar. I first came to know of it in the mid-60s when I was a university student, and we used to land up there after late weekend evenings spent in guzzling Murree’s finest brew. As it was legal then, Kaiser catered to the late-night crowd of ‘sharabi-kebabis’. And what kebabs!

The restaurant first made its name by selling sensational barbecued legs of lamb at the incredibly low price of five rupees. Even in those days, this was remarkable value for money. But apart from the price, the quality was outstanding: succulent, juicy meat that was falling off the bone. Amazingly, it’s just as good today, although the price is far higher. Nevertheless, a meal at Kaiser, apart from being phenomenally good, is still great value.

Since those early days, I have explored other offerings on the Kaiser menu, and found them to be consistently good. Let me start with the Khandhari naan. Sadly, most places serve the flat bread prepared with white processed flour, or maida. The result is a bland, white product which, while acceptable when it’s piping hot, tastes like moist cotton wool when it has cooled. Kaiser’s naan is made of genuine ata, and is darker and chewier in consistency. The flavour is pronounced, and it is served as a large piece of bread that is a generous triangle with rounded corners over a foot long. The naan alone is worth a visit.

One of my (many) weaknesses is brain masala. Although rich in cholesterol, it is utterly irresistible. Meltingly soft and unctuous, a well-prepared dish is to die for. And given my cardiologist’s warnings, that’s just what I might do. So it’s just as well that it’s hardly ever offered in ‘posh’ restaurants in Karachi, or, indeed, anywhere else. At Kaiser, I greedily order one dish just for myself. With a sprinkling of thinly sliced ginger and dhania on top, I could eat it with the naan, and order nothing else.

But then I’d miss out on the mutton karahi. Many restaurants claim to serve the best karahi in town, and over my years of gourmandising, I have tried many of them in Karachi and in other cities. Most of them are very heavy on tomatoes, thus thickening the gravy and making it slightly tart. At Kaiser, you get the genuine article: excellent meat, cooked until it is tender, but not over-done. Without the heavy accent on tomato, you can taste the complex spicing. This version is less salan, and more bhuna gosht.

The mash-ki-daal is a bit of a disappointment as I like mine to be light, dry and quite soft, with virtually no oil. Restaurants, however, tend to cook it in lashings of oil, with the grains of the lentil left a bit chewy. Kaiser is no exception. But then this daal is not easy to do well: in the old days, a new cook applying for a job would be tested on his ability to cook mash-ki-daal and chapatti.

But if you are looking for an evening of fine dining, you would be advised to go elsewhere. Over the years, the owners have added a couple of floors, so now there’s an area for families upstairs. But sophisticated it’s not. The same friendly waiters pad around in their slightly soiled uniforms, and the floor occasionally has the odd bone tossed there by impatient diners. A small TV set blares out news. And in case you are looking out for faces you recognise, the crowd is not drawn from Defence and Clifton. But if it’s good food you are after, you won’t be disappointed.