It’s great to be back and trying out the delights, and surprises, of Lahore and its culinary delights. After trying out numerous eateries for the Michelin people, based at Stoke-on-Trent, it was a surprise that they rated my column very highly.

Such recognition does not dent a hardened Lahori like me, but it is good for the ego. But back home my sisters had been having a pre-Ramazan ‘girls’ day out’ and had visited this eatery called ‘Café Upstairs’. I joked that I did not know they had been to heaven and back. So they, probably out of spite, decided to return there again the next day. Located on Jail Road in Main Gulberg opposite the famous Christian Cemetery, and on the first floor, and hence ‘Café Upstairs’, is owned by a Lahore’s well-known Kashmiri Mian family. I have been there before when it opened, and what better excuse to return in the company of my sisters to see how much they had changed.

It is not a very large place, but its ambiance is excellent. I am refraining from using superlative descriptions, for that increases expectations. We found a nice table near the outside view, spoiled as it is by on-going construction, which the courts have, wisely, halted. The menu is a reasonably sized one and the order given was based on the experience of my two sisters, and a nephew and niece.

The order was Arabian Chicken Skewers, a pizza with chicken and sun-dried tomatoes and a mix of cheeses, and for yours truly a spicy chicken pizza. What could be safer? The girls (O, I love calling them girls) had been to an eatery on M.M. Alam Road (no names please) and both were fairly unwell afterwards. This, they thought, was a safe place, and rightly so. There is a need for greater quality control at the amazingly large number of eateries that dot Lahore.

The chicken on skewers were mild, more of black pepper and salt than red chillies, and marinated in yogurt. Excellent stuff and well-done. The pizzas were also well done with thin crusts. Sun-dried tomatoes are a favourite in Italy, and that is because they have pizza as staple diet all the year round, even in the cold winter months. I suspect they are smoked dried, and hence the taste advertised. It might not be a surprise to many that excellent sun-dried tomatoes are to be found in Pakistan’s mountain villages. But then you can also buy them in tins.

Let me judge this ‘eating out’ experience on the Michelin Scale of one to nine. For food taste a seven is just fine, for food quality eight, for ambiance seven, for service quality six, for range of the menu six (a reasonably array), prices get a six (not very cheap), quality of crockery and cutlery gets seven (posh stuff), the parking is ample and hence gets seven, over-all cleanliness, an important feature in food judging all over the world (and more so in Pakistan) gets seven. Based on these nine variable we reach an ‘Average Eating Out’ score of 6.8 out of nine, which is very good. Must return there soon. Recommended.

MULTANI KHEER: We are all used to the Lahori ‘kheer’, more so the amazing one to be found at Chowk Gowalmandi. But then if you walk down towards Chamberlain Road midway you will find a very small milk shop called ‘Haji Sahib’. Seems every milk seller is a Haji, and best of luck to them all. He sells the normal ‘kheer’ and I learnt that if you ask him he also has a ‘Multani’ version. My sleuths are everywhere.

I asked for the Multani version he does not display. He looked at me with surprise. I told him that I bet this was the last portion of the ‘kheer’ he normally cooks, and is shy to sell it. He produced this absolutely amazing ‘kheer’, light brown in colour and sweet as sweet can be. Oh, it was amazing.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2015

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