Karachi Leads the Charge in Avant-Garde Cuisine

Whether it is food or fashion, Karachiites have made their mark in both! Designer shops are in abundance, and the variety being offered by eateries keeps the energy flowing (to shop even more, perhaps?)

Having recognized this potential, festivals dedicated to food (and even tea) are being organized each year, bringing together people who share a love for both. Be it the festivals or a chic new restaurant, there’s no place fashion savvy people will not go to in the city.

In the same way, the trend of running cafes in a space shared by designer outlets is also picking up a quick pace in the city. The opening of Xander’s Cafe alongside the multi-designer store- Ensemble, was a first in this growing trend.

We now also have Cafe Cosmopolitan sharing a space with Sonya Battla’s outlet, as well as Feeha Jamshed’s flagship store running its business beside Cafe Mews. The idea behind these unique collaborations is to create a support system where high-end cafes benefit from shoppers and vice versa. With their beautiful glass displays set up strategically in the field of vision, these fashion outlets create a curiosity  for diners to browse through the latest collections.

A beautifully presented dish at OKRA – Photo credits: OKRA

In September last year, Magnum hosted a Chocolate Party to bring together two of life’s pleasures – fashion and chocolate. Designers were required to use chocolate tones in their capsule collections, which were revealed at the party. This served as a quintessential example of “fashion meets food”, and brought together trendsetters in the name of fine cuisine.

A dress fashioned entirely from chocolate by Amna Tauqeer – of YUM by Amna – displayed at the Magnum Party 2015

Bringing food trends to Pakistan, a new  venture called Scream has opened up in DHA, Karachi, where ice cream is made using liquid nitrogen right in front of you (more on this later)! As common as the use of liquid nitrogen is by chefs all over the world, it’s definitely the first time this modern technique has been incorporated in Pakistan.

A new technique of making ice cream using nitrogen – Photo by the author

In addition to adapting new techniques, many eateries have also started using newfangled ingredients such as goji berries, chia seeds, quinoa, and brown rice. Other novel ingredients being used in these upscale eateries include squid ink, truffles, capers, blue cheese and caviar. These ingredients have proven immensely popular among more modern consumers, who don’t want their eating out experience to be a calorie-laden ride through guilt town!