Jade Cafe By China Town

I am a big food lover and always look for new places/foods to try. Cafe culture is quite new in Islamabad and there have been quite few opened in recent years. Visiting these cafes made me taste so many different food items with my wailay friends (always asking to bunk classes for food) Some of the cafes that visited with friends are Chaaye Khana, Mocca Coffee, Gloria jeans etc.

Last month, we visited cafe Jade by the China town in F-8 Markaz with friends. I was positively surprised by the quality of service and food they offer. What makes jade café different from others cafés is that it is not very well known in Islamabad yet so you can call it a hidden gem in the city. Indoor seating of jade is quite peaceful but I would prefer sitting outside because of good weather of Islamabad.

Ordered Jade special chicken; covered with crispy crumbs and served with special red sauce and side dish of your choice (you can choose mashed or baked potatoes). It was so yummy oh God! Can’t wait to try it again. Their service is also quite good, it is quick, the waiters are quite friendly and will try to guide you if are having a trouble choosing a dish. Café is also equipped with big LCD`s and you can watch cricket and football matches there while enjoying the great ambience.

If you are looking for a quality food and unique ambience, I will highly recommend Jade café.

Chikachino

You get free from work; you take your wife from her office and head home. Be that as it may, you've both had a long exhausting day and are passing on for a soothingly warm cup of 'chai.' it just so happens, there's an ideal spot in the core of Islamabad, with the best tea one can have.

The finest elite dhaba-like place for meetup and hangouts with friends or family is Chikachino in Islamabad without a doubt. It’s an outdoor place with pleasant and perfect ambience. As a student I am fond of this place. My friends and I hangout a lot and Chikachino always pops into our heads whenever we get free time from university.

Let’s talk about something related to food as we Pakistani’s are food lovers. One of my favourite food item at this place is Bano Bazaar Ki Samosa Chaat. It is really really delicious and has sufficient amount of ingredients which altogether creates a perfect scrumptious taste. Also their Special Papri Chaat is a mouth-watering dish. It has perfect tanginess. Oh, and do try their Liberity Gol Gappay, they are fresh, bursting out with flavours. Being an Islambadian you would know how rare it is to find fresh and tasty gol gappas. So friends do try them out at chikachino. 

The most “chat phatti” dish of the Café is their Bhel Puri, woh kehtay hain na ke “Jis ko dekh ke mue may pani aa jaye”, this dish is like one of them. And it contain all the elements of a concerned Desi Bhel Puri. Its too yummy specially for “Chatoray People”.

For all the tea lovers, you have got to try Chikachino’s chai. They serve tea in desi palayi type cups which gives a perfect traditional touch. They have variety of teas. I’ve tried their Karak Chai and Kawa (Green tea). Kawa was average but Karak Chai had a mesmerizing flavour. And let’s not forget their lassi guys! In summers it’s a perfect drink for you with amazing taste.

Overall it’s a definite go to place especially when the weather is right and you’re in mood for an outdoor hangout.

Themed Cafes

What attracts guests towards cafes nowadays? Is it just the food? Or is it service quality? Or maybe the ambiance? Well the trend says, it’s THE THEME OF THE CAFÉ. The growing fan following of some of the famous drama series and movies among Pakistani youth seems to have become an opportunity for our creative entrepreneurs to set up cafes that are based on the themes of some of these dramas and movies that people are crazy about.

So, Lets discuss the first one on our list of the best themed cafes that we have, The Smokey Cauldron inspired by the famous Harry Potter novel and movie series. Haider Khan the owner himself being a Potterhead has truly brought the Hogwarts universe to life. Moreover, they provide good service and quality food and whenever you get a chance, we highly recommend you to try their steaks, they’re among the best in town.

The second one on our list is the Heisenberg Café inspired by the American drama series Breaking Bad is a chemistry lab structured café that offers good quality food, breakfast, desserts, drinks, coffee, etc. and it is said that their chef looks like Jesse and cooks like Walter. So if you’re a Breaking Bad fan you know where you’re eating out next.

Third one on our list is Friends Café & Restaurant in Lahore based on the very famous and most loved american drama series F.R.I.E.N.D.S. The cafe looks exactly like Central perk from the show where all the characters frequently go to grab a cup of coffee and chitchat. Framed Pictures of the main characters and the orange sofa from central perk are the highpoints of the café. Their offerings apart from the theme include nothing else but excellent food quality, professional management and lovely ambiance thus it is very well accepted and appreciated by the audience.

Chaaye khana

Chaaye Khana

Just another typical weekend where you're slowly getting into boredom? Trying to plan a hangout with friends worth reminiscing about? Trying to tame your inner food junkie? Well then i might have a proposition *intense close-up drum roll* CHAAYE KHANA!! 

Okay so I’ll walk you through some of the perks of this place. First and foremost I’ll mention the environment. It is a family oriented cafe with soothing ambiance. However, whenever me and my friends plan we prefer Chaaye Khana and not only because of the environment but because of the food.

First off I’ll mention "Alu Ka Paratha". It tastes great, quantity is quiet enough and oh the price!! It's so much cheaper for a place like "Chaaye Khana". So whenever I'm on low budget but I want to go out for a brunch, I've prefer to buy Chaaye Khana's "Alu ka paratha" and some of my friends prefer "Garlic mushroom on toast". That's amazing too if you're a fan of white sauce.

I would also recommend "Fettuccine Alfredo". I tried it on many occasions and every time it left me wanting some more especially if I order French fries with it which just balances it all up.

For those who have a sweet tooth, I’d recommend "ice cream waffle with maple syrup". The texture and taste of their waffles are by far the best.

Another dish that I and my friends love is "Diced stuffed potato". The filling in these stuffed potato is amazing and it just adds up.

Overall Chaaye Khana is definitely worth a visit with your friends and family.

Burning brownie

Burning brownie

Hands down my best go to place with friends for a cup of coffee or dhood patti (tea) or cheese cake (god! the yummiest cheese cake ever!) in Islamabad has to be burning brownie f11. I can’t even count how many times I’ve been there.

I’ll write about my 2 favourite food items:  the amazing cheese cake with that strawberry sauce or cranberry sauce whatever. Its there most popular dessert. I had it the first time I think 2 and a half year back and that’s only because my friend gave me a reaction “KYAAA! TUMNE CHEESE CAKE NAE KHAYA BURNING BROWNIE KA”.It’s a plan simple cheese cake but my friends its enriched with some heavenly goodness of I don’t even what and it’s so good that each bite of it makes you want to have more and more (so a friendly advice DO NOT share it with someone koi pyar vayar nae bharta its all dhoka, and its all fare when it comes to cheesecake). Do order some dhood patti or coffee with it, it makes it even more good.

chocolate peanut butter shake (it tasted like an ice cream shake) I recently tried it and oyee hoye hoye maza agaya! And I did taste the chocolate shake as well, both were more or less the same with a little bit difference of more bitterness in the chocolate one. It’s a good drink to have in a sunny day of winters and with your friends smoking and having their grilled chicken sandwich (which by the way is amazing but not something you can’t have anywhere else) and one could not eat it because now one can’t have carbs for lunch...

My overall experience in burning brownie has always been very good. And I would definitely recommend this café! Kudos!