Food Review: MARCO POLO – PEARL CONTINENTAL HOTEL, KARACHI

Named after one of the greatest voyagers of all time, Marco Polo is one from among many restaurants housed by the Pearl Continental Hotel chain in Pakistan. For over a decade it has been tantalizing the taste buds of its guests, with exotic dishes from various countries of Marco Polo’s travels as well as local Pakistani cuisine. With a considerably large seating capacity of 165 people, the restaurant is extremely accommodating and lively at the same time. Adequate lighting, plants on the sides and paintings of ancient civilizations coupled with contemporary patterns and paneling on walls lends the place a semi casual and warm feel. The tables are well spaced out, making sure that the guests don’t feel cramped. Marco Polo serves all meals throughout the day, from breakfast to lunch, Hi tea in the evening and dinner, to supper at night.

It is most famous for its Sunday brunch buffet though. You and your family/ friends can enjoy a laid back Sunday brunch for Rs.1195 (plus tax) per person. You can feast to your heart’s content on a mouthwatering array of delicacies from fresh salads to a sizzling hot selection and delectable desserts whilst relaxing to the sounds of live music. The place is generally crowded during the brunch hours every Sunday afternoon. The guests are usually with families or in a group of friends, from varying age groups, lending the space a nice welcoming atmosphere for all.

Guests are presented with a huge variety to choose from at the Sunday brunch. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself confused about where to start from. Some people like starting off with the breakfast items , as one can choose from a variety of cereals, croissants, muffins, breads, French toast and pancakes. The guests can also get their customized egg made live as per their very own specifications, whether that is a Pakistani omelet, a cheese mushroom omelet or a fried/scrambled egg. A whole range of fresh juices, as well as the traditional Lassi is also present.

Others prefer starting off with salads, before attacking the grand offerings. The fresh salad counter is rather extensive with a choice of assorted salads. The Chicken Hawaiian Salad and Mexican Mixed Beans Salad are the most devoured ones. The grand offerings include a whole range of options. Traditional Pakistani cuisines which are lined up include, on most days, Nihari, Paya Curry, Biryani, Balti Gosht and Chicken Karahi among others. Brain Masala, considered an essential item at brunch buffets by many, is also present and is definitely more than fulfilling. Offerings like Vegetable Chowmein, Prawn Tempura, Grilled Chicken, Halwa Channa, Chicken Sajji, Seekh Kebab and Chicken Boti among others are also present.

At the live pasta counter, there is usually a rush of people waiting in queue to get their preferred pasta cooked and served into their plates. An interesting concept at Marco Polo’s brunch is of having a separate kid’s table, considerably lower in height to encourage kids to help themselves with their servings. The kids menu has Beef Sausages, Finger Fish, Scrambled Egg, French Fries and Spring Rolls lined up. An extensive range of desserts is available, with the White Chocolate Peanut Butter Scotch, the Chocolate Brownie with the White Chocolate topping, and the traditional Kheer clearly stand outs.

The showstopper dish of the Sunday brunch however is the Tawa Fish which is freshly fried at the live counter. It is an original Balochi recipe made from spices and herbs from that province. Fried to perfection, the hot savory Tawa Fish is mouth wateringly delicious. The Seafood Thermidore is extremely delectable too and deserves a special mention. The Sunday brunch at Marco Polo can be classified as an enjoyable and satisfying experience.

At regular times, the A La Carte menu is on and it has some exciting options. Among the appetizers the Scottish Smoked Salmon which is served with Melba toast is highly recommended. Among the main entrees Grilled Pomfret, Lobster Thermidore, and Grilled Lamb Chops are the most sought after. They also have a special seasonal fruit menu available that is worth trying. Currently doing the rounds is the special orange mania seasonal menu, which includes a range of orange related beverages and desserts.

In the beginning I mentioned how Marco Polo was a great traveler and the restaurant’s menu reflected the cuisines of various places where he had been to. Additionally, he was an influential writer as well. Interestingly enough the first page of the menu narrates the story of Marco Polo in exquisite summarized writing. So if you plan to know more about him over food in a warm welcoming environment, you know where to look.

(This blog was written for Food Connection Pakistan and originally appeared here: http://www.fcpakistan.com/fcblog/newpost.aspx?ID=64 )

Blog originally written for FCPK

Orange Rewind TV

 

This tvc is a delight to watch. Amazingly beautiful way of communicating the message.

An eventful week of test match cricket

What a week for test match cricket.

India put together a thunderbolt performance to bring the touring Srilankan party to their knees. The top three scored centuries while the next three also put in decent contributions, all at an alarmingly high pace according to test match standards. Muttiah Muralitharan was made to look mediocre, and that says it all. This was his last chance to impress in India, and impress he couldn’t. It’s official now, the two greatest spinners of the modern era, and arguably the two greatest spinners of all time, Mr. Warne and Mr. Muralitharan, conquered all else but India. Back to the match now, India contrary to expectations did not take their foot off the pedal when it was their turn to bowl. Takings 20 wickets and winning by an innings seemed pretty easy. Sreesanth, emerged from obscurity, and rattled the Srilankan batting order with a 5 wicket haul on his return to the Indian side. Jayawardene couldn’t reproduce his magical 275 run innings that he played in the first match of the series. Srilankan batsmen did anything but resist. It was all over before the Indian team broke a sweat. Kudos to the Indian bowling effort on a pitch which was not as bad for batting as the Srilankan batsman made it look. India now holds a defining 1-0 lead over the Lankans, with a match to play.

Far away from India, Down Under at the Gabba (Brisbane) the Aussies put in a clinical performance to annihilate the touring WestIndians (reunited after the player strike over a contractual dispute with the board) by an innings inside three days. No centuries, but handy contributions from all except Watson meant the Australians posted a high first innings total. With Sarwan out injured, and Gayle and Chanderpaul having a forgettable game, it wasn’t a surprise that the WestIndian batting just succumbed to the formidable Australian bowling line up. Hilfenhaus was the chief destroyer picking three top order wickets in the second innings to add to his two from the first innings. Their isn’t much to look forward to in this series. A 3-0 thrashing for the Windies seems to be in order. The only bright spot for the Windies was the century on debut from the teenage debutant Adrian Barath.

Not so far away, at Dunedin another teenager scored a century on debut. His name, UMAR AKMAL. I write it in capital letters so that you take notice, because this guy is here to stay. Easily the best batting talent to have emerged recently after Gambhir and Duminy. He can defend, he can attack, and he is very mature. His scores of 129 and 75 showed all characteristics: technique, determination, flare, patience, and aesthetics. But the joy of unearthing a gem should not prevent us from commenting on the otherwise mediocre batting performance from the Pakistanis. The top order looked as if they wouldn’t even be good enough for a club side. Shoaib Malik struggled as expected. The team management should realize that he can only score runs in the subcontinent. The older Akmal, Kamran and the captain Yousuf looked better but couldn’t play an innings that could see their team through in the all important fourth innings chase.  The bowlers, especially the three seamers Asif, Aamer and Gul, were honest through out the match. If only the fielders held on to those catches in the first innings. Pakistan did not play any test match cricket in 2008 and in 2009 they have played 6 test matches up till now and are yet to record a win. So technically, Pakistan has not won a test match since 2007. Unless the top order starts contributing and the fielders start holding on to the catches, I don’t see Pakistan registering a test match win for a while. The test marked the return of Shane Bond (from ICL) and Mohammad Asif (ban), and what a comeback it was for both of them. 8 wickets apiece for these two fast bowlers, only reaffirmed how badly they were missed by their respective teams.

The Aussie/Windies and Pak/Kiwi test matches were also the first to be played under the new Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS). It seemed fine, till the fourth day’s play at Dunedin when Asif challenged Billy Doctove’s decision – in favour of Grant Elliot. The replays showed that while Elliot was plumb lbw, Asif had marginally overstepped. The umpire upheld the decision and it counted as an unsuccessful challenge. Now, this raises the question of whether the bowling side should keep an eye on no balls, or be penalised for having missed one. Certainly a blip in the UDRS and a point to ponder over for the ICC.

Wrapping up, it was a week which will be remembered for the spectacular comeback of Bond, Asif & Sreesanth, and more so for the debut of the UDRS, Adrian Barath and (especially) Umar Akmal.

Could have been merrier had Pakistan won today, but nevertheless enjoy the festivities of Bakra Eid.

Citizen Patrol

Such times have never been seen before in Pakistan’s history. We’re at war and the enemy hides within us. This is a chaotic situation. No one feels safe anymore. In the latest cowardly act of suicide attacks, students of the Islamic University in Islamabad were targeted. Everyone is now guessing what the next target would be. Will it be an embassy, a shopping mall, a cinema or a busy market (for example in Karachi: Defence Sunday Bazaar, Empress Market, Saddar Electronic Market, etc)?

The suicide bombers have penetrated too deep into our cities for them to be easily located by the law enforcing agencies. We, as citizens, need to step up now. We need to stay vigilant and alert to what is happening around us. Any suspicious activity should be immediately reported to the concerned authorities. I have a firm believe, if everyone starts doing this it will make a huge difference. So all my countrymen gear up, it’s time for citizen patrol.

Stay safe!

Save the planet!

The Maldivian cabinet held a meeting underwater (on 17th Oct, 2009) to highlight the need for action on climate change.

Any other regular cabinet meeting on land propagating the same message, and i assure you the world wouldn’t have noticed. Great idea by President Mohamed Nasheed. Climate change is a very serious concern and this phenomenally unusual activity has achieved its objective of spreading awareness about this concern and highlighting the need for action. This is what I would call a ‘viral stunt.’

Irresponsible Media!

Yesterday, I noticed that the DawnNews page on Facebook had uploaded videos of the recent violence in Lahore. I commented under the ‘Lahore FIA Building Firing’ video that they have uploaded. I said “All Pakistani’s have already seen those videos, there is no point in uploading them on the internet and showcasing them to the world. There is something known as Perception Management which we need to learn. It’s a shame really that all we are interested in is getting the most views.” Apparently they couldn’t take it and deleted my comment. I commented again, and within fifteen minutes it got deleted again.

Crux: Good perception management by DawnNews for DawnNews, bad perception management by DawnNews for Pakistan. You’ve lost your respect DawnNews!