When I received the invitation for a food tasting session at Mews, I knew it was going to be good. Why? Samar Hussain, that’s why. She’s passionate, knowledgeable, treats her food like her babies and has been consulting for Mews over the past six months. The location is perfect. Right in the beginning of the Xander’s lane, opposite Imperial Tiles and right next to yet another tiles ki building. You can’t miss it. The restaurant will hopefully be open to public end of February.
Upon entering the restaurant, you can tell it’s been a labor of love. The decor is bright, warm, comfortable, welcoming. The seating comfortable for any derriere. The cutlery simple, pretty, bright. Taken on a tour, we were told the breads, beef, sauces, everything is in-housed. I was already in love by that point.
The food itself. There are no words. First came the multigrain and whole wheat bread baskets served with butter and an olive oil-balsamic vinegar mix. We were told there are also walnut and pumpkin breads which couldn’t be made because the head chef was running a high temperature and unwell. However, everything was fresh and as how it should be.
We were introduced to 3 different types of flatbread pizzas, and when I say flatbread, I MEAN flatbread. The blue cheese pizza and the pepperoni ones stood out and were the start to our fabulous evening. Why? The blue cheese tastes of honest-to-goodness blue cheese. The pepperoni had pepperoni in it. And that salami was the real deal.
Now, I must detour to the sauces. Oh my God. The sauces. The chipotle sauce you would expect to hit you with a lot of the chili factor, correct? Wrong! It was only subtle heat, but packed a punch in terms of flavor. I loved dipping those pizzas in that sauce. There was also a dill sauce, kimchi sauce, jabenero sauce (Another personal favorite) and 2 different salsa-based dips, if I’m not wrong.
The salads next. The blackened chicken Caesar salad is for those who don’t really want to indulge in something new and different, however I have to say the flavors are a little sweeter, a little softer, a little less….saucy. The hit of the evening was the quinoa salad. I have no words to describe it. It was as close to nature as you can get in Karachi. Black quinoa (Keen-wa. You’re welcome), fresh mushrooms, feta, rocket, cherry tomatoes, you have the mother of all salads.
Next, the crostinis. A baguette, topped with a mustard aioli, salmon, capers, onion, my, my, my. This was a fancy shmancy party happening in my mouth. Not that I’ve been to one, but it’s elegant, it’s powerful, it dances in your mouth. It has many different flavors and textures. All gone.
Then came the mini burgers. You can see the presentation. Can you tell that burger was just…it was aged cheddar, it was perfectly seasoned patty, it was a well holding bun and the first bite oozed out meat juices. Does that sound wrong? Sorry, but not really, because that’s what it was. The skinny fries in the bucket. Crispy, fluffy, flavoured with truffle oil. You don’t get that in Karachi. The pickles were not soggy. They were crisp, tangy and a healthy mix of cucumber, carrots and green chili.
Hai, by this time I was dying because I was so full, but the best was yet to come. The laksa. Ooohhhh my Gooodddd. The laksa made me dance. It made me hum with pleasure. It made me want to eat it all. Tender juicy chicken, thin, yet strong noodles, red chili, sliced cucumber and bean sprouts and a squish of lemon juice. So spicy but so good. This I could eat every single day. There is no other place that serves laksa like this. Go try them all and then come to this one. I dare you. I double dare you.
Then the desserts. Can I say that the brownie is a little bit better than Xander’s? *Ducks shoes*. I know, I know, but it was topped with the best ice cream man’s ice cream and anyone who knows food knows it’s NOT Walls. The banoffie pie was again loved by all. It had layers, and consistency and Samar herself suggested a new way of serving which everyone agreed to. I’m not such a huge fan of banoffie pie because it’s too sweet for me, but everyone one else was humming at the table so I suppose it was brilliant.
All in all, I can safely say that Mews has a little something for everyone and will definitely live long and prosper at the rate it’s going (I couldn’t resist the pun. Sorry.)
Best of luck to the entire team and can’t wait to have some good times and good food there soon.
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