Even in today’s lackluster economic situation Pakistani’s continue to bring in internationally acclaimed chains of restaurants to have a go at the cafe culture of Karachi.
Situated just ahead of bread people on Kahabane Shahbaz the “Secret recipe life style cafe” is just such a brand new venture.
Renowned in the far east region for its scrumptious cakes/desserts as well as quality food and atmosphere, “Secret Recipe” has opened its doors to Pakistanis in Karachi on the 16th of may 2009. Originating from Malaysia, Secret Recipe is the largest café chain to date in the country, and spreading its success across the ASEAN region, Secret Recipe is present in the metropolis of Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, China, and now Pakistan.
Having missed the opening of this cafe which I was invited to, I trooped over a week ago to sample its fare and was quite astonished by the amount of space inside. Normally we Karachiites are used to smaller sized cafe’s with limited seating but apparently “secret recipe” wanted to take things to the next level hence the vastness inside. The decor is minimalistic and refined with sofas and arty chairs spread over three floors of seating. The menu itself encompasses a very wide range which makes one wonder as to what not to eat when ordering. The last time I saw a menu this huge was of my favorite resturaunt “new york cafe” which sadly later shut its doors on me due to turbulent times.
On to the fun though!! For starters I ordered the “cream of chicken soup” and “Thai fish cakes” The soup was just right and although I was worried about the fish as its such a hot month it turned out to be excellent as well. The main course chosen, on a daring note now was “Neptune’s delight” which is a dish of braised fish fillet made to juicy tenderness. Even after all this I still found the space to stuff a “marble cheese cake” down in me as “secret recipe” is renowned the world over for its desserts!! In fact it got the best cheese cake award for the ASEAN region as well last year.
All in all with the great space for all kinds of events and stuff inside, as well as this detailed a menu and their own specialty cakes and desserts I just hope “Secret recipe” can maintain the quality they are serving right now to become a permenant fixture in our eating out routine.
Your post just made me crave cheesecake. Thanks.
Secret Recipe is a great place for those who want more than the ordinary. While no establishment is perfect and some days are better than others, my experience there was great. The food is excellent if you sample the not so ordinary things (like Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup or the Japanese Souba (or some similar sounding thing)). And the desserts are lovely. I highly recommend the White Chocolate Macademia Nut and the Brownie with Ice-Cream.
Oh and try the Crispy Chicken Salad too….. Excellent for a starter or a light lunch.
Mr.FK, did not give his comments on prices of the items!