Arriving at the venue, the one thing which irked me, and is a common nuisance to all such places in Zamzama is the narrow lanes, and the virtually non-existant parking. After a few minutes, I managed to park the car, and went in. The decor and ambiance was nice, and completely what you expect in a cafe of this type. Dim lighting, comfortable chairs, sofas all over, you know what I mean! The waiter quickly whisked us upstairs, only to give us the most awkward place on the upper floor. The table was literally in the way of the waiters and the customers. This was the only table placed in such an awkward position as the rest of the tables looked comfy enough. However we could not get it changed due to the fact that every other table was filled with people. Looks like this is quite the place to be, and I could spot a couple of famous faces too (Gumby, Faris of Blackfish, and ex-model Zoella Q, to name a few)

Me and my significant other pondered over the menu and finally settled on the Ciao Salad, which was a typical salad with lettuce, bell peppers, cucumbers and apple, topped with parmesan cheese. The description actually sounds better than it tasted, and it was nothing to write home about. In retrospect, I think the other salads might be a bit better, but I couldn’t help thinking that they ould have given their namesake to a salad which tasted a little less plain and a little more exotic.

Next up was the main course, a Pesto Chicken Sandwich (which my wife ordered) and a simple Grilled Cheese & Chicken (ordered by me). Both sandwiches were delicious, however I preferred the one my wife ordered, and my wife preferred the one I ordered :) The servings looked a little miniscule, but even then we had some leftover. I suspect it was because we were not feeling very hungry, otherwise I would have appreciated a little bit more quantity. However, I assume it is better to compromise on quantity a bit, than on quality, and I can assure you the sandwiches tasted really good. The drinks we ordered were a Chocolate Shake for me, and a Pina Colada for my wife, and both were exactly what you would expect: Cold and tasty :)

The dessert was to follow, and we had a hard time deciding because of the scrumptious titles on the menu. The waiter recommended Apple Crumble, but we decided to pass since neither of us are very keen on apples. Being chocolate connosieurs, we ordered a Cake of the Day (MudPie Icecream cake) and a Chocolate Dome (which takes 25 minutes to make, and it is specifically mentioned on the menu that you should “Please allow 25 min,”). However, I think the waiter served our dessert in record time, because not even 15 minuted had passed and we were tucking in. This was the heavenly moment; dessert was simply amazing! Even though we were stuffed, and couldn’t finish it, that didn’t keep us from trying! I would put the spoon down, content, but would pick it up again because it was just so good! If there was one thing worth recommending in this cafe, it is the dessert!

We finished off with one cup of their Italian-imported Cafe Latte. It was the average Costa, Starbucks, Grano’s fare. Nothing to write home about.

Service was exceptional. The waiter stayed at a distance, but was there at my every beck and call, and everything was presented on time and in style. Props to the training of waiters, which the managertold me was done by an Italian company called Manuel. Although Cafe Ciao is a local venture, all their cutlery, recipes, training and support is provided by Manuel.

Total bill came to around Rs. 2200, which is a little steep for two people. However, we were testing out the place, and ordered a variety of foods, hence the inflated bill. If you were there for a coffe or drink with friends, expect to pay around 200-300 per head. A sandwich plus a drink, followed by a coffe, should set you back anywhere between 350 to 700, depending on the items you order.

One of the unique things I noticed about Cafe Ciao was that they had a deal with Imation (http://www.imation.com), the removable data storage company. On every 500 Rs you spend, you get a coupon which enters you into the lucky draw to win one of Imation’s USB drives. Now, I am an IT guy, and know that these flash drives (aka USB drives or thumb drives) are an essential for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you are into computers or not, a flash drive is something you should always carry with you. Mine has my CV, cover letter, important documents, as well as some portable applications. Here are a few sites which will tell you how good an idea it is to carry flash drives.
SlashDot article
MetaFilter article

All in all, I would say it was a nice experience. The food was excellent, the dessert was amazing, service was exemplary, the environment was cozy, the ambiance lively, and the Imation USB drive promotion was the icing on the cake! Head on down there, but only when your wallet is hefty.

However, there was a fly in the ointment. If you were going from Mumtaz Manzil, entering University Road, and wanted to take a U-turn to go towards NIPA, the placement of the U-turn was such that you had to cut through traffic perpendicularly. Hence, the City Government decided to move the entry point of the U-turn further back, so that you could not take a U-turn from the aforementioned place, and had to go all the way to Hasan Square and take a U-turn from there.

I for one, am willing to go a little extra distance, if it means that the overall traffic situation for everyone will improve. The City Government figured out that most people would think like this. However, Karachiites (and I am talking about the majority), in their usual disregard for the law, actually started going the opposite direction on the main road to take the U-turn! This resulted in a worse traffic mess than usual. I was planning to bang a couple of these suckers with my car, but the City Government has now reverted to the old way, and opened up a U-turn directly oppposite Mumtaz Manzil, just to prevent this mess.

I really can’t get over how uncivilised and inconsiderate of the law most Karachiites are. Notice I didn’t say “we” because I do not want to associate with vermin like this. I opine that all such people who have such an ignorance of ethics, and inconsideration of law deserve to be shot like the dogs they are.

When the City Government tries to do something to improve the city, it is people like this who stop it from succeeding. Is there something we can do about this?

I have seen a lot of people who have seen this board, but not noticed the optical illusion. I wonder how you can miss something this amazing and refreshing, specially in a city like Karachi!

Which do you think is the most under-rated billboard in this city of ours?

PS: I want to make it clear that I do not endorse Red & White (or for that matter any brand of cigarette). Infact, I am completely against smoking, but I am just mentioning that to elicit a barrage of comments from people who are on favor of, or addicted to smoking :) Let the comment bashing begin!

First of all, how are working persons who have a 6 day week supposed to do any shopping? The shops won’t be open before office, and will be closed by the time they get off from work.

Secondly, sunset these days is around 7:40pm, and most shops normally close by 9:30pm.

The obvious solution for this is Daylight Savings Time, which was implemented a few years ago, though with disastrous results. I still remember people talking abt meeting up at 8 o clock, and then asking “new time” or “old time”? I used to shake my head in disbelief. However, the idea of DST is very good, because by moving everything 1 hour forward, we will in effect be forcing sunrise to be at 8:40pm, and since shops normally close around 9:30, it would not matter as much. However, employees who get off at 6pm or thereabuots will have enough time to reach home or go shopping dorectly from office.

What do you people think? Is DST the way to go, or is it too radical of a concept for our public to digest (in the leagues of safe driving, civic sense, or in other words, things which our public can never be expected to do :) )

Please direct your personal details to sig-pk@mensa.org

Being a gadget freak and specially a mobile phone freak is very frustrating if you live in Karachi. However, I have worked out a system where I have not had even one cellphone stolen from me, although I have been carrying VERY expensive cellphones all around Karachi for quite a few years. This may be luck, but I like to believe that this is also common sense from my side. Read on to find out the tips to prevent cellphone snatching and stealing.

1 - Always keep your phone with you. This is one of the most important points. NEVER EVER leave your cellphone where you cannot see or feel it. Girls who don’t have pockets might face some problems, but guys who have lots and lots of pockets have absolutely NO excuse for leaving their cellphone on their desk when going to the washroom. Wherever you go, whateve you do, always keep your cellphone in your pocket or with you. This way you can discourage opportunists who pick up cellphones in offices. I have seen hundreds of such cellphones stolen from people, and all I can say is that if the cellphone gets stolen because you left it behind, then you’re the one who is stupid.

2 - Always keep a “decoy” phone. Buy a cheapo phone (it doesn’t have to be a working cellphone). You can get such a phone from a used mobile phone shop for 500-2000 rs. It’s a cheap insurance. I’ll explain how in just a moment.

3 - Keep your real phone out of sight. It is imperative that your real phone should be kept out of sight. Try keeping it in your pocket, and keeping the decoy phone in your hand. This makes you less of a target. People who want to show off their latest and greatest phone may balk at the idea, but I think I would prefer to have the phone with me than to have it stolen by showing it off. Your choice. Besides, cellphone snatchers don’t go around randomly stealing from people. The clever ones usually follow people a bit and keep their eyes open to find out who has the best phone and is the easiest target. Don’t show off your good phone, and do not do anything that makes you appear like an easy target.

4 - Keep displaying your “decoy” phone at opportune moments. When you stop at a red light (which is where most cellphone snatching occurs) take out your decoy phone and play with it a bit. If someone is watching you as a potential target, they might be turned off by such a cheap phone. If you see someone suspicious, take out your decoy phone and start looking at the screen as if you are reading an sms.

5 - Do not keep your real phone on you if you are driving. While driving, take out your real phone and put it in the glove compartment. Keep the decoy phone on you. This way if some snatcher feels you over after snatching your phone, he wont find the real phone on you.

6 - Try to use a bluetooth headset. Keep a bluetooth headset with you. Use that to answer your phone.

7 - Keep the bt headset out of sight too! Nothing says “I have the latest and greatest cellphone” than a bt headset stuck to your ear. Keep the headset in your pocket and only take it out to answer a call. This is actually to limit your real phone’s visibility.

8 - Keep calls short when you are vulnerable. When you are walking on the road, or in a deserted alley, do not answer your phone. If it is imperative that you answer it, do so quickly and keep the conversation as short as possible.

9 - The ultimate bluetooth headset: http://phoney.4t.com/ Be sure to check it out! I doubt many people would be able to make it, but it is something worth having. I might just give it a try if I can find my old bluetooth headset.

I hope that this helps. I really hate this cellphone snatching thing and I hope the government does something to stop it. But until then, as Mad-Eye Moody put it, “Constant Vigilance!”