Since the last two years, authors at Karachi Meroblog have sporadically announced a number of coffee shop openings in the city. Most of these coffee shops are concentrated in Zamzama, but some like Roasters and Kahva are expanding into areas like Tariq Road too.

At the pace the gourmet coffee houses are springing up, one is forced to wonder what market the premium priced coffee providers are catering to, and if the market isn’t already saturated. A quick survey around Zamzama, however, brings a unique insight into the coffee house industry in Karachi.

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I have passed by the “Askari Park” quite a few times (where the old sabzimandi was located), and always been perplexed by a sign on a building which reads “Wildlife Aquarium”. Never having had the chance to enter Askari Park, I would like to ask if anyone can shed some light on what this building is and what can be found inside it.

While Karachi has seen the motorsports grow from plain old street racing to somewhat organized ‘karting’ and ‘autocross’ over the pas few years, the core form of the sport still remains the dangerously fast drag-racing new sea-view on weekend nights. Even the police raids haven’t kept the adventurous away!

Recently however, the need for speed is being transferred to the sister city Hyderabad and more and more enthusiasts are storming Karachi and buying the already modified cars at high prices for street racing in their teeny weeny city!

If you (or your friends) own a modified street race car, now’s the time to cash in on your reputation!

However, I do wish all this is somehow kept as far away from the streets as possible.

Ice Tea found popularity among the people Karachi last year as I had noticed various imported Ice Tea cans being sold at the many leading stores throughout the city. I think TAPAL must also have noticed this new change, which is probably why they decided to launch their very own Ice Tea. Packed in a peachy colored tin and priced at Rs.30/-, this peach flavor Ice Tea is a refreshing addition to the popular TAPAL product line. They have been the leading brand here in Karachi for many years, almost 30 I suppose, and this new product which is for now only available at leading (selected) stores in Karachi and is sure to stir up some more excitement among the Chi freaked Karachiiets can really put them an other step ahead of all the leading brands in our city.
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Karachi becomes the first city of Pakistan to have a botanical garden. A city where every empty land is looked upon with greedy eyes and drooling mouths to build something on it, this garden seems to be a bold initiative taken by the Karachi University.
Built on 35 acre of land, the garden has 2000 species of plants from tropical temperature and alpine climates and will be opened for public in a months time.
The garden has seven sections, with Lotus, Cactus, desert rose. Hopes are that this green piece of land will not only add to the beauty of the city but will equally be used for scientific research by botany students.

Source: “The News”

We’ve all seen the coffee revolution slowly sweeping across the city. Every other day new coffee houses are popping up, and suddenly going out for coffee is an acceptable way for timepass and catching up on gossip. Cuppicino, latte and mochaccino have become the words of choice when ordering the drink rather than plain ol’ coffee.

Not to be left behind, the small ‘coffee thelas’ (the one with the expresso machine serving frothy cups of coffee since god knows when) are also jumping on the bandwagon by introducing new flavours in their offerings.

The one flavour which really caught me by surprise was “Irish“. Now anyone who has seen enough of english language serials is well aware, the irish are famous for their drinking habits, especially with beer and whisky. Infact, they are so fond of their whiskey, that they add it to every other drink to make it… well… irish. Here’s what the coffee guy had to say when i asked about it… “acha flavour hai, buss thora nasha mila hua hota hai”. It tasted just like normal coffee, infact quite lighter than the usual cup… but after a little while, i realized that the guy was not wrong about the nasha.

Here’s to enlightened moderation! *raises cup of irish coffee for a toast*

Available at Coffee Thela outside BooksPlus, near Mottas supermarket, Clifton

The latest offering from Engro Foods, the makers of Olpers Milk, who gave us “Subha bakhair zindagee”, comes Olwell calcium enriched milk. But its not the milk which has taken my attention, its the campaign surrounding it. It literally ‘forces’ you to act, forces you to do have it with catch phrases as

Start training in rhytm… so you’re unstoppable
Start moving to the beat… so you’re unstoppable and so on.

Edit: Apologies for getting the heading wrong, there are actually TWO similar slogans, and i read one of each. They are 1) Stop Thinking, Start Moving and 2) Stop Ageing Start Living.

A new coffee shop has recently opened up in Zamzama (as if there weren’t enough in the first place). The place is called Cafe coffee and I must say so far I have been very impressed. Being new and kind of hidden (found across the street of Roasters Coffee, behind Arizona Grill) not many people know about this hidden gem yet.
So let me tell you the highlights of my experience.

The prices are actually decent and the selection is excellent. Their food menu is also quite delicious, with subs sandwiches and cakes.
I’ve had the frappes, the green tea and the peach iced tea, and have yet to be disappointed. The taste is actually really nice!
Beyond these seemingly common features of coffee shops these days, the one thing that has made Cafe Coffee stand out to me has been the service. All the waiters seem to enjoy their work, with big smiles, and will truly go the length to ensure you’re well taken care of.
The ambience of the place is also very bright with a diversity of music playing in the background.
There is even a divided section for smoking and non smoking! Not like Costa’s make shift non smoking room, Cafe Coffee has 2 different levels, smoking being on the upper level.
The one drawback I see is that there is only one shared bathroom, so if you’re in a group and you all need the washroom, you may find yourself waiting.

Do check it out, it’s a great alternative to the coffee goer enthusiast.

I spotted this product at Naheed today, From the house of Lipton an instant tea “Tea Latte”. Neatly packed in a pack of 10 and incredibly the whole pack costs Rs.50, which means you get a 150 ml cup of irresistible Doodh Pati instantly for just Rs.5.

The product is a must to try for every tea lover.