French Sundays in Karachi

Have you ever dreamed of spending quality time having famous French cuisine? France is famous for a lot of things, and it happens to be one of my favorite visited countries in the world. I had been longing to eat here for many years.Croissants, cheese, crepes, ratatouille and the snooty waiters are all just impossible to forget while living in Karachi.

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to an event hosted at The Pantry. I was ecstatic by the invitation, as I am a stay-in-Sunday kind of guy so going out for a friend’s birthday was just what the doctor ordered.  After giving her a surprise and an expensive present, it was finally time to order. I started with a Caesar salad: Grilled chicken pieces were dressed with lettuce and parmesan croutons, cut length-wise, and presented like a wedge salad. The salad was followed by Egg Benedict, English muffin and turkey bacon with poached eggs along with a hollandaise sauce. It was decadent, over-the-top, and exactly what I expected but the show stealer was the Ice Vanilla Frappe, a shot of Monin syrup created a burst of delicious flavors.While we were eating, I got a chance to meet Pantry’s owner, who told me a little bit about his inspiration for the menu – he wanted classic French dishes, with simple yet elegant components. I say he nailed it.

After I reached home, my brother who came from France after a year made us lunch. Hence the consumption of French meals continued!  He first amused me with what they call “The queen of soups" Soupe à L’oignon. If you're trying to pronounce it, I’d suggest don't! None of us were able to say it right. So this little magic bowl of soup was the no less than a life changer. I felt as if I had a taste of heaven. As dramatic as it sounds, it really was flavorsome. The soup was not an easy fix as it required a long tiresome procedure. After a lot of pleading, my brother told me what all he used to make it. Baguette toasts were spread with butter and layered with grated cheese, sautéed onions and tomato purée. Then, salted water was gently poured in. The dish was then simmered and baked. While he was using all the technical terms, it took me back to math class, trying to pay attention but understanding next to nothing.

For the main course he presented "Hachis Parmentier" which made my jaw drop. It seemed light and appetizing at the same time. A layer of mashed potatoes and a layer of juicy ground beef (or, as I like to call them, two layers of heaven). Hachis Parmentier is often described as a French version of shepherd’s pie. It is French comfort food at its best and it is fairly easy to prepare. According to some research, (which was of course limited to me asking my brother again) I found out that the secret to this dish is braising the beef, After which tomato paste and potatoes are mixed and then the cheese is used as a topping.

At this point, I was so full that even before my brother could offer me a dessert, I quietly left the table pretending I was going to go the washroom and quickly went into my room. I felt like I owed three hours of extensive workout. None the less, the food was extremely scrumptious and the day was somewhat a short glimpse of the country of culinary experts, France.

GROUP MEMBERS

• M.HammadAslam ( Leader) – Writer
• Rashid Saleem – Writer
• Mussawer Ali – Research
• Hasan Agha – Editor