Eating out: So very English was this large family lunch

Published February 1, 2015
Different food items offered at English Tea House.— Photo Courtesy: English Tea House's Official Facebook Page
Different food items offered at English Tea House.— Photo Courtesy: English Tea House's Official Facebook Page

When a family gets together to decide where the best lunch eatery is, it is nothing short of a battle of preferences. Enter the eldest sister and the issue is settled. We are going to English Tea House in DHA, and adds that it is a collective decision. Yelp, yelp.

Located in what I like calling the ‘food garden square’ in Z-Block of DHA, the area has definitely the finest eateries surrounding the garden. Among them sits the English Tea House next to Yum restaurant. The first branch started on Sir Syed Road in Gulberg, and given its success this branch has taken a step up the ladder by going to Defence.

The order was as diverse as the group. The eldest sister, never one to venture far from the predictable, ordered a chicken pizza. Not amazingly the new mother-in-law also went for a pizza. The younger sister, a wee bit more adventurist, went for a chicken with mushrooms and steamed vegetables in a white sauce.

The sister-in-law from England went for a typical British ‘fish and chips’ (no risks she says), an order one daughter-in-law went for too. The new bride in the family went for an impressive grilled burger with add-ons. She was striking out. It is amazing how people in different life roles order near about their life roles.

The fish was much tastier than those found in England, and the chips were absolutely amazing. Fried to utter perfection it was a delight. At least she now knows that even though she lives in picturesque Cambridge, it is in Lahore where the best food is found. Even the sauce that went with it was unique. How very English. The pizza looked good (in her youth she always did want to go to Italy, so maybe this was a fantasy order) and the report was that it was just perfect. The chicken in white sauce was also excellent, and a taste on the side confirmed this opinion.

The décor inside the eatery is so very English, going as it does with their name. The good thing is that the service is thoughtful, though it could have been better. The table is truly laid out correctly. In the end it turns out that only with constant training of the staff can perfection be achieved. Let me now mark this ‘eating out’ experience on the Michelin Scale of one to nine.

For food quality it gets seven, for taste eight, for service six, for ambience eight, for quality of crockery and cutlery eight, for prices seven (reasonably high), for menu variety seven, for cleanliness eight (impressive) and for ease in car parking five (they need a valet service for sure). All this provides us with an average ‘eating out’ score of a whopping 7.1 out of nine. Imagine the score if they work hard on valet parking and train their staff still more. Highly recommended. Impressive.

BREAKFAST BREAD:

After a long break I was back at that generous dining table of Hasnain and Jawad Almakky on The Mall. It was about half past ten and they were getting ready for a quick breakfast. So naturally, after a little faked takalaf, I joined them. Two fried eggs done to perfection came in. The bread was from that old colonial period bakery in the Lahore cantonment that just goes on and on, and who bakes bran bread with natural yeast like he did “for the Governor General when the British were here”. The crisp bran bread is just amazing.

Toasted to perfection and laced with pepper and salt, even green chillies are set out, with a dab of soft cheese and butter, it was a breakfast one often craves for. The point is that if we just try hard enough, there is always something better available in this fabled city of Lahore. That is why the Almakky table is always producing surprises.

MORE OF HOBSON:

In my search for a good club sandwich, my first stop was at the Hobson Club on The Mall. This is a club increasingly short on variety, let alone imagination. So the order was a club sandwich.

The result was a loose white bread contraption with a hard fried egg (what have things gone to) and on the second layer a loose chicken mix. The fries leave one wondering, and please do not ask for thick fries. Very disappointing.

The next day I was asked to bring home four club sandwiches. I went to Liberty Burger next to the Capri Cinema. The rush was amazing. Within 10 minutes came four boxed at a very impressive price. At home we found the chicken is thick pieces in a nice paste and the eggs were boiled and cut well with a slice of cheese. Now this was much better, as were the chips. Even the ‘dhabbas’ of Lahore are better than Hobson’s choice.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2015

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