ISLAMABAD: With so many cafes and Italian continental eateries opening across the city, those loyal to desi food have taken it upon themselves to promote the country’s local cuisines.

A new addition to the Centaurus food court, the Mastana restaurant aims to do just that. The entrance to the eatery has been decorated like a local village, with small charpoys and traditional wicker stools placed around low tables set on faux grass, just the way dining areas are set up in villages across Pakistan.

A long bench runs across the whole of the right side, and a glass panel separates the dining area from the live kitchen on the left.

Diners place their order at the front desk and are given a buzzer with their order number, so they can look around the mall while their food is being prepared.

However, customers should not expect prompt service. It takes the staff well over half an hour to serve pulao, which they only have to dish out and do not have to make after an order is placed.

The menu is all typical desi foods, but the restaurant has made it more convenient by dividing the menu up into deals, all of which are very affordable and most of which are served with nimbu pani.

They are combinations of palak paneer, chicken haleem, chicken tikka, qorma, various kababs and rolls.

The paratha section includes sweet paratha rolls including malai and Nutella paratha rolls as well as pizza parathas. Seasonal halwas are also offered, which go well paired with either the truck chai or the mistune chai.

The palak paneer is creamy and flavourful and comes garnished with a dollop of fresh cream, but the flavour of the lukewarm chicken pulao would come across better if it was served at the right temperature.

However, the shami kabab that accompanies the pulao more than makes up for inadequacy of therice, and are light, fluffy and spicy and not greasy. The samosa chaat is somewhat unconventional in that smaller samosas are used in the dish along with tempered chickpeas, which makes for a more interesting flavour.

The restaurant gets points for ambiance and taste, but fails at service, which often also affects the taste if late service means the food has gotten cold.

On the other side of the city, nestled in the Landmark Plaza in E-11/2, Tardka Shadka is much better with service, even though the restaurant is manned by one man who serves as the chef and waiter.

The small space is decorated in truck art, with a mural taking up the whole of the front wall and a ‘selfie wall’ on the right, complete with slogans found on trucks.

Various board games have been stacked up against the selfie wall for customers to while away time.

“Mian Ji ki daal on the GT Road was the inspiration behind this restaurant. I wanted to bring truck driver eateries to Islamabad, the residents of which do not get to experience dhaba style food much,” said Ahmed, the owner of Tadka Shadka.

The bill of fare only has a few items, including shahi daal mash, biryani, mughal karhai and tadka daal chawal.

“At first, our food was spicier, the taste you find in Lahore. But I later came to realise that the people of Islamabad cannot handle that much spice, so we toned it down a bit,” Ahmed said.

The food does seem home cooked, which means it can be had guilt-free.

However, the toned down spices mean the biryani comes across more like a pulao and the daal mash borders on bland. Perhaps they would fare better with an achaar or chutney, like those offered in at dhabas along the GT Road.

The restaurant has not taken too many liberties while changing the recipes for the shahi daal mash and mughlai karhai and both the dishes are a safer bet, especially since they are served with piping hot tandoor ki roti.

“Most of our clients are from the nearby apartments, especially the students living there, and the offices relocated from various sectors in Islamabad,” Ahmed said.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2017