ISLAMABAD: Unable to find the kind of coffee they had during their trips abroad, wife and husband duo Ayesha and Cyrus Taimoori took it upon themselves to bring the European coffee experience to Islamabad, and have now brought Italy’s Illy coffee and a mobile coffee shop to Pakistan.

One of many restaurants in Blue Area, Coffee Lucio is a small establishment opposite the Ufone Tower, easy to miss if one isn’t paying attention.

A small pathway lined by greenery leads into the cafe, the ground floor of which is almost completely taken over by the counter and a display of the sandwiches, cakes and other items offered at the café, with only enough room left for one table and four chairs.

The cafe opens at 6:30 in the morning and remains open till 2am, though the breakfast items are limited to omelettes, eggs, waffles and French toast and of course, coffee.

“The cafe has three concepts,” Cyrus explained. “The first is that of a traditional European coffee shop where we offer premium coffee and snacks, all of which are made in-house.”

The second part of the concept may set the hearts of all coffee lovers racing, and not because of a caffeine rush.

The couple has now introduced a coffee van, which will make and deliver hot, fresh coffee at your doorstep.

The van is equipped with the coffee making machinery and also carries various snacks, although it does have a minimum order limit of Rs2,000. An app will soon be launched to make ordering from the van easier.

The third concept is that of a premium, business lounge called the Roman Lounge. Membership for the lounge, which will open soon, will cost Rs2 million for a year.

The lounge will be established along the lines of airport business lounges and membership to it will also open access to various airport lounges.

Coming to the food, all confectionary is also made in-house in order to keep it light but flavourful and to steer clear of oils and butter, keeping with the new tradition taking hold in Islamabad of healthier and calorie-smart foods.

Although the menu is pretty basic, and more or less the same as that of other coffee shops in the city, the difference is in how light the foods are.

For instance, the Lucio Monterosa, which is a red velvet strawberry cheesecake, does not feel sinful because of the light ingredients used.

One can easily eat two slices of the three-tiered cake topped and smothered in cream cheese.

The cake is not too sweet and the various tiers do their job right: the sponge cake has the right texture and the cream cheese is smooth and velvety. Although he does not use real strawberries in the recipe except for a slice on the top, the chef has been able to replicate the flavour in the cake.

The same is the case with the chocolate fudge cake, which is served warm with a smear of Swiss chocolate and is fluffy and not too sweet. The cafe is also one of around three places in the city that offer sourdough sandwiches.

The focaccia bread panini is served toasted to preference and is inspired by Verona, Italy. It is filled with seasoned chicken, cucumber and cheese, sandwiched in rich focaccia bread, with the olives in the bread adding to the texture.

“We use ciabatta and rye breads as well and we do not use butter and oil in them, only a dash of olive oil, so these are all low-fat breads,” Ms Taimoori said.

The Irish nut cream latte is smooth, strong and creamy with a nutty after taste. All the coffees are customised to taste. “We wanted a coffee shop for us,” Ms Taimoori explained.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2017