ISLAMABAD: The capital’s new fine dining restaurant, District 6, aims to bring ‘authentic’ food to the capital. It is housed across three floors, the first two offering panoramic views of the capital city while the top floor offers a view of the changing sky through its glass ceiling.

The restaurant draws its name from its location, one of the oldest sectors in Islamabad, F-6.

Diners are welcomed by a medley of colours when they enter the restaurant, with large paintings adorning the grey walls complimented by the indoor plants. The seats are royal blue, tea pink and beige, the tables are made of oak and the chandeliers are wrought iron.

The owner of the restaurant, Anum Rafat says she has tried to make the menu different from what can be found in the other restaurants across city and that she has brought in her chef from Dubai.

The menu is divided in two, a deli section and main course. The deli menu is written on a black board and is changed every now and then while the second menu is fixed.

The deli menu of the day included a spinach strawberry salad, chicken fajitas, garlic shrimp linguine and a spicy fried chicken burger.

The spinach strawberry salad came in a white bowl with baby spinach leaves, strawberry pieces, feta cheese, caramelised walnuts and onion rings with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

The peanut crusted sea bass on the main menu came on a bed of Chinese rice, accompanied by a slice of lemon and topped with Vietnamese sauce. The peanut coating was too thick and came in the way of the buttery, golden fried fish. Having said that, the fish was fried to perfection and the serving size was generous, though it does cost a lot. The peanut sauce has various herbs, mustard, olive oil, breadcrumbs, honey and other seasoning and is tastier than ordinary peanut sauce. The Chinese rice was sticky and was mixed with seasonal herbs but the garlic in the rice overpowered the other flavours of the dish.

The fish tacos came stacked on a stone platter on a wood shelf. The filling is of battered cod topped with whipped sour cream, sirarcha mayo, shredded cabbage and lime, with a side of Cheetos cheese corn. The softness of the taco shell was well complimented by the crunchy cod.

The Cheetos cheese corn is baked with a crunchy crust and steaming corn in the middle mixed with hot cheese. The mix is lent a spicy punch by the Cheetos.

The signature dish at the restaurant, Signature Gnocchi, consists of soft dough and potato dumplings is served with basil sauce, parmesan and croutons. The tomato basil sauce comes separately and is to be poured over the dumplings.

“We make sure the dishes are as authentic as possible. If I am serving fish tacos then we will only use Mexican sauces, Gnocchi is only cooked with Italian herbs and good quality parmesan. It is very important to me to not compromise on quality,” Ms Rafat said.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2018