Small little cafés/restaurants, not occupying a lot of space, aiming at providing a cosy, comfy ambience to diners seems to be all the rage now. Not that the days of large-scale, spacious restaurants are over, but the former is what one mostly sees dotting the city now.

The recently opened Forklore is one such place. Tucked away in the corner of a mini shopping gallery on the other side of M.M. Alam Road (the patch between Firdous Market and Hussain Chowk), this weeks-old unassuming continental restaurant has a simple, minimalistic interior, open kitchen, and a comfortable dining area. The menu is compact, yet offers something to everyone. Grabbing a friend along, I headed over to Forklore on a hot day last week.

As soon as we were seated at a corner table, we got on to ordering. Skipping the soups, obviously, the starters we ordered were a combination of the two types of prawns. The Golden Bites were succulent, perfectly cooked prawns coated with an in-house honey mustard sauce topped generously with golden, fried potato shavings resting on a bed of lettuce leaves. While the prawns themselves were scrumptious, the texture of the potato shavings was sort of hard and should have been crispy and crunchy. The good ol’ Dynamite Prawns were equally delicious.

Next up on the table was the thin crust Forklore Signature pizza that comprised four different toppings with a few whole olives thrown here and there. The subtle flavour from the generously topped mushrooms and herbs, a combination of scrumptious melting cheeses and the traditional pepperoni were all mouth-watering. However, the fourth topping, anchovies and capers, was way too overpowering because of the very strong, salty, savoury flavour of both. They should have either toned down on this topping or just gone with one of them as both anchovies and capers together leave the palate salty.

The Beef Chilli Dry served with garlic rice and black mushrooms, while tasted delicious with the right amount of heat, was rather saucy instead of dry, as the name suggests. The chunks of beef were really tender and cooked well, but the meat in this specific beef dish is ideally crispy on the outside and darker, and just slightly glazed with a sauce, which lacked here. Also missing were the sesame seeds usually sprinkled on top for that added crunch.

From among the pasta options, we first ordered the basic, staple Italian Tortellini. Thin sheets of freshly made pasta wrapped like pockets filled with a cheese mixture was served with a tangy tomato sauce. Simple, subtle and delicious.

We also ordered the Cannelloni, which I hadn’t had here in Lahore before. This was finely rolled pasta stuffed with a delectable mixture of minced beef, ricotta cheese and spinach served on a tomato sauce – similar to the one with the Tortellini -- to balance the savoury flavours from the filling. Light, balanced and packed with flavour.

Finally, in the seafood section, what really caught my eye and I had to order, was the Pistachio-crusted Fish with a Pomegranate Reduction; I could imagine the bright hues on the plate already. A soft, fillet of fish was baked well and coated with an interesting combo of grated parmesan cheese lending it that salty touch, and roasted crunchy pistachios that gave it a nutty flavour, was served with a delicious, tangy, yet sweet pomegranate sauce. Served on the side were some deliciously sautéed potatoes, carrots, broccoli and asparagus.

The prices are in line with what other restaurants in the area charge. The quality isn’t too bad either, just that it needs to be consistent. Also, I personally would have liked a bit of variety of desserts and drinks and not a handful of basic options only.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2018