There’s nothing more aggravating and annoying than the agony of the endless wait for a delayed flight, as you tackle hunger pangs and an overwhelming craving for caffeine. Trust me, all passengers travelling in economy have been there.

But those were the old days and, now, soon to be a forlorn, distant memory. It is thanks to Cafe de Jinnah that opened up six months ago, with its economical prices, on the seventh floor of Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport.

After having heard mostly good things through word of mouth, we decided to land (pun intended) at Cafe de Jinnah one fine evening and soon found our way to the express elevator on the ground floor of the airport, which literally flew (again, pun intended) us to the restaurant.

Once seated, we scanned the menu before deciding to go for a serving of chicken biryani, chicken strips and a club sandwich. It was quite unfortunate that their espresso machine had broken down that very day, so we decided to opt for karrak doodh-patti chai (tea cooked in milk). There was also an issue with the smoothie-maker, so we just decided to go with soft drinks instead.

Watch the world fly by as you sample the very reasonably priced offerings at the latest cafeteria at Karachi’s Jinnah airport

While waiting for our order to arrive, we took in the panoramic view of the runway tarmac, with flights regularly landing and taking-off. I don’t know what’s so mesmerising and hypnotic about flights in action, but it leaves within you a strong sense of melancholy... almost like bidding a loved one farewell, with the uncomfortable feeling that it could be the last time you see them!

Anyways, back to more cheerfully appetising matters at hand. Our order arrived and, while the chicken biryani was disappointingly on the dry side, the rest of the food was up to the mark and a real bargain for the very reasonable prices on offer, something the Cafe de Jinnah management prides itself on achieving. We also ended up ordering a mix chaat to make up for the lacklustre biryani. It was a wise choice.

When it was time to check out the desserts section in the menu, we decided to go for the brownies and a chocolate shake, both of which fed our sweet tooth cravings no doubt and touched the spot.

After lounging around while taking in all the action on the tarmac, which was now all lit up with its tell-tale flashy lights, we decided it was time to take-off (yet another pun) and our party made its way to the Quaid-i-Azam International Airport’s spacious parking lot and soon landed (the puns never end) where we had initially started off from: home sweet home.

The writer is a member of staff. He can be contacted at quraishi.faisal@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, EOS, February 2nd, 2025