Clubs are supposed to be a ‘second home’, a place where you meet your friends, relax, discuss the unmentionable, play a game or two of cards or a sport, a place where collective social interaction is at its best. Given our intolerance to most liberal pastimes, clubs of today, dry that they are, have morphed to specialise in eateries.

Last week I visited the Services Club – the DeSOM - as a guest of Brig Khurshid Ghias and his gracious wife. As the club I frequent has seen food quality becoming questionable, it is always a nice experience to visit other clubs. My trip to the Defence Club really impressed me, as did my recent visit to the Royal Palm. But the Services Club was always a reasonable place in days gone by. But last week I was really surprised, for this old club, which was the original ‘watering hole’ for the military pious from the nearby church, or the officer golfers from across the railway line, has propelled into a club worth visiting.

The number of eateries in the club have increased, all of them smart, military clean, modern and well-designed places. We went for the barbeque hall which serves ‘desi’ foods. The collective order was a chicken masala, a mutton ‘karai’, ‘seekh kebabs’ and ‘mash ke dal’. All of this was supplemented with fresh hot ‘rotis’ and ‘naans’. The food quality was exceptional, as was the service, even though their ‘tandoor’ was hit by a severe gas shortage. It was nice to see the strict manager keep a sharp eye, in a very detached inoffensive way, on the progress of our meal, so that help was available just when needed. Good intelligent waiting is a fine art and a critical part of fine dining.

Under the grand ‘shamiana’ it was a relaxing environment. After the main meal we walked across the massive beautiful green lawn to the sweets and tea lounge. This is a nice concept and the quality of the sweets is exceptional. We had a ‘shahi kulfi’ each. Excellent stuff. The ambiance is terrific.

Let me judge this eating out experience on the Michelin Scale of one to nine. For food quality it gets seven out of nine, for taste another seven, the service gets seven (such a relief to find efficient, smart and polite waiters), the ambiance gets seven, the quality of crockery and cutlery gets five, the variety on the menu is huge and deserves a solid seven. This averages an impressive 6.7 out of nine. Recommended.

SARDAR FISH: In my days as a young reporter my seniors like Muhammad Idrees, Lord ZIM, Maqbool Sharif, etc., would take me along to have fried fish from Sardar in Gowalmandi. After a grueling day they normally quenched their thirsts and headed for Sardar. It was more a class of what good fish was than a meal. There is no doubt that he once did serve the finest fish in Lahore, except for two smaller shops inside the walled city and the ‘tava’ fish shop in Moghalpura. Sardar knew us well and made sure he did not goof up. Journalists can be terrible when it comes to food.

Last week I stopped, more out of nostalgia, to try his wares. For starters the ‘palla’ was a wee bit fleshy, and the fry was hot and rapid, not the medium slow fry that brings the best out of this amazing food. The old Sardar has not passed on his skills to his family. I went through the motions, average though it was. This is one meal I enjoy without a ‘naan’. I must find a better place for sure. The search continues.

LABBA DAL TIKKI: In this age of fast foods, a little innovation is in order. On Friday I stopped at Labba’s van on Egerton Road and told him to conjure up a snack as I was in a hurry. Out comes a ‘naan’, on it he slaps his famous Labba Tikki, a combination of ‘dal chana’, ‘dal mash’, a potato and shards of chicken. Gosh it is a lethal ‘tikki’. He spreads it out, adds vegetable salad liberally and a dash of mint yogurt. This is rolled into a Labba Shawrma just for Rs40. Not bad I say to myself as I drive into the horizon my hunger tamed for the time being.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2014