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A yummy slice of Red Snapper
An innovative fusion of oriental tastes in a contemporary cuisine is
what Cafe Forty4 have to offer..... |
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“People can enjoy bite by bite the entire
oriental taste in one plate of food that I create,” said proudly the Executive Chef of
Café Forty4. This newly launched fine dining restaurant in the elite neighborhood
of Clifton Block-4 has been
successfully in operation for over ten weeks and already busy doing great
business.
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| Sizzling prawns in chilli |
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| Thai Soup |
The premises is a
huge double story facility, with many artistically designed seating areas. The ground
floor has a total seating capacity of 55, divided into several sections, main
dining hall divided into two different areas, and a third one patio area, with
which I instantly fell in love with. The patio is ideal eating out for a
romantic dinner for two, giving a peaceful airy feeling. The first floor has
the most fabulous skylight area that is a huge spacious terrace with seating
capacity of 12-15 overlooking palms. Glass panes at one side close the terrace
with blinds on the other; it is fully air-conditioned and completely private.
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| Fried Beancurd |
Adjacent to it is the casual "Lounge" with a huge LCD TV on one of the walls
perfect for a Karaoke night or watching a game together as you enjoy the food.
Well there is still more, a huge rectangular room 'The Space' used for corporate meetings,
exhibitions, or for private parties. The entire ambience is enhanced by classic
abstract artwork by Sonia Chundrigar, and a wall with valuable display of black
and white framed rustic photographs of Karachi. The unique feature is that the
entire facility is wheel chair accessible, children friendly with a kids’ menu
coming up soon.
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| Chicken Satay with Peanu Chilli Sauce |
This entire setting makes Café forty4
beyond a café; it is a completely well appointed venue for a range of events. Ms. Samina Bilgrami
is one of the working partners and a great host with over 25 years in food and
bakery business in Karachi and Islamabad. Her personal attention to every
little detail of the operation makes Café Forty4 an experience beyond dining.
The Malaysian Executive Chef and his skilled team
under the supervision of Samina, has done an outstanding job of presenting a fine
selection of Pan-Oriental cuisine. They have used cooking
traditions, techniques and disciplines from China, Malaysia, Indonesia,
Singapore, Japan, Korea and Vietnam to bring an altogether unique and distinct
finished dish on our tables.
Their menu changes with the seasons,
to cater to changing temperatures and eating preferences of customers, and of
course to make the most of the fresh produce of the season. Talking to the
Executive Chef he proudly mentioned that with the plentiful of fresh produce
including fruits, vegetable, herbs, a robust fish industry and livestock in
Pakistan, he uses 95% of the ingredients from Pakistan brought to his kitchen
on daily basis. They definitely import some special ingredients and produce
from Thailand, Dubai and Malaysia. One can find a wide range of meat, poultry,
rice and pasta dishes. For the vegetarians, they have a good selection right
from starters, soup to main courses. All their bread, rolls, confectionary,
sauces are freshly prepared in their own kitchen.
Spending an afternoon at the Café
Forty4 with Food Connection Pakistan (www.fcpakistan.com), tasting a cross
section from their menu was an epicurean experience. Samina and her staff have
been most cooperative and explained each individual dish, its ingredients and
origin. My most scrumptious gastronomic adventure at Café Forty4 started with a
selection of great tasting starters that include Sizzling Prawns, Fried Dim Sum
and Satay. All starters and appetizers are served with a medley of delicious
home made sauces enhancing the taste of each bite. I loved the Sizzling Prawns that
had spiced Tiger Prawns carrying an oriental chili taste. The satay reminded me
of my first ever bite in Indonesia, the skewered chunks of pan seared chicken
tasted sweet and nutty in the best ever satay sauce made of spices and roasted
peanuts. I am so sure I am going to go back to Forty4 for this. I got to also
taste my old time favorite Pumpkin Soup; sweet, fresh, well blended and creamy.
The Chef has also send the Thai Soup for tasting from their new menu in the
making, a tasty light broth with colorful vegetable and chicken chunks, but a
tad tangy, can do with some adjustments in the taste before finalizing.
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| Fried beef strips with sesame seed and honey hoisin sauce |
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| Pumpkin Soup |
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| Sagu Gula |
The roasted spicy chicken in
Vietnamese rice paper roll turned out a true delight stuffed with fresh
lettuce, roasted ground peanuts topped with a tangy dressing. One can find some
not so very common dishes on their Forty4 menu, one such is Crispy Chinese Bean
Curd, these are fresh bean curds marinated fried and served with chili,
cucumber, tomato salsa and homemade teriyaki sauce. The Crispy Blackened Beef
turned out to be the star of the lunch, the second time I had it here, and fell
in love with it again. These are total indulgence of stir fried crispy strips
of beef in sesame seeds and honey houisin sauce. Frying beef is an art the beef have to be crispy and not
chewy or burned, one can taste this technique at its best here.
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| Chocolate parafait |
The pièce de résistance of the meal is the attractive and
tempting red snapper, a steamed delicacy served on a bed of picked Chinese
cabbage with soy sauce and garlic chips. The three different kind of rice
served were a heavenly spread, this includes, Steamed Rice, Garlic Rice; a
typical Japanese style sticky fried rice with eggs and in sour sauce. Kampong Fried
Rice, cooked with squid, Shitake mushrooms, and fried brinjal. Each one taste
awesome, and stands as a perfect side with the main course.
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| Garlic Rice |
I was lucky to be tasting several
lip smacking deserts from the Forty4 upcoming menu!! They are sinfully
delicious and different, the homemade cheese cake, white chocolate Parafait,
and the Sagu Gula with layer of molasses were truly divine. The restaurant also has a full stocked
bar that has fresh seasonal fruit juices, creates cool refreshing mocktails,
and drinks.
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| Choclate centre Brownie with Vanilla Icecream |
I still remember very fondly this past
new year eve when I landed unplanned at this restaurant, not knowing much about it.
But left with deliciously great memories of an impressive nine course dinner
served by the most skilled staff. Yes they do set menus for special occasions
and on request for private parties and events. While I was tasting and shooting
here with food Connection, there were talks going on for Valentines with great
food offerings, service and arrangements, to make it memorable for everyone. If you plan to celebrate here, make sure reservations are made on time!!!
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The portions here are handsome, and
great for sharing, the average cost per person for full five course meal here
would come up to Rs.1100-Rs.1400. All with a world class service, hard to find
in eateries around Pakistan.
If you want to enjoy an unforgettable meal, feel
special and get the value for money, Forty4 is for you. An innovative fusion of oriental tastes in a contemporary cuisine is
what Forty4 have to offer.
Contact blog writer at: farahkamal23@gmail.com
The store features a lighting plan designed by award-winning
London-based design studio - Cinimod Studios. The store features cutting
edge design and seasonal graphic artworks along the walls by famous
illustrative artists and designers. The overall ambience of the store is fresh, healthy and fun to be in !!!
