Instep Glutton

 

A common complaint that we often hear about restaurants in Karachi is that there is way too much similarity in the menus across town. Since the food business is one of the most profitable ones in the city, there is rapid growth in the number of new restaurants Karachiites are introduced to every month but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the food being offered at these places is new or exciting.

Unfortunately, these restaurants usually end up offering the same tried and tested recipes, which makes it really important for the food to have a unique taste. How many times will one see a Chicken Tarragon on the menu and be inspired to order it? Also, it seems as though the chefs keep rotating from one hip joint to the next because we can swear that the food almost tastes the same everywhere too.

Dialogue opened in Karachi recently and as much as one would hope to see something new on the menu, that sadly isn’t the case. The newest addition to Karachi’s burgeoning food sphere perhaps won’t excite you in terms of the menu, but it still warrants a visit for those who are looking for quality, comfort food.

At first glance, the interior of the restaurant immediately sweeps you in. It’s all about creating the perfect ambience and Dialogue has gotten that right. Dim lights and smooth, lounge music welcome you as soon as you enter, making Dialogue a perfect spot for an intimate dinner for two.

Contrary to what we had heard before, the service was quick, the staff friendly and welcoming and one could also spot the anxious owner attending to the needs of everyone.

As we took a quick scan of the menu, we realized that the food is similar to what other eateries offer. But the good thing is that the menu makes sure to offer a little something for everyone. For instance, sea food lovers will find a wide array of delectable treats such as a pan seared salmon or a whole lobster glazed in peppercorn sauce.

Therefore, we decided to try a little bit of everything. For starters, we ordered crispy chicken wings in BBQ and honey glazed sauce as well as dynamite prawns. The wings were the right amount of crispy and we personally enjoyed the honey glazed sauce over the BBQ one. Dynamite prawns are one of those over done food items that every restaurant now offers; therefore we were hoping that the taste stands out. And it did. As soon as we cut into the tender prawns, we realized that Dialogue offers one of the best dynamite prawns in the city. The best part was that we got everything in a timely manner. There wasn’t an incredibly long wait for the starters to arrive at our table.

Moving on to the main course, since our table consisted of mostly chicken lovers, most of the entrees that were brought to the table included chicken. Chicken Madeira, which was a sautéed chicken breast topped with fresh asparagus and mozzarella, was served with a fresh mushroom sauce alongside a creamy serving of mashed potatoes. We personally recommend the oven roasted chicken; succulent pieces of lemon and rosemary marinated chicken served with a parmesan broth and roasted potatoes were presented in generous servings and we couldn’t be more thrilled. There wasn’t a single morsel left on the plate towards the end!

We even tried the pasta Arrabbiata, the spicy chicken and rocket pizza and the odd one out: a house ground beef burger. Each and every item, no matter how safe and predictable it was, tasted divine. There were no complaints.

There was barely room left for dessert but how can one finish a meal without eating something sweet? We decided to order a chocolate chip brownie with hot fudge and a lava cake. While the brownie was a little dry and a tad bit overcooked, the lava cake was simply melting in our mouths. If one ever visits Dialogue, it would be a sin to leave without having a serving of the lava cake!

The entrees were all delivered in generous servings and thankfully, the entire meal wasn’t very heavy on the pocket either.

We also understand that there aren’t many people in Karachi who wish to experiment with their food and want to stick to safe bet. Dialogue is a safe bet.