Karachi has officially welcomed its short-lived winter season this week, and naturally, that means people are flocking all across the metropolis to find out what the city has on offer. However, long gone are the days to find grilled fish corners mushrooming up on the sidewalks. It’s all about experimental ‘gastronomie’ and Karachi, finally seems to be waking up to the global trend.  Jotting down 5 places which are experimenting with cuisine this season, Instep has a list that you need to put on your bucket list…

Kudu

The latest eatery on the block, Kudu is delving into modern gastronomy and ‘new age’ cuisine, which has rarely existed in restaurants in Pakistan. The restaurant, which is located in DHA’s Bukhari Commercial area, offers a fine share of mains and desserts that one has probably seen on menus internationally, but never in the country. Fancy a Steak Tartare or a deconstructed Callebaut mousse? Now, you know where to get it.

Price Factor: PKR 2500-3500 per head

Easy

This is, perhaps, the only place in Karachi experimenting with mundane desserts and making them look fancy; Easy has won its fans quite easily - no pun intended. Whether it’s their undying love to make a doughnut look and taste luxurious or their testing with hot dogs (there’s a Karachi style one with Slims chips on it!), Easy should definitely be a go-to eatery this winter.

Okra Test Kitchen

After becoming one of Karachi’s most sought-after restaurants, it was only natural for Okra to move into a new testing phase, which they now call the Okra Test Kitchen. Boasting a unique array of baked goods including the most sophisticated breads, it is surely the experimentation that the metropolis craved for! The space is still in development phase but has a unique menu that will tease the taste buds just fine. Also, did we mention they have one of the most expensive coffee in the city on offer?

Price Factor (For 2): PKR 2000 - 2500 per head

Meat The Cheese

Tickling our cheese fancy since a year now, Meat The Cheese has made itself a pioneer of experimentation ever since it opened up. From their sizzling cheesy entrees - where they literally melt cheese onto your food - to their hearty appetizers, MTC has proven that it’s actually not for the faint hearted. However, with winter here, we’re sure anyone would love to have a bite, if not two, of the rich delights the menu has to offer. Also, can we recommend the lasagna?

Price Factor: PKR 2000 - 3000 per head

Cocochan

There can never be a winter in Karachi - or in fact, Pakistan – without a focus on seafood. However, it’s high-time we let go those pieces of flour-fried Lahori fish and explore other gastronomic delights. Thankfully, that’s where Cocochan pops up with their new ‘Seafood Night’ that can make a winter weekday worthwhile. If this still doesn’t entice you, the fact that the array includes grilled lobster, grilled tiger prawns, and black pepper crabs should.

Price Factor: PKR 4500 per head