Avari Towers Hi-Tea – What To Expect?

I was invited to Avari Towers to partake in their newly launched Hi-Tea last week and I’ve been meaning to write about it since then.

Avari Towers is now offering Hi-Tea in their Asia Live restaurant between 04:00 pm and 06:30 pm Monday to Saturday. Avari Towers used to host Hi-Tea way back in the day and I’m glad that they are offering it again.

So, coming to ambiance; Ambiance of Asia Live is pleasing. It’s a fine dining restaurant and meets all expectations. It’s the kind of place where you can go for date night as well take someone for a fancy treat or invite guests.

Food offered at Avari Towers Hi-Tea ranged from their delicious salads that I’m a big fan of to snacks like samosas and pakoras. Various kinds of sandwiches, channa chaat, dahi baray, daleem, fish fingers, pig in the blanket, Alfred penne pasta, vegetable chowmein, one bite burgers, spring rolls, chicken bihari boti, french fries and chicken wings are a few of the many offerings they had.

They had a wide selection of sweets to offer too. Food was accompanied by juices, tea, coffee and green tea whichever you like and however many you want.

For me, Avari Towers Karachi Hi-Tea checks all the important boxes; price, food, ambiance.

• Timings: 04:00 pm – 06:30 pm
• Days: Monday – Saturday
• Charges: 1350/- pkr + Tax
• Charges for kids: 0-5: No Charges; 5-10: Half charges
• Offers on Bank Cards: UBL, Alfalah and Faysal Banks
• MONDAYS reserved as Avari Ladies Day with 20% discount offered
• Reservations in advance open as well as walk-ins

Will I go back to Avari Hi-Tea with my own money? You can bet on it. It’d more likely be a Monday though. Coz I love me a good discount. Value for money through and through. Especially if you have guests that you want to take somewhere or a shadi ki dawat or a ladies day out, this is perfect for it.

 

What to Expect from Avari Tower Khi International Iftaar Buffet

Ihave visited Avari countless times and have never been disappointed. Whether its Suzie Wong or Fujiyama or Asia Live or Sky BBQ, their food is better than all the five star restaurants I have been to. I have been to Avari with friends, family and even had a dawat there and everyone I’ve taken to Avari has liked the food. My husband and I especially love the spread they have at Asia Live buffet. This time we decided to go there for International Iftar.

Upon entering the lobby of Avari, the ambiance with the fairy lights, the crescent moons hanging from the ceiling and the live soulful melodious music puts you in the right mood for iftaar. The center pieces placed at the food stations reflect the holy month of Ramadan and look gorgeous.

The Asia Live buffet for Iftar was really good. I found all my favorites there. They had iftar specialties like samosas, rolls, pakoray, and cholay. There was a variety of street foods of Karachi too like Gol gappay and Bhail puri. There was shawarma, potato wedges, steamed veggies, halwa, paratha roll and pizza bites too.

There were a lot of Pakistani dishes including some of the ones that everyone loves like biryani, beef nihari, chapli kabab, and chicken ginger, and chicken malai boti, channa tarkari, aloo tarkari.

There was Thai curry with plain rice and crumb fried fish with sweet and sour sauce. There was Chicken teriyaki, chicken mushroom with bean sauce with garlic rice in Japanese food and sweet and sour soup and chowmein in Chinese. I have forgotten the names of so many dishes like prawn tempura and there was these beef slices with some kind of glazed sauce which was bomb.

Good food, good ambiance and great service, what more can you ask for when going to a restaurant. We were there with a group of friends and colleagues and had the liveliest time we’ve ever had. Good food tastes even better with good company.

Steak Night at Avari Towers for Date Night

I am a foodie and enjoy steaks in particular. These days, the steaks served at a number of places are pieces of meat topped with sauce and cheese, served with a side of potatoes of your choice and veggies. These steaks should not be called steaks in the traditional sense coz they are not distinguished by the cut of the meat or the temperature at which they are served. They are always well done. I enjoy these kinda steaks but every once in a while I yearn for the old fashioned meaty delight. A proper cut steak with a sauce on the side and mashed or baked potatoes. That’s more my thing.

Last week, went out for date night with husband. It’s just something we do once in a while where we don’t go out malangs and actually dress up for dinner. So, we dressed up nice and went out to enjoy Steak Night at Avari. Avari is our kinda go to place. We love their Sunday Munch and their buffets are pretty awesome.

What I enjoy most about our frequent visits to Avari is the selection of food and the variety offered. So, there several meat cuts displayed there and we chose filet mignon for my husband with mushroom sauce and T-bone steak for me with peppercorn sauce. My husband and I ordered steaks well done and that is exactly how we found them. Steaks were as they are supposed to be. Superior quality, perfect cut and temperature. We enjoyed the meal. The only thing missing were the potatoes. With steaks I have eaten potatoes bakes, mashed, roasted, scalloped even french fries or hash browns but potatoes are an important element of steak, they complete the meal.

 

 

There was selection for makings of salads with fresh veggies, olives and cheeses and sauces. And a good thing I liked about steak night at Avari is that we didn’t need to order desserts separately. There was a selection of desserts available which included traditional sweets like gulab jamun, pudding and kheer as well as cheese cakes, tiramisu and other creamy treats.

All in all, steak night at Avari turned out to be a fun night. Had good food, stuffed ourselves with sweat treats and then came home to enjoy the cold weather with some hot coffee.

 

Mediterranean Tapas at Avari Towers – A Visual Delight

Tapas are the tiny, quick beat Spanish dishes. And I have never seen food more beautiful than what was served at Mediterranean Tapas at Avari Towers Karachi. Appetizers, Savory dishes and desserts, everything looked so good that I didn’t want to eat anything lest it disturbs the way it all looked.

Believe me when I tell you that the food tasted better than the pictures. The appetizers were light and on point. Savory dishes distinctive and yummy. And what to say about the desserts; richness in every bite. I won’t go on and on about the food and let the pictures tempt you.

Appetizers

Savory Dishes

Desserts

 

 

Curries of the World – A WonderFood Experience

My husband has never been a big fan of curries. So, it came as a surprise when last week he asked me to accompany him for dinner to Avari for having curry for dinner. Yes, that’s all he told me. Like all men, he’s always tight lipped about where we are going, whats the occasion and who’s going to be there. Men never understand that all of these questions help me decide what to wear so that one is neither under dressed nor overdressed.

 

Khair, upon arriving at Avari Towers, it became clear that “having curry for dinner” was an understatement. Avari Tower celebrated “Curries of the World” for three consecutive days. To say that there were curries from all over the world won’t be right coz I do not think that they have curries in the European or North and South American countries; however. The selection was huge.

Most curries were from Asian region and I loved tasting all of them. Specially coz I had been trying to control my diet by eating a lot of salads which left me in a sour mood most of the time. And I indulged myself fully at the Curries of the World. I tried and ate almost all of the dishes except for the Pakistani ones.

The food was amazing. Curries tasted really good. There were normal, garlic and butter naans to eat with curries as well as rice. There were curries from different countries, including Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India.

Butter Chicken was the star of day. The buttery smooth taste was so good. I also loved the Sri Lankan chicken with vegetables. From Pakistani curries, there was beef nihari, beef koftay, mutton karahi, kunna, paye and some daal.

Salads at Avari are my fav part. Some salty, some tangy but all perfect. I am in love with the salads served at Avari buffet. I can eat them as the main course. Yes, they are that good.

Desserts are always good too. This time, there were traditional Pakistani dessert as well as cheesecake kinda ones too. But I stayed away from desserts this time as I have been working hard to lose weight.

It was a good experience. Loved eating such varied tasting food. I am so glad my husband insisted that we go there for the Curries of the World fest.

Secret Recipes of Head Chef of Avari Towers

Trying out new recipes and creating new dishes is my passion. I love cooking. This combined with my love for food has led me to hundreds of websites, to so many cooking classes that I have lost count. But recently my interest had been waning a bit. With a very active toddler tow, I hardly get any time for anything outside my normal routine. This week I was invited to Avari Towers for a cooking class with their head chef and what an experience it had been.

It reminded me of my long lost passion which had taken a back seat due to motherhood. I came back from Avari Towers with my interest in cooking renewed. Dusted off my recipes and decided not to let myself go, just coz I am a mother now.

The weather was beautiful when I went for the cooking class at Avari Towers Rooftop. And the view from the rooftop was breathtaking. Karachi for miles and miles and that too after 2 days rain. It was indeed a rare occurrence. It looked as if the city has washed away all its grit.

The chef shared 2 recipes; one for Tal Mal Grilled Prawns and the other for Grilled Australian Chops. Recipes were simple and I loved the taste of both dishes. The grilled chops tasted so so so good. And the prawns were too good.

Recipe of Tal Mal Prawns

Recipe of Grilled Australian Chops

The chefs made the recipes seem so simple. I loved the cooking class and will definitely try both dishes at my family BBQ soon.

Avari Impresses Me Again with the Italian Food Festival

Avari has become one of my favorite spots to dine with my family. Yes, they are pricey but you gotta look at all that they offer. I love their food and nothing can deter me from trying out the different food festivals they arrange. I have been to their Egyptian and French food festivals and I have had a great experience. So, I decided to try out the Italian Food Festival and I am glad I did.

Avari Towers Karachi has arranged Italian Food Festival at Asia Live to go on from 12^th May to 21^st May. Went there last night and it was a good experience. I haven’t had authentic Italian food before this except for eating pasta and pizza and we all know the kind of so called authentic flavours we find in Karachi. Most “authentic” called dishes served at various eateries and restaurants are adjusted according to the desi taste by adding spices to them. That wasn’t the case at the Italian Food Fest.

All the food served was prepared keeping the authentic and original recipes in focus or so was evident from the taste. It was not spicy but neither was it blend. I love salads served at Avari and this time wasn’t any different. Tried different salads and loved all of them.

The main courses where amazing too. I loved the different sauces and the different meat used for the main course. The textures and smells were great.

 

The Tiramisu I found at the Italian Food Fest is the best I have ever had. It tasted just perfect. A bit bitter, a bit sweet. Yum. The rest of the desserts tasted pretty good too. Specially the peach cobbler. It was too good.

So far, all the food festivals I have been to at Avari have been really good. I love the idea of trying out new cuisines and Avari Towers has offered the best food festivals to satisfy my taste buds.

Avari Tower Karachi Celebrates Marvel Mums Lunch on Mothers Day

I have been home after a wonderful lunch for only a few hours and here I am forced to write this article on the food I ate. Yes, FORCED. Forced by that anxious feeling of sharing my wonderful experience with the world. Do you ever have that feeling where you want to share something with others right away?

So, I went to Avari Towers Karachi today for their Marvelous Mother’s Day Lunch-Munch. It was ah-may-zing. Accompanied by my mother in law, my son and husband we set out for Avari for probably the hottest day of the year. It wasn’t actually the hottest day, just felt like it. Before leaving, I told my husband that this lunch should be worth bearing the heat. And it was everything I had expected and so much more.

Let’s start from salads. Salads at Avari are always the best. I can eat my fill with salads only and every time I plan to eat more of their salads but then the main courses temp me with their aroma and looks.

The best part of the lunch-munch was that this time they had taken the best of the best dishes from all of Avari restaurants and served them. The selection variety was huge. There were Pakistani dishes, sushi bar, Mexican dishes, Thai dishes, and Japanese dishes. Food was plentiful and it all tasted good. I can vouch that all the dishes I ate tasted good.

Pakistani cuisine included dishes like Chicken Karahi, Mutton Kunna, Chicken Bihari Boti, Grilled Red Snapper with Tomato Sauce, Paneer Malai Kofta Curry and Italian Chicken. There were a lot of other dishes too but I couldn’t try them. Of all the Pakistani dishes I tried, I loved the Paneer Malai Kofta Curry the best. The kofta balls were soft and moist. Curry and koftay both had distinct paneer flavor and I loved it.

With the sour cream and salsa sauces and loved the flavor of both sauces.

I tried a bit of all the Japanese dishes that were served. Their Beef Teriyaki and Chicken Tappenyaki were really good.

A huge selection of desserts was also served but by the time it was turn for the sweets I had already eaten more than enough. Also my son was getting a bit sleepy, so we didn’t try anything, which I totally regret.

Dinning at Avari has always turned out to be a pleasure experience. This time my mother in law was with me too and she loved the food and we also partake in the lucky draw for some gifts offered for mother’s day. My Mum in law won Masarrat Misbah makeup as she won the lucky draw.

Don’t Miss The Egyptian Food Fest

I love trying out new cuisines and this week my husband treated me with Egyptian food. I had never tried Egyptian Food before and I liked it. This saturday my husband, son and I went to the Egyptian Food Fest hosted by Avari Towers Karachi. Avari Towers specializes in organizing food festivals based on different regions and different cuisines. Before this, they organised a French food festival, an Australian food festival, a Turkish food festival and several more. For each of these festivals, they specially import the food staples and produce from the particular countries of which food fests they organised. This is such a huge and distinctive feature of their food festivals. I mean while living in Pakistan I can eat French sausages or Australian steak or tiger prawns or the cheese from Switzerland, this is just amazing.

Another thing that sets them apart is that all the dishes they serve in these food festivals are authentic. There is no variation in the ingredients used or the recipe that is followed to make these dishes. This gives the whole festival an authentic and original feel. Also the decor reflects the origins. Like when we went for the Egyptian Food Fest this saturday, the center pieces used for the salad bar, entree table and dessert bar looked like pyramids, Alabastar Mosque and great obelisk from Karnak Temple. The colors of Egypt were reflected in the restaurant too which looked great.

Coming to food, it was plentiful. There were so much variety that I wasnt able to try every dish. I took nibbles of each dish but they were so fulfilling and rich, I couldnt hardly eat much. And I also had to save room for dessert. One thing I have always appreciated about Avari Towers buffets is that they offer best salads. This time was no different, from olives, fried cheese, Feta cheese, humus to citric prawn salad they all were scrumptious.

Salad Bar

Egyptians mostly eat lamb so most of the dishes were made of lamb. there was mutton too but not much of beef or chicken. The dishes were mildly spicy and tasted good. Some of the dishes I tried and really liked included Zalabia Balls, Dawood Basha, Lamb Moussaka, Lamb Stew, Dajaj Kabsa, Kusharay Pasta, Mutabbaq, Roasted Chicken & Potatoes, Mix Grilled Chicken and Beef and Full Medames.

 

Desserts included a few of the original Egyptian sweets like Baklava, Basbusa and Om Ali. There were other choices too like chocolate and and lemon mousse, chocolate souffle, walnut tarts, egg pudding and red velvet cake.

I liked the little taste of Egypt I got at Avari Towers Karachi Egyptian Food Fest. This food festival will go on till the 7th of May. Go on, take your family to this food festival and enjoy Egyptian Food.