Secret Revealed: Gigi Hadid's Kitchen Has Shan Masala

 

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While surfing the Internet, I came across this picture of Shan Masala collection, all beautifully lined up in containers. Do you know who is using the Shan Masala?

Yeah, it is none other than the international celebrity Gigi Hadid who is using Shan Foods Masala in her recipes. It looks Hadid has become a huge fan of desi spices. Recently she shared a click on her Instagram and people immediately noticed the Pakistani brand Shan Masala. There is tikka, tandoori, seekh kabab and garam masala in the collection. Even the turmeric container is labeled as Haldi.  It is a proud moment for all of us that Pakistani brand is making a further big hit as top-notch celebrities are now selecting Shan Masala for its high quality.

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Karachi Eat Is Back With A Bang!

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The seventh edition of the biggest eat festival – Karachi Eat 2020 is back with a bang. This year, there are more than 100 eateries to tempt foodies. The three-day festival will give a chance to food lovers to taste sweet, savory and delicious food till 12^th January at the Beach View Park.

The 100 plus food stalls are set up by big multinationals to startups or home-based businesses. Keeping in mind the haphazard of previous experiences, the organizers are more precautious and have made some changes to accommodate the crowd. There are clear signs for directions, entry, and exit to avoid the rush.

The eateries will include Chipseez, (introducing their signature Beetroot, Sweet Potato, Potato Chips), Zoya’s Kitchen giving Cannoli (Italian pastries) and Lemon Grass, introducing Crying Tiger, Rigos ice cream, Churrosity will have Churro Hot Dog, Cloud Naan will have Chicken Naan, Spicogetti will introduce their new starter Chic ‘N’ Cheese Spaghetti along with signature Khausa, Singaporean Rice and Wrappeite will give you Bread Bowl Lasagna.

Some very distinctive titles will also be at Karachi eat 2020. These will include Drty Dogs, Khichdi Express, Brew Factory, Abid Chatkhara, Punjabi Dhaba, Arabi’s, Clucky’s, Lemon Grass, Leena’s Cevapi, Burger Boss, and D’oh.

Following are some picks from Karachi Eat 2020 that you must try out,

Made Easy

For a yummy sweet dessert, visit Made Easy stall by National Food Ltd. Here you will find the tasty Royal Falooda. Made Easy is also offering delectable Bun sliders with a unique filling made up of Nihari, Karhai, and Tika Boti. Their other items include Chullu kebab and other BBQ wraps Scene on chaat Lebanese magmour and Kachori. You can win a Free biryani on a digital game at the stall.  

Ice Cream by Rigos

Select the base of ice cream asper your choice and Rigos will add two gold flakes.

Brew Factory

As the Karachi is witnessing extra windy weather, the Brew factory’s coffee is favourite among the foodies.

Khichdi Express

This traditional food stall is offering yummy dishes including the khichdi, poppadoms, bhagaray baingan, khattay aloo, chutney, etc.

Delina

Don’t forget to try their latest addition, the Hot Mess dessert. Taste the unique taste of Lotus crumble, layers of caramel sauce, cream and cake all covered in a delicious sauce made from condensed milk.

2 Guys 1 Grll

If you are a fan of typical Chicken and Beef Burger than this 2 Guys 1 Grll is the place for you at Karachi Eat 2020.

The Nugget Town

Who can resist nuggets? Yes, no one can! The Nugget Town is offering crispy nuggets with Korean sauce, served with mac and cheese. A taste that you will remember.

Khan Haleem

You have heard about Matka Biryani and Matka Chai but this is something new. Khan Haleem will serve you their hot Haleem in a matka with a savory topping.

The above mentioned are some of the picks from the eat festivals. There are numerous others as well that you should try. 

On Sunday, the festival will be open for the public from 12:30pm to 10:30pm.

The Ticket costs Rs450. 

Happy eating! 

Photo: Web 

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Review - Don't Miss The International Iftar Buffet Dinner At Avari Towers!

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Every year Ramazan gives us chance to taste some yummy food and enjoy comfy ambiance with our family, friends and acquaintances. As a matter of fact, we all search for best places to relish our iftar dinners. This is the main reason that many restaurants announce their special deals and dinner meals with discounted rates to allure foodies.

Frankly speaking, not all deals and dinner meals turned out to be yummy and worthy and this really upsets foodies’ mood. However, there is one place that has a reputation of serving best delicious food and providing the most cozy environment for food lovers. Yes, here I am writing about AvariTowers Karachi’s Asia Live the one and only famous restaurant among foodies. Keeping in tact its tradition of introducing amazing food festivals, the restaurant is once again enticing its fans with International Iftar Buffet Dinner 2019. 

Today, I went to Asia Live’s International Iftar Buffet Dinner and believe me it was the best decision as it gave me an ample opportunity to taste the vast array of eastern and western dishes under one roof along with an assortment of colorful sweet dishes and desserts.

First of all, let me tell you that the place was beautifully decorated that truly reflected the spirit of holy month of Ramazan. I broke my fast with dates, some salads; it was my choice to go for salads rather than fried pakoras. There was a huge variety of snacks such as mix Pakoras, Dahi Bara, Chaat, Chicken Rolls, Pani Puri, crispy Samosas, Gol Gappay, etc.

After that I started my buffet dinner and for my surprise, the selection of dishes were superb as the menu list has a number of eastern and continental dishes. I tried the Lahori Fish which was super tasty, along with spicy aromatic beef biryani. I also tried a little bit of Chicken Malai Boti, Beef Chappali kebabs, Nihari and mutton Karahi. These dishes were full of flavours and tastes so good that you wouldn't be able to resist their aroma. 

For those who love to eat light continental food, Asia Live offers a vast variety of exotic dishes for instance, Thai Beef Green curry, the succulent Chinese Beef steak, crunchy Prawn Tempura, Teriyaki, and sweet & sour soup in their iftar buffet menu.

Likewise, the desserts section was full of beautifully decorated dishes including cakes, Arabic sweets, jelly, custard and the famous Pakistani sweet dishes for example the Kheer.

Verdict 

So, if you are looking for a self-serving comfortable atmosphere to enjoy your divine iftar, do visit the Asia Live restaurant at Avari Towers Karachi to have a wonderful dinner comprising of Desi Food, Italian, Japanese and Chinese. Whatever you want, you will definitely find delicious food under one roof.

Ratings

Ambiance 10/10

Food 10/10

Service 9/10

Cost Rs. 3195 +tax per person

For reservations and more details call: 111-282-747

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Review - Fujiyama: An Abode of Traditional Japanese Food At Avari Towers

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Japanese Food Festival At Fujiyama, Avari Towers Hotel.
From 7th to 16th December

I was super excited when I heard that there will an event about Japanese food and my excitement touched its height when I came to know that it will be at Avari Towers. The reason was simple, I have gone there multiple times with my family and friends and found its dining areas including Dynasty and Asia Live very convincing. So, on the first day of the event I went there and to my surprise the decent décor, exotic cuisine and staff dressed up in traditional costumes truly represented the culture of Japan at the Japanese Food Festival held at Fujiyama restaurant, Avari Towers Hotel in Karachi.

The festival was inaugurated by Consul-General of Japan in Karachi Mr. Toshikazu Isomura, along with his wife, Deputy Consul-General of Japan Mr. Katsunori Ashida, and Mr. Grant Raubenheimer VP Operation Avari Towers. It is a 10 days long food gala from 7th to 16th December 2018.

Fujiyama is a classic restaurant serving traditional Japanese food with authentic aroma and flavours. It is not only the food but also the location that entice its guests. The sky rise view on the top floor of 17 story Avari Towers gives you enormous panorama to enjoy city of lights’ beauty. The restaurant has earned a status of a perennial place for elaborate Japanese menu, serving a wide range of Sashimi, delectable appetizers, bona fide Japanese dishes and variety of sweet-treats.

Read Review - An Insider's Guide To Arabic Food Festival At Asia Live, Avari Towers!

The buffet style dinner was set up so that diners can move along the buffet line and serve themselves as per their choice. The grilling tables were also arranged behind the buffet counter where Chef Carlito Magno was all ready to show his Live cooking skills.

However the highlight of the day was clicked when Deputy Consul-General of Japan Mr. Katsunori Ashida started demonstrating his culinary skills by showcasing the slicing techniques of a fish for sushi assembling. It was the most exciting phase of my dinner.

I started my dinner by serving myself with Miso Soup. The Seafood Clear Soup was also there but I preferred Miso as it is my favourite. After that I selected some of the cold and hot appetizers including Mixed Sushi, Sashimi, Maki, Gyu Tataki, Agedashi Tofu and Ebi Tempura. The taste of Sushi was excellent, it melted in mouth and gave a feeling of satisfaction for my taste-buds.

Read Review - For The Love Of Sea-Food At Asia Live, Avari Towers!

For the main course,  I filled my palate with Tori Katsu (Chicken Katsu), Sakana Katsu (Fish Katsu), Gyu Katsu (Beef Katsu), and Tori Teriyaki (Chicken Teriyaki). All the fired food was truly crunchy and the flavor was superb.

I also tried garlic fried rice with combinations of different Teppanyaki dishes including Ebi (prawn), Gyu (beef) and Tori (chicken) teppanyaki. For veggies lover there was Yasai Itame (Stir Fry Vegetables) with a sauce.

Verdict

Over all, I would say that it was a wonderful experience of authentic Japanese food and comfy ambience. You must visit this festival to enjoy delicious Sushi, sizzling seafood and mouthwatering tempura delights. The Fujiyama style serving with radiating refinement and peaceful atmosphere will give you the greatest foodie experience.

Ratings

I would definitely give it following rating;

Food – 4.5/5

Ambience – 4/5

Service – 4/5  

For any query or reservation of your table, visit the official website Avari Towers.

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Review - For The Love Of Sea-Food At Asia Live, Avari Towers!

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Last time I went there to try their yummy Arabic Food. The experience at Avari Towers’ restaurant Asia Live was so excellent that I decided to go there once again. However, this time, it was not a food festival but a regular themed night dinner. Yes, Asia Live offers distinctive theme buffet nights with a vast variety of delectable cuisines.

In my previous blog, I have already written about the cozy ambience of Asia Live. The restaurant's staff will welcome you with a friendly gesture. They will escort you to your desired table. The thoroughly professional team is very cooperative and helpful. The impeccable ambience is perfect place for a delightful evening as it provides an absolute leisure atmosphere so that you can fully relish your meal.

Read our review An Insider's Guide To Arabic Food Festival At Asia Live, Avari Towers!

Coming back to their creative themed dinners, the seafood nights happen every Friday at Asia Live Restaurant. I must say that through its themed dinner nights, restaurant is not only offering masterfully prepared scrumptious food but also raising the bar for fine dining. The idea to add a theme to dinner is to make it more enjoyable. 

So, the last Friday, I went there to experience another wonderful dinner comprised of seafood. I was expecting some unusual dishes as part of seafood. But to my surprise the buffet menu was well-chosen while keeping in mind the food-lovers’ typical choice and tastes.

The menu was an amalgamation of culinary flare, unique flavor and diversity of seafood. It included fish and crab based dishes along with pasta, vegetable, Japanese savors, fried, tikka and the yummy fish pilaf. The huge range of appetizing salads, pickles, and desserts was another feature of the buffet dinner.

One of the most attractive feature of the seafood theme night was Live Fish Cooking. There was a variety of raw fishes available that one can select and order to be cooked as per taste. The chefs would prepare your desired fish dish and serves you right from the stove. This is an amazing side of Asia Live restaurant that keeps it on top of other eatery places. 

I started my dinner with a crab soup. It was prepared as restaurant’s own specialty. The taste was fine and well balanced. After this, I tried Tilapia fish with Thermidor sauce, Crab in bonne femme sauce, Red Snapper teppenyaki, Tuna fish pulao, Bekti tikka, and Pasta Marinara.

I loved the crunchy taste of Bekti tikka and spicy flavors of Tuna fish pilaf. Both dishes were cooked in a pure eastern way and gives a BBQ and biryani style aromatic flavors. The Crab in Bonne Femme sauce was prepared in a white creamy textured sauce and tastes very good. The meat was well cooked. The Pasta Marinara was another great dish with slight red colour and peppery taste.

I finished my dinner by tasting the sweet treats including jelly with pine-apple, fruity trifle, brownies, soft custard, and the famous king of sweet dishes the Gulab Jaman dipped in sugary sauce.

Verdict

If you are a true sea-food lover and want to enjoy some aromatic dishes, some creamy flavors and diverse desserts, then I would highly recommend that you should try the menu of Asia Live’s themed nights with your family, friends, and colleagues. It will cost you Pakistan Rupees 2300+tax per head.

Ratings

I would give it following stars;

Food – 4/5

Ambience – 4.5/5

Service – 4/5  

Opening Times

Friday – 19:30pm to 23:30pm

For any query or reservation of your table, visit the official website Avari Towers.

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Review - An Insider's Guide To Arabic Food Festival At Asia Live, Avari Towers!

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Asia Live is a casual dining area of the Avari Towers Hotel Karachi, with a conventional baron elegant leitmotif. The restaurant has gained a reputation of a terminus for organizing extravagant food festivals, serving exotic recipes from Far East, Europe and Middle Eastern domains.

Recently, I went to Asia Live restaurant for a food festival; the Arabic Food Festival. It is a 3 day long fiesta from 26^th to 28^th October 2018. I would like to suggest that any person who wants to be acquainted with mouthwatering Arabic cuisine, should visit this restaurant’s festival and enjoy the wide range of starter – mezza, more than 8 dishes of main course and of course the last but not the least; the famous desserts that no one can resist.

The Ambience

As soon as you walk through the door, the smiling face friendly staff will greet and guide you through the tables to your desired space. The warm, appealing dining room is flawless spacious hall for a delightful eating experience; the flavorful meal at a comfy table. The pleasing ambience will convey a sense of relaxation while you enjoy your incomparable cuisine. Moreover, the scrumptious cuisine along with distinct live music will gear-up your frame of mind to an impressive Arabic ambience.

The Food

Now let me tell you more elaborately about my experience. I started my dinner with starter – mezza, including all the true Middle Eastern salads such as Babaghanooj (an Eggplant dip), Hummos (the famous chickpea dip), Tabbooleh, Fattoosh, Samboosek, Keshkeh, Khoboz Araby (the Arabic bread) served with pita bread. However, the Mahammara, a blended rich dip made of redpeppers, walnuts, oliveoil and pomegranate molasses, was the main attraction of this category. I tried it with everything from the meaty dishes to rice with dry fruits.

Me and my friends requested the concerned person to meet the creator of the menu. We were introduced to Chef Naim who later briefed us about each and every dish that was served. He has a vast experience in his field and knows very well how to create a quality aromatic dish with a twist of seasonal ingredients to give you an array of flavours. What I understand from his way of explanation is that he along with his team maintains a special emphasize on high quality, cleanness, freshness and the taste. It all reflected in their delectable creations.

After talking to chef, we started our main course that was comprised of a mixture of BBQ, grilled meat, rice, and vegetable based menu. It included Makloobet Betenjan (an eggplants and rice dish), the moist and juicy Lamb Chops, Rez Bel Ja (chicken and rice dish), Shiekh Elmehshi (a dish prepared with Zucchini and Yogurt), Koosa Mehshi (a dish comprised of stuffed Zucchini), and the two most famous dishes from middle east; yes here I am talking about the Shawarma Chicken Kabseh and the Mesakan Chicken kabab, most commonly known as Shish Tawook. Every dish was cautiously prepared and seasoned with sporadic Middle Eastern spices.

At the end of the dinner, I tried the selective desserts including the Kushta (a homemade Arabic cream), Baklawa Pastry, Basboosah (Hareeseh), Katayef and the most delicious sweet treat Umm Ali.

Verdict

If you are a Arabic food lover, then I would recommend that you along with your family and friends, should drop in for this 3 day long Arabic Food Festival and enjoy not only an intimate Arabic meal but also an Arabic Night full of traditional Arabic music and performances; all in a wholly Arabic ambience.

Ratings

I would definitely give it following rating;

Food – 4.5/5

Ambience – 4/5

Service – 4/5   

Opening Times

Fri, Sat, Sun – 19:30pm to 23:30pm

For any query or reservation of your table, visit the official website Avari Towers. 

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National Foods Empowering Women, Definitely Not A Failure!

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Gone are the days, when women were supposed to spent their lives in the heat of kitchen just to show the love and care they have for their families. The 21^st century women have introduced a new concept of spending less time in kitchen while still showing their affection and carefulness for the loved ones.

Today’s modern women select those things that are not time consuming, for example, ready to wear, ready to cook, and most importantly, the hygienic ready to use recipe mixes. Many people, particularly, the older ones, still think that this kind of mentality to choose easy-to-go things, is actually a sign of laziness and failure.

However, smart women have a very valid answer to this accusation. They establish their point of view by saying that instead of killing precious time in front of stoves, one should take sahulat (facility) of easily available balanced spices for cooking. This is the best way to save time to complete other important chores. Moreover, such sahulat gives women a lot of spare time to spend with their children, husband and other family members. They can also have a “Me time” that has been stolen from the older lot due to the absence of such spicy and tasty sahulat.

Recently, we came across the new TVC of National Foods that superbly highlighted the same fact that kitchen and ability to balance the spices to present a well-cooked dish, is not a litmus test for a woman’s love for family. She should not remain confined to one corner of house just to produce tasty food. All women should Live and love outside the confinements of the kitchen when National Recipe Mixes gives them the “Sahulat” to cook delicious food in less time. This does not make them a failure!

With a history spanning over four decades, National Foods has always tried to do something extra ordinary to empower women. With their latest TVC, the brand has intelligently not only tried to break the stereotype but also introduced a new concept of “Not A Failure”. 

The tag #NotAFailure is a great initiative to tell everyone that if a woman cannot spare time for certain things for example making round chapatis, cooking aromatic curries, washing dishes or doing other household chores, it’s not a failure. Look at the lives of those women who have achieved great things in life, made proud their families, earned name in their respective fields. Those women may not be good cooks and experts of making round roti but have showed their passion and determination to attain their goals. They are definitely #NotAFailure but an inspiration for all.

Hence, women who choose to avail the convenience of National Foods recipe mixes - a perfect blend of traditional, spicy, tantalizing flavors, to make perfect meals for families and manage to take out sufficient time for loved ones, are Not A Failure.

So, ladies, it’s time to grab some of those enriched and flavorsome recipe mixes with a combination of exotic herbs, spices and seasonings, to show our talent and offer a tasteful experience of aromatic Pakistani cuisine to our families without wasting too much time in heat - after all we are #NotAFailure.

Ladies you can follow National Foods social channels here:

Instagram: National Foods

Facebook: National Foods Limited

Twitter: National Foods

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