Food Trail Pakistan: Karachi

Normally, when you (grudgingly, and with the right level of embarrassment) admit that you like your coffee black, with no sugar, in a nation of tea drinkers (preferably with enough milk to turn the complexion of the drink into a shade that would be acceptable to rishta aunties when screening prospecting spouses, and just as sweet), you are met with a response that would not feel out of place in that scene from a 70’s Nadeem / Shabnam blockbuster where the “side heroine” learns that her spouse has tragically died in a car accident, and proceeds to smash her bangles at the nearest doorway. This disbelief / anguish is rapidly followed up with revulsion: it’s so bitter! How can you countenance pouring this poison down your throat? Plus, don’t you know coffee is bad for you? As a result, it takes a special kind of resilience (read: dhitai ) to be an avowed coffee drinker in these parts. It also takes skin of elephantine thickness to be able to smile through a conversation where o...

Mocca Karachi - Ramadan Coffee Run I've liked the Mocca vibe ever since it opened in Karachi a few months ago. The layout is spacious, with a reasonable space between tables (something not to be sniffed at, given Karachi real estate prices), the place itself is clean and brightly lit, and the staff are friendly. I've visited it a few times since its opening, primarily because it is a fairly inoffensive spot (not the most ringing endorsement, I know), tends to not be that crowded and, being farther away from the Espresso / Lal's area, is easier to find parking.  Last night, my daughter and I decided at short notice to hop out for a cup of coffee and something sweet. She's got very definite opinions (at 4 years old, can't expect anything else) and decided that she must have a macaron, so off to Mocca we went. It wasn't that late in the evening by Ramadan standards, around 9 pm, so we found parking very easily and the place was maybe half full.  We we...