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Is Chai Kada the answer to Islamabad's chai cravings?

Is Chai Kada the answer to Islamabad's chai cravings?

The Lahore based dhaba opened a branch in Islamabad and the desi touch is winning hearts and stomachs
10 Jul, 2017

Over the last few years, the patios outside F-11’s cafes have become a favourite haunt for students and young professionals smoking and drinking coffee late into the night. And now, breaking into this scene dominated by international coffee chains is Lahore’s Chai Kada promising no nonsense traditional Punjabi dhaba food.

The small cafe with an open storefront has liberally appropriated the loud colours and folk imagery of truck art. Everything from the cafe’s name to the cheeky Punjabi inscriptions on the walls are a celebration of lowbrow culture and Pakistan’s collective love for chai.

Parked at the entrance is a bright yellow rickshaw, perhaps the only one in the capital city, adorned with bright floral patterns which boasts the cafe’s slogan on the windscreen in calligraphic letters chai meri jawani, Chai Kada mera nakhra which roughly translates to ‘chai is my youth and Chai Kada my attitude’.

Meera posing inside the yellow rickshaw outside the cafe. Photo: ChaiKadaIsb/Facebook
Meera posing inside the yellow rickshaw outside the cafe. Photo: ChaiKadaIsb/Facebook

Visitors are greeted by warm, spicy aromas as tea, milk and crushed cinnamon and cardamom bubble over stoves placed near the entrance. In true dhaba fashion, every few minutes a ladle full of chai is raised and poured back with theatrical flurry.

The menu is printed onto a decorated slate in Urdu and offers seven different types of chai, desserts, samosas, parathas, buns as well as coffee and cakes.

Chai Kada's chai.
Chai Kada's chai.

The karak chai is a beautiful dark brew, a true truckers drink which demands to be slurped not just sipped and takes one to bucolic driver hotels along the G.T. Road. The rich and creamy doodh patti made with fresh buffalo milk warms the soul, while the romantic chai and masala chai with hints of cardamom, clove, ginger and cinnamon are a treat to the senses.

In this part of the world, a combination of tea and paratha is almost natural and Chai Kada offers a variety of parathas.

The lachay dar paratha is a Punjabi favourite made using a special technique of layering dough kneaded with clarified butter. The result is a crumbly golden brown paratha, enjoyable on its own but perfect when dunked into a cup of sweetened chai.

The rich and creamy doodh patti made with fresh buffalo milk warms the soul. Photo: ChaiKada/Facebook
The rich and creamy doodh patti made with fresh buffalo milk warms the soul. Photo: ChaiKada/Facebook

For a more filling meal, diners can opt for one of the stuffed parathas. The chicken paratha with a spicy minced meat, onion and cilantro filling perfectly balances spice with the freshness of herbs making a delectable dish which works at any time of the day. The aloo paratha however is lacking in flavour and has too much stuffing which leaves the exterior a bit soggy.

Chai Kada's famous parathas and bun kebab. Photo: ChaiKadaIsb/Facebook
Chai Kada's famous parathas and bun kebab. Photo: ChaiKadaIsb/Facebook

The true star at Chai Kada is the bun pluster, a treat in a city devoid of street food. This old favourite lightly fries super soft buns in melted butter layering it with fried egg, minced meat and in the special version also adds a potato cutlet.

The result is a burger that melts in your mouth combining the homely flavours of bread, butter and egg with the spiciness of meat, reminiscent of a street cart at an old railway station. But unlike its street cart version, the bun pluster at Chai Kada is not drowning in butter and is hence lighter.

Wasif Mehmood, who was eating at Chai Kada with his family on Sunday, said he had entered the cafe looking for traditional flavours and had found it. His wife Parveen Wasif said she is a chai enthusiast and was satisfied with the strong brew she had here.

The upscale dhaba is not a new idea but in a young city scoured clean of street carts, the offerings at Chai Kada are a welcome addition. And at a time when restaurants are increasingly ostentatious in decor but fail to impress with their food, the simplicity of the culinary experience at Chai Kada is refreshing.

Originally published in Dawn, July 10th, 2017

Comments

abbi Jul 10, 2017 01:18pm
they are serving ridiculous tea in lahore,seriously i have never taste such taste less tea in my life
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akber Jul 10, 2017 01:42pm
Anday wala burger
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Khwarizmi Jul 10, 2017 01:58pm
Pakistani food is number one in the world!
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TrueLies Jul 10, 2017 02:14pm
I want to visit this place. In fact would love to roam across Pakistan to soak in the ethos and taste your food. Hope Sushma and Sartaj would help ;-)
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karmicgal Jul 10, 2017 03:27pm
Yummy, i love tea and i love these tea mugs and plates.
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R.s. Menon Jul 10, 2017 03:29pm
Kada in the South Indian language Malayalam, spoken in the Malabar coast, means "Shop". R.S. Menon, Bangalore
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DAWN ADMIRER Jul 10, 2017 03:36pm
@Khwarizmi Agreed- the photos are so mouth watering .....
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Ramji SRINIVAs Jul 10, 2017 06:15pm
Sitting and reading dawn in South India - you have got my mouth watering :) wonder whether I will ever get to visit the beautiful places that I see in dawn's photos. Sigh!
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Javed Qamer USA Jul 10, 2017 10:03pm
Cost of chai, parathas etc. Please do the job properly.
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uzma Jul 10, 2017 11:19pm
being an isloo by birth i have missed typical dhaba style food common in in other cities.such eateries make my city even more beautiful.loved cinnamon tea at chai kada
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mindshare, TX Jul 11, 2017 12:45am
@TrueLies You are welcome here. Be my guest
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mindshare, TX Jul 11, 2017 12:49am
@Ramji SRINIVAs You are welcome and be my guest. Perhaps, its difficult to use Pakistan/Indian identities to visit these territories but its very possible to travel to subcontinent using third country identity.
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