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From Berlin to Saint Petersburg to Islamabad, AmberRoom has travelled for centuries, not only changing borders and ownership, but also its concept as a whole, from imperial chambers to a museum and now a restaurant.

This iteration is housed on the second floor of a building in Islamabad’s F6 sector, near other eateries such as Dahlia, Fuoco, Roasters and Sumo, but AmberRoom carries a different vibe altogether. It may be overhyped, overpriced, and a little overrated, but the eatery deserves at least one shot.

As one enters the cafe, the Japandi-influenced interior catches the eye instantly. Soft neutral grey-beige blends well with omnipresent beige, creating a balancing act on the walls and furniture. The soft, reflecting light gives the room depth. Comfortable light wood oak and beech chairs in walnut tones complement the low-slung seating environment, grounding the room and giving it a spacious look with its single, glassed indoor tree.

When we arrived at 10am for breakfast, the server laid out three different menu pages: one for coffee, one for breakfast and a third one, a selection from the viennoiserie, with a lead pencil to tick the boxes for food we’d like and left us to decide after giving us a tutorial.

A tip for food lovers: when trying a new place for the first time, you should always capitalise on your experience by adventuring with all the flavours and textures your appetite can afford in order to get a holistic experience. This will save time on follow-up visits.

The breakfast options gave us an opportunity to assemble our platter from a wide assortment of selections. The “Drinks” menu offers anything and everything under the sun. Playing it safe, we ordered an Earl Grey Matcha Latte priced at Rs1,650 and a Spanish Latte at Rs790 from the coffee section.

The ceremonial-grade matcha was paired with a delicate Earl Grey cold foam, a rarity in town. It added a subtle touch of sweetness, perfectly cutting the earthy and nutty essence of the matcha, but at the same time securing the flavour of the green tea.

The breakfast page was thankfully less complicated and the server’s tutorial helped. Going for the five-piece option, which was priced at Rs2,600, we ordered croissants from the bakery section; whipped ricotta, tomato, and basil from the dairy area; avocado smash from the greens; cold cuts of turkey and salami from the proteins section, all with a choice of scrambled eggs.

My partner opted for a full breakfast with a corn fritter, which included poached eggs, basil hollandaise and salad, priced at Rs2,050. Tiramisu French Toast won the vote, leaving behind the cinnamon roll and diner-style pancakes in the dessert race.

The food arrived in about 15 to 20 minutes. The portions were small for the price, but the assortments served to appease our appetites. The scrambled eggs were anything but ordinary, with a custardy texture and balanced seasoning; who knew something as basic as eggs could be amplified so much?

The fresh and earthy avocado smash perfectly complemented the whipped ricotta, with charred cherry tomatoes sitting pretty. It was a treat for the tastebuds!

The croissant was buttery and flaky, almost perfected to a science. Pairing it with the tangy and sharp raspberry jam left our palates tingling.

For cold cuts, an extra order of sourdough bread was placed. Perfectly toasted, butter layered on its bed, and shavings of salami and turkey on top of each other, it was a pretty sight to admire.

The corn fritter was a sight to behold. Corn kernels moulded into a disc-like shape, dipped in tempura batter and fried to perfection. Pico de gallo, an amalgamation of crunchy chopped onions, tomatoes, and cilantro, soaked in lime juice and garnished over the fritters but hidden beneath the greens, created an acidic vibe and was indeed innovative, giving the palate a sharp kick.

The guacamole acted as a silky buffer, whereas the poached eggs, with their yolk oozing out like orange lava navigating through the greens, closed the deal on the light and airy corn fritter. It was simply picture perfect.

The Tiramisu French Toast was much more than meets the eye. As a foodie, I have tried quite a few joints offering tiramisu, which are usually either dull, saccharine, or simply not airy enough. AmberRoom’s Tiramisu French Toast was close but not perfect.

With a golden, crispy outer layer and a pillowy middle, the French toast was a bit dry, but the mascarpone cream with a hint of tiramisu came in as a relief. However, the stars of the dish were the macerated mixed berries. The combination of the airy French toast with the punchy fruit kept our tastebuds tingling till the end.

It would not be incorrect to say that the AmberRoom indeed has much more to offer, as I took a peek at the fourth page, which simply said “menu”. Split into four different sections: small bites, salads, sandwiches and pastas, the lunch-dinner menu was all over the place.

The French viennoiserie, Italian spaghetti puttanesca, spinach and ricotta, a smashed burger from the US of A and of course, Japanese matcha and Spanish Lattes, AmberRoom has something for everyone.

The eatery serves breakfast from 9am till noon on weekdays, lunch from 1:30pm onwards and the last order of the day is at 10:15pm, before they call it a night.