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Weekend grub: Dhaba-style BBQ meets fine dining at Islamabad's Baradari

Weekend grub: Dhaba-style BBQ meets fine dining at Islamabad's Baradari

The menu at Baradari is what we call "wishful thinking”
Updated 13 May, 2016

Dhaba-style BBQ meets fine dining at Baradari, a seasonal restaurant that opens its doors on summer nights at the pool-side gardens of Islamabad's Serena Hotel.

The buffet at Baradari, though highly priced, is a BBQ haven, and also offers a spread of local dishes and desserts.

The restaurant opened for spring recently, and I decided to take my friends to dinner. It was a treat. Here's how:

What to order

The menu at Baradari is what we call "wishful thinking”.

The four of us split up at the buffet and reunited to discover that each had brought back something different.

Baradari offers a buffet under an open sky
Baradari offers a buffet under an open sky

There were pakoras and haleem in one plate, biryani, tawa machli and nargassi koftas in another. Potato cutlets, mint chutney and mutton nihari was on a third, and I was the only calorie-conscious among the lot who opted for BBQ. How's that for diversity? Baradari checked out on this first buffet essential.

With a focus on Pakistani cusine, Baradari offers a diverse buffet
With a focus on Pakistani cusine, Baradari offers a diverse buffet

As for taste, the biryani tasted a bit bland despite the right mix of veggies and garnishing of dry fruits. The nargassi koftas, however, were a winner! The dish got full marks for presentation: hard boiled eggs, coated with minced meat, were laid on a bed of tomato curry. And it tasted like a grandmother's classic recipe on the very first bite. Piping hot tandoori roti and melt-in-the-mouth kofta was an experience that makes Baradari worth the second trip.

Each recipe is an invention of the head chef's Rehmat Hunzai
Each recipe is an invention of the head chef's Rehmat Hunzai

“Whatever you eat here, is our own recipe, which you will not find in any other restaurant, even in Serena,” claims head chef Rehmat Karim Hunzai.

We were also served two fresh cheese naans on our table as appetizers. The naans were thinner than the usual varieties, and the marriage between cheddar and mozzarella with a light sprinkling of coriander was a success.

Charpayes and gao-takiyas or wrought iron tables, customers can take their pick of setting at Baradari
Charpayes and gao-takiyas or wrought iron tables, customers can take their pick of setting at Baradari

After the first course, a cascade of meat - skewers carrying fish tikka, seekh kebab and chicken boti - soon descended on our table. It was the mutton seekh kebab that's worth recommending to others. The kebabs were tender and spiced just right. It had us going for seconds.

I feel it's hard to get fish tikka wrong, unless it's marinated for too long, which was not the case here. There was nothing special about the chicken boti.

BBQ is Baradari's specialty
BBQ is Baradari's specialty

Although the sound of 'kat-a-kat' and aroma of chicken sajji tempted us to eat some more, we thought it best to now round off our meal with dessert. Kheer in clay pots, kulfa falooda in rabari syrup, mithai made from figs and pumpkin halwa were just some of the options.

“Fig mithai and kulfa are our two most popular desserts. It takes a lot of time and effort to cook these desserts,” Rehmat told us as we helped ourselves.

Damage on the pocket

The buffet at Baradari comes highly priced at Rs 2350+tax.


Baradari is open from 7pm to 11pm. The restaurant is closed on rainy days.

Comments

iRFAN UK May 13, 2016 02:01pm
I don't like eating from outside anymore in Pakistan because of so many stories of below average hygiene in the kitchens. I think the only way to get people like my self to start eating outside again is that all customers should be invited in the kitchens so we can feel satisfied with the level of cleanliness and then really start enjoying the dining out experience once again
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prafulla shrivastava May 13, 2016 02:16pm
Yummy Yummy, I had Nalli Nihari once in a Pakistani Hotel in Bahrain with Butter Nan, it was so delicious, so learned now how to cook it. I have tried it in various Indian Hotels but I could not got that taste which I got in Bahrain. My two brothers are living in US, whenever they for dinner outside their first preference always remain a Pakistani hotel since the quality of food they get in Pakistani Hotel, they donot get anywhere.
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50 Shades of Khaki May 13, 2016 02:28pm
I am sure it must be tasty but I am tired of having same food over and over again. Why don't we experiment with our dishes? And by experiment I do not mean the foreign cuisine - by experiment I mean that our chefs should 'mix and match' and come up with something brand new
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Sandip Bhatia May 13, 2016 02:29pm
Worth a visit, though I am from India, and calorie-conscious too. :)
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KboyMontreal May 13, 2016 02:29pm
This is what happens when burger eating awaam tries out our actual cuisine for a change. Its Taka Tak not "Kat-a-Kat". Get your desi dish names straight!
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Kaka May 13, 2016 05:40pm
@ Irfan UK, your are absolutely right brother, since we have heard about khotaa (gadda) eating in many places of Pakistan specially Lahore. Once should be enough satisfied to eat by inviting in kitchen, hygienic use of things and way of cooking. If once is satisfied then he will definitely try and send some others too.
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M. Abid May 13, 2016 09:26pm
Are you kidding me ,who are the people who dine there, Approximately $ 26 dollars per person ,A family of four will have to shell out over Rs.10000 equivalent to $100.00.A poor country like Pakistan,what percentage of people can afford this kind of meal?
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Abbassin May 13, 2016 11:21pm
@M. Abid / What world are you living in bro? remember these restaurants are not for your typical poor Pakistani. They keep opening more and more of these trendy, expensive restaurants, and they are so busy that you can not get a seat on special occasions and the weekends. For your info. there is, I believe an Italian restaurant in the diplomatic enclave, which specially invited singer Zoe Vicaje from Karachi to be part of the opening ceremonies a few years back, and where you need a specially issued permit to get in. Point is that in a country of 180 Million plus, there are lots of people who can afford these expensive restaurants-particularly the non tax paying ones, who have lots of cash to spare.
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UnshacklePak May 13, 2016 11:41pm
@M. Abid The idea of a private restaurant is that those who can afford go there.
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Habib May 13, 2016 11:55pm
Price for Visitor not matter to them if they really enjoy the combined effort made By host ( provided it is Halal)
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Agha Ata May 14, 2016 01:01am
It is beautiful, interesting and inviting. But I didn't see any road side Dhaba style.
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HS May 14, 2016 01:21am
@KboyMontreal - people from khi call it katakat whereas in Punjab its commonly known as takatak :)
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Mohsin Patel May 14, 2016 03:12am
I can not beleive that in a country where millions survive on one meal how can one eat buffet of 2350 .00 plus tax. It is very cruel.
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Inam May 14, 2016 05:29am
@KboyMontreal I did check whats the correct name and its more called as Kata-kat than taka tak, eventhough the name is debatable. So plz dont judge others with yr limited information. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kata-kat
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Sachin May 14, 2016 08:37am
Nice setting and ambience. I have gone vegetarian. Vegetarian diet helps calm and sharpen the mind - in my experience. What are the vegetarian options ?
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Tim May 15, 2016 11:52pm
@iRFAN UK Those stories are not exclusive to Pakistan. Better find a new planet.
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