Have you ever been to a warm, cozy English teahouse, away from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis, in the calm and quiet of a lush countryside that instantly soothes your mind? Well, the location of Vintage Café may not be so green and environment-friendly (is there any place in Karachi that is?) but the uncompromising, Victorian décor offers you the rustic chic that you’re looking for. Right in the midst of Khayaban-e-Sehar’s stretch of cafés, the Vintage bakeshop is all about quirky elegance, from the minute you enter the doors to the time you leave. The interior is basic, offering almost nothing but an empty wooden chair at the entrance and a dining area in the basement, illuminated by soft lighting and neon accents. Subtle floral wallpaper graces the surrounding walls and a desserts counter reaffirms its bakery services.
As you gander at the menu, the waiters are prompt enough to tell about the four popular deals available, grouped together with items from the regular menu itself. Out of the four, we gladly opted for three (without any hint of regret) along with an additional starter of Stuffed Chicken Crispers. While the staff was courteous (though constantly asking about a customer’s experience can at times be annoying) and the place was picturesque enough to take up some talking time, having to wait for 45 minutes to the meal was not pleasant. 45 minutes into placing the order we started worrying whether the food would live up to its promise or whether we had made a mistake in coming.
In all honesty, one would be willing to splurge like a hungry hog after that long a wait but even for starved souls, the serving size bordered on herculean! Though the Stuffed Chicken Crispers were reasonably portioned and pretty much average, the Vintage Grilled Cheese Grandwich liberally covering the board (meant to serve one) undoubtedly was big enough to serve three with sheer mastery in sub-making. As we bit into the herbed baguette, soft and fluffy on the insides and seductively crispy on the exterior, we were blessed with a burst of flavours – the tangy, spicy marinated chicken, the mild saltiness of melting grilled cheese, the crunch of fresh greens and the slightly sweetened but not at all overpowering mix of sauces.
The rich, creamy and well-seasoned Grilled Penne Rustica was as good a pasta dish as you would hope to find in Rome. An interesting highlight in the menu was the Creamy Tarragon Ala Kev – an innovative spin on the regular tarragon chicken with the use of spinach and cheese-stuffed fried chicken breast covered in traditional tarragon sauce. The chicken was moist, the filling bold and refreshing and the sauce so light that it floated in our mouth.
With so much being so perfect, our expectations for the dessert were elevated to new heights and while the apple turnover with its crispy, light clear puff pastry punctuated with hints of icing sugar got full marks, the dark chocolate molten lava cake was rather under-ordinary. That was disappointing, considering Vintage Café’s ethos is bakery based.
There’s a lot to love about the place – from the gorgeous, colourful décor and hospitable staff to the giant, man-sized servings of delectable food. Even though it’s still in its early days, there is no doubt that Vintage will soon be the talk of the town provided it manages to sustain the initial standards, notches up its serving time a bit and keeps pricing just as competitive as it is right now.