Italian envoy opens café

Islamabad : Ambassador of Italy Stefano Pontecorvo inaugurated the Café Barbera at a red carpet event here at E-9 PAFSOM along the Margalla Road.

The event was hosted by models Nattie, Amina, Sabeen and Zoya and handled by noted PR consultant Rezz Aly Shah.

Owners Usman Ishaq and Sharjil Alam have brought the franchise to Pakistan after the successful functioning of their café in Lahore.

According to them, the Café Barbera is a franchise from Italy that boasts a history of 140 years in coffee business and is available in over 30 countries.

As the story goes, in the late 18th century, a young man named Dominico Barbera fell famously in love with a girl which resulted in an unfortunate loss of his job in the army, forcing him to start roasting beans in the streets of Italy.

The roasting of the beans was unheard of at that time and Dominico was dubbed a magician by many. Things soon became viral and the young man was led to open what was Italy’s first roasting company, back in 1870. He called it Café Barbera.

The Café Barbera’s interior deserves a mention. It is typical of a fashionable Italian eating joint, appended with comfortable sofa chairs in red and charcoal grey.

The side wall boasts merchandise coffee cups and a wide array of beans displayed for customers to peep into.

"In Pakistan, coffee lovers are increasing but there is a dearth of authentic coffee houses," said owner Sharjil Alam.

"Italian coffee is still a novel concept here." The cafe' offers Insalate salads, Barbera Club Classic, Chicken Ceasar, Leaves Salads with French Dressing, Celestial Pasta Salad, Panini Imbottiti, Barbera Special Club Sandwich, Grilled Fita Tikka Sandwich, BBQ Chicken Sandwich, Hot Tuna Sandwich, pasta, Barbera Special Pasta, Lasagna Al Forno, Cajun Chicken Pasta, Fettucini Alfredo and a variety of beverages and sweets.