On this rainy Sunday morning, Shaani, Sherry and I found ourselves breakfast hunting. After a throwing around a couple options and some sick tunes, we arrived at Mantu Gul's Kitchen, nestled under the green tree-line, adjacent to the Faisal Mosque.
At about 10.30 am, we were the first ones there, mostly on account of the wintry downpour that had made an extended transit in Islamabad this weekend.
Going for a desi ensemble, we ordered an omelette, two plain parathas, an aloo (potato) paratha, and a specialty from Hunza: Dawdoo Soup.
Pulling up our collars, we took our seats under one of the straw canopies. Despite the rain, the seating was clean and dry, and the view was nothing short of spectacular: the white vertices of the Faisal Mosque, with its corner minarets gleaming through the rain, bordered by the lush green Margalla hills, rolling storm clouds besieging the sky. The Islamabad of yesteryear was truly alive in this time and space.
Breathing in the rust of the metal table, our food arrived shortly. Lets just cut to the brass tacks: The omelette was cheesy and GOOD. The plain parathas were GOOD, couldn't have asked for anything more. The aloo paratha did leave quite a bit to be desired. The Dawdoo (pronounced dodo) soup was GOOD.
The omellete was hot and filled with cheese and was exactly the breakfast we were craving. Cooked desi -style, with more than sufficient serving (we were three hungry chaps with one omelette), it hit the spot just right, with two accompanying parathas. The parathas themselves were neither too oily nor too dry, exactly the kind of paratha you would want.
The Dawdoo soup was a chicken broth with noodles, chicken chunks, ginger and a hint of mint. It had very mellow spices, allowing the broth to have its full flavour. On this cold wet winter morning, it was the perfect pick-me-up. It warmed our extremities and had us energized for more. Highly recommended for yakhni lovers.
The aloo paratha was the disappointment from the overall good and satisfying spread. We were hoping for a traditional aloo paratha, but the flavours were not to our expectation, and after the rather excellent omellete and soup, it hit even lower under the bar. Consider this, everything else was clean polished off, but half of the aloo paratha was packed for laters. The Pizza Paratha, Mantu Gul's iconic specialty, is highly recommended in its stead.
After the majorly satisfying repas, we realized the gaping hole in our breakfast was the painful lack of chai. We rectified the affront immediately and had our doodh patti, the perfect closure to the meal. While we pondered the meaning of life, gazing at the majesty of nature, our only complaint was that we wished we had bigger mugs.
Mantu Gul's Kitchen is a pure Islamabad experience. With a new branch open at Lake View Park, its a must-go for when you are craving something different, simple and filling. And if the weather is as amazing as it was today, don't miss the opportunity to take a jaunt back in time.
At about 10.30 am, we were the first ones there, mostly on account of the wintry downpour that had made an extended transit in Islamabad this weekend.
Going for a desi ensemble, we ordered an omelette, two plain parathas, an aloo (potato) paratha, and a specialty from Hunza: Dawdoo Soup.
Pulling up our collars, we took our seats under one of the straw canopies. Despite the rain, the seating was clean and dry, and the view was nothing short of spectacular: the white vertices of the Faisal Mosque, with its corner minarets gleaming through the rain, bordered by the lush green Margalla hills, rolling storm clouds besieging the sky. The Islamabad of yesteryear was truly alive in this time and space.
Breathing in the rust of the metal table, our food arrived shortly. Lets just cut to the brass tacks: The omelette was cheesy and GOOD. The plain parathas were GOOD, couldn't have asked for anything more. The aloo paratha did leave quite a bit to be desired. The Dawdoo (pronounced dodo) soup was GOOD.
The omellete was hot and filled with cheese and was exactly the breakfast we were craving. Cooked desi -style, with more than sufficient serving (we were three hungry chaps with one omelette), it hit the spot just right, with two accompanying parathas. The parathas themselves were neither too oily nor too dry, exactly the kind of paratha you would want.
The Dawdoo soup was a chicken broth with noodles, chicken chunks, ginger and a hint of mint. It had very mellow spices, allowing the broth to have its full flavour. On this cold wet winter morning, it was the perfect pick-me-up. It warmed our extremities and had us energized for more. Highly recommended for yakhni lovers.
The aloo paratha was the disappointment from the overall good and satisfying spread. We were hoping for a traditional aloo paratha, but the flavours were not to our expectation, and after the rather excellent omellete and soup, it hit even lower under the bar. Consider this, everything else was clean polished off, but half of the aloo paratha was packed for laters. The Pizza Paratha, Mantu Gul's iconic specialty, is highly recommended in its stead.
After the majorly satisfying repas, we realized the gaping hole in our breakfast was the painful lack of chai. We rectified the affront immediately and had our doodh patti, the perfect closure to the meal. While we pondered the meaning of life, gazing at the majesty of nature, our only complaint was that we wished we had bigger mugs.
Mantu Gul's Kitchen is a pure Islamabad experience. With a new branch open at Lake View Park, its a must-go for when you are craving something different, simple and filling. And if the weather is as amazing as it was today, don't miss the opportunity to take a jaunt back in time.
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