Kabab-Ji is a Lebanese cuisine located at Mövenpick Hotel Karachi. As soon as you enter the eatery, the view of fountain and traditional Arabic décor welcomes you, promising a relaxing night. At the entrance you are greeted by a friendly hostess and asked to select your preferred table.
The seating arrangement is comfortable and cosy in a red and white combination. The chairs are comfy and dull red, the table cloth is a perfect blend of red and white, the perfect colour balance provides a pleasant view to the eyes. The bricked walls and dim yellow lights give the place an overall warm feel.
The live cooking view through a transparent glass adds to the whole dining experience where you can see the kitchen team moving around preparing food. The restaurant is filled with tempting aromas, building your appetite.
The menu is extensive with separate sections for each protein and divided in different stages so you get a complete experience of Middle Eastern food. Upon recommendation, I chose the signature dishes of the eatery, Hummus & Pita for appetiser, Kabab Ji Mixed Grill for main course and Umali for dessert.
Hummus is the first thing that comes to our minds when we talk about Arabic food and following the tradition I ordered it but was pleasantly surprised on how different it tasted from ones I have tried before. The chickpeas were perfectly cooked which you could taste in the Hummus with just the right amount of spices giving flavour and aroma paired up with soft warm Pita giving a perfect start to my dinner.
Kabab Ji mixed grill had chicken cubes, lamb cubes, chicken kafta and lamb kafta on skewers with lamb chops. The protein was paired up with grilled tomatoes, onions, green chillies and whole lemon. The spices were mild and natural flavour of the protein was brought out.
Umali, the Arabic bread pudding was perfect end to my flavoursome meal. The pudding has just the right amount of sugar, crunchy texture achieved through various nuts and pleasant aroma of saffron and cardamom.
The eatery is definitely worth a visit if you want to have a calming dinner with your loved ones and want to explore authentic Lebanese flavours in a cosy traditional ambiance. The restaurant is open for dinner throughout the week so put it in your list now!
