Between dhabas and cafes

While I was having tea and taking photos at Yakoo Chai wala a.k.a Goonga Chai Wala at Temple road Lahore, a group of three aged men asked me if I work for a media organisation and upon my introduction we got into an engaging political discussion. It was 11 at night and I had to reach someplace else, but I couldn’t leave because they had so much to say and I wanted to be a part of that dhaba lifestyle where these gentlemen gather around every night, drink tea and carry on with such expressive discussions. It’s their way to relax and set aside long day’s drudgery for a bit. Our discussion ventured into current Government’s performance, the Musharraf era and ended with one gentleman’s declaration that democracy has no place in our religion - that was my cue to leave.

Goonga Chai wala is famous for his doodh patti and also because of the fact that he doesn’t have a shutter or door to his shop; it stays open 24/7. On one side of his shop, there is a bank and he had people sitting at a footpath outside of it and on the other side there were benches occupied by people outside closed shops. All places were occupied. I tried their chai and I did not like it. it was too strong for my taste buds. That prompted me to visit some other dhabas and coffee houses to see how the socialising culture correlates with chai and coffee.

So, I set out on a journey to explore Lahore’s finest coffee houses, cafes and dhabas.

A soulless cappuccino is like having a democracy with a military dictator as President

Gloria Jean’s

It’s a hot summer afternoon and Gloria Jean’s flagship coffee house at Mehmood Ali Kasuri Road is buzzing with people. Oh wait, let me rephrase that. It is jampacked. I find a table in the corner to sit and talk to the Executive Director Operations Omer Ali Khan. Omer attributes people’s interest in Gloria Jean’s to two things; product quality or product range and a cool comforting place for people to hang out. “We are not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but we are trying to focus on good value in the sense that if you are paying more, then you should be getting more in return; you are getting good environment and a good product. We have a constant process of training our employees which includes food safety standards, product knowledge, barista skills and customer service.” In such hot weather one would think that a coffee house won’t be all filled with people, but it seems that there is more to it than just the desire to have a cup of coffee - it’s the desire to socialise. A coffee house provides all the right ingredients to cook up a good social gathering.

I tried their lemon cheese cake with Irish Nut crème flavored hot coffee. The coffee was soothing and I loved it. But, I did not like the cake. The topping on the cake is prepared with fresh lemon as per the cook Noor Hassan, “we use the organic method instead of adding any synthetic flavors. The Lemon cheese cake has three layers; the base is prepared with biscuit, there is cheese in the middle and lemon on top.”

The tinge of lemon was too strong; it didn’t go well with cheese and biscuit base. This cake is also available in chocolate and strawberry flavors. The environment is good - it’s relaxing and light snacks or desserts are available as per your taste and appetite.

I thought Pak Tea House was an elite club for journalists and writers only. I was definitely wrong

Second Cup

Under the shadow of Gloria Jean’s in Gulberg, a new branch of Second Cup has opened up and its owner Ahsan Raza sits down with me in his very tastefully decorated coffee house. I asked Ahsan, why he chose to open a coffee house.

“I love drinking coffee. I really liked the second cup as a brand and then I did my whole research on the consumer market. People are shifting from tea to coffee. Existing coffee houses are expanding rapidly - there is a definite demand for their product. I chose my location carefully. I wanted to give people another choice other than Gloria Jean’s and Mocca Coffee.”

Ahsan shares an interesting observation: “Ninety percent of our customers come here to socialise, sit and relax. And that’s why I designed it such that it has a feeling of warmth for our customers.”

Second Cup has comfortable sofas with multiple electric sockets available nearby and free Wifi. It is an international chain from Canada. With very courteous management, what makes it more special is the food - the wide range of sandwiches is comforting enough that you’re not pushed into making a decision. If a sandwich is going to cost you more than 400 rupees then it had better be worth it. What makes it ‘worth it’? The taste, quality and quantity - and at Second Cup they have it all. Their flavoured hot coffee, Caramel Coretta, ticked all boxes to qualify as a good coffee.

Espresso

At Espresso, they maintain a certain vibe that says “I am precious, hard to get.” They have a nice cozy branch in Mall One, Gulberg. It doesn’t offer you an environment to just sit down with friends and have a laugh. They mean business, they come closer to the ‘grab & go’ concept for coffee which is how it is in America or Europe. I wanted to have a go at their core product, that is, coffee with some dessert. Cappuccino was my choice, with plenty of milk frothing, which was an oversell for me. Mars cheesecake was a treat - it screamed good quality and delightful salty taste. Espresso is, after all, one of the most expensive coffee houses in Lahore.

Jade Café by China Town

It was a weekday, around 8 pm, when I visited Jade café, which was full to the brim with customers. Luckily enough, the owner had a table reserved for me, or else I imagine I would have had to wait quite a while. It has a great feel to it - the lively ambiance with graffiti on one wall and framed photos of some of the world’s legendary figures makes you feel part of something… good. People seem to enjoy the outdoor tables better. Don’t we all want to enjoy nice breeze, friends and good food?

Their California club sandwich was an absolute treat. The grilled chicken was prepared to perfection and with every bite my taste buds were screaming the word ‘yummy’. Fries that come with the sandwich were making it that much better. For some reason, the bread was over toasted - it was roughing up my tongue and palate. So, if you are to visit Jade and have a sandwich, make sure to inform them before hand to keep the bread soft and edible. It’s expensive for sure at 590 rupees, but I’d say it’s worth the money.

I didn’t like their cappuccino; it was too thin and soulless. Coffee lovers would know what a soulless cappuccino tastes like. It is like having a democracy under a military dictator as President - they call it ‘democracy’ but it wouldn’t feel like one. I liked Jade’s Mix Chai, as I found it was prepared just about right. Their chai and coffee is probably the least expensive of all the cafes in Lahore.

“We were running a Tutti Fruitti branch (Frozen yogurt) at this place before Jade Café, and with the change in trends we moved towards opening a café. We are not a coffee house, we are a café. Our chai sale is more than coffee. Coffee is part of a lifestyle where people like to gather at a place and have some fun. Chai or coffee is an excuse for people to have a social gathering!” says the owner of Jade café, Tahir Yasin Malik.

Chai Kada

You must have heard people talk about dhaba culture, you heard them talk about that Truck Chai and you couldn’t try it out for some reason or the other. Well, Chai Kada is the solution for that. With Noor Jahan’s songs playing and truck art all around you, it’s as good as a dhaba can get. The ambience is absolutely Trucklicious. Yes I just made up that word. Go visit Chai Kada and you’ll see what I mean.

I see middle class families and younger guys sitting here enjoying their chai with dessert. It has indoor and open air portion - the latter tries its best to recreate the ambience of a real old-school dhaba.

I had their Thanda Thar Sharbat which has tamarind (imli), cumin (zeera), soda and a touch of sugar with mint topping. It was refreshing to say the least. And one of their chais is named Romantic Chai - it’s a flavoured tea and the ingredients include cinnamon, cardamom (alaichi) and ginger (adrak). It tastes great and the tea is cooked to perfection. There is no smell or taste of milk left in it - which is very important for a good tea.  Otherwise one might as well drink some hot milk. The Punjabi in me had a fantastic time. Noor Jahan’s Punjabi songs added a special touch to the whole experience.

Muhammad Akif, the owner of Chai Kada, is a truly passionate man when it comes to Punjabi culture. “Chai is part of our culture. Coffee aur cigar hum show marnay kay liyay peetay hein, espresso pee lain too 4 botlain paani ki peeni parr jati hein. [We consume coffee and cigars to show off. If we drink an espresso, we then need to drink four bottles of water] People wanted to experience dhaba culture but they couldn’t go to a street side dhaba primarily because of their hygiene concerns. I have brought all of that to a high street of Lahore.”

Pak Tea House

Located in the old Lahore area of New Anarkali, Pak Tea House stands as the symbol of the great history of intellect and poetry in Pakistan. There was a time when all great writers, poets and journalists used to gather at this place to socialise. I wanted to see for myself as to how things are now at PTH.

I can tell you that it’s still a very important place for people from all walks of life to socialise at. I saw journalists, writers and students there. My preconceived notion about PTH was that it’s an elite club for journalists and writers only. But, I was definitely wrong. A group of school-going students there told me, “We hang out here often. It’s not expensive and provides us a good environment!”

So, if you are in the area, do visit this place and have their tea. It’s excellent.

Karachi Hot Bite

Located in Johar Town, a rather posh area of Lahore, this dhaba is a great place to have tea and aalu ka paratha. It’s by far the best aalu ka paratah I have eaten in Lahore. They have a wide variety of food, including barbecue, paratha rolls, chicken karahi/handi and a small section of Chinese cuisine.

One of the best things about this place is that they stay open till 5 am. And when the surrounding restaurants and coffee houses close down around midnight, a lot of their employees come here to have paratha and chai. For them, it’s a perfect way to relax after a long day’s work.

You can have a doodh pati or chai depending on your preference. The combination of chai with aalu ka paratha, for a nice breezy night in Lahore while sitting in the open, is unbeatable. Their chicken karahi with black pepper is definitely recommended.

The only problem with such places is their inconsistency in taste. For one reason or the other you’ll feel the change in taste randomly. So, you must know what kind of taste you want and pass on the instructions to the waiter.

Kala Milk and tea Shop

On Walton Road after crossing the DHA turn, Kala chai wala is famous for his Doodh Pati. He has been in this business since 1992. There were a good number of people sitting in front of his shop at night having tea.

I didn’t like the doodh pati, but it seemed as if that’s irrelevant. It doesn’t matter if the doodh pati or chai doesn’t taste good. What matters is that those people have a spot to sit in and talk about everyday matters. And I can tell you that people from different areas of Lahore come to kala chai wala for tea. You can see cars parked near his shop with families in them, having tea.

The question is whether visiting a coffee house or a café has become part of our lifestyle or culture as yet. So, I asked this question to Zarrar Khuhro, who hosts a current affairs show “Zara Hut Kay” on Dawn News

“It’s becoming part of the lifestyle for some, but the masses still want tea. I like coffee and tea. I’d go to a dhaba for tea if I am out and about, rather than spending more money at a coffee house. In our society, we have a culture of sitting down and spending some quality time while having a meal. People socialise rather than grab-and-go. Dhabas and coffee houses cater to different kinds of customers - there is obviously a huge difference between them”, said Zarrar.

I myself feel coffee houses and cafes are the upgraded version of a dhaba. Coffee supersedes chai, fancy desserts such as molten lava cake, mars cheesecake and sandwiches are served instead of a bun, paratha or cake rusk. At a dhaba, middle-aged men belonging to lower income groups discuss politics, socioeconomic issues and what not with a cup of chai costing 15 to 30 rupees, while a majority of youngsters in the age range between 18 and 35 hang out at coffee houses and cafes, chatting away with a cup of coffee worth 150 to 550 rupees. There is a lot of difference visually, but dhabas and coffee houses share the same soul - they are a perfect place for people to hang out.

Waqas Habib Rana can be reached on Twitter at @Waqas464