New opening: Chaaye Khana comes to Bahria Town

The café has been attracting large crowds since launch

ISLAMABAD: Sundays are meant for interesting books, classical music, late breakfasts and good tea. And all this comes under one roof at Chaaye Khana, which opened in Bahria Town this weekend.

Designed like a cosy hut from the outside with the quintessential yet chic Chaaye Khana décor on the inside, this café has been attracting large crowds since the first day of its launch. The new café was crowded with people on its second day, with several on the waiting list for a table.

The menu is classic Chaaye Khana; ranging from different kinds of omelettes to delicious French toast, piping hot parathas, snacks, desserts and a plethora tea flavours.

One doesn’t really need to go into details of how delicious the French toasts are; anyone who hasn’t tried them yet is clearly living under a rock. Made from thick bread and cooked to perfection, they are crispy yet soft at the core, leaving one asking for more.

Chaaye Khana not only offers absolutely delicious breakfast, but it all comes at great prices. You really can’t get a better breakfast for cheaper anywhere else, which is one of the reasons it attracts the youth. Moreover, it’s all day breakfast feature resonates with those who wake up late in the afternoon and yet crave tea and parathas!

Urooba Afzal, a student of NCA, told The Express Tribune there was a dire need for a good café in Bahria Town. “We needed a breakfast place and this is such a good addition to the area. I particularly love the fact that it’s situated in a hut, which makes it even more special than the original branch,” she added.

The décor is definitely a class apart from the main branch in Sector F-6, as this branch’s exterior and hut-shaped design does give a more homely and lounge-like ambiance. The intricacies inside are done beautifully, kudos to Ali Umar Alvi who has outdone himself. The bookshelf on one corner not only adds a lot of character, but also includes some very tastefully picked books, including the works of Anne Frank.

Mavera Khan, a student of NUST who was at Chaaye Khana with her friends, told The Express Tribune that she is beyond elated at its opening. “I love warm and cosy cafés, and Chaaye Khana is probably the best of them all and something tells me I’m going to be here very often,” she said.

While it was clear that students dominated the place, but there were tables where older customers enjoyed their cup of tea, while others seem to have hosted work meetings. There is a multicultural and multipurpose aura that Chaaye Khana gives, and makes it stand out from other cafes.

Chaaye Khana Director Operations Syed Hassan Mujtaba told The Express Tribune that the response thus far has been great. “We are a franchise, but we’ve tried to add even more quality to the brand name. The idea is to give residents of this side of the city a decent place for great breakfast all day round,” he said, when speaking of the all-day breakfast menu.

He further said that the idea behind this café is to give people a space where they can come for work meetings, get-togethers, or to simply enjoy good books and a great cup of tea.

From the looks of it, Chaaye Khana in Bahria Town is going to be all that and more.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2016.