A new restaurant Florilegium has been launched near Kalma Chowk, offering a delectable spread of Italian, French, Japenese and Continental food with an emphasis on providing an outdoor space for the customers to enjoy fresh air and, given the World Cup season, enjoy the cricket matches. The establishment also offers movie nights every Sunday.
Florilegium is a project of three cousins of diverse backgrounds: makeup artiste Laiqa Hasan, genetic engineer Firdous and lawyer Haris Zyad.
Hasan is a renowned makeup artiste from Karachi but she chose to open a restaurant with her cousins in Lahore, in spite of the fact that she has to look after her salon in Karachi. “Why not be different,” she comments.”Though I’m a Karachiite, why not Lahore?” Speaking on her impetus to do something so different from her personal vocation, Hasan said: “My family has been involved in the food business so it was natural for me to step in as well.”
At the opening, a varied concoction of food was served to demonstrate the dexterity of the chefs at Florilegium. From sushi and calamari to malai boti to pizzas to jalapeno chicken to mocktails, platters floated around the confines of the restaurant delighting its guests. “We got chefs from the best establishments in Lahore and trained them according to our expectations,” said Zyad. “Our specialty is French and Italian and the whole idea is to create different spaces inspired by European art and culture for people to get a feel of Europe without being there,” added Zyad.
Event manager, Imtisal Zafar was all raves for the food. “I have been visiting this place for the last two months regularly for their sushi which is comparable to Fujiyama,” complimented Zafar. Priced at Rs995 for an assorted platter, the sushi is a delectable steal.
As the model Noore Bhatti stole a bit of Prawn Maki from her friends fashion photographer Khawar Riaz’s table, she too lauded the restaurant. “The area is cosy and comfy and the food is great. I am glad a place like Florilegium, which offers something for everyone, has opened up here.”
Published in The Express Tribune, February 27th, 2011.
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