5 things you must try at Coke Fest 2018

If I pay the festival another visit this weekend, I know what I'm going back for!

KARACHI: The weather in Karachi has gotten a bit chilly. When I reached Beach Park yesterday for the second Coca Cola Food Fest - or Coke Fest, as many might call it - the first thing I noticed that it was calm. Well, calmer than Karachi Eat at least, which is always bursting with activity.

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I could see the Bar-B-Que smoke mixing with the clouds and as I made my way towards the entrance, the deafening music filling my ears. It had pretty much been a smooth-sail till now, except for a bit of confusion at the venue's entrance. I'd suggest sign boards to guide visitors towards it.

Once inside, I could see people scattered over the huge space and food stalls adorning both sides of the park. I walked through the lines and tried bits and pieces of all the stalls that interested me. If you're planning to check Coke Fest out this weekend, here are five must-haves you must try.

1. Awesomosas:

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This has been on my list for a while back. For a mere Rs250, you get to three samosas stuffed with unique filling. I opted for the Reese's, Pizza and Caramelised Onions flavours and was catapulted to cloud nine, especially after the Reese's one.

The pizza samosa lacked a bit of flavour and the stuffing was a little too less, but you could definitely taste the rich pizza sauce.

Luckily, I saved the best one for the last: the Caramelised Onion flavour surpassed my expectations. The sweet taste complemented the creamy cheese sauce perfectly!

2. Chapli Kebab from Chapli Kebab House:

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Next up, I was drawn in by the aroma of freshly-fried chapli kebabs coming from the Chapli Kebab House. Served piping hot on a butter naan with a wedge of lemon (I cannot stress enough on the need of it), it was devoured in minutes. The kebab was exactly like it should be - crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. And that naan, smothered in butter, made it all so much better.

3. Dynamite Prawns from Tao:

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I'm not the one to opt for restaurant food at festivals and melas. I always prioritise the stalls that you usually cannot drive to whenever you want. But Tao's dynamite prawns are definitely an exception. For a mere price of Rs 290, a single serving of scrumptious prawns made is a must try!

4. Taco Salad from Bits and Bites:

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Just the presentation stopped me in my tracks! The taco salad from Bits and Bites has a crunchy taco shell with delicious meat sauce, fresh vegetables, flavoursome salsa and sour cream. All of that just for Rs 300!

5. Churros from Chai 'N Churros:

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Since it was pretty windy last night, I needed chai to end my food binge. There were quite a lot of stalls selling it but I stopped at Churros 'N Chai for one reason: the Churros. For Rs 320, a filled churro and chai was served. I ate the Nutella one because for me, chocolate trumps everything else and I wasn't disappointed. Sadly the chai, however, could have been better.

What #CokeFest2018 lacked:

I was personally looking forward to those mouth-watering Donut Burgers from 2 Guys 1 Grll and Chicken Waffle cone from Fry Guys that I had last year. Sadly, both the stalls were missing from this year's festival.

However, having said that, Coke Fest, overall, was quite an experience. If I pay the festival another visit this weekend, I know I'm just going back for those amazing samosas!

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