Karachi Eat 2022: Everything we tried at city's biggest food festival

For someone who has religiously attended Karachi Eat festival since it first started, I was particularly excited about its latest edition. A lot had changed since the last time the city's biggest food festival opened doors to foodies in 2020. While the organisers were forced to snub the 2021 installment due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I was told this year's Karachi Eat would be different.

With the country currently crippling under its fifth wave of the pandemic and Karachi's positivity rate skyrocketing to almost 30% over the past weekend, the ask was massive.

How can one organise an event where a big crowd (and a bigger threat of the rise in Omicron cases) was meant to be present? For starters, the organisers' attempt of crowd control by selling the tickets online somewhat paid off. If you arrived at Clifton’s Beach Park with hopes of getting a pass at the usual ticketing booth, you were possibly in for a disappointment. There were visibly more volunteers than usual at the venue, making sure – or at least attempting – the attendees wear masks and socially distance themselves. But as always, we rarely do listen what we're asked of.

While the organisers did try to ensure SOPs were followed to the T, it was essentially the unruly crowd who never adhered to the instructions. Like every year, there wasn't a famous live gig at the three-day event. There was an obvious less turn out at Karachi Eat 2022, but there was a lesser number of stalls for the attendees to try out.

Nonetheless, I found a few eateries I was particularly excited for. While some were downright delectable, others completely missed the mark. Here's everything I tried at Karachi Eat 2022:

1. Halloumi Fries at Nefis Food: Rs 350/serving

I knew my first stop. It had to be Nefis Food's incredibly appetising looking Halloumi fries. With high hopes, I asked for one serving of the cheesy goodness, only to be left a bit disappointed. The fries had gone soggy and Halloumi tasted bland. The serving was complemented with a barbecue sauce, which didn't really do much for the fries. However, for what it’s worth, Halloumi fries was still worth a try, only if it had been served piping hot.

2. Magma Builder from Builder Burger: Rs 450/slider

I was a little contradicted about what to try from Builder Burger. Their menu looked scrumptious but as someone who would always tilt towards a beef burger instead of a chicken sandwich, Magma builder was an absolute winner. With spicy sauce on a melt in your mouth beef patty and coupled with a soft bun, the slider ticked all the right boxes. However, if you're someone with low spice tolerance, keep a beverage handy – Magma builder isn't for the faint hearted. The pricing, however, was a bit on the steeper side for a slider.  

3. Pulled Beef Burgers from Fiz and Bob: Rs 250/slider

With a number of sliders I tried at the festival, Fiz and Bob’s pulled beef slider came out as a winner. What I particularly liked about the slider was letting the pulled beef be the star. The deliciously tender meat and a simple mayo elevated the flavours of the no-nonsense slider. With Rs250 per serving, I wouldn’t mind paying for just another one.

4. Lindt and Lotus tart from Baker on a Break: Rs 300/serving

After a few sliders and fries, the Lindt and Lotus tart from Baker on a Break was a welcomed distraction. The dark chocolate tart with a crumbly Lotus base was what dreams are made of. The divine dessert served as a much-needed palette cleanser after devouring the spicy food. For Rs300, the serving was decent.

5. Fiery Chicken Donut from O Donuts: Rs550/burger

If there's one stall that always had me coming back for more at Karachi Eat, it was finger-licking donut burger from 2guys1grll. The food fest special, with its Rs350 wagyu beef slider was an absolute steal. So, imagine my giddiness when I came to know about yet another donut burger offering this year. ODonuts has become my recent favourite for their vast range of donuts, so I was walking towards their well set-up stall with some high standards.

I ordered a fiery chicken donut burger, thinking the spice of the chicken would go well with the sticky sweet glazed donut. But when I came face to face with an under-glazed stale donut and under seasoned chicken, I could sense my smile changing into an obvious frown. For Rs 550 per burger, ODonut failed to deliver.

6. S'mores toast from Bake It Happen: Rs 350/serving

On a cold January evening, there’s not much I would prefer than toasted marshmallows and a hot chocolate. Bake It Happen’s S’mores toast on a brioche bread with Nutella, coupled with freshly toasted marshmallows and crumble on top definitely propelled me in a comforting state. For Rs350, Bake It Happen’s S’mores Toast became one of the favourites of the day.

7. Chicken Taco from Picante: Rs 250/taco

I’m a tacos girl. While having tried Adobo’s and Tacocat several times, I decided it was time to go for a new offering for my fixing of Mexican food and Picante seemed to be the perfect choice. I opted for one of eatery’s most requested item: their hard-shell taco. The serving came with a side of salsa and guac, which really earned an extra point in their favour. The taco made me want to try more items on their menu. However, I begrudgingly decided against it after seeing the never-ending queue at Picante.

While this year’s installment of Karachi Eat failed to put up much of a show, it still made much noise on social media about its latest run with several hashtags trending on Twitter. As we try yet again to control the rising cases of Covid in the country, the decision to postpone large gathering festivals seemed like an apt one. Here’s hoping Karachi Eat 2023 returns with more audience and no Covid.

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