Here's what to expect from mega food festival Lahore Eat

[ghazi52]

Here's what to expect from mega food festival Lahore Eat


Did someone say fish tacos and Nutella lassi? The food fest kicks off today!

Get ready to binge, Lahore!


It's gathered a cult-like following in just the two years that it's been around in Karachi.

And now, the festival is coming to the original foodie city this weekend, from Friday to Sunday, Jilani Park in Lahore will be transformed into the venue for Lahore Eat 2016.

The fest kicks off at 4 pm on the first day, ending at 11 pm, and the other two days are a full 11 hour affair, starting at noon and wrapping up by 11 pm.

From sub sandwiches and fried oreos to biryani and kashmiri chai, there's going to be something there to delight everyone's palate. Pay Rs. 200 entrance fee and you've got access to over 40 eateries under one roof, or lack thereof.

Rest in peace diet: This mint chocolate chip ice cream (R) from Lahorelicious looks
almost too good to be true!


We get the scoop on the food shindig that's going to make your cheat day a cheat weekend.

The ultimate guide: The ones to watch

All the usual Lahore faves will be popping up stalls at the event, even all the fancier places like Cosa Nostra, Nishat Hotel's The Cube, Cafe Upstairs and The Lahore Social, to name a few. The best part? None of it will be priced over Rs. 300! Albeit, the servings will be smaller but that works in your favour -- you want to keep space in your tummy to try a little bit of everything.

A list of some of the stalls setting up at Lahore Eat (L), Cosa Nostra will be developing new gelato flavours solely for the event


Looking for something unique? Although there's going to be lots of burgers and desi grub, there's also going to be vendors selling food items you don't usually eat like Fish Tacos from The Shack, Rice Bowls from Sweet Affairs, Afghani cuisine from Dastarkhwan and Boba tea.

The taco booth is expected to be a major hit!


Azam Hafeez, the man behind the The Shack explains, "Fish tacos have never really been done before in Pakistan so we're going to be serving those, a tortilla filled with a crispy piece of fish, sour cream, salsa, jalapenos, the works."

With so much buzz surrounding his stall already, we wonder how Hafeez is preparing for the volume.

"I've taken part in the very first Karachi Eat so I have a little idea about how crazy it gets. I've gotten 300-400 kilos of fish coming in so here's hoping we won't be running out!"

To beat the Lahore heat, head over to the Lahorelicious kiosk to get your hands on some of their artisanal gelato or an affogato to give you that energy kick.




"We've gotten a bigger ice cream machine just for Lahore Eat so we've been churning out ice cream day in and day out; I just don't want to run out of stock!" explains Shermeen Khan, the woman running the budding business.

"Everything is made from scratch so if you're having a scoop of the Strawberry Cheesecake, we'll be making the cream cheese by ourselves, whatever ingredient we can make in the kitchen, we do."

Also on our radar are the wraps and choco spirals from Jumbo Gyro and by choco spirals, we mean premium Belgian chocolate wrapped in crispy tortilla bread and cut to fit your bite. as well as take-out restaurant Shut Up and Eat which will be setting up a live pasta station on the second day!

Our prediction? These Belgian chocolate spirals will be a big hit


"Look out for a yellow vespa to spot our stall. We've put in a lot of thought and effort into standing out," says Narmeen Rumman of Shut Up and Eat, who runs the home venture with her sister, Shabeena Saboor.

"We're doing a different menu all three days, the first and third day being desi cuisine such and the second day will be pasta which is our specialty and everything will be made in front of you, like you go into your own kitchen and watch your mom cook. That's what makes us different, we're home cooks and we have a lot of women helping us out."

A look at their Facebook page proves that together, Shabeen and Narmeen are a jack of all trades, preparing everything from spaghetti to Gujarati puri


Keeping up with Karachi

First off, here's a piece of advice: book a Careem! If it's anything like Karachi Eat, looking for your driver or parking is going to be the biggest nightmare and will just put a damper on an otherwise glorious day. Instead, fork up Rs. 200 (use their promo code to get this rate!) and get to the venue hassle free.

Nutella was big this year at Karachi Eat and it seems like the choco hazenut spread has become a Lahore fave too. K-town had Spoonful's Nutella gol gappas? No problem, Lahore's Sarrak Pe Karrak has Nutella dumplings, as well as Nutella lassi prepared by Maro Tandoors.

How curious are you to find out what Nutella dumplings taste like?


Churros & Choc by Rayyan Durrani was a massive hit at Karachi Eat and Lahore has something similar with Muneeze Khalid of Sugarie -- the churros will be made with pure cane brown sugar and customers will have four different toppings to choose from.

This time around, the fest in Karachi attracted nearly 60,000 people in a span of 3 days. Will the foodie town be able to keep up? We'll just have to wait for the weekend and find out.



Tips for surviving the fest

We know it's tempting to get carried away but remember, it's Lahore Eat, not Lahore Fashion Week. Dress comfortably, skip the heels (white sneakers are trendy and convenient!) and keep a hair scrunchy in your bag for when you roll up your sleeves to dig into that plate of nihari.

Speaking of getting your hands dirty, keeping a hand sanitizer would be a smart move and make sure your phone is fully charged; trust us when we say you're going to want to Instagram what you're eating.

Have a game plan; as well-prepared as these vendors are, the foot traffic will be mammoth and there is a possibility that they may run out of certain food items that you've been pining for so make sure you manage your time well. May the odds be ever in your favour.

 

[ghazi52]

Lahore Eat postponed to February 17-19 2017

The food festival, which was scheduled to take place this weekend, has been pushed ahead "to ensure a safe environment"

Lahore's foodies will have to make alternate plans for the weekend as the popular food festival Lahore Eat has been pushed ahead to next week.

The festival, which was initially being held from February 10-12, has now been postponed to February 17-19.

Organiser Omar Omari of CKO Event Architecture confirmed the news to Images:

"We must maintain that in the interest of our guests and everyone attending the festival, we have pushed the dates forward as advised by various departments so as to ensure a safe and secure environment for Lahore Eat.The revised dates are 17th, 18th and 19th of February."

 

[ghazi52]

I challenged Lahore Eat to satisfy my Lahori appetite. Who came out the winner?

I tried the fries, the cake, the khao suay, the churros, the samosas, the fish tacos... and more.

Delicious churros by Sugarie. Yum!


When I set out for Lahore Eat I had only one question in mind: would it do justice to my rumbling stomach without bankrupting me entirely?

Karachi’s celebrated Eat food festival finally landed in Lahore yesterday. The three-day food extravaganza kicked off at 4pm at the sprawling Jilani Park (formerly Racecourse Park). The supposedly families-only event is ticketed with each person having to dish out Rs200 (and in some cases Rs250) to enter the food haven.

The ticket booth was well-managed and spacious to accommodate a sudden rush of people if there should be one. Security was pretty tight with groups of policemen standing guard all around. And the bulky bouncers at the entrance made sure no ‘stag’ crashed the party.

Still, one visitor told me that despite the event being publicised as strictly families-only, she saw a group of boys being allowed in, adding: “Maybe the bouncers at the entrance thought the boys were too coolly dressed to be chhichora or rowdy, and not clad in shalwar kameez. Who knows?”

Once inside, the first thing you lay your eyes on is a beautiful sitting area set up by Lipton in green and white colours. A large area dedicated to children with jumping castles and a stage set up for performances later in the evening – and even encouraging visitors to perform – is an interesting idea providing some entertainment with the scrumptious food.

Over 40 eateries have set up stalls – creative and some not so – offering a huge variety spoiling one for choice with ice cream, tacos, fries, desi delicacies, sushi to khao suay, namak paray, Khushab’s specialty dhoda, organic baked goods to macaroons and samosas with unheard-of fillings. It’s all there and one will need a completely washed out tummy to accommodate the maximum. Do NOT have lunch or brekkie before heading over to Lahore Eat.

Ticket price was definitely a put-off for quite a few families. A man visiting the park with his wife and two children said he doesn’t plan to go to the festival as it will cost him Rs800 at the entrance only and much more for food once inside. Similarly Shahnaz, standing outside the entrance with her daughter, complained the pricey entry ticket wasn’t a good idea because they will have to pay again for food inside. Or the ticket should be redeemed for food, she added.

On the other hand, chef Muneeze Khalid, who had brought her gorgeous and delicious baked goods to the fest, shared with me that one of the organisers told her security at the entrance were told to let in any family they felt could not afford tickets. Interesting!

The crowd demographics were pretty striking though, as one could see different age groups. Everyone stepped out with their best foot forward; at times you forgot you were at a food fest and not a sit-down brunch.

Now, to the most important part: the food.

Your Ultimate Guide to Lahore Eat

Cris cut fries topped with garlic mayo and BBQ sauces

The first thing that caught my attention was the Venus Foods stall displaying fries cut in various shapes and topped with sauces of your choice, Mozzarella sticks and onion rings.

Besides these they were offering a variety of smoothies and cookies. I chose the cris cut fries – freshly fried round slices of potato cut in waves, and had them topped with garlic mayo and BBQ sauces. What a delightful combo it turned out to be. The fries piping hot, fresh out of the fryer and the sauces not overpowering each other’s flavour, just for Rs110. It was a good beginning.

Orange peel cake
Next I stopped by at the Roshni Organic Bakery stall selling an assortment of baked goods ranging from breads and cakes to brownies and dried fruit direct from Hunza. Trivia: running an organic bakery is just one of Roshni Association's projects; it is a society for the welfare of special persons and the goods have been baked by special persons at the association. This was disclosed by Alexander, a German agriculturist standing behind the counter who worked with Roshni Association.

I tried their Orange Peel Cake, for Rs20 a slice and it was soft and fresh with hints of orange peel inside. Their dried fruit is also economically priced.

Khao Suay
The Cube by Nishat Hotel’s Khao Suay had generated quite a lot of buzz much before the event. They also had a little insta photobooth for visitors.

Served in a paper plate for Rs300, first I thought it was a tad bit costly. Second, I wished the portion size was slightly smaller so I wasn't stuffed, leaving no room for more food. Anyway, the khao suay looked great, and The Cube was generous with the chicken. But something about the khao suay lacked. It lacked that punch and tangyness that you want from a good bowl of khao suay. All in all, I've had better. Next!

Churros
I must admit I was really looking forward to trying out churros, from anyone, as long as they were there. And voila! Muneeze Khalid of Sugarie was offering them along with a couple of her other delicacies. Her pink and white stall was attracting quite a lot of dessert lovers.

I got a cute little container of six mini churros with FOUR lip-smacking dips: salted caramel, peanut butter, Nutella and vanilla glaze. The freshly fried churros were crunchy, soft and, dipped in those dips, utterly delicious. Full marks, Muneeze.

Samosas
While Karachi had its share of strawberry samosas at last year’s Karachi Eat, Lahore was treated to an assortment of fillings in samosas thanks to enterprising Daniyal Noorani, the brain behind Awesamosay.

He was offering fresh, crispy samosas with a filling of your choice ranging from qeema, pizza, caramelised onions, apple pie to chocolate and Reese’s candy. Three of these mouth-watering delights for Rs200 is not a bad deal at all. Reese’s, qeema and chocolate are highly recommended!

Lahorelicious
My next stop was another one on our checklist: artisanal ice cream hand-crafted from fresh and organic ingredients by the much-hyped Lahorelicious. Shermeen Khan, the lovely lady running this growing business, greeted me with a smile and helped me choose my order, which was quite a task after I looked at the menu.

I ended up trying out the affogato: a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a shot of espresso, and the soothing Mint and Lindt ice cream, and wanted to try out everything on offer. The ice cream was, of course, creamy with the right amount of flavour.

Nutella dumplings
There’s no escaping Nutella. You add it to anything and it’ll lure chocoholics like bees to honey.

So when I heard Sarrak Pe Karrak was offering Nutella dumplings, I was intrigued for sure and couldn’t help but check them out. Theirs was one of the most attractive stalls at Lahore Eat with a brightly lit replica of a truck replete with colourful truck art. But the dumplings, selling three for Rs60, weren’t worth the mystery. The dough wasn’t fresh and the Nutella was sparingly shelled out.

Fish tacos
Passing by The Shack’s stall, fish tacos instantly caught my attention.

And while the taco tasted yummy, it didn’t look too appetising, and for Rs300 for a single taco it’s a bit steep.

Sushi
Being a huge sushi fan, I couldn't resist heading over to Sakura by PC.

But I was slightly disappointed to find out one of my favourite offerings was kind of costly at Rs300 for three pieces of maki. Meh!

All the food aside, one word of advice for those planning to visit today and/or tomorrow: try not to drive there yourself; traffic becomes a mess in the congested road that leads the festival location from Jail Road.

And as for my stomach? I'm still pretty full and it's going on twelve hours now

 

[ghazi52]

Karachi Eat : Here's your ultimate guide to the city's cult food festival


Vendors from Burns Road will be setting up shop this year in addition to old faves like The Pantry and Hoagies returning

Old faves like Spoonful (L) will be back with their decadent Nutella strawberry samosas.


This weekend, from Friday to Sunday, Frere Hall will turn into a haven for the foodies of Karachi.

From gifted chefs making succulent gourmet burgers or choux pastry ball-laden Croquembouche to street vendors preparing scrumptious dhaga kebabs and gol gappas on the spot, Karachi Eat is a festival which celebrates the full diversity of food that the city of lights has to offer.

We get the scoop from Omar Omari of CKO Event Architecture, the brains behind the food shindig that has gained a cult-like following in just the two years it's been around. It's one of those rare events in the year we all look forward to.

What stalls will be returning and what's new in store?

Omari reveals that this time around, they have over 20 more stalls participating.

"Last year, we had around 70 stalls. This year, we're looking at 92. We actually had to turn people away because we knew it would get too cluttered and then the existing vendors may have also gone home unhappy because it'll cut into their business."

While we were hoping the nitrogen ice cream stall would return this year, it seems like that's not going to be happening.


"Old favourites will be returning this year: The Pantry, Hoagies, Chapli Kebab House to name a few and of course, the much buzzed about Spoonful aka the strawberry samosa guys will also be joining us again but with different products this time."

It was here that we discovered the king of all classic burgers from The Pantry —Photo courtesy: Taahira Booya


These strawberry samosas are not to be taken lightly. People attended Karachi Lit Fest solely to go munch on these because they had run out at one point at Karachi Eat last year, leaving a lot of hungry attendees disappointed. In fact, this year, Spoonful is bringing two brand new products: Nutella Gol Guppay and Banberry Ice Cream Roll Ups to titillate taste-buds.

Omari acknowledges this: "We plan on imposing a fine on any stall that runs out of food. We don't want any foodies to go home disappointed that they didn't get to try something they had their heart set on so hopefully that won't happen this year."

The man behind Hoagies, Saiem Nasir divulges, "We'll definitely be prepping for more food since we kept running out last year!"

Another popular name from last time: Rayyan Durrani's Churros and Choc will also be coming back this year


Rayyan Durrani of Churros and Choc recalls his experience from last year: "The rush was endless and the crowd was amazing! That being said, setting up a kitchen in the middle of a park to cook live for thousands of people each day is always a challenge. Despite all challenges, quality food remains our priority and to do that we have scaled up on our equipment and improved the cold chain to ensure that it is not compromised."

Omari also tell us that a lot of new vendors from Burnes Road will be joining in on the fun this year so expect lots of nihari, kulfi, rabri; the whole 9 yards of the Burns Road experience.

Desi Gali will be one of the 92 stalls at the festival this year, serving chaat and other yummy street food


"This time around, we've reduced the number of home bakers and increased the number of street food vendors."

Learning from their mistakes

If you attended Karachi Eat last year, you know there were definitely some glitches in the system.

As mentioned earlier, some vendors ran out of food fairly early (and then there was Okra that didn't even manage to get prepped in time to serve on the first day!) and parking was a nightmare.

However, Omari reassures us they're on top of things and this year, we'll see a new and improved festival.

"We took away a lot of pointers from the last two years. We have a bigger lawn this year, we've booked empty plots around the venue, such as Faysal Bank's empty land across from Marriot, to facilitate some extra parking. We've also spoken to the Metropole Hotel so they'll be accommodating some vehicles. In addition to that, we've tripled our valet from last year so we're hoping it's smooth sailing for everyone attending."

He goes on to say they'll also be kicking off later this year.

"Last year, we opened doors around 10:30 am. This year, we'll start around noon. It's a 3 day event, vendors get tired and by the time the festival wraps up, it's late, so getting up early and setting up in time the next day becomes problematic. We've relaxed the timings a bit and also tried to make life easier for the restaurateurs."

Does the festival actually have real marketing value for these restaurants?

Nasir chimes in, "It definitely does help your brand. I believe there is a massive brand recall value with events like these. People were coming to Hoagies (on Saba Avenue) right after attending Karachi Eat last year. That was very humbling to see."

In a city where there is so much to grumble about, Karachi Eat gives people an opportunity to relax, spend the weekend soaking in the sun with family and friends, all the while enjoying some delicious grub. And it's the icing on the cake that this year, they'll have Fuzön taking over the music.

 

[Samlee]

Awwwwwwwwwwwww Zaaaaaaaaaaaaalim!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hakikat ve Hikmet]

Here's what to expect from mega food festival Lahore Eat


Did someone say fish tacos and Nutella lassi? The food fest kicks off today!

Get ready to binge, Lahore!


It's gathered a cult-like following in just the two years that it's been around in Karachi.

And now, the festival is coming to the original foodie city this weekend, from Friday to Sunday, Jilani Park in Lahore will be transformed into the venue for Lahore Eat 2016.

The fest kicks off at 4 pm on the first day, ending at 11 pm, and the other two days are a full 11 hour affair, starting at noon and wrapping up by 11 pm.

From sub sandwiches and fried oreos to biryani and kashmiri chai, there's going to be something there to delight everyone's palate. Pay Rs. 200 entrance fee and you've got access to over 40 eateries under one roof, or lack thereof.

Rest in peace diet: This mint chocolate chip ice cream (R) from Lahorelicious looks
almost too good to be true!


We get the scoop on the food shindig that's going to make your cheat day a cheat weekend.

The ultimate guide: The ones to watch

All the usual Lahore faves will be popping up stalls at the event, even all the fancier places like Cosa Nostra, Nishat Hotel's The Cube, Cafe Upstairs and The Lahore Social, to name a few. The best part? None of it will be priced over Rs. 300! Albeit, the servings will be smaller but that works in your favour -- you want to keep space in your tummy to try a little bit of everything.

A list of some of the stalls setting up at Lahore Eat (L), Cosa Nostra will be developing new gelato flavours solely for the event


Looking for something unique? Although there's going to be lots of burgers and desi grub, there's also going to be vendors selling food items you don't usually eat like Fish Tacos from The Shack, Rice Bowls from Sweet Affairs, Afghani cuisine from Dastarkhwan and Boba tea.

The taco booth is expected to be a major hit!


Azam Hafeez, the man behind the The Shack explains, "Fish tacos have never really been done before in Pakistan so we're going to be serving those, a tortilla filled with a crispy piece of fish, sour cream, salsa, jalapenos, the works."

With so much buzz surrounding his stall already, we wonder how Hafeez is preparing for the volume.

"I've taken part in the very first Karachi Eat so I have a little idea about how crazy it gets. I've gotten 300-400 kilos of fish coming in so here's hoping we won't be running out!"

To beat the Lahore heat, head over to the Lahorelicious kiosk to get your hands on some of their artisanal gelato or an affogato to give you that energy kick.




"We've gotten a bigger ice cream machine just for Lahore Eat so we've been churning out ice cream day in and day out; I just don't want to run out of stock!" explains Shermeen Khan, the woman running the budding business.

"Everything is made from scratch so if you're having a scoop of the Strawberry Cheesecake, we'll be making the cream cheese by ourselves, whatever ingredient we can make in the kitchen, we do."

Also on our radar are the wraps and choco spirals from Jumbo Gyro and by choco spirals, we mean premium Belgian chocolate wrapped in crispy tortilla bread and cut to fit your bite. as well as take-out restaurant Shut Up and Eat which will be setting up a live pasta station on the second day!

Our prediction? These Belgian chocolate spirals will be a big hit


"Look out for a yellow vespa to spot our stall. We've put in a lot of thought and effort into standing out," says Narmeen Rumman of Shut Up and Eat, who runs the home venture with her sister, Shabeena Saboor.

"We're doing a different menu all three days, the first and third day being desi cuisine such and the second day will be pasta which is our specialty and everything will be made in front of you, like you go into your own kitchen and watch your mom cook. That's what makes us different, we're home cooks and we have a lot of women helping us out."

A look at their Facebook page proves that together, Shabeen and Narmeen are a jack of all trades, preparing everything from spaghetti to Gujarati puri


Keeping up with Karachi

First off, here's a piece of advice: book a Careem! If it's anything like Karachi Eat, looking for your driver or parking is going to be the biggest nightmare and will just put a damper on an otherwise glorious day. Instead, fork up Rs. 200 (use their promo code to get this rate!) and get to the venue hassle free.

Nutella was big this year at Karachi Eat and it seems like the choco hazenut spread has become a Lahore fave too. K-town had Spoonful's Nutella gol gappas? No problem, Lahore's Sarrak Pe Karrak has Nutella dumplings, as well as Nutella lassi prepared by Maro Tandoors.

How curious are you to find out what Nutella dumplings taste like?


Churros & Choc by Rayyan Durrani was a massive hit at Karachi Eat and Lahore has something similar with Muneeze Khalid of Sugarie -- the churros will be made with pure cane brown sugar and customers will have four different toppings to choose from.

This time around, the fest in Karachi attracted nearly 60,000 people in a span of 3 days. Will the foodie town be able to keep up? We'll just have to wait for the weekend and find out.



Tips for surviving the fest

We know it's tempting to get carried away but remember, it's Lahore Eat, not Lahore Fashion Week. Dress comfortably, skip the heels (white sneakers are trendy and convenient!) and keep a hair scrunchy in your bag for when you roll up your sleeves to dig into that plate of nihari.

Speaking of getting your hands dirty, keeping a hand sanitizer would be a smart move and make sure your phone is fully charged; trust us when we say you're going to want to Instagram what you're eating.

Have a game plan; as well-prepared as these vendors are, the foot traffic will be mammoth and there is a possibility that they may run out of certain food items that you've been pining for so make sure you manage your time well. May the odds be ever in your favour.

What's about Acid Reducers???!!!

 

[T90TankGuy]

Man you always do this @ghazi52 . ever time i look at your threads i feel hungry