The Pearl Continental Hotel in Karachi has become home to the fruit of the season, at least for the next month or so. Strawberries have arrived in gusto at the Grape-Vine Café, and in celebrating the seasonal fruit, the café was decorated in bright red, with an array of both real and artificial strawberries welcoming one at the entrance of the café.
Chef Shivji, who works at the cold Kitchen of the hotel, conjured a number of delicious strawberry salads, such as strawberry with shrimp salad, garden strawberry and turkey salad, and also, fresh strawberry chili salad. Shivji who has been working here for the past few years, said that this festival is currently in its third year.
The audience was met with mouthwatering arrangements. An array of dishes such as salads, desserts and drinks, all including strawberries, was present; however there were no savoury items. In the desserts section, there was strawberry mousse with strawberry chunks decorated with strawberry wafers, strawberry waffles and pancakes, along with strawberry parfait with caramel sauce. One could also gulp down a strawberry lassi, strawberry shake or a cooler drink called strawberry paradise freeze.
Though most dishes are exclusive to the Grape-Vine Café, some will be available at the hotel’s other dinning services, such as Marco Polo, Chandni and even The Steak House.
Present too was Hans Juergen Paschke, Deputy Consul General of Germany, who inaugurated the event. While speaking exclusively to The Express Tribune, he said, “It’s an incredible idea and I see an unbelievable display of strawberries! If you taste one such delight, you are transported to heaven,” adding with a laugh, “But I have to watch my weight!”
On the same note, Azeem Qureashi, General Manager, Pearl Continental Hotel Karachi said, “Hotels are not supposed to be a place where you only come to sleep. We want to tell people that we try to have as many social activities in-house as possible, and the strawberry festival is one such activity.”
Qureashi later added that they have planned other such festivals, including one for melons and another for mangoes in the near future.
Qureashi also mentioned that the hotel is planning on organising a German Food Festival and bringing other tastes to Karachi, such as cuisines from Russia, Morocco and Malaysia. Each cuisine will be showcased individually, so as to provide visitors with accurate cultural surroundings and tastes.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 3rd, 2014.
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