Ghazala, the owner of China Kitchen — a fine-dining restaurant located in Clifton — couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari and his daughter Aseefa Bhutto Zardari enter her restaurant on Monday.
The president is not known to make unannounced visits at crowded locations, given the security situation in most cities. Ghazala tells The Express Tribune that the two guests arrived without any prior notice, dressed casually and were humble in their mannerism.
“He complimented us by saying that he liked the simplicity of the restaurant and enjoyed the food. He wanted to know what inspired me to open China Kitchen,” said Ghazala. “When he was leaving, he said ‘keep up the good work’.”
Ghazala also shared that she had no trouble with his security blocking off the area or harassing her customers. In fact, she added that the president was “very friendly” with other people in the eatery.
After dinner, Aseefa posted on Twitter: “Just had dinner at China Kitchen, it was great.”
On their official Facebook page, China Kitchen also posted: “We, at China Kitchen, are honoured to serve the President of Pakistan and his daughter at our restaurant this evening.”
While some websites have said that the president tipped the servers Rs6,000 — over the actual bill which was Rs4,000 — no one from the management could confirm that.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 10th, 2013.
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