At the very edge of Karachi, over looking the Arabian Sea is a restaurant that captures the imagination of its citizens with its vivid silhouette.  The restaurant made news recently due to an unfortunate fire that had devastated the place. Luckily no one was hurt.  As it was originally designed by Ar. Nayyar Afzal, his office was again chosen to refurbish it.

According to the project architect, the new design of the restaurant is infused with greater enthusiasm than before. Instead of attempting to represent a village with a false sophistication attached to it, as was the case in the previous design, the new approach is to use the sometimes garish popular art that can be found in villages as the central theme. The result is not simply a village, but rather a village in the act of celebration, with colors that are brighter and with arts and crafts more willfully apparent.

According to the project architect, the new design of the restaurant is infused with greater enthusiasm than before. Instead of attempting to represent a village with a false sophistication attached to it, as was the case in the previous design, the new approach is to use the

The building has a strong silhouette against the clear blue of the horizon, with the mud finish making it look more like a giant sand castle on the beach than a mud house in a village. Irrespective of whether it was done consciously, it works wonders for the project. The receding forms create a concave entry that draws you in. A lively use of colors can be seen from the first step. The platform is made of light-green pigmented cement with terrazzo borders, from which the mud finish mass of the restaurant rises. This is just the beginning of a playful design.

The receding forms create a concave entry that draws you in. A lively use of colors can be seen from the first step. The platform is made of light-green pigmented cement with terrazzo borders, from which the mud finish mass of the restaurant
rises, This is just the beginning of a playful design.

The entry platform is a large and inviting space, strewn with char pais and small stools. An ox cart and an automated water mill/ fountain gives one an inkling of what is to come. A pergola of raw wood tied by ropes and beads creates an appropriate awning over the entry. This leads into a cozy bright red-orange foyer lit by truck art lamps placed in niches, which are outlined by frescos.

There is a sudden change of scale as you enter into the large, colorful waiting area. The walls are of undulating plaster, adorned with frescos of birds, flowers, bedecked with small mirrors - just as would be the case in a village, where beauty is seen in the simplest of things, and these become the objects of embellishment. The reception is a mud plaster wall decorated with stylized truck art flowers and the main entry to the dinning areas is highlighted by what seems to be a hand-painted truck top.  

The buffet hall has various posters of Pakistani cinema, which initially I felt was a departure from the theme, but Sultan Rahi’s pink kameez and dhoti soon dispelled
such doubts.

The waiting area leads into two dining areas with different themes, though still inspired by the ‘village’. These areas are filled to the brim with elements of the regional villages that they represent. From the colors of the table-cloths, to the type of chairs chosen for sitting, there is refreshing diversity in the design. Even the false ceiling and the dressing of modern air-conditioning units bear the mark of the villages and the walls are lined with shelves showcasing samples of local crafts and paintings of village scenes. So when diners are sitting in the restaurant they are just as invigorated by their surroundings as they are by their food.

Most dishes are constantly being prepared by chefs then and there and served piping hot. The serving trays are individually lit by lamps with lampshade made from jute baskets.  There are kiosks inside the buffet hall with ‘Pani Puri’ and ‘Chat’, just as one would find them on the street. Cotton Candy, ‘Kulfi’, ‘Gulab Jaman’, and ‘Gajar ka Halwa’ are just some of the popular delights available. It’s the whole nine yards of Pakistani cuisine, barring perhaps ‘Sajji’.

The buffet hall has various posters of Pakistani cinema, which initially I felt was a departure from the theme, but Sultan Rahi’s pink kameez and dhoti soon dispelled such doubts.