Written by: Aimen Khan
Posted on: October 05, 2021 | 
| 中文
An assortment of dishes at Heavy Muamlat
Heavy Muamlat is situated amidst the plethora of bookstores, jewelry stalls, clothing shops, and other eateries in the heart of F-7 Markaz, Islamabad. Unless someone is looking for it, they may miss it because the board is hidden behind a massive tree, and there’s a narrow staircase leading up to the restaurant a few stories up. There’s no designated parking space, and the walk-up multiple flights of stairs may keep families with elderly members away.
Outside view of Heavy Muamlat
Inside, Heavy Muamlat is decorated quite nicely. It gives off a typical café vibe with wooden furnishing, some leather booths, and wall art depicting cups of beverages, coffee beans, etc. What’s surprising, however, is that the tables are set with large metal cups atop them and shots of mint margarita are also served initially in small silver glasses. One would think that they had walked into a desi restaurant with lassi and kulcha, instead of a café that served an international assortment of dishes. However, the menu has no desi dishes and the metallic cutlery is as far as that vibe goes.
Inside Heavy Muamlat
My friend and I quickly ordered a starter of Chicken Strips, main courses of Chicken Parmesan and Philly Steak Sandwich, and Mocha and Caramel Frappuccino. The prices were average, not exceedingly high but not daily-meal prices either. The waiting time was around 25 minutes; the Chicken Strips came first, followed by the rest of the meal 10 minutes later.
Chicken Strips with Honey Mustard Sauce
To begin with, the Chicken Strips were nice and piping hot. The Chicken Strips were well-cooked and were served with a portion of honey mustard sauce. Nevertheless, having eaten this appetizer at numerous other eateries in Islamabad, there wasn’t anything unique to them either. For 500 rupees, though, the serving size was rather impressive.
The main courses were next. This was the first time that we had Chicken Parmesan served with vegetables on top of it. It came with a helping of pasta and steamed vegetables as sides. Unfortunately, the coating and chicken kept coming apart, the cheese on top of the chicken had a slightly bitter taste to it, and the pasta was a little chewier than we would have liked.
The Philly Steak Sandwich
I had high hopes of eating a Philly Steak Sandwich in Pakistan, but it was a huge disappointment. The plate came with a small helping of French fries, a bowl of coleslaw, and a thin hot dog-esque sandwich in the center. The top part of this sandwich was thinly sliced to reveal a carved-out center, stuffed with melted cheese, chunks of chicken, and vegetables including crunchy green bell peppers. This was not the Philly Steak Sandwich I had imagined. I had thought I would be served thin slices of meat with excellent melted cheese and some caramelized onion to top it off. This was far from it. The meat was cut in large cuboid chunks, the cheese was flowing out of the sandwich with a soup-like consistency, and the vegetables were crunchy, not soft and caramelized. I tried to pick up the sandwich with both hands and unfortunately, because of the large amount of hot cheese within, the bread had gone soggy and threatened to collapse. I was only able to safely take a few bites and got the rest of it packed to eat at home, where I wouldn’t mind getting my hands messy. As for the drinks, they were slightly warmer than I would have liked, and needed a bit more pizza.
Caramel and Chocolate Frappuccino
All in all, I feel Heavy Muamlat requires a bit of introspection regarding where they’d like to take their restaurant and the quality of its food. They’re not exactly a café, restaurant or desi dhabba, but something in between. I think further research into the dishes that they have advertised, could allow them to create something wonderful in the future.
You may also like:
The Changing Landscape of Children's Festivals in Pakistan: Featuring Lahore Children's Festival
(November 26, 2024)
Centers of No Attention: Comparing Pakistan's City Centers with European Squares
(November 22, 2024)
