Daily Times

Belgium restaurant Marcel’s opened its doors to Karachi’s Boat Basin, hosting a gathering attended by socialites and celebrities. The outlet was graced by the honorable French Consul General who inaugurated the patisserie with a Valrhona edible gold cake.

First of its kind, the cafe takes its name after a world traveler Marcel Le Roux, born in Paris, who embarked on a journey from France stopping in Italy, China, USA, Marcel and putting his adventure to rest in Karachi.

Marcel was sixth in line of a family that excelled in providing baked treats as it was in this family for generations. The café is quite famous in Paris where the journey started and is now present across the world. According to the founders, Ali Khalili and Umair Khalili, “Whether a snack , or to satisfy those sweet cravings Marcel’s specialises in freshly-baked croissants, over a dozen types of breads baked fresh three times a day, éclairs, macaroons, Danish pastries among other mouth-watering products. The hot kitchen menu is a fusion of flavours from Paris to Karachi and everything in between.”

Head of Starbuck’s Asia, Gary Martin came in for R&D and Cordon Bleu chef Neha Akbar developed the menu for the cafe. Marcel’s has been working hard to be the best and work towards building an empire based on excellence, a French-inspired experience with the product. From architecture to processing tools, all have been carefully aligned keeping the message in mind. Marcel’s aims to attract the most discerning audience by keeping travelling as a prominent theme of this boulangerie, patisserie and bistro.

Chef Neha Akbar said that when you walk in the restaurant as a customer, you will be happy to know that an underprivileged person will be fed by Marcel’s. The remaining food is given to the Roben Hood Army that works to get surplus food from restaurants to the underpriviliged people.

Published in Daily Times, April 27^th 2018.