Daily Times

LAHORE: Nestled in the corner of the now-very commercial Mahmood Kasuri Road, the almost three-year old Italian restaurant rarely sees a dull moment.

From exciting and affordable Ramadan deals, to Eid and Christmas specials, Café Barbera also hosts fun activities that include musical evenings, stand-up comedy nights and menu tasting sessions for the media, that keeps its clientele coming back for more.

However, the highlight of the restaurant indeed remains the fact of how it comes up with newest additions to its delectable menu, not just seasonally but every now and then.

Owned by the dynamic duo of Sharjeel Alam and Usman Ishaq, the unique concept of Cafe Barbera is based on its selection of exceptional coffees in Italy, current food trends and a consumer demand for a fresher, tastier, lighter and healthier menu. It offers the customer a warm and inviting yet elegant dining experience. Along with the highest quality freshly roasted coffee products, it offers a variety of food items such as in-house baked pastries, large array of freshly made soups and salads, sandwiches and paninis, authentic Italian pizzas, hand-made pastas and desserts.

But did we mention the recently-introduced burger and sandwich menu? Served in both chicken and beef, the burgers which are served with fries and coleslaw are juicy, filling and rich in aroma and taste, other than being affordable and a great return for your money.

We tried the newly-introduced drink to their menu called the Green Apple Slush priced at Rs 310. It’s a delicious slushy mixture of crushed ice and green apple. Menu addition done right, this one will definitely be a hit for the ensuing summer season.

Barbera’s Seafood Chowder soup priced at Rs 450, is our ever favourite. It’s fresh, deliciously flavoured and we can never have enough of it. It’s an exciting blend of leeks, carrots, celery, potato, cream, scallops, parsley and fish stock. A must-have for all seafood lovers.

Their Balsamic Grilled Chicken Salad, priced at Rs 600 is new as well as the Goat Cheese Salad, which is priced comparatively lesser at Rs 450. We enjoyed the former for its tangy balsamic vinegar flavour with balsamic marinated chicken, lettuce and garden fresh herbs.

Big on fast-food, we ordered their Ecstasy of Cheese Pollo burger, which like we mentioned earlier is the recently-added delicacy to their already very diverse menu. Available for Rs 700, it comes complete with coleslaw and fries. The USP of this burger is that comes with three different kinds of cheese mixed with jalapenos, alongside fresh lettuce the confer the best chicken burger. The homemade red chilli sauce cannot be ignored for its spicy, tangy and exotic flavour.

Other than the fact that it can surely play around with its interior, perhaps make it more Italian, Barbera has our heart!