Daily Times

Post bringing their fun-filled event to Lahore earlier this month, Eat 2019 opened its doors to the residents of the capital on Friday.

The annual affair has been nothing short of a get-together for not just Islooites but all those people who came all the way from their hometowns to attend the prestigious and the coveted food festival. A plethora of eateries, food stalls, a musical performance stage and a wrestling ring were some of the highlights of Day 2 and Day 3, but considering today (Sunday) is the concluding day, here’s what you can do.

VISIT THE STALLS OF LOCAL CAPITAL FOOD — Islamabad is renowned for its street food, which, believe it or not, is actually quite different from that of other cities. Today is the perfect day to visit the stalls of those vendors who are offering delectable Islamabad street food. Pappasallis pizza is one of them. We know it doesn’t qualify as street food, but is definitely Islamabad’s to claim. Do not leave the premises without trying out a slice from a variety of different flavours to choose from. It’s not reeking of oil, neither dripping from it, is fresh and very delicious. Rewayat has to be the best tasting food stall ISB Eat has to offer. Please do order their Deal 2, which consists of a freshly-prepared puri, two soft malai botis and one chicken seekh kebab with a shot of tamarind chutney. The food is so delicious that we found ourselves thronging Rewayat’s space all two days and will go today too. Also, if you’re a fan of beef chappal kebabs, do try out Watan there. They serve you these freshly-fried kebabs with a short crispy naan and mint chutney. Another pizza to try out would be Southern Crust Pizza. We were pleasantly surprised when we tried out their sausage flavour. They were giving out fajita and one other. It was fresh, super affordable at Rs 150 per slice and very delicious. Do visit their stall today. How can we forget mentioning Ginyaki and Jessie’s Burgers? Food places born and bred in the capital, saw some of the most traffic on both days. Ginyaki was so busy that they didn’t begin serving food before 3:30pm. They are serving their most popular vegetable chowmein, dragon chicken, egg-fried rice and two more gravies. Don’t forget to visit them today. Jessie’s Burgers also deserve a worthy mention for pulling lots of crowd and giving out their famous steaks and burgers.

DANCE TO YOUR HEART’S CONTENT — emerging artists have been putting on quite a show on both Day 1 and Day 2. The music has been loud, uplifting and clear and we’ve been dancing like there’s no tomorrow. From box office numbers like “Senorita” to local desi beats like “Tajdar-e-Haram”, we’ve been dancing and singing along with a cup of chilled black currant juice from Snow Cones’ stall and so should you.

PICNIC SPOT — we personally saw families huddled together on sheets spread out on the lawns and enjoying family and friends’ time. Where else do families or friends get the time to sit together, take time out from their busy schedules and break bread with each other? Everyone looked super happy with their purchases all gathered on the picnic sheets and enjoying their time. Do picnic with your family and friends today.

GREAT WAY TO PROMOTE YOUR BRAND — since families and friends are getting together in large numbers, we saw so many startups and budding entrepreneurs distributing their flyers and pamphlets among people promoting their brands.

It’s Sunday today and ISB Eat awaits you for all the aforementioned reasons.

The brainchild of CKO Event Architecture, now in its seventh year running this annual event has become the largest food festival in the country and draws in a crowd in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad respectively. Eat festivals focus on details which no other festival would consider. The purpose behind it is of course to create an experience which is as inclusive as possible whilst maintaining the original concept of promoting home grown eateries as well as established ones.