I tell everyone, “Food business is the most lucrative business in Punjab.” After all, the province itself is synonymous with food and beverage. But of late, I have been proved wrong. Restaurants, cafes and eateries have been closing down left, right and centre, owing to dearth of clients and customers. There are no walk-in orders, no traffic and hence, as Cheeky Joe’s owner once said to me, “The response has been slow.” Now I tell everyone, “The food market in Punjab is like a beast. It will gobble you up if you don’t pull up your socks.” The way it has gobbled up so many recently. The ones who have survived are of two kinds 1) the pioneering ones who set a precedent for the kind of food they served and 2) the constant innovative ones — reviewing the market well before putting that particular something on our plate. Amavi is of the third kind. 3) A distinct one that awakens your taste buds and introduces your eyes to cuisine that you have been having all your life but Amavi’s rendition of it is the best one you’ll put in your mouth. On a dear friend’s recommendation, I made my to the restaurant which is situated in Phase 3, DHA of my city. Amavi is of the third kind. A distinct one that awakens your taste buds and introduces your eyes to cuisine that you have been having all your life but Amavi’s rendition of it is the best one you’ll put in your mouth Amavi has paid medium attention to its interior and exterior, housing three to four persons seating space inside with hip music and flashy décor lining the walls, and has focused its energies on serving food that makes you gladly take your wallet out and pay, rather than you making faces at the bill when you know the taste is not worth what you are dishing out. A customer will not go back to a restaurant that served bad food but offered a comfortable armchair to have it in. Amavi has done its research and that’s what sets the mood. What do you normally have as Starter when dining in? Soup? Bread and butter? Fish crackers? Hummus? The list could be endless and yet quite restricted to a handful of these items. The starter board at Amavi is simple yet classy. It’s like what I would have lunching outside Kennington Park across London’s local deli or sunbathing in Cardiff’s city centre near the sea. It’s something what I would be served in Hare & Hounds west of Tetbury or something I would demand at a cafe perched on a hill in Lisvane. Amavi takes you places with its starter board only to begin. It’s a wooden board with around five dips to have your bread with. These include cheeses, olive oils and butter and indeed is love at both first sight and bite. As delicious as the burger or salmon sandwich might taste, it’s without a doubt the varying flavours of Amavi’s pizzas that make you sit and think about the brains that put the place together. The creativity and genius of it leaves you impressed and in awe. As is the case with most bakeries and cafes, one sees pastries, cupcakes, brownies and other items placed neatly behind glass on the counter, tempting you badly after making you eat with your eyes. The ones at Amavi do the same. And on selecting one or two, you would know why the ones at other bakeries and cafes have been sitting there for weeks but Amavi’s stocks fresh ones every day post humongous clientele purchases. So here is, without naming the delectable menu items I had, a roundup of my maiden visit to Amavi, convinced as I am of the prowess and skill of the founding lady Maira, telling my readers to follow suit and try Amavi out today.