Daily Times

LAHORE: As the Third Ashra of Ramadan unfolds, and people flock to various restaurants and cafes to try out the last-days of iftar and sehri deals, Karachi’s popular Chinese, Thai and Japanese restaurant opens up in Lahore, to treat the town of the foodies!

The restaurant called Tao meaning “the path” or “the way” indeed goes by its name as it shows us foodies the path to indulge in some of the finest and the most delectable Pan Asian cuisine prepared by skilled and reaped chefs.

Nestled off MM Alam road, near commercial food giants such as Spice Bazaar and Forest Café, Tao makes its presence felt. When we talk about Chinese, Thai or Japanese cuisine, the creative team behind Tao ensures that the very best of it is offered.

The iftar cum dinner buffet is priced at Rs 1,745 and has a litany of delectable Chinese, Thai and Japanese dishes on display.

To begin with, you have an option between two Chinese soups; one is the Chicken Creamy Corn & Egg Drop Soup and the other is Tom Yong. The latter wins the crown as its rich in taste, filling and truly distinct in not just its presentation but the aroma that it gives out as well. Both the soups are served with fish crackers.

Next up are the Thai Dynamite Prawns and the Dynamite Chicken Sticks. The prawns and the chicken sticks are layered in a batter of mayonnaise, mustard and tomato sauce. The dip comes out strong and when I tried the prawns and chicken sticks without the batter, they give a richer taste and flavour. The prawns are fried to perfection and one cannot stop chowing on these delicacies. I had to stop to make room for more.

Lemonades and soft drinks are offered alongside.

The iftar cum dinner buffet is lavish and has a variety of dishes on display.

There are a whole lot of different salads to go with first that include the Beef Salad, fruit salads and pasta salads.

There’s Sushi, Sashimi, Prawn Sushi, Pat Pit Chicken that I totally loved, Nigiri and Laab Kai.

Pad Thai and Broccoli Vegetarian are a must try. Crispy Beef and Red Curry also stand out from the rest of their menu, however it’s the vegetable chowmein and garlic rice that deserve the cake.

The desserts are few but filling. There’s Chocolate Chip Mousse and a Pina Colada dessert, which comes out in a cake and custard form.

“The desserts on display are less but I like how the mousse is well-prepared and is set properly. It’s rich in taste and I just feel like having more and more of it,” a visitor Isra Khawaja said, while talking exclusively to Daily Times.

Tao is a venture of Wah Nobel Private Limited, where Abdus Samad and Ather Sultan run the show as the restaurant’s creative managers. They are also the co-owners of fast food restaurant Barcelo’s.

“After creating waves in the restaurant scene of Karachi, we have now brought our authentic Pan Asian menu crafted by international chefs for the culinary savvy market of Lahore! Tao envisions to take the Asian food market to the next level by constantly delivering authentic delicacies drawn from Japanese, Thai, Chinese, Mongolian, Malaysian, Singaporean and Indonesian cuisines. Our focus is that each dish should have its own individuality and every bite is bursting with flavour. The people of Lahore can now enjoy a more holistic Pan Asian experience similar to any international Asian food chain,” Samad said, also while talking exclusively to Daily Times.

All this talk is making me salivate just in time for iftari. I know where I’m headed, what about you?