Kamran Sheikh’s* newest project, Veranda, seems to have created a lot of buzz around Lahore. Many people have complimented the food and the décor of the place and I know quite a few people who have already become regulars. So when I was going there, I was expecting an amazing looking restaurant with an extremely professional staff and brilliant food. Well, I guess two out of three isn’t bad.
First Impressions
The entrance to the restaurant has been done up very nicely. The warm lighting and the small fountains outside give it a very mansion-y look that I enjoyed. I also like that they’ve don’t have parking right up front so that the entrance doesn’t have a very crowded feel (think Aylanto with its chock-a-bloc parking). Clearly, I spent too much time outside waiting for my friend to arrive.
When I finally walked inside, I was taken aback by how good the restaurant looked. The interior is extremely well done by any standards and I like that the restaurant is divided into two parts which gives it a smaller and cozier feel. I feel that the highlight of the restaurant is the courtyard. There is a lot of space outside and I can see it being extremely popular with people in the winters.
The Food
I’m going to be very direct. The food was abysmal.
Firstly, a lot of the appetizers on the menu (which sounded AMAZING) were not available which; frankly, I didn’t mind because the restaurant was just starting out. What I did mind was the reason the waiter give me “The chef hasn’t learnt how to make these things yet”. Ok then.
We ordered the bruschetta as an appetizer and the lamb shank and a seafood pasta as our entrees. I’ll keep it simple here. The bruschetta was excellent, the seafood pasta was okay at best and I could only force myself to eat two bites of the lamb. The meal ended very quickly.
Conclusion
I’m not going to give a detailed conclusion because I haven’t reached one yet. While I didn’t have the best of experiences there, I find it hard to believe that the food is actually that bad there. It’s very possible that we ordered the wrong things on the menu or the chef might have been having an off day. Either way, I’m going to reserve my final judgment on the food until I go again and then I’ll update this post.
Food : TBD
Ambiance: 9/10
Service : 8/10
Pricing : 700 per head.
6L, Gulberg II
Lahore, Pakistan.
Tel: 042- 35714764
*While Karman Sheikh’s website doesn’t indicate that he worked on this restaurant, I’m quite sure that he was associated with this project.
