Winding down the Bukhari Commercial lane, with its host of newly curated eateries, The Story’s comforting premises can’t miss the eye. Last week, a colleague and I were walk-ins at the restaurant awaiting scrumptious comfort food it promised. Inviting blue walls beckon you in, as you step past its threshold lined with potted plants with a framed golden mirror spelling the eatery’s name. Overhanging lamps inundated the space in dim lightening, adding a measure of intimacy and comfort, with squashy arm chairs injecting a homey vibe to the place. We were received with warmth by one of the owners, who ushered us to a corner table overlooking the charged Bukhari street, adding a lively view to our early dinner. Warming up to the cosy setting, our curiosity spiked as we itched to know more about the café’s intriguing name. Turns out The Story was a result of a tendering story – the eatery is the brainchild of three young, enterprising best friends – Amara Kamran, Maham Ansari and Maryam Majid – who were bonded by motherhood, with their kids being friends since grade school. We ploughed through the menu, finding it to be surprisingly extensive for a newly sprung venture – from soups & salads, appetisers, sandwiches, entrees and potpies and an extensive section for desserts and beverages, diners are spoilt for choice. Enticing aroma of freshly-baked bread aroused our hunger as a basket of artisanal breads arrived on the table. As we bit into them, we placed an order for Crunch Salad and Smoke House Turkey sandwich. We were encouraged with good recommendations to try out The Big Beef sandwich and Spinach & Mushroom potpie which are their hotsellers. The three enterprising women narrated their anecdotes of balancing motherhood and business together, and how each of them have brought a specimen of their personality into curating the café. A colourful bowl of Crunch Salad was first to arrive at our table. Spooning into the salad we figured why it was called ‘crunch’ – flavours of couscous tossed in mildly-sweet dressing, melded with crusty caramelised walnuts and softened by feta was delectable to the tongue. Eaten with additional dressing and sides of freshly fried crispy chicken made for munching morsels. Sandwiches arrived next and we faced a moment’s dilemma over which to try first – because the open-faced beef and turkey breast looked equally enticing. The first peck from chargrilled tenderloin had us sold over it delicious taste – well-done meat was seasoned to spicy perfection. With the yummy spread of in-house aioli and beef flavoured with gooey caramelised onions, the overall taste won us over. Turkey breast sandwich had a smoky under taste to and was bundled into bean sprout’s peeling and cheddar cheese. I found the taste to be underwhelming and slightly bland compared to the yummy dishes I had, but my colleague really liked it. We were full to the brim by this time but this changed when a steaming dish of potpie arrived, emanating tempting aroma of cheese and spinach. I admit, I was now sceptic about the Spinach & Mushroom flavour we had decided on in a moment’s thrill of experimentation. Digging into the potpie we were enthralled by delectable flavour of mild-seasoned spinach, hot mushroom and melting creamy cheese. Of course, we couldn’t finish it and settled for comforting chugs of Iced Latte. We had asked the ladies to surprise us about their much-raved about desserts and they did so. Smooth texture of tiramisu was like sweet satin on the tongue with a dash of powdered cocoa taking the taste up a notch. I found the caramel walnut tart to be just fine but was utterly wowed by their signature dessert – Skillet Cookie. In a hissing-hot skillet, arrived a big chunk of cookie at topped with ice-cream which was melting enticingly into the dessert. Our colleague and I unanimously decided it was the best cookie-dessert we had in a while – closely followed by a potpie flavoured with Spinach & Mushroom!

Location: 42 C Lane 1 Bukhari Commercial Phase 6 DHA, Karachi, Pakistan
Average cost for 2: Rs 1500 to Rs 2000

TASTE

The Story ensures a gastronomical joy ride of savoury and sweet flavours, making for a place you can count on for interesting entrees and the best desserts.

AMBIENCE

The eatery boasts a curation of sentimental objects, with each element put together with heartfelt and cautious consideration from the proud owners. Look out for that grandiose mirror!

SERVICE

Well-trained staff and the unflagging hospitality of the owners sets an example.

PRESENTATION

All dishes were impeccable in their presentation.

VALUE FOR MONEY

Comforting vibes, good food and heartfelt hospitality makes the experience and your money worth it.