Breakfast at Butlers

Being the kind of person who has breakfast only once a week, I need my taste-buds to really have a blast during that one morning meal. As a routine, that perfect breakfast place is usually Espresso (the café located in Shahbaz next to Subway) or Nadia coffee shop at Marriott – but this week I decided to try
Butlers Chocolate Café, having endlessly heard its oh-so-amazing tales.


Butlers is located on main Zamzama road and is very easily identifiable with its glassy grandeur and almost golden signboard. As you enter, you almost forget you are still in Karachi and while you settle down you can momentarily forget the wreckage you left behind the doors. Some may call it selfishness, some extravagance; I believe it is a much needed moment of peace in this anarchic city.


Since I went on a Sunday morning, a little before 9 am, and people in Karachi prefer to have a late breakfast on a Sunday morning, the place was occupied only by a young Japanese couple, a group of teenagers and a bunch of older people. I found it funny how these three completely diverse genres of people were enjoying themselves at the same place – and that says a lot about the café in itself.


Butlers is not one of those typical shady spot sporting throngs of teenagers out on dates. Nor is it an old people’s place with sad music and old men in golf shoes. It is a place where almost anyone with appreciation for the finer things in life and decent sized pocket can walk in and expect themselves to be thoroughly entertained by the ambiance and food.


Coming back on track, I ordered the Chicken Omellete and iced Mocha whereas Anes (my husband) went for the Irish Breakfast and Mocha . We could pick our choice from free-range to normal poultry eggs and I opted for the normal poultry ones whereas Anes went for the free-range eggs (which are slightly heavier on the stomach). There was a choice when it came down to the coffees too, and we could choose between one or two shots of espresso in it. Considering how we both like our coffees strong we went for the double shot.
Our food took around 18 minutes – right on time, considering we had been told it would take between 15-20 minutes. And each of the items was the perfect temperature.


The chicken omelet was apparently made of four eggs, cut into four large pizza slices piled on top of each other. It was a fluffy composition of chicken – so finely ground that you could only taste it, not feel it – jalapenos and egg, jazzed up with hints of oregano and what I could sense to be Worcestershire sauce. As was the other breakfast platter, this omelet was served with two slices of toasted bread (you could pick your choice between white or whole-wheat), a block of butter and the most adorable little jar of your favorite jam!


The Irish breakfast was a platter composed of a half-fried egg served alongside two sausages (beef/chicken), grilled Turkey bacon, Hash Brown and baked beans with the same bread, butter and jam sideline.


Although I preferred the chicken omelet above the latter, those looking for the typical European-style breakfast should definitely give the Irish breakfast a try because it was tastefully suited to the standards appreciated on that end of the globe.


The Iced Mocha was heaven. Mostly because the chocolate they use is out of this world. It was the perfect amount of bitter, and the tall Irish glass they served it in made sure that it did not finish before my food did. That was actually a life-saver, since it makes me really angry when restaurants attempt to fool us innocent customers by serving drinks in baby cups just so that we end up ordering another one to wash down our meal.


The Mocha Anes ordered was not quite as good as the double shot of espresso – which, he rates against a couple of others he really enjoys. The espresso turned out to be great. Smooth, sensual and darkly bitter. It was served with a piece of “Hazel nut slice” – milk chocolate with crush hazel nut – a divine full-stop to the amplified caffeine high!


Following are some of the ratings as per my experience at Butlers:


Favorite items on the breakfast menu:
Butler’s Chicken Omelet: Described above.
Iced Mocha: Described above


Price:
Fairly expensive: Breakfast for two could cost up to Rs. 1200 (around Rs. 600-700 per head), almost the same as that at Espresso and a little less than Nadia Coffee shop (but then Nadia has a buffet).But then again, at Butlers most of the items served are imported like the breads, butter, jams, croissants and coffees, the quality of which is unparalleled.


Portions:
All servings at Butlers are for an individual, but the chicken omelet was large enough for two!


Ambiance and Service:
Excellent. The waiters were friendly and well-informed of what they were serving us. The music was upbeat and lively but not loud enough to drive one insane.


Children-friendly: Very!


Open:
Monday to Thursday: 7.30 am to 1.30 am
Friday to Sunday: 7.30 am to 2.00 am


Overall experience: 4.5/5





Images courtesy: My camera as well as Butler's facebook page