Taste of Isloo

No wonder this is one of the best times to visit Islamabad. Not too cold but enough to fully enjoy a cup of hot cappuccino while taking a leisurely stroll at the foothills of Margalla. No match to Lahore or even Karachi when it comes to the culinary offerings Isloo has, I was in for a tasteful experience this time. Thanks to a friend who recommended an Italian joint, Islamabad improved its rankings in my list of food heavens. Tucked in a quite street of sector F8, named after the heritage city of Siena in Italy, this place offers fine Italian cuisine with recipes a bit adapted to suite the local taste. The Crema Di Pollo was a great start for a creamy chicken soup followed by Pollo Qasedilla, a tortilla filled jallapeno chicken in melted cheese and salsa. While the steaks were highly recommended, the mouth watering selection of seafood made me vote for an oven baked salmon for my main course....And that was the evenings hi light ! Succulent pieces of fresh salmon baked in a thick sauce of tomatoes and chillies, served with sautéed vegetables and garlic rice....simply mouth watering! A serving of Budino Di Pane, Italian bread pudding with vanilla gelato and caramel sauce, did the ultimate job of satisfying my craving for any thing and everything sweet ! My overall rating for the food ....12 out of 10 :-)



As if this was not enough, the journey back home also had its own way of saying 'venire di nuovo'. This was not the latest 737-800s PIA has gotten on wet lease from Turkey, one of which was my ride back home, nor was this the extremely attractive Turkish crew that came with it.....it was Food...yes food again ! Given an option between European or a Pakistani meal....I chose the European offering. Steaming chicken, marinated in a thick and tasty sauce served with snow peas, carrots, and iceberg lettuce was the first to get consumed along with a bread roll topped up with butter. On the side was a bowl of fresh green salad..Emirates Style ! Some form of a bread pudding with fruit topping completed the meal. A great meal from PIA since I don't know how many years I am flying with them !