Food Review : Ocean Mall Food Court

A couple of weeks ago, I visited the food court at Ocean Mall with a friend. Following is a review of the food I we had. They have recently opened a terrace area too and we obviously opted for the seating there. The ambiance was quite good, I'm a sucker for rooftop views, cold and wind. And this place gave me that though it would have been much more beautiful at night. I have just written the taste as I found it, whether that's good, bad, relatable- I leave it to you to decide.

Taco El Paso – Fiesta Fries Rs. 270 (regular)

Presentation: Panned out like a fan in a serving plate were perfectly cooked, equal sized, long and thick potato chips dressed in mince under layers of mayo, mustard, ketchup and finally topped with jalapeños.  

Taste: I was having chips with such a dressing for the first time, but they tasted quite good. Courtesy of the dressing, the chips were heavy and a bit over cooked as they broke when I tried to eat with fork. The jalapeños weren’t that spicy which is good as the dish has been made adaptable so that people can enjoy Mexican recipes without making too many drastic changes in their meals. But unlike me, if you're adventurous with your food and are looking for the most authentic tasting Mexican/jalapeños dish, this might not hit the bull's eye for you.

The outlet has now introduced kids’ meals and Burrito salads for the health conscious too so check the variety box right away.

Verdict: I might be inclined to try Fiesta Fries a couple of times more.

London Fries – Fish & Chips Rs. 390

Presentation: Presentation wise almost no point as the dish came in a box; two fish pieces placed along with potato chips, mayo and lemon wedge. If this is the same packaging for take away, it's pretty good. 

Taste: The fish we tried from here was squeaky clean on the inside,which is quite frankly a turn on, oh-so fresh and surrounded by a perfectly crisp, thin albeit a little oily coating with fries that were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The mayo had a nice acidity to it and tasted serene with the fish. We got served with lemon wedge and, my favourite, Heinz tomato sauce that makes almost everything taste ten times better anyway! 

Verdict: I found it quite expensive; 2 pieces for 400 bucks. The fish was quite plain in taste, which once in a while can be good, but since I prefer spicy food and I can get a good spicy, boneless fish at Burns Road for much less, I might not feel too motivated to try this one again.  

Bombay Chowpatty –Biryani

Presentation: The plate was nicely put together and garnished with chopped corriander. The potato was cut in cubes, though. Quite strange for a biryani.  

Taste: It had a very strong smell of all the garam masala and other spices in it. I remember the waiter placing the dish on the opposite end of the table and I could smell it from all the way and I genuinely got worried. Ye kaun aur kese khayega? - is what exactly I thought to myself. I only took a spoon from it just for the heck of it. It was dry and I could tell the ingredients weren't in sync. I tasted the potato which was so dry I actually got confused it might be something else. Still not sure.

Verdict: Like every other Karachiite, I'm a die hard for biryani. I know what a good biryani is and this is a big no for me!   

Tempura –Garlic Rice & Chicken Teriyaki Rs. 350-450

Presentation: Next I had Garlic Rice with Chicken Teriyaki hot from the kitchen of their first ever outlet. Before I can even begin to comment on the taste, the dish was a visual delight; spring onions sprinkled over brown rice and slanted julienne cut chicken dipped in such beautiful rich, dark and thick gravy. 

Taste: This one though, is an acquired taste. Its colour and taste is accredited to concentrated soy sauce which is why it’s quite salty with a sweet aftertaste. People who have a blood pressure problem should not even go near it. Since the dish is apparently supposed to taste like this, it gets a pass. The chicken was perfectly cooked and the rice had a clear peppery, garlic-y aroma to it though they were a bit under cooked. I could swear they were brown rice but the waiter insisted they were white. I'll let you be the judge. 

Fuzail's Tempura serves sea food, some fast food items and an exciting assortment of sushi.

Verdict: I liked the taste in that I found it quite strange, different from the Chinese food you normally get. But I couldn't have more than a few spoonfuls. So may be I'd order again if I were sharing but mostly, no.

Pizza & Pasta – Chicken Pasta

Presentation: There are a few things I find more exciting than el dente pasta and rice, juicy meat, nicely seasoned, boneless fish. A perfectly baked lasagna/pasta crust is one of them. This dish did superb on that front and was presented, like in most other outlets, in a tin foil rectangular container.

Taste: The pasta was nicely cooked, the corn was sweet, the mushrooms were juicy. But the lasagnia overall lacked taste, it was plain. Even though I live for spicy food, I would like my food to have at least some kind of definitive flavour; cheesy, pepper-r, tangy, ketchup-y. A meal that doesn't have any strong flavour is just confusing and off putting.

Verdict: If you're not for a strong tasting meal and go for something mild, this might work for you.

Mövenpick – Swiss Chocolate & Vanilla Dream Rs. 200 (single scoop)

Presentation: Not much of a presentation. I like the spoons though, if that's anything.

Taste: The chocolate had bits of chocolate and tasted strong, more like bitter coffee. If that's how you like your ice cream to taste, then this is a clear winner for you. I found the vanilla ice cream breaking and it didn't taste all that good for 200 bucks. 

Verdict: Did I mention this is the first time I was trying out Mövenpick? I'm not trying the ice cream here again, that's for sure. For 200 a scoop, it's just not worth it even if they were just having a bad day. I love Baloch Ice cream (60 per scoop) and the huge cone from Kaybees (70, may be). I find absolutely no reason to some here when I can get bigger serving of better ice cream for much cheaper!

Do let me know if you found this helpful and if there's any other place you'd like to be reviewed.

SSK