Karachi,Pakistan: Located at the busy streets of Bukhari, which has a new restaurant popping up at every nook and corner is Plan B, Buntastic, which stands out from the rest. This is particularly because the product they are offering is distinctive from the other restaurants and dhabas, they specialize in freshly made Bao-Buns.
They have both an indoor and outdoor sitting area. The outdoor sitting area was open air, much like the typical chai dhaba environment. There was wall art present on the surrounding walls which were quite eye-catching.
We opted to sit inside in the air-conditioned area, the interior of the place was quite rustic and cozy the theme they were following was bright yellow. There were hanging light fixtures atop every table, it was a relatively dim lit small place.
When the buns arrived, they had a distinct aroma they brought with them. Bao buns are Plan B’s specialty, these are buns which are stuffed with filling and then baked to perfection. We ordered the B steak and Coffee and Cream Buns along with a peanut butter shake.
The B steak was stuffed with sliced beef tenderloin pieces which were succulent and tender, it was coated in a sweet and sticky sauce, topped with finely sliced chilies. When we dug into it with our fork and knife the base of the bun was also basted with the sauce and the bite was quite a mouthful with juicy steak pieces, it seemed like the perfect comfort food.
Coffee and Cream: As we cut into the coffee and cream, the thick creamy sauce oozed out and to our relief, it wasn’t overly sweetened but hit all the right notes and the bittersweet coffee chocolate sauce the bun was doused with, striked a balance and cut through the sugar rush. The cream in the coffee and cream bun was made from scratch and it was not the run-of-the-mill boston kreme which we usually find in restaurants.
Peanut Butter Shake: This was quite thick and creamy, just how milkshakes should be, it was not overly sugary either and the perfect combination of sweet and salty, with peanut chunks
What we loved the most?
The rustic interiors, the graffiti walls. The buns were extremely succulent and the bread was the kind to melt-in-your-mouth. The fact that none of the bread was wasted, even the top part of the buns was served to us, in the form of garlic bread.
The only downside which the restaurant should look into was there was no restroom present in the premise.
The owner, Shayan Malik initially wanted to bring forward the concept of freshly made buns to Restaurants in Pakistan, instead of the commercial ones used by the masses.
While in conversation with us he mentioned how living some part of his life in Europe, he was accustomed to freshly baked loaves of bread at most restaurants, he had noticed this was not made a focus in Pakistan and decided to introduce this concept in his restaurant where everything would be made from scratch, from breads to the stuffing. He also told us they are expanding their menu and adding new flavor alterations to the bun fillings to cater to peoples growing demand.
Rating:
Food
Ambiance
