Finding falooda part-1

Last night, on a whim, Huz and I sallied forth for something to satisfy ye ol sweet tooth. Being desis at heart, we made a beeline for Baloch icecream at Boat Basin to get ourselves some falooda. I changed my mind last minute and ordered a Milk Rose, which is also made with milk and rose syrup but without the arrow root vermicelli and ice. I’m glad I opted for that, because Huz’s falooda was a black spot (kaala dhabba) on the word. It was everything a falooda shouldn’t be….watery and unsatisfying.

For the green behind the ears, Wikipedia tells you….

Falooda or Faluda is a traditional cold dessert or beverage in South Asia made primarily by mixing rose syrup with vermicelli and tapioca pearls along with either milk or water. Falooda is an adaptation of the Persian dessert Faloodeh and was brought to the Indian subcontinent during the Mughal period. Basil seeds (sabza/takmaria), tutti frutti, sugar, and ice cream may be added. However, it is not the same as the faloodeh made in Iran and Afghanistan. The vermicelli used is often made from arrowroot rather than wheat. The rose syrup may be substituted with another flavoured base to produce saffron, mango, chocolate, and fig Falooda.

Falooda is a summer drink throughout Iran, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and the Middle East and is readily available in restaurants and beach stalls. 

Huz’s falooda at Baloch last night fell rather short of the delicious vision that the above description inspires. No, to be fair, it LOOKED just fine….just TASTED like it was made half-heartedly, without a thought as to what we expect from a Mughlai treat.

We expect richness…..decadence…and delicacy…all rolled into one glass. So that got me thinking….

‘Hey Huz! How about we do some research and find out the best place to have falooda in Karachi?’ said I, barely able to contain my excitement.

‘Sure!!!’ said Huz.

And that is how we found ourselves the next night, around 10:30 pm (when the streets of Karachi are relatively clearer) driving off for a place in New Town, renowned for its milkshakes and faloodas, a place that Huz has been to before but without moi.

under the pass...

over the bridge...

past the signal, narrowly avoiding one flower boy and a beggar....

past the eerily empty Saddar (the city centre) by night.....

drove by Abdullah Haroon Road mobile shops...still open at this hour...

When we cross the Clifton bridge, Karachi becomes an unpredictable place. Traffic can be horribly unruly and it’s scary to witness such complete and thorough disregard for signals on M.A Jinnah Road where the only law that prevails is the law of the jungle….every man/motorbike for himself, and to hell with the motorists! Red lights are for losers! Onwards comrades!

Nevertheless, we managed to fight our way past the lawbreakers, and it was pretty smooth going till New Town, and then….

...we're there!

established since 1970! they are even decorate a juice canopy also!

the falooda arrives...

this one's mine. i like it stirred, not shaken.

and Amu gets falsa juice.

I give Huz my falooda cos I can't finish it and he does so effortlessly 🙂 (bless him! he may have saved my thighs from expanding another millimetre)

meanwhile, I look around. hmm...so this is what New Townians look like....

a security guard surveys the juice/falooda imbibers

a mosque rears its minareted head next door..

proclaiming it to be the Jame Masjid New Town

i watch while Amu finishes her juice.

the waiter comes to collect....

..the empty glasses...

glasses collected, payment received, and off he goes to serve the next car.

This post was supposed to focus on the falooda itself, but I got a tad carried away by my surroundings. We hardly ever visit this part of town, or should I say, we hardly ever visit this TOWN, because that’s what Karachi is….a whole bunch of towns joined together haphazardly, to make one big sprawling city.

But I’ll sum up this trip by telling you, the New Town Ice Cool falooda was rich and sweet and creamy and delicious, a far cry from what we had yesterday at Baloch. I’m not a huge fan of the starchy vermicelli, so I’m hoping we can come across something different….maybe a place where they use basil seeds or something….let’s see what happens.

Just to give you an idea of how short the end of the deal is for us ‘burgers’ living in Clifton, a glass of falooda and one milk rose cost us Rs 200 at Baloch in Boat Basin.

At Ice Cool we had two huge faloodas AND a big glass of falsa juice and the total came to Rs 185.

How unfair is this? Yet how delightful! I think we’re going to have some fun as we continue our research and fact-finding mission on faloodas in far flung areas…..perhaps it will spill over into milkshake and chaat territory. Maybe even barbecue and kabab rolls! Who knows?

Stay tuned for the next installment of Finding falooda!  Anyone interested in joining us is most welcome to!

And if anyone from Karachi visits this page, do share your opinion and let me know your favorite falooda place!