Luxe Retreat

Marmaris, Turquoise Coast, Turkey

Surrounded by dramatic volcanic rocks and hillsides lush with almond trees, D-Hotel Maris stands in an unblemished nature reserve and looks towards the Aegean and Mediterranean. Repeat guests know to request a harbour-facing room for the best views and to make a point of sailing those turquoise-tinted waters aboard the resort’s 100ft yacht Pasa. Kayaking, diving and more can also be arranged at the watersports centre, five beaches provide variety and a spa offers refuge on rare rainy days. On summer evenings, dinner can be taken at an alfresco outpost of London’s Japanese restaurant Zuma or one of five other dining options. Wherever guests end up, service is sincere, the crowd is sophisticated and the atmosphere carefree. A long-established mass-market hotel previously occupied the building D-Maris Bay resides in. Through construction, the resort’s owners have transformed the property into an airy and chic retreat awash with marble and filled with light. D-Maris Bay is a sophisticated seaside retreat with a clutch of excellent restaurants, inviting beaches, comprehensive leisure and sports facilities and an excellent spa.

Table to book

Chatterbox

There is hardly any Karachiite who hasn’t been to Chatterbox. The café has been around for years now and has maintained its fair share of happy customers through quality food and service. As surprising as it may sound, I had never been here until last week. On a lazy Sunday, I decided to stop by the Khayaban-e-Bukhari outlet along with my mother and sister. For some reason, I wasn’t expecting much from the dining experience overall – maybe because there are so many cafés and bistros in every corner of the city offering more or less the same menu. The interiors are nice and comfortable, and the service was impeccable. We orderd some usuals, like the peri bites (called chilli cheese bites there), panko fried prawns and Moroccan chicken, and some exclusive dishes like grilled chicken in sundried tomato sauce served with sautéed mushrooms and rice, and grilled roast beef and cheese sandwich. We also ordered a side of mashed potatoes. So starting from the last, potatoes would have done good with some more salt and pepper seasoning and some butter and/or cream whipping, as it was also a bit dry. The starters, prawns and peri bites, were both superb; crunchiest coating you could get and both tasted amazing with the dips that accompanied them. Although prawns were a bit underseasoned but when had with the dips, tasted just fine.

In a word, the mains were praisworthy! The rice served with both the chickens were the perfect balance of sticky and soft, and tasted great with the gravy. The chicken were well cooked but retained the juice in them and the vegetables with them were equally succulent. The recommended sandwich took the cake for being the best I have ever tasted. It had been given just the right amount of grilling to toast the slices, keep the shredded beef juicy and soften and melt the cheese. I was particularly hapy to see the serving size of all the dishes there. Good quantity, great quality and economical – what more could one want? An absolutely recommended place!

What’s in the menu?

Shish Kebab

Shish kebab or seekh kebab is a popular meal of skewered and grilled cubes of meat. It is similar to a dish called shashlik, which is found in the Caucasus region. It is generally made of lamb but there are also versions with beef or veal, swordfish and chicken. In Turkey, shish kebab and the vegetables served with it are grilled separately, normally not on the same skewer. While shish kebab is often referred to in English as simply kebab, that term can also refer to a wide variety of different grilled meat dishes. A South Asian variation prepared with minced meat with spices and grilled on skewers. It is cooked in a Tandoor, and is often served with chutneys or mint sauce. It is often included in tandoori sampler platters, which contain a variety of tandoor cooked dishes. A seekh kebab can also be served in a naan bread much like döner kebab. A 100g serving of kebab provides approximately 159 calories; 4.2g fat, 9.7g of protein, 19.7g of carbohydrates, 13mg of cholestrol, 264mg of sodium and 209mg of potassium.