Marcel’s

Table to Book
  • 04 Aug - 10 Aug, 2018
  • Mag The Weekly
  • High Life

It announced its arrival this year by hosting a grand opening and I couldn’t wait to review it ever since. From the moment you step into the eatery, you start to feel the grandeur of the eatery. The interiors, food selection, attention to guests, everything speaks volume of a class above the highest class. How can you go to a French restaurant and not start with French onion soup; a classic staple of the cuisine. Even in this heat, the soup can transport you to a road-side café alongside French Riviera; the clear broth was perfectly seasoned with no other complicated spices, just salt and pepper. The caramelised onions also tasted good, while the toasted bread it was served in and the piece of cheese bread on top tasted even better. The appetising coconut prawn rolls were something different and deserve a try just for that; juicy prawns were wrapped in thin wrappers and stuffed with chopped coconut. Served with the sweet and chilli ginger dip, the rolls had no trace of oil even though they were deep-fried.


From their specials selection, I tried chimichurri steak; a juicy pound of beef steak served on a bed of smooth potato mash with a healthy amount of the Argentinian sauce atop the dish. It is basically made with parsley, coriander, cumin, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and oregano, and parsley, and has salty and citric notes to it. The steak was kept mild in flavour, so as to let the chimichurri be the star of the dish, and it was!

The roasted chicken sandwich was made with focaccia bread that is oven-baked Italian product similar in style and texture to pizza dough – it rises and so, has more height just like a pizza base. This is your standard roasted chicken sandwich with a light dressing, lettuce and tomato inside. Though enjoyable, don’t mind getting your hands dirty for this one.

For much-needed refreshment after lunch, I went for their mango-mint cooler. I was afraid that it was either going to be too sweet or would have too much mint, but to my pleasant surprise, there was just the right amount of mint in the thick, almost shake-like drink and a strong punch of mango freshness.

Location: Fl-10, Khayaban-e-Roomi, Block 5, Clifton, Karachi.
Average cost for 2: PKR 7-8,000 approx.

TASTE
Among Marcel’s many plus points is its taste – though nothing spectacular. It deserves at least one visit for the many fine ingredients and selections that it offers.

AMBIENCE
It has dimly lit corners and a big space in center that brightens up everything naturally with sunlight. From the menu to attentive service and presentation, this is the place you want to take someone to, when you want to impress them.

SERVICE
It’s rather uncomfortable and awkward when you haven’t finished your appetiser, or any course for that matter, and your server keeps asking if he can remove it just because you have moved on to the next course. I think they should wait until they are called to remove unfinished food and only take the liberty while removing used cutlery.

PRESENTATION
In contrast with the ambience and food itself, the staff has kept the presentation of the food quite basic, simple and classy. This, of course, apart from the prawn rolls that were wrapped in a paper that hid their beauty.

VALUE FOR MONEY
As a foodie myself, I appreciate what Marcel’s has to offer. But realistically as a Karachiite, I know that a major part of the city couldn’t possibly afford to have a decent meal at the restaurant because of its high prices.

RELATED POST

COMMENTS