Dessert calls from the heart are meant to be taken seriously, okay! Alright, we may be guilty of doing so! We run around town a lot, trying new eateries, critiquing them or loving them and we never to skip dessert. So, here we give you a rundown of some of the best desserts we’ve tried at high-end eateries, and if you’re a fitness freak, you’d be happy to know that we thought about you too.

Pesto

The clean eating trend is still fairly a new concept in Karachi, with many eateries introducing a separate section on their menu. It’s often a funny talking point for who may share a sense of humour of seeing delectable glutinously guilt-crammed options and healthy ones alongside, making it harder to stick to the diet or calling it a cheat day. Despite the city’s endless love for carb and calorie loaded options, the idea of clean eating and restaurants catering to it are springing up around town. A colleague and I visit Pesto in the lunch hour and in summary, it certainly was a treat for an average Tuesday. On recommendation, we opted for the strawberry cheesecake from the desserts section and it was a fitting end to a health-conscious feast. If oversweetened, a cheesecake is a failure. But the keto variation at Pesto was nothing short of divine in taste, texture and presentation.

The Story

Winding down the Bukhari Commercial lane, with its host of newly curated eateries, The Story’s comforting premises can’t miss the eye. Last week, a colleague and I were walk-ins at the restaurant awaiting scrumptious comfort food it promised. Inviting blue walls beckon you in, as you step past its threshold lined with potted plants with a framed golden mirror spelling the eatery’s name. Overhanging lamps inundated the space in dim lightening, adding a measure of intimacy and comfort, with squashy arm chairs injecting a homey vibe to the place. We had asked the women spearheading the eatery to surprise us with their much-raved about desserts and they did so. Smooth texture of tiramisu was like sweet satin on the tongue with a dash of powdered cocoa taking the taste up a notch. I found the caramel walnut tart to be just fine but was utterly wowed by their signature dessert – Skillet Cookie. In a hissing-hot skillet, arrived a big chunk of cookie at topped with ice-cream which was melting enticingly into the dessert; it was undoubtedly, one of the best desserts we’ve tried in a while.

Café Flo

The sophisticated upscale décor of Café Flo lures in the elite and the famous through its doors. This is a cafe that you can spot on almost every celebrity’s Instagram. At Flo, you are sure to bump into a celebrity or two as you bite into your ravioli. Famed and hyped for its exquisite culinary taste from the finest in France, a soothing ambience and its string of elite diners, the eatery has been around for a long time. A friend and I made ourselves comfortable at pristine white tables laid out in its outdoor garden-esque area in the late noon sun. As the evening beckoned, fairy lights shone sublime and pretty, entwined around the trimmed bushes, with soft music wafting in the air. The chocolate mousse cake was average and paled next to the sugur rush of Pavlova with meringue and berries. Pavlova was sweetness personified, with yummy berries tweaking its taste at every spoonful!

Evergreen

My pursuit for healthy yet delicious food found me at Evergreen one afternoon. Evergreen’s petite location beckons you through its glass walls and begonia plantation, which will make you want to surrender, for once, to a plate of salad. The ambience is like a breath of fresh air; cosy, uncluttered and green. Ample sunshine washes through the windows, lighting up white marble topped tables, making everything in sight Instagramable. If you find Evergreen’s ambience to be a curious reflection of Xander’s then don’t be confounded, as it too, is part of restaurateur Sikander Rizvi’s venture. I seated myself across the Subway-style bar and went through the extensive menu, clearly unacquainted with so many healthy food combinations. And let it be known that Evergreen’s flourless gluten free chocolate cake was the perfect cherry to add on to a healthy noon brunch. •