Written by: Haroon Shuaib
Posted on: October 08, 2019 | 
| 中文
Lamb Shank with Vegetables
What makes a new restaurant stand out in a city that has seen an unprecedented mushrooming of eateries in the recent months? Besides the taste and the quality of food, other elements that play a major role in any restaurant making a mark in the local scene are the ambience, the service, and of course, the pricing.
“Mouthful” opened its doors to the patrons in Islamabad this spring. Located on the fourth floor of the Union Gold Mall in the legendry Jinnah Super Sector, the most striking feature of “Mouthful”, is the outdoor terrace seating, that offers a beautiful view of Margalla Hills. It is the perfect space for anyone who wants to sit outside and enjoy some piping hot delectable food. I visited the restaurant last week, and left wanting to visit again soon. Hopefully, “Mouthful” will maintain its consistency, which is perhaps the most stringent litmus test for restaurants, and one in which unfortunately most eateries falter.
“Mouthful” has travelled to Islamabad from Lahore, where it has been operating for a few years. The menu seemed pretty standard for any restaurant, but, it was pretty extensive. Welcome drinks arrived as soon as my friend and I settled in our seats. This included the usual lemonade in one glass, and the traditional but underrated imli-zeerapani in the other.
The second thing that I made a note of were the beautiful and impeccably clean, sheer black folded napkins; “Mouthful” gets extra marks for its attention to detail. Zakir Khan, the ever-smiling floor manager graciously helped us pick out an order. We chose the signature soup and the Nobu-style rock shrimps. The soup was definitely a 9 out of 10. The shrimps, immersed in dynamite sauce, were good in taste, but a bit on the sweeter side, when I expected something spicier.
Nobu-Style Shrimp
On Zakir’s recommendation, I ordered Chicken A’la Fez, a chicken breast marinated in Ras El Hanout, a Moroccan spice blend. It was created by North African spice dealers, who would mix together over two dozen spices to create a heady, aromatic signature blend, and the dish was served with rice and assorted veggies. While the chicken was tender and seasoned well, I felt a little betrayed, as I expected the vibrant, earthy mix of cinnamon, cumin, coriander, black pepper, and ginger to sizzle on the taste buds. But the spice level stayed on the safer side. The rice was well cooked and veggies were sautéed to a perfect level, a detail that is often overlooked at most eateries.
The surprise was placed in front of my friend: a ‘grassfed’ lamb shank, served on a bed of saffron risotto potato-mash. That dish was so mouth-watering gastronomically and visually, that I couldn’t help but devour a good part of his steak too. Luckily the serving sizes were so generous, and he was happy to share the meat, which fell off the bone at the lightest touch. A perfect 9 out of 10.
Patakha Chicken
I was still craving something spicy when the Patakha Chicken arrived. It was just the right level of seasoning, and the accompanying sauces made me forget about my earlier woes. This was an 8 out of 10. To placate the taste buds, we had to order the desserts. The dessert section of the menu, unfortunately, didn’t have many exciting options. We decided on gulab jamans, and the brownie slice with ice cream. Both the choices turned out to be just okay, and there was room for more exploration on our parts.
Brownie Slice With Ice Cream
Mouthful claims that they only procure fresh ingredients, and do not use any artificial thickeners, tenderizers or MSG products. I requested a quick guided tour of their kitchen and Zakir was happy to oblige. It was a busy, buzzing but surprisingly clean kitchen for a weekend night. Full marks to “Mouthful”, on that account too. I am definitely making another trip for the zeerapani, the lamb steak and the perfect views of the beautiful Margalla Hills.
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