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    'Casa Bianca': A Sure Recipe for Success

    Casa Bianca Restaurant, Lahore

    Written by: Yusra Hayat
    Posted on: October 20, 2015 | | 中文

    'Casa Bianca' has joined the list of must-visit eateries in Lahore

    With an ambience of Victorian England and a highly unique cuisine that is bound to get you salivating, Lahore’s new restaurant, Casa Bianca, has joined the long list of must-visit eateries in the city. Its owners and managers, who recently graduated from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), were driven less by their motivation to commence a business venture of their own and more by their sheer love for food. “It is a well-known fact that you thrive in anything you do with sincere passion and dedication, and what else, besides food, is capable of instilling such love and commitment in a person?” laughed Qasim Awan, one of the founders/owners of the restaurant.

    Casa Bianca’s Rubin Sandwich, Nutella Pizza and Shepherd’s Pie are, quite simply, to die for. The soft, rich texture of the pie melts in your mouth, and while the taste is continental, a secret, traditional ingredient will seriously test your ability to exercise self-restraint and not devour it all at once. A word to the wise: do not try the peculiar yet unconventionally delicious Nutella Pizza in front of potential in-laws who are uptight about table manners, for this pizza will force you to abandon your knife and fork and dig in with your bare hands.

    Casa Bianca's Beef Cheese Melt Burger

    Beef Cheese Melt Burger - double beef patty, topped with a layer of melted cheese

    The ambience of the restaurant is mellow and sophisticated. With a pure white vintage theme and large Victorian-era windows, Casa Bianca transforms the surrounding Gulberg area into a cultured parlor from an Austen or Bronte novel.

    Even though the restaurant has only had a soft launch so far (with the official launch scheduled for October 31st), it has done remarkably well for a place this young. While this was largely due to informal publicity and marketing, another entrepreneur, Ammar Anwar, believes that there is a sure recipe to success here. “Offering a unique cuisine in a unique ambience at competitive prices was definitely a plus point for us,” he says. However, it was the owners’ close interaction with their customers and an emphasis on their feedback that really made this place stand out from other restaurants.

    Ammar and Qasim believe that people know exactly what they want. “After setting up the place and deciding the menu, we placed the ball in the customers’ court and used their valuable feedback to improve our taste and décor”. Ammar added that judging one’s performance based on customer preferences was a good way of personalizing a business venture and ensuring success.

    Casa Bianca's Spinach Fettucini

    Spinach Fettucini - spinach pasta, prepared in rich creamy sauce

    Starting from the bottom

    The proud owners of Casa Bianca did not have anything at the commencement of their journey. They took family loans and worked 18 hours a day for a good 6-7 months to realize their dream of owning a restaurant. “I did not get a “lucrative” job immediately after my graduation, which I saw as “a good omen” – in Paulo Coelho’s words – to carve out my own dream job,” Ammar said.

    Casa Bianca's Chocolate Syrup Cake

    The scrumptious Chocolate Syrup Cake. Dessert, anyone?

    The young entrepreneurs did not rely on any external sources for help. “We refused to hire any architects or designers, and set the place by ourselves,” said Qasim. “This wasn’t just due to financial straits, but also because we believed in ourselves and knew that if all of us stood united and put our minds to something, we will achieve it,” he added.

    It is quite evident that the values Casa Bianca owners stood for have been reinforced and have proven to be invaluable. A few weeks into business, the place has already landed purchase offers. “We are not going to sell a place that we have created with such dedication and love,” said Qasim. His stance was bolstered by the other owners and managers, who said that they had built the hotel from scratch and will ensure that it grew and multiplied into other areas and cities. “Casa Bianca has a very promising future, and I am sure that it will progress without the need for any investors or franchisees,” said Ammar. “You will see a lot of new ventures of Casa Bianca in the food industry in a very short span of time,” promised Qasim. “It will soon be a pioneering brand in Lahore’s food industry, expanding all across the country”.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021