INSTEP Magzine

Whether Lahoris are salivating for teriyaki or yearning for a falafel, they have no shortage of options when it comes to ethnic cuisine. But it is no secret that these foods are tailored to our local taste buds.
"I thought it was time to try something new, so I settled on offering authentic Italian cuisine," explains Senso owner Shaun Rauf. With a maverick spirit like that, it's somehow poetic that Shaun avoided the mob mentality of settling on the main M.M. Alam Road and preferred to settle on the lane diverging from it beside Pizza Hut.

The ground floor of Senso has a café look and feel with booths by the espresso machines and a selection of magazines on display. A flight up the stairs leads you onto the wooden paneling of the main dinner area where the paintings transport you to the Renaissance period of medieval Italy. The music is soft and soothing and the dim lighting renders an elegant ambience.


The beverages bar on the ground floor is open for most of the day. Sandwiches and a limited selection of entrees are also on offer for those who saunter into the restaurant in this period. But the complete menu becomes accessible past 8 pm when a crowd currently dominated by college students and young adults converges upon the restaurant. The menu itself is presently more limited than that of competitors but Shaun has plans to enhance the offerings in the near future. The standard appetizer is bread coated with tomato paste to be dipped in a delectable oil. A handful of soups including a mix of chicken and almond as well as minestrone are available. Salads include a conventional Caesar Salad and the signature Senso Salad which involves a creamy mix of grilled chicken.

Pasta and pizza are the mainstays of the menu. The pizzas are thin crusted and oven baked. True to the ideal of authenticity, the sauce and mozzarella are fresh and thinly distributed. But this does not in anyway detract from the taste with the light and fluffy crust and toppings ensuring that you can pack away quite a bit without any anguish. The smoked chicken sundried pesto pizza remains the flavor of choice among the public while pepperoni and margherita are also contenders.

Several scrumptious entrees are part of the line-up. The grilled red snapper has been a surprise hit among customers while the mushroom chicken and beef medallion always have eager visitors beckoning. Those with a sense of adventure and a supportive wallet may find their calling in the jumbo prawns. One criticism from visitors has been that the portions on their entrée dishes have been a tad smaller than they anticipated but the yummy flavorings have still made it worth their while. Senso does not disappoint in the domain of dessert. The foundant cake is the delicacy of choice with its rich chocolate and caramel a testament to why the Aztecs anointed chocolate as the food of the gods. Be forewarned however, that this freshly baked divine goodness requires twenty minutes of preparation so let the waiter know in advance if your stomach is set on it. Alternative choices include crème bulee and cheesecake. Few restaurants accord as much significance to their beverage stock as Senso does. Shaun takes this part of the business seriously, actually shipping in coffee beans roasted in Canada 'just right' to brew the unique flavors of the mocha latte, frappaccino and mochaccino. Smoothies that come in a range of fruity flavors with health additives are highly recommended and Italian sodas and conventional juice and soft-drink complete an impressive line-up of fluids. The price range of Senso's selection is significantly lower than the Italian alternatives and just around the norm for nice restaurants. If you want to beat the hustle and bustle and retreat to the serene ambience of a Roman café in Lahore, Senso is definitely worth checking out.