One of the things that one loves about traveling abroad - particularly to obscure little countries in Eastern Europe - is the joy of being able to sit at a sidewalk café and watch the world go by, sip coffee and enjoy the delightful weather. Having debated the pros and cons (being able to sit outside when it's actually decent weather versus mobile phone snatchers galore) of having an open-air café in Karachi for a while, it was rather nice to hear about the opening of Roadside café in Karachi.

Roadside - as the name goes - is designed to actually appear like a sidewalk café. With street markings on the entrance (and the sounds from adjacent Boat Basin), the café is tiny and instantly does give a sidewalk feel. The décor is minimal - wood/cane furniture, chiks, a blackboard advertising the Tantric t-shirts it stocks and free wi-fi and dim lighting. So is the menu for that matter - which tries hard to be a superior take on the actual roadside menu Pakistanis know: offering bun kababs at 120 rupees (less in size, served with paapri and definitely not a patch on those served three minutes away at Boat Basin), dhaaga kabab, sandwiches and a number of Middle Eastern dishes. They also serve coffee, doodh patti and qahwa - all priced at 60 rupees and with free refills to boot! They've also revised the menu as of late - with new additions such as parathas served with eggs (I asked the waiter who'd eat this breakfast item at night and he replied lots of people do), cold coffee and a range of desserts including kulfi! The food may not taste as great as Boat Basin's numerous offerings - but its hygienic, its served nicely and its still cheaper than the skyrocketing prices being touted by tikka and kabab roll places.

Other throwbacks to the usual cafes of Karachi are the range of shishas on the menu, which are surprisingly quite good and a refreshing change from the horrible and overpriced offerings at many cafes in Karachi. They also offer a selection of cards/board games as well as a pool table.

The service is passably good - during the early hours of the evening when it's less packed, the servers are quite attentive, and one unfailing measure is the complimentary glasses of sugary water with mint leaves in them. Beyond 10 PM the place is packed - and it can be quite a challenge to get someone to pay any attention, since they have a maximum of 5 servers at that time. The music selection also goes haywire - they've often played house music or the Kal Ho Naa Ho soundtrack, which is a buzzkill considering how calm the environment is.

Roadside café is part of The Elephant Warehouse, which is a furniture store located on part of the ground floor with the café, as well as the first floor. The first floor has also played host to some interesting events last month - the Machar Art exhibition featuring the collaboration of Pakistani photographers for The Citizens Foundation to Zeb and Haniya hosting an open-mic night of sorts, where a host of unknown musicians regaled music lovers with a great selection of covers and originals. With places such as this, Commune and The Second Floor thriving and hosting intelligent, fun events -
there's hope for alternative entertainment beyond watching TV/films and getting a cup of coffee.

Check it out: Roadside Café @ The Elephant Warehouse (Adjacent to Canvas Gallery), F-15, FL 19, Kehkashan, Clifton Block 5, behind Boat Basin - Karachi.