Evergreen Review: The Healthiest Kid On The Block Is Gaining Mass Popularity
It’s a health food café, so it’s okay that we ate enough to last us a few days. Right?
Evergreen is the latest hot-spot for breakfasts and meal options for the health conscious. From the most basic definition of it, you won’t be hopping to reserve a table there; however, a little insight has us hooked.
Walking in, one already feels a little fitter; a little lighter- with the open salad bar, the white marble tables and the greenery occupying corners of the café. Unfortunate that there’s only one window which provides natural light and that too for just the few tables beside it. The rest are dimly lit with overhead lamps that do not allow for good food photography.
Before moving on to the actual food review, a quick note must be made in appreciation of the service provided. The servers were not only well-aware of the menu offerings but also helpful in aiding our decision making process- we must have taken a good twenty minutes to decide what we ‘felt like having’. Bonus: service is fairly quick.
So here’s what we ordered:
- Beef tacos (starter)
- A-salmon-alaikum bowl
- Wicked waffles
- Almond crusted chicken
- The Karachiite bowl
- No bake cheesecake
- Matcha latte
- Lassis (one sweet, one salted)
Told you we ate a lot.
Here’s what we thought:
Beef tacos
Our server told us that this was on the specials for the day, so we decided to opt for this starter. And I’m so glad we did. Served in small whole wheat chapatis, the minced beef (not sliced steak, as one would expect) was tender, juicy and extremely flavorful. The chapati itself was soft and light. All the elements were balanced perfectly- with the creaminess of the sour cream and the spice/tang from the jalapenos.
Price: PKR 690
A-salmon-alaikum bowl
I won’t lie. We ordered this because of its name. But we were more than happy to say khuda hafiz to this instead. Served with baby potatoes, spinach, sundried tomatoes, brown rice, a boiled egg and of course, smoked salmon; my favorite thing on it was the boiled egg (perfect). The elements were all nice enough, but we were unanimous in thinking that it needed a binding element.
Price: PKR 750
Wicked Waffles
My personal favorite, these waffles were crispy and so delicious. Served with fresh fruit, granola, greek yogurt and generously drizzled with maple syrup- my mouth is watering just thinking back to these beauties. If you’re a sweet for breakfast person, then these are worth a try.
Price: PKR 680
Read our review on Easy by Fatsos
Almond crusted chicken
Too much of a good thing, and you can disagree, also applies to cheese. Surprisingly, this item was the most expensive one on our list- and the most disappointing too. The over-cheesiness caused the sauce to form a layer of skin over it. Moreover, the chicken was bland. Among the three of us, we didn’t even finish one fillet.
Price: PKR 980
The Karachiite bowl
On principle, I don’t order tikka masala anything from non-desi restaurants just because I believe that the desi bbq maestros are situated behind the roadside grills. However, we decided to give it a go based on a recommendation. We wiped the bowl clean. A nice hearty serving of boneless grilled chicken tikka skewers paired with the best spicy yogurt sauce, stewed tomatoes, airy pieces of naan and a classic kachumbar elevated by the addition of chopped almonds.
Price: 810
For a true desi experience, we’d go to Afridi Inn
Matcha Latte
Of course we had to buy one of these bright green concoctions. Look how stunning the color comes out on camera. Matcha, just like your regular green tea, is an acquired taste- so it’s okay to say that you’re not a fan. Although I personally prefer a matcha bubble tea or ice cream, this latte was quite nice too. Just without the mid-day caffeine fix.
Price: PKR 310
No Bake Cheesecake
My two colleagues fought like children over this. In hindsight, we should have probably gotten two. Replacing digestive biscuits with granola and cream cheese with greek yogurt, this no bake cheesecake is perhaps one of the best guilt-free desserts I’ve had.
Price: PKR 420
Almond Milk Lassi
This was purely for the Lassi Challenge- you can find the video on our instagram page. However, the verdict on these was that they’re not as great as your average lassi but, of course. Everything aside, a huge shout out to Evergreen for using steel straws and playing a part in sustaining the environment.
Price: PKR 380
Is it worth a visit?
As is the case with most restaurants, not everything on the menu is perfect- or for everyone. That said, Evergreen is one of those cafes that you can easily frequent and be satisfied with your food; if budget isn’t a problem that is. We found some of the items to fall on the pricier end of the spectrum. Based purely on the budget, Evergreen would earn a visit once in a couple of months.
What we’d have again: The beef tacos, no bake cheesecake and wicked waffles.
What we’d love to try next time: Whole wheat spaghetti with meatballs, the Yalla bowl and Smooth criminal cups.
