Sesame & Soy weaving a storyline.

ISLAMABAD -- Nestled in the heart of Islamabad, Sesame and Soy, the brainchild of the amiable restaurateurs Nicole and Zafar of Lofalogy fame, with many years of experience under their belt, opened its doors, offering an authentic pan-Asian dine den with a chic classy setting.

The place has lived up to its reputation by weaving a storyline around the concept of neon lighting, vintage panelling, stone table tops with gold trim and cane style chairs and handcrafted silk embroidered wall hangings, giving a touch of zen and tranquillity and lending a youthful and vivacious ambience to the whole place under the Chinese influence. As the story goes, the family owned a Chinese restaurant by the name of Dragon City on the floor above Sesame and Soy and after running it for over two decades opted for a change, closing it down in order to open a pan-Asian cuisine restaurant.

Nicole, a corporate lawyer and Zafar an engineer by profession shared the common bond of food and launched Lofalogy seven years back to give Islamabad tastebuds something they had never experienced before. 'We both love food and we always work on it together, be it the interior, menu layout, selection of the dishes or training in the kitchen, you name it. When we travel abroad, our excitement comes from visiting restaurants and not sightseeing or shopping surprisingly,' informs Zafar. The menu at Sesame and Soy is contemporary, crafted carefully based on availability of ingredients thus taking a sustainable approach to the utilization of each ingredient's quality.

'The reason I have not put Sushi in my menu is because I can't get the best quality fish here in Islamabad. It's good but not sushi grade. To me Sushi grade is when you pick up the raw piece of fish and you can taste the ocean on your tongue.

If I can't serve that to my guest, then I would rather not put that down and serve at all,' informs the Polish born -Australian mother of a three-year-old Alexandra. The two-sided menu was heavy with a variety of pan-Asian dishes but interestingly most of them were a breath of fresh air and not run of the mill. We were a party of five and the time to tango with taste had come. To kick-start the dinner, our amuse-bouche featured Prawn Toast and Gado Gado salad in order to warm up the palettes. Main course included Sesame and Soy Crispy Beef with Broccoli, Green Curry, Sweet Korean Fried Sesame and Soy: weaving a storyline Chicken, Teriyaki Salmon, Xo Fried Rice, Hot Pot and Chilli...