comprising of highly trained security personnel including guards, security officers and supervisors are present twenty-four hours on the premises. They are either assigned to a specific post or patrol the building throughout the day and night. Pearl-Continental Karachi houses a variety of cuisines in the numerous restaurants housed inside the hotel. Catering to its walk-in as well as live-in guests belonging to all age groups with different preferences, the hotel accommodates all types of tastebuds. The first restaurant that welcomes guests at Pearl-Continental Karachi is its time tested continental eatery, the Marco Polo. True to its name, the explorations continue. Offering a wide range of food for brunch, high-teas, lunch and dinner, the place offers a seating capacity of hundred and fifty people. In the evenings, melodious musical nights make the experience more enjoyable. Performers, musicians and jazz bands play here four days a week. Sometimes favourite hit Indian songs can also be heard. At other times, ghazal singers especially hired by the hotel perform in the nights. So an avid ghazal listener wishing to take pleasure in the melodious surroundings till three in the mornings listening
to these ghazal singers can very well do so in a safe and secure environment because the hotel hardly sleeps. Anyone can just walk into Marco polo anytime and simultaneously enjoy the food and music together. Additionally, lavish thematic food festivals are also held at Marco Polo. “In a month we normally hold two to three festivals, catering to different countries from around the world”, says M Abdul Azeem Qerishi, General Manager Pearl-Continental Karachi. The food festivals not only showcase the respective country’s food but also its culture and traditions. Food sculptures showcasing country related art pieces followed by detailed food carvings and food specialties are presented to the guests. Live counters offer guests the chance to enjoy the authentic food delicacies of the respective countries in a festive mood. Additionally, Marco Polo’s approachability right towards the entrance is something that guests walking into the hotel simply cannot give a miss. The spacious set-up makes room for all food festivals and festive occasions. The Pearl-Continental Bakery is an impressive simple and small setup that also has an in-house seating area. Guests can choose from a variety of brownies, cakes and snacks. This irresistibly cosy little space beckons both young and old passing by who either come in and pick up a snack or enjoy little chats over steaming hot cups of coffee and tea. Grape-Vine is another in-house eatery. Its speciality is definitely masala chai. You have it once and you are hooked on it for life. But Grape-Vine not only offers this. A professional violinist plays his violin and performs in the evenings for guests coming in. The experience is so spell binding that one can see people specially stopping by at the hotel at this time to listen to the violin, a rather upbeat elite experience. Meanwhile a mini hi-tea at Grape-Vine is also being offered. In just two hundred rupees this mini hi-tea is really a big treat. Next in line is Tai-Pan, an oriental all time favourite Chinese restaurant. Done to the last detail in red, with its hanging Chinese lamps, it is a bustling place where ones who wish to enjoy the authentic cuisine can eat to their heart’s content. Offering buffet as well as a la carte, Tai-Pan’s management also offers arrangements for parties, booking of its private dining rooms to corporate as well as personal customers. Then there is Sakura. An artist’s delight, a food connoisseur’s treasure trove and a busy executive’s retreat, the Sakura, is a one of its kind Japanese restaurant in Pakistan. Nestled on the tenth floor of the Pearl-Continental Hotel Karachi, it offers a true taste ourHeritage 62