Karachi is a dynamic city with a range of recreational activities to offer but somehow it seems that in today’s age, the denizens of this city prefer to dine out than indulge in any other activity. Being a part of the herd, I opted for the same and decided to check out the ‘famous’ Famous O’s.
My family and I (well at least me, my sister and her husband) are always on the lookout for a new restaurant to try something different and decide if it’s worth a revisit. I suggested that we finally go to this much-hyped pizzeria and find out ourselves what the praise is all about.
Located at Khayaban-e-Sehar, at the corner of 26th Street, it’s a cosy place which can barely accommodate 20 people at a time.
We parked our car and for a minute and sat there puzzled, asking each other if it does in fact, provide dine-in service? But to our relief it did, and even better, the ambiance of the restaurant was comforting and almost homely.
There were a few people waiting before us, but within the next 5 minutes, we were guided to our tables. While observing the surroundings, there’s one thing that you could ignore was the strong aroma of the freshly baked pizza (it reminded me of a brick kiln but surprisingly, they use an oven). Our table was right opposite to their open cooking station; anyone could actually look into their pizza-making skills.
Our server recommended Brother O’ Neil and Wild Thing as hot favourites. As for the spicy option, we ordered Hot Mott as well. We also wanted to try our first ever 20-inch pizza, but to our disappointment they had run out of dough so we went with the 16-inch standard. We split the 16-inch pizza between Wild Thing and Hot Mott and went with Brother O’ Neil for our 10-incher.
Now here’s a question: how do you usually eat your pizza? With generous amounts of ketchup on your slice or hot sauce dripping from it? Well, that isn’t an option at Famous O’s because they do not serve condiments other than red chilli flakes. Yes, shocker! They want to ensure that the customer enjoys the pizza for what it is, but I have to confess that I missed my hot sauce.
After about 20 minutes, our piping hot pizzas were served. The first bite of Wild Thing felt like sheer happiness. The smoked chicken, sundried tomatoes and pickled jalapenos all added a punch of flavour and had distinctive tastes.
I was extremely excited about Hot Mott but after taking a bite, was extremely disappointed as not only did it fall short on its claim of being ‘spicy’ but in fact, it left a sweet aftertaste. Wild Thing was without a doubt, spicier. Made of grounded Italian fennel sausages, red onions (explains the sweetness), garlic and fresh sliced red chilli, this was a complete let down. It was baked to perfection, was succulent and fresh but it unfortunately lacked the ‘oomph’ factor one expected.
The classic and popular New York style mozzarella and tomato sauce pizza, Brother O’ Neil, was good but not excellent. The crust was crispy, the sauce was good but it lacked flavour.
The biggest shocker at Famous O’s came right at the end, when the bill came. Famous O’s became Famous Oh!
We had to pay around PKR 5000 for a pizza, which is atrocious. I understand that many of the ingredients are imported, ensuring a high quality, but to pay 1250 per head for a staple like pizza was a bit too much.
Final verdict: Great, if you’re willing to pay the price for pizza.
Have you been to Famous O’s? Share your experience with us.
