Cowboy food at Gun Smoke

I had the most amazing burger ever today. It was at least double the size of the average Islamabad burger and many times as good. Despite gobbling up this large meal, I was left feeling hungry and craving for more. The culprit was a Peppercorn Beef Burger from the newly opened Gun Smoke “cafe” in F-7.

Though my review of it can’t be truly reliable (never having been to Texas, or even the States), everything about Gun Smoke has an authentic Texan feel to it. The wooden chairs, flooring and panels, rifles and cattle skulls decorating the walls and most importantly, the huge portions of food all give you a feel of the Wild West.

That look and feel may still be achievable by others here, but where Gun Smoke truly excels is in bringing the real flavor of Western food to us. I have yet to experience the same kind of taste or smell anywhere in Pakistan. In fact, it was so good that a couple of Americans passing by were drawn to it because “it smelled like home” and dug in to the tasty food. Too bad that a lot of Pakistanis can’t fully appreciate it. One of the clients in front of us got quite angry at the manager, complaining about raw (read unburnt) meat. Well that’s how meat is cooked outside Pakistan silly.

With hardly any seating area, this eatery has achieved what the likes of “Arizona Grill” and “Texas Steakhouse” failed to achieve with their large floorspaces and vinyl cowboy uniforms. It’s a bit pricy for a cafe or take-away restaurant, but the quality of food, as well as the deco make it well worth it.

Coming back to health, the situation looks somewhat grim for me. On the one hand, I’m stuck with hot, spicy and oily local food that I don’t like much, while on the other, there’s mighty tasty steaks and good ol’ Western food to help clog the arteries. Bring on the steak next.