There used to be a cafe inside Koel Gallery in Karachi’s Clifton area. A cafe that had somehow sustained itself over whispers about their shikanjbeen (lemonade) being good and, maybe, a creamy spinach and asparagus dip served with pita bread. It had a whole lot of other things, too, but recommendations from diners rarely ever moved beyond the aforementioned items.

You’d think if a cafe in Karachi just focused on having maybe one or two worthy food items, it surely had to be struggling. Maybe it was — but not as much as you think. You see, the ambience was so tastefully done and it was located inside one of the most happening art galleries. Sunlight poured through from every direction, illuminating every corner. You couldn’t hide there even if you tried. It was bright and green, surrounded by plants and vibes — as people now say on the internet.

On December 31, 2025, a post quietly went up on their Instagram, stating they were closing their doors for good. The post said that it was “making way for a new space.”

The “new space”, it turns out, was Mizu. A restaurant brought to life by Sikandar Rizvi (owner of Xander’s, one of the city’s most popular restaurants) and Mustafa Sardar (who owns Izakaya — a private dining concept that lets diners choose a pre-set menu of 10 courses).

While people were waiting for Koel Cafe to magically re-open, Mizu offered no nod to its memories. Koel Cafe’s menu had mezze platters, kulcha (flatbread) sandwiches and paneer tikka and Mizu is keeping Asian flavours, specifically Thai inspired notes, at the forefront.

When you walk in, the place looks very “structured”, with rows of dining tables and chairs occupying every corner. The seating is not constricted by the indoor premises, it spreads out in the outdoors too, surrounding the tree and only stops at the signature Koel Gallery door.

During the day, it retains the sun-lit aspect of the earlier cafe but, at night, it dims, so that every table is mostly just lit by a small candle and a few light sources at the counter. The people seem to just keep walking in.

Karachi, albeit a competitive backdrop for businesses, always offers warmth to the “new”. Moreover, with Mizu, people are showing up with a certain assuredness in their step because of its association with Xander’s.

What about the food? The social media chatter would encourage you to order their chicken lime coconut soup, their Thai steamed fish and their Thai green curry, and it would be correct. The restaurant handles the balance of flavours in each dish in a masterful way. In the Thai green curry, the bright, green earthiness of the lemongrass comes through, while the richness of the coconut curry is retained. In the Thai steamed fish, a herb-forward and citrus dressing makes the steamed fish come to life and, in the chicken coconut soup, a mildly sweet coconut base is lifted by hints of spice and lime.

Other popular items on the menu are sesame beef, where a drizzle of rich sesame butter adorns thinly sliced, flavourful beef. The flavours land in a way where you go in for a second bite immediately, while also wishing the beef had a little less chew on it.

Then there is a dish called popcorn beef, which is similar to crispy beef served in most pan-Asian restaurants in Karachi. You can tell that it is there to signal a sense of familiarity for diners. The execution falls slightly short, because does it make you think this is the best crispy beef you have had in the city? No, but if you order it as a shared plate for the table, not many would complain.

There is a range of items in the menu titled under ‘Crostina’ and it includes options revolving around tuna, salmon, caviar, wasabi and truffle. But the items listed underneath this sound way more unique than they taste.

The truffle toro, which has thinly sliced tuna over very thin flatbread, would immediately make you think of the tuna pizza at another Karachi restaurant, Banchan, except the latter executes the concept way better. The wasabi salmon crostina would make you expect a sharp, punchy note but the flavours just blend in, leaving no room for a party trick to occur.

The chicken pancakes arrive with deconstructed condiments. A plate carries shredded chicken with hoisin sauce and a chilli jam, while savoury wraps that look like mini-crepes arrive in a bamboo steamer basket that usually houses dim sum.

While the chilli jam was not a flavour I particularly liked, the experience of assembling your own wraps at the table does offer some enjoyment. I even took a detour and used a savoury wrap to include some sesame beef instead of shredded chicken and, I have to say, it worked so much better for me.

Mizu attempts to use familiar flavours to lure people in while also attempting to introduce them to something new but, overall, the flavours that it offers are not new enough.

Will diners still seek comfort in its ambience, familiar orders of crispy beef, Thai curries and warm soups? Yes. But Karachi is like that strict math teacher you had in school — even when it wants to compliment, it dismisses. So, while Mizu is nothing ground-breaking, it is still a trustworthy addition to the city’s ever multiplying dining scene.

Originally published in Dawn, EOS, April 12th, 2026

Source link