Everyone in Karachi is a food critic — you can’t live in Pakistan’s culinary capital without knowing your way around its many eateries. It appears British super spy James Bond did an undercover mission or two here as well, since he said he knows where to get a good bite to eat.

No, we’re not kidding. The Instagram page for the Bond movies posted a scene from the 1987 film The Living Daylights where a cool-as-ever Bond looks at a sign pointing to Karachi and says he knows “a great restaurant” in the city. We’ve got some questions.

Firstly, who painted that sign? It says “Karashi” in Urdu. But more importantly, what restaurant was the agent talking about that merited a 300 kilometre drive? We don’t have definitive answers, but we do have thoughts on what he may have tried and where he went for an authentic Karachi meal.

Nihari — Pakistan’s de facto national dish

If Mr Bond was looking to try something that captures the heart — and story — of Pakistan he need look no further than Karachi, where the country’s ‘national dish’ has been perfected.

Originating from the royal kitchens of central India, nihari came to Karachi with immigrants from India, many of whom fled their homes during Partition with nothing but the clothes on their backs and their traditions.

Now, the hearty, aromatic meat stew can be best enjoyed at Javed Nihari in the city’s Federal B Area, or Zahid Nihari in Saddar — the city’s historic centre.

Fry Kabab — something unique to Karachi

If he was looking to have something only found in Karachi, the answer might just be Fry Kabab from Waheed Kabab House on the city’s iconic Burns Road food street.

There’s really no other place to have the soft, smoky kababs and we know for a fact we’d drive through the desert for them if we had to.

Biryani — the local favourite

Biryani is everywhere in Karachi and everyone has their own favourite biryani place; we’re guessing Bond does too if he’s spent any time in the city.

The rice dish, cooked in a meat stew with the optional — but not really optional — potatoes, is an integral part of the city’s culture. It’s everywhere, from Friday lunches to weddings, birthdays, and funerals, you would be hard pressed not to find biryani at a social gathering.

For Agent 007, we think he may have gone to Al-Rehman Biryani near the old Merewether Clock Tower. He could have also tried Naseeb Biryani, located nearby in Saddar.

Farhan Biryani was also an option, but we imagine the plane crash Bond survived before driving down to Karachi might have made the eatery’s location — just under the approach path for one of Karachi Airport’s runways — a bit of a no-go.

Katakat — something to fit Bond’s appetite for adventure

Okay, while much of Karachi’s cuisine is comprised of dishes that came from elsewhere and were improved by the city’s chefs, Katakat is Karachi’s own invention — or maybe Lahore’s, who’s to say.

Named after the clanging sound knives make as the chef uses them to chop up offal as it’s being stir-fried in butter, katakat is both a dinner and a show — and live music, if you’re into metal.

We think Bond went straight to Noorani Kabab House on Shahrah-i-Quaideen. They’ll even let customers pick what organs they’d like added to the mix, with options including brains, kidneys and livers.

Haleem — a seasonal favourite

It’s warm, it’s filling, it’s extremely nutritious — if the agent and his friend need to recover after their run in with danger, haleem is the best thing they can find.

The thick stew with an assortment of lentils, barley and meat is often served around religious occasions, such as Ashura in the month of Muharram.

But the city can’t enough of it, so restaurants like Karachi Haleem or Mazaidaar Haleem on Burns Road serve it to patrons year round. The dish’s popularity can be gauged by how both restaurants began primarily serving haleem at one location and have since expanded into multi-branch chains. We’re quite sure Bond went to one of these spots to satisfy his haleem craving.

With dinner sorted, we would recommend finishing off with either a doodh soda — milk and sprite — or a Rooh Afza on the rocks. Both, of course, have to be shaken, not stirred.

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