Café Aylanto, which means “tree of heaven”, began as a trendy deli serving gourmet sandwiches,savourydelicacies and authentic Italian coffees. Itis situated in Lahore’s swanky shopping and restaurant district, synonymous with high quality cuisine in a relaxed cosmopolitan atmosphere. Café Aylanto offers a consistently delightful dining experience in an elegant, cozy Mediterranean countryside atmosphere. From the tantalising exotic specialties to the authentic Italian pastas, Café Aylanto presents a vast selection of favorites that can be enjoyed by everyone. Café Aylanto brings in experienced international chefs frequently to create tantalizing dishes that continue to impress, time and again, all who visit.

The foreign chefs also train the kitchen staff in order to keep up-to-date with international trends in the food and beverage industry. All items and condiments on the menu are prepared in-house to ensure quality, and a wide range of herbs are home-grown to guarantee their freshness and robust flavors. Café Aylanto also has its own butchery, and a bakery that makes all breads and desserts that are served in the restaurant. With approximately a hundred exceptional quality dishes or so on Aylanto’s inviting menu, I enjoy their unique dishes immensely. Some of my favorites on the menu are:

• Clear Chicken, Vegetable Hot and Sour Soup; which is more than just your average broth, flavoured with artichoke, jalapeno and coriander.
• Broccoli Soup; fresh broccoli simmered and topped with goat cheese, excellent for cold wintry nights.
• Crab Meat Gratin; fresh crab meat in a creamy cheesy well seasoned sauce.
• Smoked Salmon Pastry; salmon steak drizzled with herb butter and layered on flaky puff pastry.
• Buffalo Mozzarella and Avacado Salad; perfect summer salad with mixed greens, buffalo mozzarella and avocados tossed in their own special vinaigrette.
• Calamari Frittes/ Grilled Calamari; each equally delicious.
• Escargot de Bourgogne; excellent moist snails in herb butter sauce.
• Carpaccio; laser-like thin cut beef drizzled with virgin olive oil and parmigiano shavings.
• FlameGrilled Tenderloin; a succulent steak topped with rocket leaves, drizzled in garlic infused olive oil and served with sautéed mushrooms and vegetable timbale.
• Classic Lasagna;fresh pasta sheets layered with beef Bolognese, béchamel sauce, cream cheese and topped with stringy mozzarella.
• Fiery Chili Sole; a grilled fillet of sole marinated with roasted garlic, red chili and vinaigrette.
• Pan Seared Norwegian Pink Salmon; olive and garlic crusted and served with cauliflower mousse and asparagus, pomelo vinegar and ginger kabayaki sauce.
• Roquefort Cheese with Grilled Garlic and Rosemary; juicy and garlic baked with olive oil and Roquefort cheese, seasoned with rosemary sprigs and served with crusty French bread.
• Exclusive specialties include Chocolate Fondue, Entrecote Café de Paris(tabletop cooking) and imported steaks.