Tucked inside Sui Northern Officers Co-Operative Housing Society, Déjà by Khadija is a cute little bakery café. Decorated in pink, gold and grey, this cosy café’s décor and the presentation of their dishes set a good impression.

Now let’s discuss food! We tried their sharing platter, which was quite delectable and filling. The taco parathas were yummy, as were the assorted bread, especially the one with white sauce in it, but the aalu chaat was not all that great. While the chicken strips were nice, they could have been better. The mozzarella sticks with sauce were great but the assorted fries were so-so, especially the wedges.

Sharing Platter

We also tried the K’s Style Chicken Parm – it was well cooked and the sauce wasn’t too acidic though we do think they could have added a bit more parmesan. The Open Lamb Sandwich was also very well made with soft meat, which wasn’t smelly. It was served with sauce, didn’t taste too meaty and the cabbage was paired well with it.

RELATED STORIES

Meanwhile, the Baked Marinara could have been better but as an afterthought, it wasn’t all that bad. We absolutely loved the Mushroom Toast. It had just the right amount of mushrooms, and the chilli scrambled eggs were just perfect. We highly recommend that if you love eggs!

What we really enjoyed were the drinks which were presented in a very fun way; they reminded you of Chemistry Lab at school. The ice-cube with rose petals was also a nice touch. Strawberry Lemon Potion was nice with the right amount of tangy and strawberry juice. Strawberry Slammer is also lovely.

Coming onto the desserts now. Déjà also serves homemade ice-cream. We tried their chocolate ice-cream, which was nice but very creamy. Their gurr (jaggery) ice-cream wasn’t good; too much aftertaste of butter or cream and minimum taste of gurr.

Meanwhile, their French Toast is excellent – it was soft and crispy and the caramel sauce that comes with it was delicious. The best part was that they didn’t skimp on it like a lot of other places. After Amu and Aylanto, this is another place that makes really good French Toast in Lahore.

Off-the-counter Mango Cheesecake was meh (5 out of 10) – it was more like mousse than a cheesecake. But the Apple Pie slice was good (7 out of 10).

Overall, Déjà was a good experience because of the nice and cutesy ambience. They serve good portion sizes for a reasonable cost, which is a major plus point (Per person cost comes to Rs 1500). If the owner is around, she ensures that you feel welcomed and are properly taken care of. However, we do wish the chairs were comfier; it felt like a ‘grab your food, quickly eat and go’ place. Or maybe – given the shortage of space – this is their aim at the moment.

We recommend that everyone should try out this place as you get value for your money and the ambience makes it different from the rest of your restaurant experiences. Just keep in mind that it is a small place with very few tables so if you’re a large group, either reserve a table in advance or otherwise be ready to wait.