Kafulok - Chinese Restaurant

There is Prithvilok, there is Devlok, and then there is Kafulok - perhaps where the Kafus reside on Road No. 12? Well, even if that doesn't sound quite right, Kafulok, which is actually an amalgamation of Ka (Family), Fu (Fortune) and Lok (Happiness), would still provide some mean Drums of Heaven.

The Scene
The restaurant is rather precariously placed in the middle of some daunting piece of Oriental cuisine real estate indeed. Flanked by Zafran Exotica, Little Penang, and Awaana, and a stone's throw from Ohri's Far East, Kafulok faces stiff competition for its Hakka fare.

While the decor, location and service are adequate, the ambience is neither extravagant nor romantic like at Exotica upstairs, nor raunchy and experimental like at Little Penang downstairs. This is quite as middle-of-the-road Chinese family restaurant as they get.

The Food
For lunch, Kafulok offers a winningly-priced buffet for Rs. 123, which includes starters, beverages, salads, soups, vegetarian and non-vegetarian entrees, rice, noodles and desserts. Fortunately for the diner, all the dishes served do not tend to taste bandi Chinese-like, but the food is also not up there like at some of the stellar old-time Chinese joints in town.

While there, try something from their Home Recipes section of the menu, which features dishes like a generously portioned Steamed Chicken at Rs. 250, Garlic Steamed Fish, Moon Faan, and a rice dish at Rs. 130 - all of which reportedly the Chinese eat at home.

The Verdict
Kafulok is a reasonable place for office groups for both lunches and dinners, as well as for those who occasionally foray into Chinese food. Not quite the place you would go to for out-of-the-world food or for a memorable ambience, but one that would certainly do justice with its well-prepared standard dishes and an impeccably hospitable atmosphere.