Karachi’s best kept secrets – Part 5
Okay this one has to be secret, because it is yet to open its doors 
If you love coffee but think that the cafes that have mushroomed up in Karachi are just hang outs for wannabes and show offs, then check this out:
“A coffeehouse, featuring a bookshop and a space for creative expression and intelligent discourse.â€
Sounds good doesn’t it? Well, there’s more:
“Coffeehouse tradition is all about sparking conversations – and we’re passionate about providing a platform for people to engage with each other. Our society is insular and inhibited and we intend to break that mould. Through regular events such as poetry readings, book signings, workshops, talks, debates, film screenings, unplugged music sessions, and stand-up comedy, we hope to get people to think, question, and take action.â€
Its getting better isn’t it? Well, how about if this was added to it:
“We will use this space to run a socially responsible business that makes a meaningful difference in the lives of our customers. There will be no blaring music, unless we’re having a music event. Non-smokers will be respected. We will not buy pastries for Rs. 20 and sell them for Rs. 150. We will collaborate with independent, young designers, photographers, and artists and give them a wall to display their work. Our bookshop will be eclectic and alternative. We will react positively to all feedback and will not make customers fill out comment cards!â€
Okay now it’s beginning to sound too good to be true So how about if I tell you that it will be a WiFi zone. Internet access will be free. Wireless signals will be brought to you by the Apple Airport Express.
Oh and lastly “Music will be selected carefully and will never be intrusive. It will be switched off if even one person wants it off. Everyone’s a stakeholder. How will we manage to make everyone happy? We don’t know – it’s up to all of us to make this work. When we have a music event, the music will be seriously loud. We’ll let you know in advance.â€
If all this hasn’t whet your appetite then here’s something that’ll bowl you over “Having said that, we are intense coffee freaks and will be our own harshest critics; so the espresso better be consistently brilliant.â€
It’s called “The Second Floor†and what’s more, it’s opening up this month. I am really looking forward to it and hope that they can deliver on all that they’ve promised and if they do, then it will be awesome.
It’s located near the intersection of Khayaban-e-Jami and Khayaban-e-Ittehad. You can visit their website for more info @ http://www.t2f.biz and also check out their blog for more updates @ http://www.t2f.biz/blog/
Karachi’s best kept secrets – Part 6
Karachi’s best kept secrets – Part 4
Karachi’s best kept secrets – Part 3
Karachi’s best kept secrets – Part 2
Karachi’s best kept secrets – Part 1
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ok maybe i will visit pakistan this time around…
how are they planning to resource this thing but? free wifi?
Wow! I would love to go to this place! Coffee house with a bookstore! Dream come true! My idea of an awesome day is one spent at a bookstore!:) Sounds lovely. So will they send airline tickets over as well?
Well, i am sure the ppl at second floor will be glad to know that their fanbase is growning to include ppl from out of Pakistan already
Maryam: I think they’ve got maxcom the sponsor the free wifi. Maxcom is one of the dsl provider here.
SK: It does sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? I hope they succeed in it, but have my doubts as these ppl have no experience of running a cafe. As for the airline tickets, you can email them and i am sure they’ll tell you to buy your own tickets but they’ll give u free coffee on your first visit
Yippee! Pakistan Zindabad!
Oh and I have serious doubts on them pulling this off as well. :p
well hopefully there’s enuff buzz around by way of blogs and stuff that a lot of ppl come when they open their doors and after that the ball will be in their court, if they set the right prices and give quality and even half of what they have promised, then it will be a success inshaAllah.
This sounds fabulous. Nothing that good where I live!
Yup. Have heard about it, and it seems that it will be as good as advertised.
HB: You live in UK, right?
Jalal: Oh you do, do you? And what makes u think that they’ll be able to pull of this seemingly impossible task?
What do you mean impossible. It is a coffee shop as well as a book shop.
You have seen Book Store / Milk Stores and Iranian Fast Food restaurants that only serve Chinese food in Karachi. Why not this?
‘You have seen Book Store / Milk Stores and Iranian Fast Food restaurants that only serve Chinese food in Karachi.’ LOL!
Now I’ve heard everything I need to know about today’s Pak. 
too good to be true waisey…but nevertheless, im geared up to drop in and inspect if all that they claim have been met up.
lhr needs a karaoke bar (a la purple haze)…I need a karaoke bar!
ps….speaking of karaoke bar, they seem to have covered everything but karaoke…..cant we have something that is a desi version of bars like in the west?? always reading about picking up potential suitors at bars…they even have guidelines on body language and pick up lines, of the decent kind of course.
sighhh….where have all the gud men gone and died :/
“where have all the gud men gone and died”
I dont think there is any Karaoke bar here. And thank God for that! I have a horrible voice.
I felt like a voyeur reading these comments. Heh!
Zag, thanks for the wonderful post about T2F and I look forward to welcoming you soon.
Indeed, we have no experience running a café or a bookshop. But we’ll learn, just as we learnt how to program, and write, and design … This idea was worth a shot, if it works, great, if it doesn’t, at least we’ll know we tried. We all need to believe in something and then hang on for dear life. And so it goes …
Cheers!
yawn.
@ jalal…..well…its nothing close to those japanese karaoke bars…but purple haze friday karaoke night is good for paki standard! who sez u have to have a gud voice to do karaoke? thats the whole idea!
do try purple haze…it’s kinda fun once u get past the jitters of having ppl hear u croak – best part is when they croak along with u 
ok – either uve taken a blogging break to scout for more of karachi’s best kept secrets to blog about – or u went to abu dhabi for the cricket thingi…or….umm….ok – whatever ur upto, just get back soon!
btw..rmr that comment u once made about me blogging like mad whenever u take a blogging break? well….u have a lot of catching up to do zaggi!
nah Psyched…he just got scared. Muahahaha.
Karachi’s best kept secret no. 6… ZAG!
“Aaj ki taaza taaza khabrein. Ek 30 saala bacha ghayab ho chuka hai. Agar kahin mile… to bilkul ittala karne ki zaroorat nahin he. Log kuch din aur sukun se rehlein!!” (And U can imagine one of those PTV or GEO people trying to say this in an English accent…those wannabes!)
????
sk…first xill..now zagii…yaar! i thot i was the one scaring the guys off!
khair…zag…u just cannot miss this one http://gr8chingari.wordpress.com/2007/05/25/what-will-they-think-of-next/
i wont be surprised u already came across it – since it also came on the daily time’s front page!! khair…even if u did come across it – we all want to know ur comments on it !
so get back to blogging already! sk and i arent that scary u know!
hmm didnt go totheir site but im assuming this is a desi venture? which is something i am very happy to hear BUT for crying out lous they didnt have to rip of “the second cup”’s name so darned obviously. Im not a coffee fan anyway
Great stuff tho, i hope they can maintain the starbucks atmosphere they are aiming for… i sooo hope! 
Psyched: No, as usual it was me.
I’m NOT that scary?! 
hmmm…muahaha.
@Luci: Just wanted to let you know that the name came about as a result of being located on the second floor of a building and is not even remotely inspired by The Second Cup. You can however, accuse us of being literal
Sounds fantastic – I’m tempted to visit from San Francisco!
ok so im trying to find that post where some newspapers used your pics without giving you any credit, i was telling a friend about it and she was SHOCKED.. link meee..
Zag! what is this, gone are your blogging post
or days?
Meri to shaadi agar huey ho to shaid hi blogging karoon, mera to shaadi say pehlay hi yeh haal hai!
enuff said ! blog again , i can’t wait to comment.
zag, are you trying to become another of the best kept secrets of karachi??
kahan ghaib ho?
o.m.g!! dont tell me the plug’s been pulled off from here!!!!!!!!!!!
seriously zaggi….even hani’s shaadi is coming up…and my nextissue is about to hit the stands too…….in other words, uve been taking way too long a blogging break!!! come back!!
well zag ain’t completely absent from his blog
the answer is that he is adding functionality on this blog as the spam protection wasn’t there before the last time I came on this blog.
(i am not getting married though,psyched)
hey zag, where are you?
I dont think there is any Karaoke bar here. And thank God for that! I have a horrible voice.
i wont be surprised u already came across it – since it also came on the daily time’s front page!! khair…even if u did come across it – we all want to know ur comments on it ! so get back to blogging already! sk and i arent that scary u know!
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