The princely state of Hyderabad Deccan could not become a part of Pakistan in 1947 but its Indo-Arabian cuisines have made inroads into the country’s culinary delights. And for that reason the credit goes to the denizens of a locality established opposite the Central Jail.

Welcome to Karachi’s little Hyderabad, where the faithful come for a hearty Iftar and are induced to stay on for dinner. “For many years we have been coming here for Iftar and dinner,” remarked Dr Ali whose family was sitting in his car.

And Dr Ali is not alone. It has become a ritual for many to visit Hyderabad Colony’s unofficial food court, opposite the Central Jail, during Ramazan. You need to be there before Asr prayers to witness people dropping by to grab delicacies of their choice, on their way to different parts of the city from work.

Farooq, a roadside vendor selling bun-kababs on Burnes Road, is not thrilled by the idea that his area would become an officially-recognised food street and believes it could benefit shopkeepers more than the thelaywalas.

“I have been here for the past two decades and never ran short of customers. The food street might help the expensive restaurants and shops to catch new clientèle for their costlier stuffs,” Farooq says.

He is one of many vendors having hot sale of their food varieties they offer on cheap prices on main Burnes Road and the congested streets cutting through this artery that has been a famous spot for gourmets for decades now.