The world on your plate

Kulba,which began business last year at NIBM Road,specialises in Afghani cuisine and provides authentic dishes such as Qabili Ozbiki,Dashi and different kebabs. While the Qabili Ozbiki is a rice and beef combination with raisins and onion,the Dashi,is an old Afghani recipe for a beef gravy. Owner Najid Ullah,says,”I’m Afghani and enjoy food from my country but I discovered there weren’t any restaurants offering such food here so I decided to open Kulba.” He points out that the customers at the restaurant are not limited to Afghanis but Kulba is also frequented by Arabs,Iranians and even Indians.

Opened a few months back,Cafe Colombia,as the name suggests,serves Colombian food. Restaurant MD,Abhishek Dubey says,”Initally,we wanted to open a cafe and but as we found out more about the country,we were inspired by their food and people,the greenery there and decided to open a full-fledged restaurant with Colombian dishes.” He adds that the people have a misconception that that Colombian food is spicy. In fact,it is quite fruity,he says,citing the different dishes like Bandeja Paisa,Empanada and the Chorizo Corn Arepa. The Empanada is a crispy cornflour shell stuffed with meat or cheeseand the Bandeja Paisa is an assorted platter of lamb,vegetables,plantain,rice and eggs amongst others . “People are more willing to try out new things now and look for something different so this is a great time to open such restaurants and bring new things to the market,” says Dubey.

Take the case of Cafe Maroo, that caters to both the huge Korean populace as well as the localites in and around the area. Their popular offerings include Bibimbab,Bulgogi and Kimbab,which are different combinations of rice,meat or eggs with vegetables and soup,prepared in the traditional Korean style of cooking.

Another speciality restaurant is Flambos at Bund Garden Road. It offers a fusion of Latin and European cuisines,both of which have had major influences on Brazilian food,according to the owner,Anita Lazar. Amongst the varied dishes it serves, Apricot stuffed Bread and the Portuguese Chicken Curry are the most popular. “We will soon introduce a series of dishes which will be cooked in a Spanish and Portuguese style called Churrasco,which involves grilling meat,” adds Lazar.