As the sultry evening came to an end, we stepped out of our car to set our eyes on a small glowing board at MVP Colony. Searching for a particular food joint in this locality isn’t that easy since many eateries have sprung up here in the recent past. But we couldn’t go wrong with this one. Located beside Jami’s Function Hall is the Arabian Shawarma House. It’s a small joint attached to a bakery. Walking towards it, I could feel the wafting flavours of the shawarma and falafel.
A Middle-Eastern-style wrap, shawarma is made with roasted meat shaved off the skewer. The meat is accompanied with onions, cabbage, olives (on request), tomato and cucumber on the skewer, where it is rotated for several hours. The meat is then filled in a pita bread (khaboos) or bun, and served with mayonnaise sauce or hummus (a variety of dip).
A joint venture of Imtiaz Quadri and R.V.S Ramesh, the Arabian Shawarma House was opened two weeks ago. “I had come on a visit to meet my friend in Vizag recently. It was then that I realised the city has no authentic shawarma joint which gives the right flavour and offers halaal meat. Fast food options are limited here. After a market survey, we decided to start our first branch in Vizag in MVP Colony,” says Imtiaz.
The young entrepreneur runs four such shawarma joints in Hyderabad, which has a big market for the delicacy. While hardly two weeks old, the shawarma joint in Vizag has already become popular. Here, your hunger pangs are quickly taken care of and the wait is hardly for a few minutes. Akbar, the man who has been with Imtiaz for the last seven years making the shawarmas and falafels, dishes out neatly wrapped shawarmas in a jiffy.
“Shawarmas are a great alternative for a heavy meal. It is like a walk-in snack and yet filling,” says Imtiaz. The mayonnaise sauce served here is homemade and the whole wheat pita bread is baked in a small unit behind the bakery. There is also an option to try out the shawarma in a bun. Soon, other Arabian preparations like Mandi, Khadsa, Muttadaq and Hummas will also be added to the menu.
The falafels, a vegetarian preparation, are a hit on Mondays and Thursdays when many people prefer to eat vegetarian. It is a deep-fried ball made from ground chickpeas, and spices, which is served with pita bread. After an encouraging response to the first branch of shawarma in the city, Imtiaz is now planning to explore options to expand in the city.
Ambience:Outdoors
Price:Rs 40 to Rs 70
(per dish)
Service:Excellent
Landmark:Near Jami’s Function Hall
