Dressed in a spiffy jacket, owner Atiq Kapadia is leading multiple conversations on different tables when we visit his new restaurant in Bandra, Arbab. Muffled music streams into the open restaurant from their indoor kitchen, as does a whiff of juicy grilled meat. All the tables are packed, one corner is by occupied Kapadia’s guests, dressed in beautiful Pakistani suits, who are in for a wholesome dinner of mezze platters, grills, shawarmas and hummus, over a game of housie. If you exclude a cricket match screening, Arbab can pass off as a cool street side café in Beirut.
Food boss
What does Arbab mean, we ask Kapadia, “It’s a way of showing respect to a senior person, be it your boss, a good businessman or someone older too, kind of like how Mumbai uses the word ‘boss’,” he explains. Having worked in Dubai all his life, Kapadia (who has interests in shipping, logistics and real estate amongst other businesses) loved the Levantine offerings the city had to offer, especially Lebanese food, and he wanted to bring the flavours of the country to Mumbai. Aware of the bureaucracy and paperwork, Kapadia knew the city was no place for a newbie to handle alone. So he joined hands with his cousins Fahad and Faiz Kadawalla, who run the old-time Bandra restaurant Tavaa.
But Kapadia was firm on one thing, he wouldn’t localise the cuisine or use substitute ingredients. “There are already many Lebanese and Arabic restaurants in the city. But we wanted to offer authentic flavours, which is why we import our ingredients from different regions, be it baharat [a common seven-spice mix] or za’atar. I wanted the food to taste exactly like it would in Dubai or Beirut,” he tells us. This is also why he got chef Raed Askar, who has worked at restaurants in Dubai and Lebanon, to design the menu, and Lebanese chef Shadi Shami as the executive head chef to keep the kitchen running smoothly.
Starters and more
The menu is impressive, with options for all kinds of palates. If it’s just a quick meeting with your friends, call for Selection of Hummus (₹ 325) which includes four different flavours of hummus – pesto, avocado, chilli, and Beiruty (which has a smooth, tart flavour thanks to pickles which are blended in). Scoop it up with their beautiful light, fluffy breads, something we keep going back to throughout our meal.
Also on the menu are soups, and salads such as Fattouch (₹ 275), which includes fresh veggies mixed together with lemon juice, olive oil and crisps; Tabouleh (₹ 250); or Shamandar Chef Signature (₹ 310), made with beetroot, walnuts, coriander and lemon juice. Other cold mezze options include Moutabbal (₹ 250) and Baba Ganouj (₹ 230). Potato lovers get hand-cut fries (₹ 115), Batat Helweh (₹ 140, sweet potato fries) or Arbab Special Batata Harra (₹ 250), a spicy potato cube appetiser, with a strong hint of lemon.
For a fuller appetiser, try their Falafel platter (₹ 320), Chicken Wings (₹ 340), or Robian (₹ 690, crispy-fried shrimp). Kapadia insists that we try their Mutton Shawarma Platter (₹ 310, they also have chicken), which bowls us over. What makes the dish a winner, is thin, grilled pita that the mutton is wrapped in has no sauces, and that the meat is the star of the dish, with no overpowering flavours. “Each cut of meat is carefully selected,” Kapadia tells us. We recommend that you try this with Arbab’s toum, a garlic sauce that is hard to come by in this city, at least an authentic one.
The grilled section is another highlight on the menu. If you enjoy sharing your meal over interesting conversations, order Mashawi Mushakkal (₹ 850) where lamb kebabs, shish tawouk, lamb tikka and lamb chops are served with grilled vegetables. Or for something lighter, we recommend Toshka (₹ 415), flatbread stuffed with tender kebab meat and cheese. Wash it all down with a mint lemonade (₹ 190) which is perfect for Mumbai’s summers, or save room for dessert – which is a delicate baklava or the Umm Ali, an Egyptian bread pudding.
Arbab, 149, 28th Road, Bandra, from 6.30 p.m. to 12.30 a.m; 26410000
