(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) in Dubai is home to an array of restaurants with different cuisines. Its clusters are brimming with new restaurants to be explored. And located in Cluster J is Little Lahore, a hidden gem, offering a variety of authentic mouth-watering Pakistani dishes.
The restaurant is the brainchild of Saira Ahmed, its Managing Director. Ahmed has a strong passion for cooking and every time she would entertain family and friends at home, they would encourage her to commercialise this interest. Last year, she decided to take on the challenge of establishing the restaurant concept with the support of few friends. Her aim was not only to capture the uniqueness of Pakistani cuisine, but also to offer high quality and ambience.
Ahmed said: "I come from Lahore, a city known for the love of food and hospitality, and wanted to reflect the same in this project. Hence, I was drawn to 'Little Lahore' as an apt name for the restaurant. My aspiration is for this place to be one that not only offers a great casual dining experience, but also serves customers by delivering food at their doorstep when they are looking for convenience, or cater on-site if they wish to take away the hassle of entertaining a large number of guests on special occasions. Little Lahore can also customise options based on the special order menu with extensive options available in addition to Pakistani dishes and desserts."
The restaurant has a fairly extensive menu covering BBQ specialities, curries, and vegetarian options, in addition to starters, light bites and desserts.
Some of the highlights from their menu include the spicy delight kurkuri bhindi, and tasty qeema naans. Their mutton seekh kebabs and mutton ribs are succulent melt-in-your-mouth dishes, while the chicken karahi, nihari and chicken biryani offer the authentic Lahori taste.
"Another speciality I introduced is mirchon ka salan and there is a growing following for this, especially among customers who prefer vegetarian dishes," said Ahmed.
Dessert aficionados will be delighted with decadent options such as matka kulfi, shahi kheer and gajjar ka halwa if looking for traditional treats.
"I also have a clientele that craves non-desi dessert options. The Pecan Pie and Sticky Toffee Date Pudding have gotten rave reviews," she added.
The restaurant experiences high dine-in traffic in the evenings between 7pm to 10pm. During the day, deliveries are popular while weekends are generally busier than weekdays.
Little Lahore also launched a meal plan, a relatively new initiative targeted towards a specific market segment, Ahmed stressed.
"We especially see an uptake among professionals who prefer to enjoy home-cooked meals delivered to their offices for lunch on a daily basis with weekly or monthly subscribed plans. They enjoy the variety offered each day of the working week, and the flexibility to choose between vegetarian and non-vegetarian options."
When asked about future plans, Ahmed highlighted, "Our location in JLT is the flagship restaurant set up last year. Once the Little Lahore brand and operations scale up to a certain targeted level in this location, we will consider local and international expansion."
MORE INFO: G-01B, Goldcrest Views 2, Cluster J, JLT, www.facebook.com/littlelahoreuae, www.little-lahore.com, 04 441 4270/80
Heartfelt message
On the occasion of Pakistan National Day, Ahmed said: "The day has special significance for our restaurant, given the association with Lahore. We are proud to relate to the city where the historic 'Pakistan Resolution' was passed in 1940. Among the pictures framed on the restaurant walls, you will not miss the famous 'Minar-e-Pakistan' sketch. We are blessed for the opportunity to reflect love for our home country through Little Lahore in Dubai and hopefully in other locations soon. We also hope this venture will contribute towards the growth of SME segment in the UAE, similar to other Pakistani-owned businesses operating in this vibrant economy."
Special treat
The restaurant will offer complimentary dessert to dine-in guests on a minimum spend of Dh100 today to celebrate Pakistan Day.
-
MENAFN2303201700490000ID1095339636
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.