When the late Jerome D'Souza left Dubai in 1986 to head home to Mumbai, he never expected to return to the Middle East but his venture made a comeback to the same place where he met 'Uncle', in whose memory he started Uncle's Kitchen restaurant in Orlem, Malad in Mumbai in the late 80s.
The late Jerome's sons have brought back the popular brand to Dubai, launching a 60-seat restaurant in Karama. The brothers had a junction in Malad named after their father, a well-known philanthropist.
“The new Dubai restaurant was set up based on the feedback we've received that people are craving some Mumbai-style Chinese food here, especially our chicken lollipops,” said Sunny. Ronnie shares that the brothers started the journey along with their uncle Peter - Jerome's brother.“Our father was thriving in UAE before he had to return home due to the unfortunate demise of his good friend who was fondly called Uncle - Gregory D'Souza. My father began Uncle's Kitchen in Mumbai in memory of his dear friend and with his heavenly blessings and our hard work, success had to follow. My elder brother Sunny was 15 and I was 11 and from day one, we have been a part of our restaurant journey,” said Ronnie.
Ronnie D'Souza
The brothers have returned to Dubai to spread good food and cheer with the aim to popularise Indo-Chinese food.“We want to bring Indian expats a taste of their favourite home-style Indo-Chinese food, which many of our patrons have grown up eating for nearly four decades and have been longing for all these years, right to their doorstep,” said Sunny.
The duo desires that the other expats should experience Uncle's Kitchen's special taste and flavour, which is their strength and secret to success.“Our spices, sauces, and flavours are unique and the recipes given by our dad, which are now specifically prepared in-house by my son Mervyn, who is a chef and Ronnie's daughter Mahek,” said Sunny.
The brothers reveal that the experience of setting up a restaurant in Mumbai and Dubai has been totally different.“In Mumbai, we are a vast population so even though there are systems in place, the entire process can get a bit lengthy. However, in Dubai things are much more streamlined with single window clearances for different aspects which makes business dealing much more smooth,” said Sunny.
Challenges to source ingredients
The brothers admit that getting the ingredients is posing a bit of challenge.“We have not yet started one of our hot-selling chicken chilly as we prepare it without the batter. The birds here are huge, which makes it hard and chewy, we need midsize and fresh chicken. Also, we have been using groundnut oil for the past 40 years, which again is a challenge. At the moment, we are importing our base sauces from Mumbai to maintain quality. Uncle's Kitchen is an emotion to bring in same taste and flavours to Dubai,” said Ronnie.
Since the establishment of Uncle's Kitchen in 1987, the guiding principle, instilled by their father, has been to provide high-quality food with dedication, attention and a personal approach, ensuring the presence of a family member on-site.
“We have consistently held the belief that serving food is a profound blessing, a practice we have maintained in Mumbai for the past 38 years. We place considerable emphasis on organic growth through positive referrals, prioritising steady development over rapid expansion. We always knew that we had loyal patrons who have been waiting for us to start our Indo-Chinese cuisine in different countries,” said Sunny.
“Ever since we started in Karama, the response has been so overwhelming, it has left us speechless as most of our guests who walk in have a story to tell us about their experience in Mumbai and how they are so happy to have us here. In fact, people have been thanking us for giving them this cuisine,” added Sunny.
The brothers have been approached by many of their patrons to open the same brand in Melbourne, London, New Jersey, Canada, and Qatar. However, they are not in a hurry and are clear about taking one step at a time.“My father instilled in us the importance of contributing to society in any way possible. We intend to continue his philanthropic legacy once we fully acclimatise to the UAE's ecosystems through our valued clientele.”
The best gift, according to the brothers, given to their dad was when the authorities in Mumbai named a crossroad in his name 'Uncle Jerome Dsouza Chowk'. Generations will come and go, but the legacy will remain forever. The brothers smile back on their journey as their hearts beam with pride.
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