Be it a rich, sweet and layered pastry like baklava or a platter of hummus and Baba Ghanoush, delicacies from the kitchens of the Anatolian peninsula and its surrounding countries have come to Afraa Restaurant through expat chef Jameela Zakey.
Born in Damascus to a Lebanese father and a Syrian mother, Jameela started her culinary journey under the tutelage of her chef husband Abdul Zakey, at the age of 22. Now, as the head of Zaks, a restaurant serving Middle Eastern cuisine in Bangalore, Jameela is happy to bring to Calcuttans the magic of Lebanese food.
At Afraa Restaurant in City Centre Salt Lake, Jameela has curated a menu of authentic Lebanese, Turkish and Syrian dishes. “I have always loved knowing more about different cultures without losing my Syrian roots. We had a restaurant in Singapore initially and later shifted base to India,” said Jameela to t2. Her style of cooking? “Undisputed original. I try and maintain the original flavours as much as I can,” she added.
What: Lebanese Food Festival
Where: Afraa Restaurant, Block G, 7th floor, City Centre Salt Lake
On till: September 20, 7.30pm to 10.30pm
Pocket pinch: Rs 1,800-plus for two
What: City Centre New Town and t2 present South Indian Food Festival
Where: City Centre New Town
When: September 18 to 20, noon onwards
On your plate: A south Indian feast with delicacies from different parts of the Deccan plateau — Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Ten restaurants and cafes will serve up the fare at the New Town mall as part of its sixth anniversary celebrations. Check out stalls by Tamarind, Rao’s Udipi Home, Mr. Idli Xpress, Rasam (The Stadel), Ira Lifestyle Cafe (Pipal Tree), Dosa@Twist, Hotel Swagath, Ganpati Foods, Chennai Xpress, and Rao’s. A birthday cake will be cut on Saturday evening with a live show by Mir and Bandage. Six shoppers will get an “all expenses paid” holiday, through a lucky draw.
