How many times have we heard ourselves think: “Pait To Sirf Pakistani Khanay Say Hee Bharta Hai” (Only Pakistani food shall satiate you)? In the deserts of Dubai, the oasis of Pakistani food lies on Damascus Street, in the community of Al Qusais.

In a recent article published in Gulf News, Damascus Street was named the food street of Dubai because it has the highest density of restaurants for any street in Dubai. Bordering Sharjah and with a large Pakistani and Indian population living and working in the area, a good number of the 84 eateries on Damascus Street are essentially Pakistani (even if to boost clientele they are also selling Indian and oriental dishes as well).

Leading the way is most certainly the Daily Restaurant — of its two branches in the emirate, one is on Damascus Street. This eatery, which is reasonably priced but sells top notch Pakistani barbeque items, nihari and haleem among others, has gained such popularity that the owners were compelled to open a third outlet in Karachi, which is kind of like coming full circle.

Dubai’s Al Qusais area is renowned for Pakistani barbeque, nihari, haleem and even faluda

Operating since 2001, the Daily Restaurant caters to as many European, Arab and Indian customers as it does Pakistani. “You’d be surprised, the Arabs and Europeans like their food spicier than even some of us (desis) can handle!” exclaims the manager.

Billo Ice Cream’s truck art-inspired decor

In order to maintain a distinct Pakistani flavour, this three-people partnership ensures that they only hire cooks from Karachi. It is no wonder that most evenings, one is hard-pressed to find a vacant table but that doesn’t prevent loyal customers, looking for an excellent meal out, from waiting outside, sometimes in the terrible heat and humidity that’s signature Dubai.

Karachi Darbar, operating with 41 outlets, is the largest Pakistani restaurant chain in Dubai, and it doesn’t fail to deliver on variety or quality either. Opened in 2009, its Damascus Street Branch was the 28th and has a capacity of 400 people. “There are a lot of offices in the area, as well as a large Pakistani population residing here and in neighbouring Sharjah,” explains Ms Sobia, Karachi Darbar’s customer relations officer. “We felt there were not enough Pakistani restaurants around at the time. Since we opened shop, our customers have only been growing.”

In keeping with the theme, the items on the menu are very interestingly named after popular truck art inscriptions: Dekh Magar Pyar Say, Naseeb Apna Apna, and Dollar Ki Talash Mein, among others.

Owned by Mohammad Farooq and Ayaz Farooq, a father and son team, Karachi Darbar’s menu comprises over a 100 items from Pakistani, Indian, Mughlai and Chinese cuisine catering to Europeans, Arabs and Fillipinos in addition to South Asian customers. “We have specialised cooks so that each cuisine has an authentic taste,” adds Sobia. “We thus have cooks from Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh.”

In close proximity to Damascus Street is the all essential Pakistani fast-food brand, Emly Chilli, which specialises in the perenially favourite Pakistani street foods: bun kebabs, biryanis, and a variety of paratha rolls. Emly Chilli has certainly breathed a new lease of life to the lovers of these foods who can now get thela-styled bun kebab and authentic daig-wali Karachi biryani. With three branches already operating and more opening shortly, Emly Chilli is a venture of Alif Investments, who also own MeatOne and BNB restaurant.

Pak Sufi Restaurant is a much loved dhaba-style eatery that draws customers from all strata across Dubai. “If it is meal time, no Pakistani taxi driver passing by without a customer fails to stop at Pak Sufi to grub,” says taxi driver Zahid. With one standard menu and a daily specials menu, comprising food from all parts of Pakistan, one always finds something they fancy. Its patrons swear by its taste and quality.

Its neighbour is the relatively recently-opened Pakistani Dhaba Restaurant, which has gained its own clientele but hasn’t been as successful in giving Pak Sufi stiff competition.

Billo Ice-Cream is the new kid on Damascus Street. According to its enterprising young owner, it is the world’s first and only truck art-inspired ice-cream parlour —its unique selling point is as much its interior as its home-made ice-creams, milkshakes and faludas.

In keeping with the theme, the items on the menu are very interestingly named after popular truck art inscriptions: Dekh Magar Pyar Say, Naseeb Apna Apna, and Dollar Ki Talash Mein, among others. With western ice-cream parlours done to death in Dubai, Billo Ice-cream is an excellent addition to Pakistani eateries in Dubai and Damascus Street in particular. Serving 100 per cent vegetarian ice-cream, it is as popular among Indian patrons as Pakistanis, while its faludas are very popular among Iranian and Emirati clients.

When it comes to food, an expat or a tourist can easily forget they are not in Pakistan if they remain on Damascus Street. Close proximity means that one can very easily find Pakistani meat (mutton and beef) and fresh vegetables, and in some cases cooked foods such as mithai, which are airlifted on a daily basis from Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore. Pakistani brand spices and other grocery items are also easily available at most grocery stores. Since most Pakistani eateries primarily use Pakistani produce, the selling price is as Pakistani as it can get.

The writer is former editor of Gallery and very fortunately now lives on Damascus Street, Dubai.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, November 9th, 2014