ISLAMABAD: “People here can’t handle spicy food. When we first started out, I got so much criticism with people saying it’s bad for health and all sorts of things. But then, what is the point of serving bland food?”

This is how Syed Mansoor describes the cuisine on offer at his family’s restaurant, Haleem Ghar. For over 20 years now, they have catered to the taste buds of the capital’s finicky residents.

But thanks to their Karachi-based roots and inventive spirit, Haleem Ghar has not gone the way of other commercially viable restaurants, who tone down the spice just for the sake of better business.

From their modest beginnings on the streets of Karachi, Mansoor’s family has come a long way. “My paternal grandmother is now 85, but she is still the heart and soul of this entire operation,” he says.

Haleem Ghar’s Karachi-style approach to desi food has made it a staple for those who like it hot

Haleem Ghar, as the name suggests, are purveyors of what can safely be described as the capital’s tastiest haleem. However, over the years, the establishment has not only opened up more branches, but also expanded its menu.

Today, their specialties include the most authentic Karachi-style biryani north of the Salt Range; nihari that is slow-cooked to perfection and, of course, chicken and beef haleem that has remained a crowd favourite ever since it was first prepared in 1987.

Even though they originally hail from the old capital, Mansoor’s family have put down roots in the current capital city. From their flagship outlet in Blue Area, the family operates a series of franchises across KP and the Hazara region.

“The response has been overwhelming. From our first shop on Murree Road, near the Kohati Bazaar, we have now grown into an ISO-certified food business,” Mansoor says.

The secret to their success, Mansoor says, is constant innovation. “My grandmother runs what we call the Masala Room. It is there that all our recipes are tried, tested and perfected. Once the perfect balance has been struck, we send pre-prepared masala mixes to all our outlets and franchises to ensure the uniformity of flavour.”

The establishment’s pièce de résistance is the Shola Biryani: fiery by name and fiery by flavour. Recounting the genesis of this dish, Mansoor said that as a child, his family would always serve him a plateful of biryani with a prime piece of chicken when he came home from school. “When it came time to try something new at the restaurant, I came up with the idea of putting a piece of barbequed chicken, that had been roasted in biryani masala, on a plate of masala biryani,” he says with aplomb.

Indeed, the Shola Biryani comes with the warning that those who can’t handle very spicy food should not try it. But even so, Haleem Ghar has had to tone down its original recipes to find favour and flavour with the residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

“Pulao is more popular in these parts. If we were commercially-minded, we could have started selling that and been successful. But these masalas are our identity now.”

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2015

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