Afghan independents

13 December 2001 by
Afghan independents

Restaurants often stand out as public symbols within a community, and can attract unwanted attention as a result. Sue Clark and Jessica Gunn visited two Afghan restaurateurs to see how they have fared since 11 September.

Sitting in the simple, calm interior of the Afghan Kitchen, with its pale green walls and light wood panelling, it is hard to imagine the destruction going on in Afghanistan itself.

At the 26-seat restaurant in Islington, business since 11 September continues almost as usual. "We're lucky," says owner Habib Kawyani. "We are in a place where people are sensible and open-minded. We have had little hostility."

Nuisance calls

Kawyani's restaurant, which has been trading for six years, is small, avoiding any attempt at faux-Afghan decor. Staff are dressed in simple whites, and there is no hint of religion. Yet the restaurant has seen some harassment in recent months, such as anonymous callers demanding to know where Osama Bin Laden is hiding, or claiming to be from the crime prevention department.

Such torment is minimal compared with some of the reported attacks on Muslims in the aftermath of 11 September, but the calls have interrupted Kawyani in his cooking, dragging him away from the small galley kitchen where he prepares the menu on his own from scratch each morning.

Conversely, Kawyani has experienced increased support from both his regulars and passers-by. "One day a little old woman whom I'm sure has never eaten in here or even stepped foot in the place before, opened the door to tell me she thought what was going on in my country was terrible."

Before opening the Afghan kitchen, Kawyani worked as a freelance cameraman for many years, covering the war against the Russian occupation in Afghanistan for TV's World in Action during the 1980s. By 1991, however, having watched his country disintegrate, he moved to the UK and began to consider alternative careers. "I used to have friends and work colleagues over for dinner and cook them traditional Afghan meals," he says. "When John Simpson [the BBC world affairs editor] and his girlfriend came around for dinner, he told me I should do it professionally."

The result was the Afghan Kitchen, a restaurant specialising in rustic Afghan food. Finance was raised through a friend, director Charles Nirn, who Kawyani had worked with on the documentary series, The Disappearing Planet. The property is leased and £60,000 was spent on refurbishing it.

Its food is simple, but the influences are far-reaching and that's all down to geography. "Afghanistan has always been a gateway to other countries and those influences show in the cooking," says Kawyani. "There are spices and flavours from all round the world."

There are just eight dishes on the menu at the Afghan Kitchen - four meat and four vegetarian, costing about £5. They are all single-pot dishes, with ingredients bought fresh each day and prepared by Kawyani in the morning. He makes fresh bread every day, which he sells for £2, and there is only one sweet, baghlava, at £1 per serving. There is a choice of two beers, two white wines, two red wines and one Champagne to wash it down.

The restaurant's main trade is in the evening, when the tables are turned two or three times. Lunchtime trade tends to be slower, at about 12-20 covers. "The food is too rich for lunchtime, really," Kawyani explains.

About 30% of his business is take-away, while booking to eat-in, especially at the end of the week in the evenings, is essential.

Despite its authenticity, the restaurant boasts few Afghan customers. "When an Afghan goes out to eat he would want more elaborate cooking," says Kawyani. "There were a couple of restaurants offering this in west London, but it takes much preparation and needs a large team. I couldn't do it on my own or in my small kitchen."

Caravan Serai

Afghanistan is a country long ravaged by war. Yet while the fighting and US bombs take their toll on the country, the fate of some Afghans living in the UK has taken an ironic twist. At Caravan Serai, an Afghan restaurant on Paddington Street in London, business has actually improved since the war broke out.

"When the war started, we were initially apprehensive of some sort of backlash," says owner Abdul Rahim. "But what has happened is that the war has prompted people to come and try our food. Customers come into the restaurant now and tell us that they have come as a way of sympathising with the Afghan people."

The growing success of the 40-seat Caravan Serai since the outbreak of war is timely for Rahim, who took over the ailing Afghan restaurant in March of this year.

"It has taken time to rebuild the business gradually," he says, but the restaurant now serves about five to seven covers for lunch and 20-25 for dinner, with an average spend of £18-£25.

Caravan Serai is Rahim's second restaurant, but his first in the UK - he also owns an Afghan restaurant in Karachi, Pakistan, which he opened 14 years ago. He moved to the UK last year to expand his business and because he believed there would be a rise in tourism after European integration.

His family emigrated to Pakistan 125 years ago, but retained their Afghan culture, speaking Persian and eating their native food. "We have always eaten traditional Afghan food at home," he says. "Kabul was once a lavish cultural centre, so the Afghan fare served here is based on the sumptuous styles favoured in that once opulent city."

Yet despite the traditional food, most customers are not from Afghanistan. "We have very few Afghans eating here," says Rahim. "Some 99% of customers are English."

Afghan restaurants are still far from numerous in London, but this may change.

"The Soviet war in Afghanistan put the country on the political map for a while, but after that people forgot about us again. Now we have another war, so people are coming back to our restaurants," says Rahim.

Afghan Kitchen

35 Islington Green, London N1
Tel: 020 7359 8019
Opened: 1995
Owner and chef: Habib Kawyani
Opening times: 12-3.30pm, 5.30-11pm.
Staff: lunchtime: one; evening: three
Seats: eight downstairs, 18 upstairs
Covers: lunchtimes: 12-20; evenings: 45
Average spend per head: £15
Menu: rustic Afghan

Current menu

Lavand-e-Murgh - chicken in yogurt (£6)
Qurma-e-Gosht - lamb with potatoes (£6)
Suhzi Gosht - lamb with spinach (£6)
Qurma-e-Mahi-Kachalo - fish stew with potatoes (£6)
Qurma Bondajan - aubergine stew (£5)
Borani Kado - pumpkin with yogurt (£5)

Caravan Serai

50 Paddington Street, London W1
Tel: 020 7224 0954
Open: 11am-3pm/6-11pm
Owner: Abdul Rahim
Average spend: £18-£25
Staff: 5
Seats: 40
Covers: lunchtimes: 6; dinner: 25

Sample menu:

Ashak - national dish of pasta filled with leeks and minced lamb sauce, served with yogurt (£4.95)
Boulanee - filo pastry filled with leek or potato, served with cucumber and yogurt salad (£4.75)
Shah Mahi - marinated king prawns served with cherry sauce and capsicum (£11.95)
Chopan Kebab - marinated and barbecued lamb with sauce of coriander, chillies, almond and olive oil (£8.95)
Subzi Gosht Chalaw - traditional lamb with leaf spinach and Kabuli pilaf (£8.95)

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