Born in Afghanistan and settled in Hyderabad, Habib Safi in order to give people the authentic taste of Afghani cuisine started the restaurant ‘Ariana By Safi’. A dry fruit merchant Habib, who hails from Herat, the second largest city in Afghanistan, partnered with compatriot and business partner Abdul Malik Sayed, who shuttles from Dubai to Hyderabad, and city-based entrepreneur Bajrang Shah to start the restaurant.
Habib informs that he and Abdul would frequently visit Hyderabad on their dry fruit business trips and used to search for Afghani cuisine in the city, however, they found that there are no places in the city which serves the authentic Afghani food. Their relentless search for home food sparked the idea of starting an authentic Afghani eatery in the city of Nizams.
“I relocated to Hyderabad about three years back and realised the cultural commonalities between my birthplace and my now adopted home — Hyderabad. It is this feeling that convinced me to start ‘Ariana’ with a strong belief that the people of Hyderabad would surely relish food from Afghanistan.”
“We also got chefs from Afghanistan to bring in the much-needed authenticity in the food and we are preparing the dishes in the same way as cooked in Afghanistan,” he adds.
Spread over 7,600 square feet, Ariana is spacious, and ambience of the place is home-like. “From breakfast to dinner, Ariana has an all-day dining menu, that would be a feast to the palate of meat lovers and vegetarians alike. The place also has a coffee shop behind the main seating area,” Habib shares.
Habib informs that they procure spices and dry fruits from Afghanistan to ensure the quality.
“The Afghan spices and touch of saffron in each of the dishes makes the preparations at our restaurant special and we are sure that the taste will surely last on the palate and in the memories of our patrons for a long time,” Malik says.
From soup to the main course the meticulously curated menu has dishes that will tantalise your taste buds. A few must tries at this authentic Afghani restaurant are Mutton Shorba, Chicken Jeera Tikka, Chicken Juja Wings, Afghani, and Uzbeki bread, Zaffrani Pulao and in desserts Afghani Phirni, Shiriyat ice cream. End your Afghani cuisine with Zafran tea, which is a miraculous amalgamation concoction of health and taste.
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