Dubai: Labourers working evening shifts in New Dubai are being treated to a multi-cuisine iftar this Ramadan, thanks to an initiative by a string of homegrown restaurants.
From Pakistani and Lebanese to Mexican and Colombian, there’s a different cuisine for a different day throughout the holy month.
Tahir Shah, owner of the Pakistani pop-up restaurant MotiRoti who started the campaign titled ‘Filling the Blues’, said: “The objective is to have a homegrown restaurant provide iftar to around 100 workers doing the evening shifts. The response has been amazing. No sooner had we spread the word about the idea than a host of restaurants came forward to book a night on the calendar. We were almost covered even before Ramadan started.”
Shah said campaign goes back to 2007 when he and a friend were drawn to the sight of workers toiling on a construction site in the Greens. “We contacted a close-by restaurant to see if they would be interested to provide iftar for all the workers with donations from friends. Today, I have my own restaurant MotiRoti and the idea has evolved into a collective effort between different local businesses at a site in the Tecom area.”
He said: “Filling The Blues shows how people and local businesses who might normally be in competition with each other can come together during Ramadan. We now have a chance to give back to the workers who have built our restaurants, homes, offices etc.”
A new day, a new dish
With restaurants from different cuisines joining in, the labourers have never had it better. It’s a different taste each day. MotiRoti which served iftar on June 20, for instance, served rotis (bread) with chicken or mixed vegetable curry. There were chickpeas and salad on the side. In addition, Barakat provided fruit juices.
Mexican restaurant Taqado, which did the honours the next day, served its traditional poblono soup with burritos. Its manager Isaac Mendonca said: “This is a very exciting initiative. We are so thankful for the opportunity we get to give back to society.”
Sophia Sleiman, founder of the Lebanese restaurant Mantoushe, which will be serving its signature wraps on July 1, said: “This is our first year of participation. We jumped at the wonderful idea because we wanted to do something for Ramadan and for the people who work so hard for us.”
Ahmad Hassan, owner of the American diner Wingsters, said: “We are booked for July 4 and will be serving our speciality chicken wings. This is our second year of participation and the initiative is phenomenal.”
Among the other restaurants that have made iftar bookings are El Rincon Colombiano, BookMunch Café, Appetite and Falafel Farm.
