Dubai: For 18 years, Dubai resident Pramod Pulikulam lived in a building adjacent to the Eat & Drink restaurant which, he says, was the cornerstone of his neighbourhood in Satwa.
Three months ago, when it was time for his tenancy contract renewal, he decided to move somewhere else. “I had heard that they were going to shut down the restaurant as that building would be demolished,” the Indian expat told Gulf News.
With bulldozers today set to level the building that houses the cherished eatery, as per the building management’s announcement, residents like Pramod are getting nostalgic.
“The place was not just about food. Their staff members have been my friends. I met them every day. Since they were open till late night, it offered a sense of safety for my family when I was away. I knew there were people my family could call in case of an emergency. Sometimes, I would just call up and ask them to deliver food at home and I would pay when I returned,” said Pramod who runs a spare parts business.
Though the outlet was old, he said their food was always fresh and tasty. “They have been really popular. I remember they even won an award from Dubai Municipality once.”
Piece of history
For UAE national Ahmed Al Otbi, the demolition of the eatery will be like saying goodbye to a piece of Satwa’s history.
“In my childhood, it was the only restaurant of its kind in the area,” the 36-year-old recalled.
He said the restaurant evoked memories of his Indian nanny, whom he refers to as his second mother.
“She was the one who first took me there when I was small. It was her favourite place and it became mine also. By the time I was 13, I started going there alone. When I got married, I took my wife there. Now, my kids also love some of their dishes. Our tastes are different, but we all get what we want from there. It has always been my favourite joint.”
He said the friendly staff knew their orders by heart, the signature dishes never changed, and the warm familiarity always welcomed everyone. “When I went there, I felt like it was my place.”
Federico Palomar from the Philippines has been associated with the restaurant for 20 years. A barber working in a nearby salon, Federico said he and his customers used to enjoy the food and the service.
“I know almost all the staff there. The way they treat their customers is very good and their food is also good. We are all going to miss it,” he said.
Story behind the outlet
While patrons cherish their own memories of the restaurant, Ashar Abdulla, managing director of the eatery, shares a deeply personal connection to it.
His late father, VP Abdulla Mahmood, established the Eat & Drink restaurant chain by opening this restaurant in Satwa in 1982.
“My father came to Dubai [from the south Indian state of Kerala] when he was just 18. His first job was as a taxi driver. The restaurant industry in Dubai had not flourished back then. Canteen-type eateries were more popular. My father happened to see this building vacant when he was driving the taxi in this area. It used to be a fish market,” Ashar recalled.
“When he wished to rent it for starting a restaurant, the owner of the building, Ahmed Khalifa, became his sponsor as well. He was the one who suggested the name “Kulu Wa Ashrab” or Eat and Drink. He said, It also has a reference to a verse in the Quran that goes like ‘Eat and drink, but do not waste. Indeed, He does not like the wasteful.’That is why you see the Arabic name of Eat & Drink different from its English name.”
Juice and sandwich culture
He recounted that his father popularised the cafeteria culture of having juice and sandwich which were only served in bigger hotels back then. “I can vouch for the fact that many Emirati kids, who lived in Satwa, grew up eating our food. Though they all moved to different locations, some still come to us. It was also a launch pad for many from my father’s place in Kerala. They would come here, learn the business before they started their own cafeterias or restaurants.”
Ashar said he literally grew up inside the Satwa outlet.
“When I was born in 1988, my family lived in a building next to it while our staff lived just above the restaurant. I was always in the restaurant, witnessing the buzz and playing with the staff. Though we moved later, I kept coming back.”
He said the employees, who used to live in and work in the building, have been shifted to other branches of the group that currently has 44 outlets.
“We hope that we can come back here when they rebuild the building. Or else, we will have to look for some other place in Satwa as we can’t afford to lose our Satwa customers,” he added.
