It’s been a couple months since Arabian Knights reopened in Colpetty, equipped with a proper sit-down restaurant complete with Moroccan-inspired interiors and a brand new menu – with their old customer favourites and a host of other new Middle Eastern dishes. Famed for their deliciously mouthwatering chicken shawarmas from their days as a small takeout joint down Marine Drive, Arabian Knights has come a long way.

The restaurant run by Naqqash and his wife Sarvat stress on the importance of keeping their food as authentic as possible so they import lots of ingredients and Arabic herbs and spices from overseas. “Arabic cuisine is quite healthy in comparison, and we take great pride in serving good food to our customers so they will come back again and perhaps try something different on the menu,” explained Naqqash. He went on to explain that their chef is Syrian and specializes in Middle Eastern fare (not just shawarmas!), but harira (a soup), hot and cold starters such as hummous, tabbouleh, baba ghanoush, fattoush, falafel, grilled halloumi, chicken liver in a pomegranate sauce, main dishes such as cous cous and rice, kebabs, mixed grills and dips to go along with saj bread and/or Arabic pita bread.

 Dinner at Arabian Knights was a pleasant affair, and I sampled several favourites. Getting down to business, I started my meal with Arabic pita bread and hummous and baba ghanoush. Hummous consists of boiled and then ground chick peas made into a thick paste and blended with tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and salt while baba ghanoush is cooked eggplant mixed with onions, tomatoes, olive oil and seasonings. Both dishes are excellent when paired with pita bread, the flavours are simple but great. The grilled halloumi, was by far one of my most favourites at the restaurant. The texture is quite plastic-y but the smoky flavour from the cheese is what hits your tongue first, followed by the comforting flavour of cheese. Utterly delicious, and you can easily snack on this for the entire meal, but there’s so much more on the menu that needs to be eaten.

Next was the chicken liver. Personally, I really hate chicken liver from having been forced to eat it as a child, and not being able to defy my mother at the dinner table. The texture and the look of it has been enough to put me off it for years, so I really did surprise myself by trying out even a bit of the chicken liver dish here. Buried in a delicious pomegranate sauce, it really doesn’t even taste like chicken liver. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, this dish comes highly recommended by Naqqash and Sarvat.

The cous cous was a real treat! Served with chicken and vegetables in a mildly thick broth, the dish is large enough for two (if you’ve snacked on starters before). The cous cous is cooked with seasonings and is not spicy at all, and when paired with the chicken curry, makes for a deliciously comforting dinner. Other must try items include the harissa dip (meant to be eaten with the pita or saj bread), smoky rice, kebabs, falafel sandwich, orfali kebab sandwich and the sheesh tawouk sandwich. There’s a wide variety of mocktails (yes, the polo mint is still included!), fresh juices and hot drinks (Moroccan tea, Turkish coffee, mint tea, chai and cappuccino). Desserts include the muhalabiya, creamy fruits and the brownie paired with the fried ice cream (incredibly indulgent).

Arabian Knights is quite active on social media and are on Twitter on the @arabicfoodlk handle and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/arabianknightslk. They are located at 377, Galle Road, Colombo 03, and can be contacted on 0112301031/0112301032.

By Sarah Kellapatha
Photos by Pradeep Dilrukshana