Arabian flavors for Dabawenyos to enjoy

Photo by Reuel John Lumawag
Photo by Reuel John Lumawag

SITTING at a corner of a busy intersection is a new Arabian-inspired restaurant in Davao City.

Cotabato City-based restaurant Samira's Arabian Cuisine has established its first restaurant in the city offering Dabawenyos unique Arabian flavors. This is its fourth branch with two being in Cotabato City and another in Midsayap, North Cotabato.

Bai Samira Benito, co-owner of Samira's Arabian Cuisine, said the restaurant was born out of her and her husband's love for food. She shared how the two of them love exploring new flavors and cuisines.

She was able to fully appreciate the Arabian cuisine after her sister, Fatima Benito, cooked her biryani.

Fatima, who is also the owner of Samira's Arabian Cuisine, worked in Saudi Arabia for around eight years. It was there where she learned to cook biryani and other Middle Eastern dishes

"Mahilig kami sa Arabian food. Kami yung tipo na hindi nawawalan ng bisita. Every time ba may bisita, nagpapaluto kami kay Fatima ng biryani (We love Arabian food and whenever we have guests at home, we ask Fatima to cook us biryani)," Samira said.

It was in these regular cooking that they were able to develop the biryani that they will soon serve at their restaurant.

"Gumawa kami ng recipe namin, instead na gagawa kami ng Saudi biryani, gumawa kami ng taste papatok sa panlasa ng Pinoy at Arabs (We developed our own recipe, instead of simply making biryani like the ones in Saudi Arabia, we made one that could suit the taste of the Arabs and Filipinos)," Samira said.

She said the biryani in the Middle East tends to be strong in terms of aroma and quite heavy on the spices.

"Pagsinabi mo biryani kasi pag amoy pa lang, busog ka na, (When you say biryani, from its aroma alone, you are already full)" Samira said.

For their biryani, Samira shared that they made it in a way that it is not too strong in terms of aroma and spices but enticing enough for their diners.

The restaurant currently offers chicken, goat, beef, beef kebab, and chicken tika biryani. It also has specialty biryanis like the Hito-yani and the Native Chicken Biryani.

But aside from the biryani, Samira's Arabian Cuisine also has the menu samosas, mahshi, kebab, salads, and some local cuisines. They also offer platters and boodle sets.

In terms of the restaurant's design and feel, Samira said their Davao City branch is inspired by Morocco. Meanwhile, their second floor can be booked for private functions like meetings and special occasions.

Samira Arabian Cuisine is located at the corner of Roxas Avenue and Quezon Boulevard.

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