The Arab World Restaurant Ruwi: A Memoir

An old pic of the Arab World Restaurant in Ruwi from the outside

As early as I can remember, the Arab World Restaurant in Ruwi High Street, situated diagonally opposite the Ruwi Police Station in Muscat, Oman, had always been home to us. Run by my Uncle, Nasser-ka (Dad’s sister’s husband), the restaurant used to be an essential stopover every time we went shopping in Ruwi, the closest high street from our homes in Muttrah and Wadi Kabir. My Dad used to love sitting there for hours, chatting with Nasser-ka and the other employees of the restaurant, who were mostly from his hometown of Mahe or nearby towns of Thalassery and Kannur back in Kerala, India.

It was the place in Muscat, where the natives of the above-mentioned places would frequent to discuss home, politics and even the latest offers at Al Fair (the go-to supermarket chain before LuLu, KM or Carrefour became a thing).  As the restaurant was located right in the middle of town, it was easy to identify, and many would drop-off parcels from India for people who stayed far-off to come and collect when they came down to the capital.

The Arab World Restaurant is a franchise that was begun by Mohammed Said Khalfan, an Omani entrepreneur with Yemeni roots along with his brother. The one at Ruwi, which was the first branch, started in 1978 on the ground floor. Khalfan later decided to go solo and decided to extend the restaurant to the first floor. My Dad, who was back then in charge of one of the only department stores in Muscat, called the Billah department store, went with Khalfan to check out the location of what would eventually become the first Arab World Restaurant. The place used to be an office space, but through some meticulous planning and the watchful eye of Khalfan, as reminisced by my Dad, he turned it around into the sprawling restaurant it came to be known for.

Initially, the restaurant was run by a Lebanese manager, with Egyptian, Indian, Syrian and Yemeni workers. In 1980, Nasser-ka took over the reins. Over the years, the Arab employees left, and the restaurant had natives of Mahe, Thalassery and Kannur from Kerala in India running it. Then, at the beginning of 2010s, Bangladeshis joined the workforce. If the restaurant walls could speak, it would talk about Ruwi High Street's evolution, its businesses, and the people that made it what it is today.

The restaurant's most interesting aspect was its menu, which remained unchanged for more than 40 years, except for the additional introduction of mandi ten years back. The limited menu offered breakfast, lunch and dinner. Mornings were limited to foul medames, salad, meat and chicken hummus. Lunch and dinner used to be the busiest. While mutton, chicken and fish biriyani were served in the afternoon, at night, you could get a full platter of chicken tikka, areas (meat-stuffed pitas), mutton tikka, lamb chops, kebabs and more served with khubz (Arabic bread), hummus and a starter combo of salad, soup and macaroni. 

The meal would be topped off with a small glass of mint tea, which was in itself, something that was unique to the restaurant. So much so, that some British customers took home the recipe for it. After not being able to replicate it, they came back to see for themselves how it was prepared. A dinner meal cost just RO 1.200 in the 1980s, which increased to RO 1.500 only in the 2000s. A small increment of 300 Baiza over four decades is something unheard of in today’s capitalistic economy.

The restaurant was also known for catering to weddings and funerals, which involved cooking with 1-10 whole goats. They were so popular that people would come from far and near to place their orders at this very restaurant. Their selling point always remained the amazing Arabic food influenced by Yemeni, Omani and Egyptian cuisine. The place was choc-a-block on any given day of the week, be it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

I remember frequenting the restaurant when I was a kid, with my Dad, Mom and Brothers. My Brothers and I would be served soup and macaroni, and the occasional tikka, almost every time we were there. I would make my way through the kitchens interacting with all the lovely gentlemen, who addressed me as Nizar-ka’s (my Dad) son. While on one end, Nasser-ka would cut the vegetables, another person would plate the salad or hummus. At the same time, another person operated the barbeque station – the excitement palpable every minute I was there. We would talk about everything - from how the meat was marinated to what was happening in school and the mutual leg-pulling. Many fondly still remember the conversations we had when I run into them.

The restaurant used to deliver food to those in jail at the Ruwi Police Station, for close to 10 years, between 1980 and 1990. They also served the Walis (Governors) offices of the various Wilayats (governorates) in Muscat. Thousands have eaten from here and would vouch for the food hands down. Some loyal customers used to come in for their favourite meal every single day. They were known to everyone at the restaurant - from the waiters to the cashier and even the kitchen staff. Therefore, even before the customer sat down, one would know what he would order, how he liked his meat cooked and what discount needed to be given. After the Ruwi branch's success, the Fanja branch was started three years later, and there was no looking back after that. Branches popped up in Ghubra, Amerat, Bousher, Barka, Sawadi Barka, Al Khoud, Al Khoud Seeb, Bidbid, Fanja, Izki, Seeb (now closed), Ibra (now closed), Nizwa Ferk, Ibri and Salalah.

Unfortunately, after more than four decades in service, the beauty that is the first branch of the Arab World Restaurant in Ruwi has shut down. 2020 has not been kind, and it has claimed yet another victim. Through all the inflation, rent hikes and changing eating habits, Arab World Restaurant remained true to its roots – serving good Arabic food accessible to everyone. Almost every other store from around the area shut shop or moved elsewhere, but the Ruwi branch of the restaurant survived through it all, like a set frozen in time. The pandemic ultimately became its undoing. The restaurant’s cultural and food impact on locals and residents alike can never be forgotten, and I am sure its legacy will survive through the other branches. The Ruwi Arab World Restaurant will always remain an institution. An institution of good food, warm people, and unforgettable memories.