Showing who's boss

We revisit a Levantine Bandra favourite, and find that they still have delicious kebabs and hummus

Food: Good
Ambience: Buzzing
Service: Prompt
Cost: Competitive
Verdict: 1/4

Mashawi mushakkal

Hummus and pita is hands down our favourite healthy snack to munch on, regardless of the time of the day; even if we are at a bar, a mug of stout in hand. And when we tried the hummus platter on our first visit to Arbab last year, it made us come back to the now-popular Bandra Levantine restaurant on multiple occasions. We are happy to spot their Lebanese chef, Shadi Shami around the open kitchen when we pay a visit again.

Arayes

It’s packed on a Wednesday night, and we love the vibe, that of a buzzing, conversation-filled street café (which can occasionally get loud for the neighbours). With a good 30-minute wait for a table, we decide to take the Arabian night home and parcel our favourite selection of hummus ('500). To get a taste of all their grills, we order mashawi mushakkal ('850) and a chicken shawarma platter ('275). And if you are a vegetarian, we recommend their zaatar manakish ('350), a deliciously soft flatbread made headier with the earthy fragrance of zaatar. Another bread preparation you should try is arayes ('380), where two thin roti-like pieces of bread are stuffed with minced meat. For the number of customers occupying tables, our food is ready pretty soon.

Chicken shawarma

Once home, we go straight for the hummus platter. The quantity is still good and won’t make you feel the pinch of spending '500 on hummus. All the four varieties taste exactly the same as before — the pesto hummus is exceptionally fresh, and hummus Beiruty and chilli are our favourites. The chicken shawarmas are decent (the fries are unpalatable though), something you will also find at other restaurants and street stalls. We love the addition of the traditional garlic toum sauce. Pretty stuffed by now, we attempt to finish the grill platter — this includes boneless chicken and lamb tikkas, kebabs and chops. It comes with a portion of rice to make it a traditional meaty meal. None of the kebabs have the overly marinated, desi creamy quality, and all rely purely on a subtle mix of a variety of spices ranging from cumin to parsley. The meat is cooked perfectly (we remind them to not make them rare while we place our order). The gentle hand of spices means that the real flavour of the meat gently merges with the spices, thus not overpowering our taste buds.

Zaatar manakish

Arbab is a term used to address a respectable senior, almost like how Mumbaikars use boss, the owner had told us on our first visit. And as we are wiping off the last few spoons of hummus with our soft pita, we feel that this is one restaurant that’s stood true to its name, so far.

Time 11 am to 4 am
At Shop no 4, Muzzafar Manor, 28th Road, Bandra West.
Call 26410000

The Guide first reviewed Arbab in June 2019. We conduct select, anonymous follow-ups to assess maintenance of standards

4/4 EXCEPTIONAL, 3/4 EXCELLENT, 2/4 VERY GOOD, 1/4 GOOD, 0.5/4 AVERAGE. Arbab didn’t know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals

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