• Authentic Pakistani cuisine is now on offer at the Food Studio

Colombo saw the official birth of a new entrant to its food scene on Tuesday (14) with the formal inauguration of Khayaban, an all-new authentic Pakistani restaurant, located at Food Studio at the lower ground floor of the One Galle Face Mall. 

An epicurean symbol of community

The inauguration of Khayaban was presided over by High Commissioner of Pakistan to Sri Lanka Major General R. Umar Farooq Burki. Speaking at the launch, Major General Burki said: “Pakistan and Sri Lanka have always enjoyed a strong relationship. We are currently celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries. Therefore, it is our pleasure to collaborate with the Khayaban restaurant at Food Studio in launching this culinary journey for Sri Lankans. 

“The sharing of food and drink is an intrinsic part of both the Sri Lankan and Pakistani cultures and I’m confident that every guest at Khayaban will appreciate the delicious cuisine on offer and have a memorable experience. We highly appreciate the venture and efforts taken by team Khayaban and Food Studio in bringing and promoting authentic Pakistani cuisine in Sri Lanka.” 

Khayaban serves up over 40 authentic Pakistani dishes created by two Pakistani chefs flown in by the Khayaban team to ensure that the best of Pakistani cuisine is what makes its way to the Food Studio’s customers. 

Some must-try dishes at Khayaban include the Karachi biryani and the pulao rice as well as the multitude of curries and dishes like karahi, nihari, tikka, malai boti, and reshmi kebabs. Featuring a show kitchen, Khayaban customers can watch their tandoor orders being made and see just how authentic Pakistani food comes to life in a restaurant setting. 

A new chapter for a legacy brand

Speaking to The Sunday Morning Brunch, Food Studio Managing Director Naveed Cader shared that the team at Food Studio had been very keen to bring Khayaban back to life at the Food Studio. Khayaban’s legacy dates back to the late 1990s, with a restaurant originally located in Colombo 3 and now reopened as a joint venture with Food Studio. 

Cader also shared that the response to Khayaban had been very encouraging and that while Khayaban had opened its doors quietly in late 2022, they had spent the months since that soft opening focusing on the quality of the food and balancing authentic Pakistani cuisine with the Sri Lanka palate. 

Brunch also spoke to Khayaban Director Naufer Cassim on the occasion of the launch. “It’s a wonderful feeling for us to be here. We first opened in the ’90s in Colpetty and had to shut down because of the war because it just wasn’t viable at the time. We’re very excited to be partnering with the Food Studio and reopening Khayaban,” Cassim shared.

The flavours of Khayaban 

Brunch was treated to a small selection of some of Khayaban’s signature dishes. We tried the chicken pulao rice, the mutton qorma, daal mash, and chicken tikka. 

The balance of flavour in each of these was superbly well-executed and most certainly lives up to its promise of authentic cuisine. The food at Khayaban has a homely feel to it despite it being a commercial restaurant in a food court format.

The chicken pulao rice was a subtle rice dish, which on its own could be underwhelming for those craving spice, but paired with some of the other spicier dishes Khayaban has to offer, it forms the base for a very hearty meal.  

The daal mash featured daal swimming in ghee and was peak comfort food and the mutton qorma was a symphony of flavour and spice executed perfectly to provide some heat but not be overpowering. 

Our runaway favourite was the chicken tikka – the spice mix used for the chicken was very rich and the chicken was wonderfully cooked to make it the perfect meaty treat.