Gourmet Afghan street and soul food restaurant Kishmish is set to open its doors to Dubai’s Dar Al Wasl Mall in February. 

Fatima Rabbani, Iman Nazemi and Homaira

The restaurant is the brainchild of family friends Fatima Rabbani, Iman Nazemi and Homaira Nasser Zia who aim for Kishmish to “be the first gourmet restaurant to bring authentic Afghan street and soul food to Dubai”.

A spokesperson said: “Iman, Fatima and Homaira have been family friends for generations, whilst they grew up outside of their native land, each of them holds an innate appreciate for their history, rich culture and, of course, their native tongues.

“Having grown up learning of their culture over traditional Afghan meals, the trio find a unique bond between the cuisine and the celebration of their native cultures. Kishmish is the actualisation of their dream, to brings the sights, sound and flavours of the bustling Kabul streets to the world, an education through gastronomical experiences.”

The spokesperson added that Iman, Fatima and Homaira sat one evening as they often did came to the conclusion that there aren’t any Afghan restaurants in Dubai, at least not like the Afghan food they knew.

There was nowhere they could take their friends to show off their cuisine and realised there was a niche in the market for a good trendy Afghan restaurant.

“After weeks of discussing and talking about the concept, Kishmish was born. It was almost as if it was written for them to start their journey together as they had generations before and make one of their biggest dreams come to life,” said the spokesperson.