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In this new seven-part series, we’ll explore all the major milestones that made the city the food wonderland it is today
Photo: “I grew up in Dubai” Facebook group
In the 1970s, the UAE was a newly formed country, and many immigrants came here to try their luck and make it bigger. Away from home and loved ones, expats seek to find a place where they can forget their worries and feel at home. This is when local restaurants double as community centers.
Some of the city’s earliest restaurants, such as Aisha Restaurant – popularly known as the Kader Hotel – were places where expats from all over Dubai met, socialized and made important life decisions.
The restaurant’s legacy is so strong that almost 40 years after its owner Kader closed the shop and left the country, the Sabkha bus station area is still known as the Kader Hotel District.
“The building was built after the demolition of the old Kader Hotel,” said Shareef, who runs Metro Deluxe, an electronics store in the area. “I came here about 18 years ago, so I’ve never seen the restaurant or Kader, but I know the area is still known by his name.” This is what the area looks like now
Photo by Shihab
This part of our seven-part series explores the role the Kader Hotel and two other restaurants play in expat life.
Aisha Restaurant Alias Caddell Hotel
“When I first came to Dubai, my friend suggested that I go to the Khadr Hotel,” said Abdullah, who has lived in Dubai since 1977. “You’ll find people from your hometown there, and they’ll take care of you.”
Kader Hotel is the generic name for the Aisha restaurant serving Pakistani cuisine, located in today’s Sabkha bus station area. It is run by a Keral man named Kader who came to Dubai from Lahore. To everyone, he is Kaderkka (Ikka is a Malayalam word meaning big brother). “I was driving to my office once and was stopped by two Pakistanis,” said Mohammed Ilyas, another longtime UAE resident who arrived in the country in 1976. I know they are looking their way there. Anyone who arrives at the Kadel Hotel will be given free food and shelter until they find a job. It is essentially a sanctuary for all who come to the city. “
Hashim Vazail, who arrived in the country in 1972, said: “There is a system where people meet at the Kader Hotel and raise money to start a business. Also, because banks are not available, people donate all their money to start a business .” Savings are kept with Kaderkka. “
“Just next to the Kader Hotel is this electronics store owned by Kaderkka. Instead of sending letters, foreigners record their messages on tapes. People buy transistors from Kader’s electronics store and decorate them Pretty, and send it home. If none of their friends travel to their home country, they’ll find someone at the Kadel Hotel who will.”
Luxury Hotel, Naif
Another restaurant that has become a meeting point for expats is the luxury hotel in Naif. The area is now a far cry from the small, humble hangout it used to be.
The restaurant is famous for serving Kerala cuisine. “Luxury is very popular among unemployed expats,” said Salim Mohamed, son-in-law of one of the restaurant’s owners. “It is jointly owned by two people named CH Aboo and MK Ahamed. They provide free food to those in need and help them as much as possible.”
In last week’s segment, Saheeda Yusuf shares with us how the staff at the Deluxe Hotel ensured she was well fed and nourished while battling morning sickness in 1971.
“An important aspect of these restaurants is how they have large TVs for people to watch,” Hashim Vazail said. “Each restaurant has a different plan, depending on their customer base. In the deluxe version, the gusthi is usually shown on TV. You’ll hear some customers shouting ‘sit down and turn around like this’. Past The atmosphere was very exciting. Sometimes, one of our roommates would go to Deluxe to buy roti. If gusthi was on TV at the time, we would only get our roti after the game. He used to be obsessed with it.”
Al Hamra Restaurant, Fahidi
According to Salim, Al Hamra Restaurant serves a variety of dishes, from Kerala cuisine to North Indian chicken curry and Arabic dishes such as kebabs and grilled chicken. “I was fortunate enough to taste food from all three restaurants,” he said. “Each one is delicious and unique in its own way. The owner of this restaurant is a Malay named Moidu. Everyone is used to calling him Al Hamra Moidu.”
This is what the area looks like now.
Hashim also agrees that the food at this restaurant is delicious. “Whenever we want to eat food that is not easy to cook like boti, we go to Al Hamra,” he said. “There is a guy called Abu Bakr Motai at the cashier. Every time we pay for food, he Will put his hand in the cash box and give us change without looking. In all the years I’ve been there he has never made a mistake in giving change. It’s some kind of magical skill he has. In those days Here, a paratha is 4 ana. Sometimes they tear open the umbrella and sell it for half for 2 ana.”
“My father had a passion for running the store,” recalls Abdul Ahad, son of Abubakr Motai from Bhatkal. “Mr. Mordor entrusted this restaurant to my father. I never saw it because I arrived in Dubai in 1996 when my father had been out of the city for a long time. My father’s friend told me , sometimes people try to steal a few coins from the cash drawer. If someone reminded my father, he would say “it’s alright, maybe he needs it urgently”. My father is one of those people. Whenever someone arrives in Dubai, they are in Al Hamra Get free food until you get a job. At that time, everyone is watching each other.”
In a newly formed country, these restaurants became pillars of comfort, unity and relief for hundreds of expats. Although many closed before Dubai became the metropolis it is today, the legacy of these restaurants lives on in the memory and lives of the city’s elderly.
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