Mezbaan, 1 Sandown Road, Belfast. www.mezbaanbelfast.com
Lamb ribs at Mezbaan
Today at 13:00
If ever you want to see how closely aligned food is to social cohesion then look no further than Mezbaan, the Pakistani restaurant in Ballyhackamore. Housed on the ground floor of the Ballyhackamore Working Men’s Institute and Club, Mezbaan, a spotlessly shiny diner with a menu by stalwart chef Zahid Salim, is much loved by locals. Because this is no ordinary curry house.
One night last week three of us enjoyed a dinner with unexpected insights. We had just been served our starters when the restaurant began filling up. The end of the day’s Ramadan was upon us and an Imam discreetly took up position behind a screen in a corner of the dining room to chant the dua, a prayer signalling to the faithful that it was time for iftar, the fast-breaking evening meal, time to eat and drink again after a long day’s abstinence. I was thrilled to witness this and a bit shame faced for having jumped the gun.