Max Pahtayken/Daily Herald Sabreena Algherbawi (L) and her friend (middle) cook the meals, and husband Abdullah Algherbawi (R) greets customers at the till, at the new Eastern Plate restaurant in Gateway Mall.
Max Pahtayken
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Daily Herald
The Gateway Mall Food Court in Prince Albert welcomed a new restaurant to their roster on Thursday.
Eastern Plate had their grand opening on their first day of operations on Thursday, serving up delicious Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Cuisine.
“Our first day was tiring, but we love it,” said Sabreen Algherbawi who is one of the cooks at the family owned restaurant in the food court.
“We are happy because the people love our food, and they get to try new food here in PA.”
Sabreen and her husband Abdullah Algherbawi opened the restaurant after one month of hard work handling all the necessary preparations and renovations to the space.
“Now for one month, we did all the preparation and renovation, everything was done by our hand,” Sabreen explained.
“It was a hard job, we did everything, so it’s a very special thing (to be opening).”
Sabreen cooks the authentic dishes with her friend, while Abdullah helps customers at the till.
The friendly couple originate from Palestinian territory, and Sabreen previously catered meals for special events.
“I was cooking before for special events, but this is the first time we’ve done this, we have our own business and it’s good,” Sabreen said.
This is the family’s first restaurant, and first time owning a business, and this is Prince Albert’s first Arab cuisine restaurant.
“This is the first Arabic restaurant in PA, and so many people are excited to try our food,” Sabreen explained.
“It’s a new thing to PA, (and) we feel happy because people like to try Arabic food.”
Sabreen said that their menu ranges from rice and chicken, ground beef and cheese, and new dishes to Prince Albert, manakish, and zaatar, which is a dish that contains a mixture of thyme, dried sumac and other spices.
The restaurant also offers desserts like falafel amongst many others, as well as a variety of different soups.
“It means a lot to me and is a very special thing because we get to show people our food and our culture here in Canada,” Sabreen explained.
“I feel like you have the freedom to share everything, so it’s exciting.”
Sabreen said that the feedback they have received only from their first day has been really positive, and many people have said they enjoyed their meals.
She said that it is also a lot of people’s first time trying Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine, but they are excited to try something new.
Sabreen invites everyone to come try something new, and she hopes that everyone enjoys her family’s food.
max.pahtayken@paherald.sk.ca
Max Pahtayken/Daily Herald
Abdullah Algherbawi stands at his new family owned restaurant that he runs with his wife Sabreena. Eastern Plate celebrated their first day in Gateway Mall on Thursday Nov. 5.
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