Chef Salim Al Kalbani PUTTING THE ESSENCEOFOMANONAPLATE
Story Photos with his home-based catering service, called ‘The Dried Lemon’, which he started with his wife Amal Al Khabori.
“We started The Dried Lemon, which was more of a high-end catering service, where we made canapés, wedding cakes, and more. It was quite a hit among the people here in Oman,” recalled Kalbani.
Kalbani’s expertise lay in serving Omani cuisine with a twist, and that earned him laurels. After the success of The Dried Lemon, there was no looking back for the couple. “Soon after the success of The Dried Lemon, we started getting offers from different hotels to cook Omani food. From Six Senses Zighy Bay and Shangri-La to Al Bustan Hotel and international expos, we were invited as guest chefs,” said Kalbani.
“People often asked us, ‘ Why don’t you start your own restaurant?’ and that is when we had the confidence to go ahead with Al Loomie, a unique restaurant where you can have fine dining in a rustic setting,” said Kalbani.
During his visits abroad, he had a chance to meet several Michelin star chefs with whom he exchanged ideas, and this further motivated him to start his own venture.
“When we were shown this location, we fell in love with the place. This place had a garden and pathways, and we decided to build the fort-like structures,” said the chef. At Al Loomie, if you do not want to dine in the plush enclosure of the forts, you can dine outside, or on Majlis-like seating.
“We have made arrangements for seating on the floors, which is the traditional Omani style,” added Kalbani. Known for his contemporary Omani fusion cooking, Kalbani makes sure that he adds Omani flavours and spices to any dish he rustles up.
“I always loved to play with food, and never thought I would end up making it my profession. For me it was just a hobby, where I was mixing and matching different cuisines,” recalled Kalbani.
While Kalbani caters to all kinds of customers, he prefers people to place a prior booking at Al Loomie so he can serve them properly.
“Though there are lot of walk-in customers, and we cater to all, we prefer people to call and come, so that we can plan and serve them well,” explained the chef.