Duo open restaurant in memory of mum
BROTHERS from Southsea have opened their new family restaurant to the public and fulfilled the last wishes of their mum who died three years ago.
Ashraf and Yousuf Ali decided to make a national first by using world-renowned wagyu beef to make donner kebabs and burgers.
The siblings have turned their ideas into a reality, opening the premises yesterday.
Their mum, Leila Begum, died at just 54 after drowning in a swimming pool while on holiday, and she wanted the brothers to work together and look after each other.
On Sunday, they invited close friends and family to a launch event, where staff learnt the ropes and guests sampled the food.
Speaking on that day, Yousuf, 26, said the anticipation from customers has been enormous.
He told The News: ‘The interest has been crazy online and on social media.
‘They’ve heard about us through various places, and around Southsea. The opening is pretty much the talk of the town.’
His brother Ashraf was similarly eager about the launch.
The 30-year-old said: ‘I’m very excited and quite nervous.
‘It’ll be exciting to feed 50 people, but there will be pressure and nerves to go with that.’
Growing up in Southsea, Ashraf and Yousuf have always been foodies.
Ashraf previously ran Bangla Bites, but had to abandon the passion project due to work commitments.
Now though, after perfecting the wagyu donner kebab recipe for a year and a half, Wagyu Bros is now on Palmerston Road – where the owners always wanted it to be.
Yousuf said: ‘My life is in Portsmouth, and I can’t open anywhere else.
‘We want to hopefully expand, but the flagship branch is always going to be here.’
The location is even more sentimental to Ashraf, who has childhood memories of going to the same building to get groceries with his dad.
He said: ‘I used to come here with my dad as a youngster to get groceries.
‘Never did I imagine that young five year old would call this place his own.
‘I never envisioned it, but that young boy now owns it.’
Wagyu Bros specialises in serving burgers, sausages and pastrami from the highly regarded beef, sourced from Australia, Chile, and elsewhere.
The signature dish is the melt in the mouth donner kebab, encased in freshly baked Samoon – an Iraqi flatbread.
Friends and family are a part of the restaurant.
Chef Kashraw Kashraw is an old childhood friend of Ashraf ’s, and sister Rahima Eatally, 34, is the social media manager.
She was ecstatic that her brothers’ ‘brain child’ was launching.
‘This is Ash’s and Yousuf ’s brain child, and it’s been lovely to see it go from ideas to opening up’, Ms Eatally said.