Mandi lamb served at halal resturant Arabesque in Yongsan District, western Seoul PARK SANG-MOON A few voices greeted, “As-salamu alaykum,” as this reporter entered a halal restaurant. It was well past lunchtime on a recent weekday, but diners ? many of them Muslim ? filled half of Arabesque, a restaurant in Itaewon in Yongsan District, western Seoul. Itaewon is known for hosting cuisine from around the world, and halal food is not hard to find. But to find out where members of the Muslim community themselves go to eat, simply look around and see who is serving the food and who is eating it. Arabesque serves a broad assortment of Middle Eastern and South Asian dishes rather than sticking to a single country ? an intentional choice, according to owner Firas Alcoufahy. “I wanted visitors from different countries to be able to find something familiar on the menu,” said Alcoufahy, who is from Jordan. 신천지무료 Diners enjoy a meal at Halal restaurant Arabesque in Yongsan District, western Seoul. PARK SANG-MOON And there is plenty to choose from. The thick menu boasts more than 70 dishes, from sandwiches to barbecue, seafood and curries, with around 15 appetizers alone. Dishes served at Arabesque PARK SANG-MOON For starters, the hummus, a creamy dip of chickpeas and tahini, was smooth and rich, and the tabbouleh, a fresh salad of parsley, tomatoes and bulgur, paired particularly well with the mains, its bright freshness cutting through the richer dishes. For the main meal, Alcoufahy recommended lamb mandi, lamb marinated in spices, and mansaf, another lamb-based dish ? two of the restaurant’s most popular rice choices. The lamb mandi arrived in a portion easily large enough for two, and the tender meat pulled apart effortlessly. 모바일 야마토사이트 Alcoufahy said that the butter chicken curry is especially popular with Korean diners, and it was easy to see why. When scooped up with chewy naan, the creamy curry had a deep spicy flavor that lingered pleasantly after each bite. The musakhan rolls, generously packed with chicken, were also difficult not to like. Many customers come in groups of four or more, which is also how Alcoufahy recommends experiencing his restaurant. “Order several dishes for the table and share them, almost like a buffet,” he said. Alcoufahy opened the first Arabesque in Incheon in 2003, six years after arriving in Korea with his brother. He initially worked in the export business. At the time, he recalled, only a handful of places in the country served halal food. Arabesque owner Firas Alcoufahy PARK SANG-MOON 릴게임 바다이야기 상어 The Itaewon branch followed in 2017, after friends and customers repeatedly asked him to open one in Seoul. “They said to me, ‘We cannot find this food in Itaewon. Why not open [an Arabesque there]?’” Much has changed since then. Halal options have become easier to find not only in Itaewon but across Korea. According to a Muslim-friendly restaurant guide published by the Korea Tourism Organization in 2022, 288 restaurants across Korea cater to Muslim diners. A growing number of Korean diners are also seeking out halal food, Alcoufahy said, attributing some of that growth to Koreans becoming more familiar with Middle Eastern cuisine through travel and working abroad. “Some spend years in countries [such as] Jordan or Egypt while working for companies, and they miss the food after returning home,” he said. A shopper browses items at Foreign Food Mart in Yongsan District, western Seoul. PARK SANGMOON 다빈치게임 To get a closer look at the ingredients behind many of these dishes, head to one of Itaewon’s halal grocery stores. Among the largest is Foreign Food Mart, a roughly 330-square-meter (3,552-square-foot) store specializing in halal and international food. It has been a fixture of the neighborhood for more than two decades. A sign along one wall declares, “We are the pioneer in halal food service.” The narrow aisles help emphasize that point. Shelves are packed with staples used across Middle Eastern and South Asian kitchens, from bags of rice, lentils and flour to jars of sauces and pickles and rows of spices and seasonings. Fresh herbs and vegetables, including parsley and basil, fill the produce section, while refrigerators hold ready-made halal dishes such as vegetable samosas and dal puri, a type of flatbread. Employees and customers can be heard speaking Arabic, and some wear hijabs. A person checks out a pack of meat at Foreign Food Mart in Yongsan District, western Seoul. 모바일 바다이야기 pc버전 PARK SANG-MOON But the clearest sign that this place is a halal market is the busiest area: the halal meat counter. Its selection ranges from qeema, or minced beef, and chicken to lamb liver, ribs and neck and goat meat. Baraka Cafe in Yongsan District, western Seoul SCREEN CAPTURE For something sweeter ? or simply a place to sit and relax ? halal Baraka Cafe is right next to the Seoul Central Mosque, making it a convenient stop before or after a visit to the mosque. Affordability is another reason to visit, with an iced Americano costing 2,800 won ($2) and Turkish coffee 4,300 won. The cafe offers a variety of other beverages, including Turkish tea, as well as sweets,?such as baklava. The atmosphere changes with the rhythm of the mosque next door. Around prayer times, the cafe fills with customers coming and going. During quieter weekday hours, it offers a relaxing place to sit over a cup of coffee and take in the neighborhood. BY WOO JI-WON [] co.kr/bbs/