KARACHI: If by chance you are a lover of dumplings and based in Karachi or Islamabad, then consider this a good time to pay a visit to Mariyah’s Den, Pakistan’s first dumplings-only café.
While Chinese dishes like fried rice, chow mein noodles and chicken manchurian have long been beloved to the Pakistani flavor palate, a taste for dumplings, a globe-spanning culinary trope, has been on the rise in the South Asian city in recent years. This growing taste is what founder and chef Maria Mushtaq was counting on when she started Mariyah’s Den as a delivery service for ready-to-cook frozen dumplings which she made and sold from home in 2020, as people opened up to trying new recipes and dishes during coronavirus lockdowns.
“Then my husband, who is also a partner in this venture, said ‘The way you steam it [dumpling] and the way you make it and serve it in the sauce, it’s very unique, so, you should open a café’,” Mushtaq told Arab News in an interview earlier this month.
The first branch of Mariyah’s Den opened in Karachi in November 2021. Three years later, the cafe has another outlet in Karachi and one in Islamabad as well.
The restaurant serves nine types of dumplings including beef, chicken, lamb, prawn, a combination of prawn and chicken, vegetarian, mushroom and a sweet variety filled with chocolate.
“A lot of people did come up and say, ‘Oh, you’re very brave that you opened a restaurant just on the basis of one dish’,” Mushtaq said. “But I realized that in Karachi, we do have specific places where we go to eat specific foods like nihari and bun kebab so why not dumplings?”
The cafe was a “hit since day one,” the chef added.
“Dumplings as a dish in itself were not that popular a long time ago, but now people do consider that it’s a snack and they like it,” Mushtaq said, explaining that she had tweaked what she thought were the “bland flavors” of Chinese dumplings to Pakistani tastes.
The dumplings at Mariyah’s Den are also served in the sauce, rather than with the sauce of the side.
“Dumplings have been there for a very long time, it’s like a 2000-year-old Chinese dish and dumplings are present in every culture but everyone has adapted it to their own taste and liking,” Mushtaq said. “The Nepalese have their own version, we have mamtus in the mountains [of Pakistan].
Customers also said dumplings were the “perfect comfort food,” filled with both carbohydrates and protein ingredients. Others liked the ease of eating them.
“I think we live in an era of snack foods. Most people like me prefer [dumplings], because it’s instantly available to grab and go,” Mohammad Shams, who was visiting Mariyah’s Den earlier this month, told Arab News.
Ahmer Naqvi, a Pakistani culture and food critic, agreed that dumplings were a comfort food and “very common” across cultures.
“It’s actually one of the oldest and most familiar things going around, like a samosa,” he said, “It is a different dough texture but using the same logic. As a result of globalization, you are seeing a combination of a more Chinese style of the dumplings. It’s more popular now because of the ways it fits into modern life whether in terms of convenience or in terms of fusion.”
Dumplings were also very easy to cook and store, Naqvi added.
For the future, Mushtaq plans to expand her menu but wants to stay true to the cafe’s roots in Chinese flavors.
“We are slowly adding noodles also. So, we have chilly noodles. We have just added a soup bowl, which is noodles with chicken curry,” she said. “I think the genre is just going to be dumplings and we’d just keep on experimenting with that kind of food which is fast, not junk, and it’s very healthy.”
Mad for momos: Pakistan’s first dumplings-only café carves a niche
https://arab.news/nj8cw
Mad for momos: Pakistan’s first dumplings-only café carves a niche
- Maria Mushtaq opened first branch of Mariyah’s Den in Karachi in 2021, she now has two more outlets in Pakistan
- Food critic Ahmer Naqvi says dumplings popular as they “fit into modern life in terms of convenience and fusion”
Jennifer Lopez turns heads at F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
JEDDAH: US superstar Jennifer Lopez turned heads at the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah ahead of her after-race performance.
The “Kiss of the Spider Woman” actress and singer made an appearance at the final practice on Saturday in a pink catsuit with a zipper down the front.
She performed on stage on Saturday night with a string of her most famous hits as part of an after-race concert lineup including Usher, Major Lazer, Peggy Gou and PartyNextDoor, alongside Arab stars such as Marwan Pablo, Tul8te, Hisham Abbas, Mostafa Amar and Hamid El-Shaeri.
Widely regarded as one of the world’s most influential entertainers, Lopez has made her mark across music, film and television. She remains the only female artist to simultaneously top both the US box office and music charts, with over $3 billion in global box office earnings, more than 80 million records sold and billions of streams and views across her music catalogue.
Japan’s Koji Yamamura brings expertise to Saudi Film Festival masterclass
DHAHRAN: Animation lovers attending the 11th Saudi Film Festival this week were treated to a masterclass by Oscar-nominated Japanese director Koji Yamamura.
Yamamura gave a masterclass titled “Giving Shape to Invisible Light” on Saturday.
While the Saudi Film Festival typically focuses on local and regional cinema, it also offers audiences a chance to engage with global voices. This year, Japan holds a special place in the lineup, with the festival running until April 23.
Masterclass attendees watched as Yamamura explained his process and shared several of his shorts, which he dissected, offering guidance and insight into his creative approach.
Yamamura, regarded as one of Japan’s most successful animation filmmakers, began creating films at just 13 years old. After six painstaking years and thousands of drawings, his 10-minute 2002 film “Mt. Head” earned him an Oscar nomination in the Best Short Film category.
The story follows a man who eats cherry pits to avoid waste, only to have a cherry tree sprout from his head. What begins as a nuisance quickly escalates into chaos as strangers flock to picnic and swim atop his head.
Narrated in the traditional rakugo style — with a single voice and sparse instrumentation — the work blends classical storytelling with modern themes. Beneath the dark humor lies a critique of isolationism, environmental degradation, and the illusion of control. The more the man tries to resist change, the more disorder he invites, leading to a haunting end.
Yamamura explained that many of his works were inspired by traditional tales that are over 150 years-old—stories where the beginning and end are already known — so the creative challenge lies in how he fills the space.
His work moves fluidly between absurdity and clarity, often occupying a Kafkaesque space that encourages the viewer to dive in until the narrative fully takes hold.
After the masterclass, he sat down to answer questions by moderator Naoures Rouissi of the Arab Film Festival Zurich, and the audience was invited to take part in a Q&A portion.
Abdulrahman Al-Qarzaee, a fluent Japanese speaker who is Saudi, translated.
“I’m very interested in Arabic culture. It is my first time in Saudi Arabia — I would like to sketch it. I think the landscape is very different from Japan,” Yamamura told Arab News after the session.
When Arab News asked if he might create a new work inspired by his visit to the Kingdom, he didn’t hesitate.
“Probably, yeah. This is a very special and different experience for me,” he concluded with a smile.
Saudi comedy film ‘Ambulance’ to get sequel
DUBAI: A sequel is already in the works for “Esaaf” (“Ambulance”), the new comedy starring Saudi actor and stand-up comedian Ibrahim Al-Hajjaj and directed by British filmmaker Colin Teague.
The film premiered on Tuesday, making history as the first Arabic-language movie to be released by Imax.
The plot revolves around two Saudi paramedics who discover a briefcase containing holding SR2 million (around $533,300) and find themselves caught up in a dangerous kidnapping scheme.
The movie is written by Alberto Lopez and produced by Al-Hajjaj’s House of Comedy, Saudi producer Talal Anazi’s Black Light Operations and former MBC Studios chief Peter Smith in tandem with Saudi Media Company.
The film marks Al-Hajjaj’s first major release since “Sattar,” the 2023 wrestling film which grossed over $30 million, primarily from Saudi audiences.
Princess Rajwa, Prince Hussein visit historic site in Jordan
DUBAI: Princess Rajwa Al-Hussein of Jordan opted for a relaxed look this week when she visited the archaeological site of Umm Qais with her husband, Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah.
Rajwa, who is of Saudi origin, wore beige Atelier canvas straight-leg cargo pants by Jacquemus, paired with a black fitted top and matching Prada re-edition 2005 nylon bag. She completed her look with Gentle Monster’s Musee 01 sunglasses.
The crown prince also kept it casual in a plain white T-shirt, olive green cargo shorts and sunglasses.
Bin Abdullah took to Instagram to share a heartwarming photo with his wife taken during their visit.
“There is nothing like spring in the north of Jordan,” read the caption.
The couple also made headlines this week as their eight-month-old daughter, Princess Iman bint Al-Hussein, marked a significant milestone when she accompanied them to the Kingdom of Bahrain on her first official overseas visit.
The young princess was received by Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa at Al-Sakhir Palace.
Princess Rajwa opted for a white-and-blue ensemble from London-based fashion label Erdem for the occasion. This included a floral midi pencil skirt and a draped short-sleeved top. She completed the look with white lace slingback pumps from Manolo Blahnik and a Jacquemus shoulder bag.
Last month, Crown Prince Hussein took to Instagram to mark Mother’s Day with a heartfelt tribute to his mother, Queen Rania, and Princess Rajwa.
In the first of two images, Queen Rania is holding her granddaughter, Princess Iman, as the crown prince watches on.
In the second image, Princess Rajwa, dressed in a plain white t-shirt, is seen holding her daughter.
“To my beloved mother and my loving wife, your presence fills our lives with joy, and your love is the true meaning of giving. Happy Mother’s Day,” he wrote.
The royal couple welcomed Iman in August last year.
They are also active in their humanitarian efforts. During Ramadan, they visited the Children’s Museum Jordan to attend an iftar event with orphans.
They spent time with the children, playing games, sharing a meal and engaging in conversation. The couple also posed for photos with the young attendees.
At Art Dubai, Pakistani artists find the space missing at home
- The Middle East’s leading art fair draws galleries and collectors from around the world
- Pakistani artists say global interest is rising in their work, bringing international recognition
KARACHI: Pakistani artists have been receiving increasing international recognition, but many still grapple with limited opportunities and visibility at home, a participant at a major Gulf art fair said this week.
Her comments coincided with Art Dubai 2025, the Middle East’s leading contemporary art fair, where 10 Pakistani artists are exhibiting their work this year.
The event, running since 2007, draws galleries and collectors from across the globe and has become a vital platform for people with creative abilities in places like Pakistan.
“It’s wonderful that we as artists who have been invisible because of the greater struggles of [our] country are visible through this platform in the Gulf,” said Faiza Butt, a London-based Pakistani artist currently attending the fair, told Arab News over the phone.
“It’s really a matter of pride that despite all the odds, Pakistani artists continue to appear, and work and make themselves visible, especially female artists.”
Butt maintained Pakistani artists are shaped by the country’s complex realities, adding that is what gives their work its depth.
“Our social and political struggles really feed the artists’ imagination,” she said. “Art doesn’t come from a happy place. So one of the reasons our artists are so strong is because our country has gone through a great deal of strife.”
She also credited the country’s mature art education institutions, such as the National College of Arts in Lahore and the Indus Valley School of Arts in Karachi, for nurturing generations of artists despite systemic challenges.
Karachi-based visual artist Sana Arjumand, who is also exhibiting at the fair, echoed similar views.
“There is now more and more interest coming into Pakistani art because we are really making very good art,” she said.
“Because of so many different experiences here [in Pakistan], we have that informed kind of making of art. It’s more vibrant and alive. It stands out as well — that is why more and more interest is coming here.”
Arjumand, who studied painting at NCA, said her early work focused on self-reflection but has since evolved to include themes of Sufism, mysticism and human interconnectedness with nature.
Her new work, presented at the fair, explores the idea that human behavior mirrors elements in the natural world.
“It’s for everyone,” she said. “It has a storyline that anybody can relate to.”
A total of ten Pakistani artists, including one posthumously, are featured in the fair’s Contemporary Art section. Among them is the late Sadequain, whose pioneering calligraphy and figurative works helped define Pakistan’s post-Partition art movement and continue to influence generations of artists.
Also exhibiting are Rasheed Araeen, a Karachi-born conceptualist known internationally for his contributions to British minimalist and postcolonial art, and Imran Qureshi, whose fusion of classical Mughal miniature techniques with contemporary themes has earned him acclaim worldwide.
Other featured names include Anwar Saeed, celebrated for his explorations of identity and sexuality, and Shezad Dawood, a London-based multidisciplinary artist with Pakistani and Indian heritage.
Butt is being represented by Grosvenor Gallery in London, which is exhibiting her work alongside that of Anwar Saeed under a shared curatorial concept focused on representations of the male form.
“The female figure is represented enough in the arts,” said Butt. “Anwar and I both discuss the male form but with our own unique politics based on our unique ethnography. But we are both Pakistanis, and there are overlaps in our concerns.”
She will also deliver a talk on behalf of Saeed, reflecting on his practice and political engagement through art.
Despite global attention, Butt stressed that Pakistan lacks the institutional and financial infrastructure to support a thriving art scene.
“Art is a very priced project, and Pakistan cannot afford having art fairs or a very established art market,” she said. “Pakistani artists get absorbed by galleries from other countries.”
She described Art Dubai as a great opportunity for artists in her country.
“Dubai is a very stable financial hub of the Gulf region,” she continued. “It has welcomed a great deal of migration from India and Pakistan. You get a diverse audience. It’s a beautiful coming together, in a positive way, of ideas, culture and exchange of thought.”
