Two brothers from Preston have spoken of their pride after opening their new restaurant in their home town.

Rameez Afsar and brother Waseem have launched the Olive of Sinai on Ribbleton Lane, ten years after buying the former derelict pub.

Waseem,  34, says he is proud to be able to offer a unique dining experience for the community he loves.  The family have been in the food industry for 20 years and began their business empire with a takeaway only a few yards away from the restaurant.

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The restaurant takes up the spot of a former pub and serves authentic Pakistani cuisine as well as a range of signiture dishes.

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Then in 2016 they formed plans to open one of the city's newest Pakistani cuisine restaurants.

Waseem said: "We've had the building for nearly ten years but at that time we were in a few minds with what to do with it.

"In the last decade, the family have dealt with many ups and downs with a business to run in the midst of a pandemic and the loss of a beloved one, the restaurant was placed on the back burner for a lot longer than they anticipated.

"It took us a long time and on top of that, we weren't experienced in the restaurant industry- we come from a catering background and we soon realised that they're very different.

"We spent a lot of time learning things, and getting things right, we wanted it to be perfect for the public. But then Covid happened and the whole industry changed so it was lucky that we didn't open then because had we opened it, it would have gone bust straight away. 

"A lot of time and effort has gone into and we've spent a good few years making it perfect and running around to get it sorted. We've now managed to get it open and the response has been amazing." 

Within a week of opening, Rameez and Waseem have even seen their first few regulars come back. 

The head chef at Olive of Sinai received his training in Lahore, 'the food capital of Pakistan'.

Waseem said. "We've redesigned our menu, we've got the modern food which is more smashed burgers and the gourmet burgers for the younger crowd but we've also created a traditional menu too.

"We offer the famous Charsi Karahi which is very popular in South Asian cuisine and it's all made fresh. Even our spice are hand ground by our chef because we want it to be authentic.

"The thing is, we're not a British Asian restaurant we're a modern restaurant serving traditional, authentic cuisine.

"This is something that's been a dream and something we've been working out for a very long time.

"I've said it before, we don't want to just open a business and we don't want to just, throw food out. We want this to be perfect for the customers and want them to have the experience and to get a taste of what we get when we visit family back home in Pakistan."