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A melting pot of culture is how many describe the island and Jim's Restaurant in Adliya is a prime example of this, reports Shilpa Chandran.
The eaterie, located on the dining boulevard, is a cozy venue with a dining area indoors and an outdoor garden area which has recently undergone refurbishment.
It is now back under the control of renowned restaurateur Jim Lawless who has moved around the island's restaurants in recent times before coming back to his original home.
Mr Lawless, a partner in the revamped Jim's, said: "We introduced the garden recently as it is a great place for people to sit back and enjoy a good meal. Every Sunday we have a DJ performing in the garden and from this month we will be featuring DJ Nayef."
Opened initially as an Irish-themed restaurant 14 years ago, Jim's recently introduced its new addition to the menu Jim's Bukhara, the North-West Frontier Express, featuring cuisines from Central Asian countries including India, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Mr Lawless said: "When we began in 1995, there were just five of us including our head chef Firdous Kannur.
"We started from scratch. It was a lovely time and it was like one big family.
"We thought that with the revamp and reopening, adding the Afghani and North West menu would be a good amalgamation of the West and the East. People are happy, they love the food and it is also very affordable."
Guests are offered two menus, one European and the other featuring Asian delicacies.
Looking after the European menu is Head Chef Firdous, 35, from Adliya who, prior to joining Jim's, worked for a short stint at the Tylos Hotel.
He learned his cooking skills on a culinary course back home in India.
Head Chef Balam Singh Negi, 29, from Juffair, looks after the Asian section.
He comes to the island with 12 years of kitchen experience from India working his way up from washing dishes to kitchen helper, cook, chef and now head chef.
He introduced the new menu bringing the conceptual idea from his experience in India.
The Bukhara Express menu contains a list of exotic and traditional central Asian delicacies including kababs, shorbas or soups, vegetarian and non-vegetarian curries, and accompaniments such as raitha, rice, biryanis and breads. A range of authentic desserts is also available.
Jim's menu features a range of Irish and English delights as well as house specialties, puddings, pies, quiches, steaks and desserts.
The outlet also offers a farmhouse English breakfast and a traditional roast lunch daily.
To compliment the theme, the interiors are adorned with wooden furniture, descriptive paintings and wall hangings and traditional articles to give the feel of a bygone era.
Here is a simple yet popular recipe from Jim's kitchen for GulfWeekly readers.
Garlic mushrooms
Ingredients
Fresh button mushroom 250gm
Butter 20gm
Soya sauce 3 tsp
Salt a pinch
Garlic cloves 7
Freshly chopped parsley
Grounded black pepper
Preparation
On a slow flame add butter and garlic on a frying pan and sautŽ for three minutes. Add the mushrooms, salt, pepper and parsley and continue to sautŽ.
Add all the remaining ingredients. Avoid over cooking the mushrooms or the garlic.
Leave for approximately six minutes.
Garnish with toasted garlic bread and parsley.
