Afghan Kitchen's unique culinary offerings keep business and family together

This story is part of our series,Savouring Surrey, whichlooks at the history and the future of Surrey through its many restaurants and the people who make up the city's unique food scene.

It's no secret that Surrey is a diverse community.

The city offers a wide variety of cuisine fromseveral cultures; sushi, donairs, Chinese,Indian, Korean, Mexican the list goes on. Sixteen months ago, a unique business entered the mix: the Afghan Kitchen, a brightly-coloured restaurant in South Surrey.

The restaurant was a dream project for co-owner Hassib Sarwari. He and his family have introduced Surrey to what he calls "the best food in the world."

Sarwari, his mother and four brothers came to Canada from Afghanistan 13 years ago.

Opening a restaurant was an opportunityto share the world they left behind.

"I wanted to introduce Afghan cuisine to the community," he said.

The menu includes several vegetarian options and some meat-based mealsand all share a basic style that is heavy on fresh ingredients and light on spice.

One of the most popular dishes is the Aushakveggie dumplings, stuffed with leeks and spinachand topped with split peas and yogurt. Another highlight is the dessert listed on the menu as Mum's Secret.

"She won't tell us what's in it, but we promiseit's good cake,"Sarwarisaid.

Sarwariisparticularly smitten with the food in his restaurant, because it's all cooked by his mother.

He credits his mother's cooking forkeeping, not just the restaurant afloat, but also his family.

"Mom's cooking always kept us together," he said."She would always amaze us with something new every day. The love, the care, the affection has kept us all very close. My brothers and I see each other pretty much every day."

ThoughSarwari's mother has stopped making big meals for her sons, she's now enjoying sharing it with the people of Surrey.