THINK of Peshawar and its cuisine, and the things that come to mind are either chapli kabab or barbeque tikka. People in Peshawar love to eat out and in every big or small market of the provincial capital, there are modest eateries where people are seen enjoying these traditional mouth-watering meaty dishes. The problem, however, with most of these eateries is their ambiance: it is not family-friendly. So it has not been uncommon for some families as well as those from the young professional working class in Peshawar to drive all the way to Islamabad, especially on weekends, just to enjoy dining at one of the many fancy restaurants or cafes in the federal capital.

But with a new impressively decorated restaurant-cum-café like Celeste opening in the provincial capital, Peshawarites will no longer have to travel all the way to Islamabad for the ultimate family dining experience.

Located in University Town, Celeste is the first eatery in the historic provincial capital which offers more than half a dozen international cuisines. These include Thai, Mongolian, Lebanese, Japanese, Chinese, Italian and Mughlai dishes.

“People are pretty happy. Working women and youth in Peshawar now have a place to chill out till late in the evening,” says M.K. Changazi, Celeste’s general manager who himself had helped the owner in decorating and bringing the place up within a short time.

For Celeste’s owner, Omar Khan Zakori, this is his second eatery venture. He started the first, an outlet of the foreign fast-food franchise, Mr Cod, a couple of years ago, also in University Town.

The entire team at Celeste has put in considerable effort to give the restaurant a comfortable, homely atmosphere. “Once someone enters here, he or she is not a customer but is treated like a guest at home,” says Changazi.

Celeste’s management has focused on quality and presentation. Not only is the décor inviting but the variety of food offered also.

Apart from the international cuisine, its freshly brewed coffee is Arabica, the fruit purees used in the mocktails are imported from Malaysia and the syrups and chocolate they use is from France. The restaurant also offers its own range of bakery items.What is also special about this restaurant is their chief chef, Fida Hussain, who is said to have once worked under the famed Chef (Gordon) Ramsay of BBC Food.

Changazi says that business has been good. “The location of the restaurant matters,” he says. “Despite the security issue, there is a demand from the young generation for dining places with quality food and a cozy environment,” he adds.

Kasba, Delight and Crunch Café are other restaurants and cafes which, like Celeste, are gradually helping to change the eating out scenario in Peshawar despite the security situation.

The owner of Crunch Café, Sadia Bilour, is a pioneer food entrepreneur responsible for transforming the provincial capital’s dining out experience.

Sadia, a single mother of young children who was fortunate to have finances and time to spare, had put her aesthetic skills to good use by renting out a bungalow in University Town and opening an outlet of the café franchise, Masoom’s Café, several years ago.

The homely ambiance of Masoom’s café soon attracted many customers from the neighbourhood. Masoom’s, the predecessor of Crunch Café, soon became the trend setter of a new eating out experience in Peshawar city.

Within four years, she was able to shed the Masoom’s franchise, converting the eatery into her very own dining outlet called Crunch Café.

Crunch Café offers 30 over varieties of bakery items like cakes, pastries and cookies. Many foreigners working in different UN and aid agencies who have residences or offices in University Town now frequent the café.

“I have always tried to create a homely environment where people can enjoy their food”, says Sadia, pointing out at the same time, “Security is an issue all over the country and one just can’t hide from it”.

Sadia had launched into the restaurant business in Peshawar at a time when other businessmen and industrialists were moving to other cities due to security and terrorism concerns. In doing so, she had set in motion a trend which others soon followed, successfully like her.

“People here want to go out and enjoy but there is dearth of places where they can go out with their families,” Sadia says.

According to her, there is a lot of opportunity and scope in the restaurant business in Peshawar.

Similarly, Celeste’s general manager Changazi also says that teenagers in Peshawar need places to go to have fun. “Despite security threats, one cannot just stop wanting better things in life. Life goes on,” he insists.