A Mumbai restaurant visited by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, during his latest visit to India, has inspired the design of two new restaurant outlets in the UAE.
Sheikh Hamdan, who also serves as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, dined at Pali Bhavan in Mumbai’s Bandra West during his two-day visit to India in April this year.
The restaurant is known for its vintage decor and Indian comfort food. Sheikh Hamdan later shared photos and a short video from the visit on Instagram, showing a rustic dining space with antiques and colourful tiffin boxes.
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The visit caught the attention of Dubai-based restaurateur Rajiv Meherish, co-founder of Raju Omlet, who said he visited the same restaurant soon after and was struck by its design.
"I found out Sheikh Hamdan had eaten there and could see why. The atmosphere blended nostalgia with warmth, something that resonated with us,” Meherish said.
Meherish has now commissioned interior designer Tejal Mathur, who designed Pali Bhavan, to work on Raju Omlet’s upcoming branches in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The outlets, opening at the World Trade Centre Mall and in Abu Shagarah, will be the brand’s eighth and ninth in the UAE.
Mathur said the new design aims to “cocoon patrons in an ambience that feels like it’s out of a sepia-toned photo album. "We are talking about an emotion that speaks to anyone who has wandered through local streets and remembers their colours, sounds, and character.” "Each city has its own rhythm,” she added. "The idea is to create spaces that connect with local diners while retaining that lived-in, familiar feel.”
Founded a decade ago by Rajiv and his son Nakul Meherish, Raju Omlet has grown into one of the UAE’s most recognisable homegrown restaurant brands, known for its Indian street-style egg dishes and casual cafe format.
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