Third-Generation Uzbek Pakistani Wahaj Ozgen Opens Samarkand at Hotel Viridi, Serving Mildly-Spiced Central Asian Dishes to Expats, Diplomats and Food Lovers
According to Dawn Images, Islamabad has a new culinary landmark: Samarkand, an authentic Uzbek restaurant launched by Wahaj Ozgen on the mezzanine floor of Hotel Viridi in Blue Area, and it already logged three full houses within its first week of opening.
Ozgen, a third-generation Uzbek Pakistani whose grandfather migrated from Samarkand’s Ozgen Valley before Partition, ran a cloud kitchen for six years before making the leap to a full sit-down restaurant. His mother pioneered the recipes; his khala now heads the kitchen.
The menu is intentionally limited but striking. Three starters; Sui Kash, Zangza and Samsu, lead into mains including two regional varieties of Plov (Samarkand and Bukhara), Laghman, Mantu and Chuchvara, with chicken, beef, mutton, pumpkin and beetroot options. Desserts are still a work in progress.
The restaurant currently seats over 30 guests, with a rooftop expansion planned for 50 more. Clientele so far has skewed heavily toward expats, diplomats and Central Asian nationals; Uzbeks, Azerbaijanis, Russians and Tajiks, who recognise exactly what Ozgen is serving.
Pakistan’s food scene has been screaming for this. A mildly-spiced, slow-cooked cuisine that lets the ingredients breathe is exactly what Islamabad’s dining table was missing.
Check out our previous coverage of Pakistan food and lifestyle here.
