Just about a year after opening his high-end Afghan, Indian, and Pakistani restaurant SHOR Bazaar in Hawaiian Gardens, chef Imran Ali Mookhi has transformed the spot into his better known Michelin Bib Gourmand-recognized Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen.
“What makes us different is that we focus on the street food of the subcontinent. We try to cover the best of that region,” said the chef, who opened SHOR Bazzar last February at 12155 E. Carson St.
But before that, he opened Khan Saab in Fullerton in 2020 in Fullerton, which quickly became a celebrated Pakistani and Indian restaurant, earning Michelin Bib Gourmand status for five years straight.
The transformation from SHOR to Khan Saab, which opened its Hawaiian Gardens location earlier this month, happened because Khan Saab has a big following from Los Angeles area diners and Mookhi wanted to bring all of his restaurants under one identity.
Chef Imran Ali Mookhi has opened his Michelin Bib Gourmand–recognized Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen in Hawaiian Gardens. (Photo courtesy Khan Saab)
“We really wanted to get into L.A. County and the city makes it easy for us to reach other locations. We want to make sure we are able to reach the L.A. area,” he said. “Khan Saab is a very well known establishment so we decided to convert that into Khan Saab and continue that Pakistani heritage and Indian heritage into one brand,” he added.
Some of the new dishes from Khan Saab coming to Hawaiian Gardens include the Sloppy Khan, which is the restaurant’s version of a Sloppy Joe, a common street food in Pakistan and India. It’s an elevated version here made with Wagyu beef chopped and spiced in what’s called gun-powder dust, a spicy and hot Indian condiment.
“It’s kind of become a very unique dish for us, it’s become a signature dish,” he said.
Another must try at the new place is the Smoked Beef Kabob. The beef is top sirloin and marinated for 12 hours and then charcoal smoked at the table. It’s served with yogurt, garlic, shallots and mustard oil.
“The flavor profiles are fantastic and this is one of my personal favorites,” the chef said.
And just like SHOR followed halal tradition and eschewed any alcohol, Khan Saab does likewise, with a menu of alcohol-free drinks and a water bar that includes mocktails, craft drinks and rare mineral and spring waters from around the world.
Khan Saab is open nightly for dinner beginning at 4 p.m. and is located at 12155 E. Carson St., Hawaiian Gardens. For more information go to khansaaboc.com.