By Peter Gould
Over the past few months, Lowertown residents have been intrigued by the transformation of a parking lot on Clarence Street, just a few steps from Dalhousie Street. An elegant iron-gated entrance has gone up, and inside the gate is a lively mural announcing Il Vicolo, Ottawa`s first outdoor pizzeria. Il Vicolo is the brainchild of Salim Uddin, the founder of Shafali, an Indian restaurant on Dalhousie Street that has become a veritable Lowertown institution since it opened in 1996. Over the years, Salim and his brothers have opened a number of restaurants and related enterprises that have contributed to culinary life in Ottawa. The Echo recently spoke with Salim, the informal “CEO” of the family.
The “flagship” Shafali restaurant at 308 Dalhousie Street is recognizable by its bright magenta exterior. Inside, warm bright yellow walls with paintings depicting South Asian life, and the gentle aroma of spices from the kitchen, create a welcoming ambience. Shafali offers appetizers and entrees such as samosas and curries as well as more complex dishes such as Jalfrezi, a curry of marinated chicken cooked in a thick sauce of oil, spices and green chilies. Founded by the eldest brother Salim, Shafali Dalhousie is now operated by brother Ashram. Only a few blocks away, in the Byward Market building, is Shafali Bazaar, operated by brother Shahab Uddin, a more informal enterprise overlooking the outdoor vendors’ stalls. . A third family restaurant on Preston Street, called Haldi, is operated by brother Shaif. In addition, the Uddin family previously operated the Shafali “Commercial Kitchen” which provided catering services from its Nelson Street location.
Shafali does not serve a regional cuisine such as dishes of North or South India, but rather dishes that Salim described as “festive”, recipes that originated during the Mogul Empire (1526-1858) and the later British Raj period and are used across India at celebrations such as weddings. Unlike many Indian restaurants in Ottawa, the Shafali restaurants do not offer a lunch-hour buffet. Salim explained that this is because of the family’s philosophy that every dish should be prepared with complete confidence in its quality.
Salim’s latest venture, Il Vicolo, meaning ‘alley’ in Italian, bills itself as an outdoor pizzeria. Alongside the enclosed bar and a second cabin housing the hybrid wood and gas oven where pizzas are prepared is a brick-paved terrace with seating. A fire pit for patrons to gather round will be installed soon. Il Vicolo serves traditional recipes such as the margherita pizza as well as innovations such as the Blue Bayou, consisting of spicy tomato sauce with shrimp, andouille sausage and gorgonzola cheese.
In 1982, Salim left behind a prosperous family in Chittagong, Bangladesh at age 17 to study restaurant management in Montreal. He came to appreciate the integrity, dignity and diversity he observed in Canada. After working in the restaurant business for many years, in 1996 he moved to Ottawa and opened the Dalhousie Shafali. At that time, he convinced some family members of his family to follow him. Salim’s four brothers worked at Shafali part-time until they established themselves. In 1998, his brother Shahab opened Shafali Bazaar.
Another side to the Uddin family is their deep commitment to social justice and their active involvement in charitable work. Since 1982, they have been involved in Child Haven International, which operates nine homes for destitute children in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Tibet. They recently held a fundraising event in Carleton Place called “Bollywood on the Mississippi” that raised $8,000 for Child Haven International. Salim recalls that when he was growing up, destitute people would come to the gate of their family’s home, begging for food. He and his brothers were moved by the poverty that they witnessed in Bangladesh, particularly during the period of the 1974 famine that followed the brutal civil war leading to the formation of the modern state of Bangladesh.
One of the Child Haven International homes is actually the house in Chittagong where Salim and his brothers were raised, which the family converted to an orphanage. Salim described the orphanage in their ancestral home as “the most Canadian of the Child Haven International” homes, noting that the children living there come from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds. The Udin family are currently working to devise a plan to bring assistance to Rohingya Muslim refugees from the neighbouring state of Myanmar (Burma) who have been streaming into Bangladesh this year.
According to Salim, working in a family business has its challenges, and requires a different leadership style, but the reward is that “every day I appreciate the beauty of being able to spend time with my family and to see them grow”. The Uddin family recently closed a Shafali restaurant on Bank Street after five years of operation, when differences with the landlord become irreconcilable. This has brought home to Salim and his brothers the importance of the landlord as “an invisible partner” in any business.
Nonetheless, Salim is excited about recent changes in the Byward Market, noting that the new presence of Shopify and other high-tech firms in the Market reflects growing interest in the neighbourhood.