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Chef Hamid Noori, co-owner of The Mantu restaurant in Carytown (Photo courtesy Micheal Sparks)
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The Mantu, located at 10 S. Thompson St., is set to open for dinner service on Friday, May 24. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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A wall hanging inside The Mantu (Photo courtesy Chris Johnson)
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The decorative ceiling inside The Mantu (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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The dining area inside of The Mantu was designed by Richmond's The Underground Kitchen. (Photo courtesy Micheal Sparks)
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Chef Noori's signature dish (and the restaurant's namesake) is beef mantu, or homemade Afghan dumplings filled with beef, ginger, turmeric, garlic paste, chilis and more. (Photo courtesy Chris Johnson)
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The dining area inside of The Mantu facing the bar (Photo courtesy Micheal Sparks)
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The menu features Afghan and Pakistani dishes, including a rack of lamb marinated in citrus, onion, garlic, sumac and ginger. (Photo courtesy Chris Johnson)
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Hard-boiled egg wrapped in a mix of ground beef, lentils and Afghan spices, fried and served with a yogurt dressing (Photo courtesy Chris Johnson)
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Shelves inside The Mantu feature decorative pieces. (Photo courtesy Chris Johnson)
Refugee Hamid Noori is days away from achieving a dream that, throughout most of his life in war-torn Afghanistan, seemed unattainable.
Noori is the chef and co-owner of The Mantu, a new restaurant located in the former Burger Bach space at 10 S. Thompson St., set to open its doors at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 24. There he plans to re-create and introduce the flavors of his homeland to the Richmond community.
The 33-year-old grew up in Baghlan, Afghanistan, and watched as two regimes stripped his country's people of their humanity and any opportunities to lead a normal life.
Each day brought forth new challenges, and the focus was merely on survival. For years, Noori was the sole earner for his family, supporting his five brothers and sisters as well as his mother after his father was killed during a suicide bombing attack.
Hunger and the uncertainty of their next meal was common, food was scarce, and the family often lived off of bread. Noori scavenged for pieces of loose coal that had fallen out of bags to keep their house warm.
At 10 years old he slaughtered animals at a butcher shop, haunted by recurring images of blood when he went to sleep at night. And while other children attended school and received an education, Noori's job was to clean the school building between 4 and 7 a.m., before the students arrived.
“I thought, Why are we suffering like this? Why are these things happening to us and people coming to destroy us and our humanity?” Noori shares. “Why, instead of going to school, did I have to slaughter animals to make money and support my family, or work in a gas station when I wasn’t supposed to because I was underage? When will we be able to live in peace?”
Despite the hardships, Noori knew he was destined for more in life.
“When God saves you, nothing can destroy you,” he says. “My mom always supported us spiritually. She taught us how to be strong and to fight those challenges.”
Noori found work at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul as a waiter and in the kitchen, learning hospitality and kitchen management. He took notes, asked questions and gained a culinary foundation. He blew away the owners of a five-star restaurant inside the Kabul Serena Hotel, who initially called him a "street cook" before promoting him to executive chef. He'd eventually hold the same position for the U.S. Agency for International Development and learned English in just six months.
In 2015 Noori finally fled Afghanistan and arrived in Newport News with his family before heading to Richmond in 2017. He cooked at Noorani Kabab House in Henrico, where he met Shagufta Sajid, the future co-owner of The Mantu.
Through the International Rescue Committee, a program that assists immigrants from disaster and conflict zones with employment, health care and the transition to life in their new countries, Noori was connected with Ellwood Thompson’s and began a job as a dishwasher in November 2017.
“We quickly recognized his talents,” Colin Beirne, the marketing director for Ellwood Thompson’s, says. “We were under-utilizing him, and he started prepping for the salad bar and gained a following.”
Noori impressed his colleagues with his dedicated work ethic and the cuisine he made. He spoke openly about his aspirations to open his own restaurant before being approached one day by Ellwood Thompson’s owner and founder Rick Hood.
“He said, ‘I have a gift for you, I have something for you,” explains Noori, his eyes lighting up with the recollection.
The gift was the commercial kitchen space across the parking lot that Ellwood’s had been using for catering. A dream that seemed intangible and the normal life he had been longing for were beginning to materialize.
“It’s amazing, and we’re excited to help him. We are all huge fans of his, and the food is absolutely stellar,” says Beirne.
Ellwood’s will carry a selection of Noori’s items on its hot bar and also provide Noori with access to local, organic ingredients.
Another supporter of Noori and his journey is The Underground Kitchen, the secretive, experience-centered pop-up dinner series run by Micheal Sparks that launched in Richmond in 2014 and travels across the country. Noori worked several events with UGK and served as an integral component for its debut dinner in South Carolina.
Sparks, along with UGK partner and Director of Operations and Event Experience Kate Houck, designed the interior of The Mantu and assisted in the development of its cocktail and wine menu.
“This is what we want to do in our industry," says Sparks. "It’s about creating a community of support, and that’s what we are about — we want people to know his story."
“Everything around him has been chaos and turmoil for so long, and it breaks a lot of people down — [for Noori] it hasn’t,” Houck says. “He is one of the most gentle souls, and the kindness radiates off of him.”
Noori explains that Afghan cuisine is centered around the use of fresh herbs and spices such as cilantro, cumin, mint and sumac. But for Noori there are other key ingredients: “You have to have the passion and love. You can find thousands of recipes and spices to put into [your cooking], but that cannot change it; you have to have the feeling,” he says. “I want to bring that culture and flavor back.”
The dish that Noori has become known for, and the restaurant's namesake, is mantu, an Afghan dumpling. The beef dumplings are packed with cumin, turmeric, cilantro, garlic paste and ginger served with a yogurt, split pea and tomato sauce; there will also be vegetarian and vegan dumplings, along with a variety of dishes suitable for vegan and gluten-free eaters. Entrees are broken into sections on the menu: chicken, lamb, beef, seafood and vegetable.
At the core of The Mantu is a focus on uplifting others, supporting the dining community and the power of perseverance.
“I have a strong hope that never dies. After having all of those challenges, I’m still here,” says Noori. “I’ve survived, and I've made it happen.”
The Mantu will be open for dinner service from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and closed on Mondays.
