You might not know Mogul Restaurant, but it has its fans. It’s been quietly doing its thing (South Asian/Pakistani cuisine) in CBS since early 2017. It was one of Karl Wells’ top restaurants of 2017.

After two years of Hidden Gem status, Mogul is ready to step up their presence in the culinary landscape with a move to the east end of St. John’s (430 Torbay Road; the old Press & Bean building).

Saima Saqib owns the business, along with her husband, Sheikh Saqib Munawar. “Mogul is a purely South Asian/Pakistani cuisine,” says Saqib. “As we say ‘Speak with the Taste.’”

Originally from Pakistan, Saqib is a medical doctor and her husband is an engineer. “But food is our passion,” says Saqib. Saqib feels confident about the food and their reputation, but she felt it was time to move.

“There are/were many reasons which brought us up for this move,” says Saqib of Mogul’s move to the former Press & Bean location on Torbay Road. Among them, she notes that the majority of their customers said that they’d visit more often if it was in town. Plus, Mogul experienced difficulties in getting employees in CBS, an issue Saqib attributes to the lack of bus services.

The move also promises more space for Mogul. “In rush hours, we needed more space badly. We had to excuse customers for not having enough space to accommodate them,” says Saqib. At their first location, they had been seating people in their overflow downstairs bar area, a solution that never sat well with Saqib, who goes on to say that things were getting cramped in the back of the house, as well.

“As a matter of fact, Asian cooking is extensive and a bit messy, [it] demands a spacious kitchen with more appliances,” says Saqib. “We needed to have a bigger kitchen where we could accommodate our clay ovens and other stuff.”

From their new location, Mogul will be offering eat-in, take-out, and buffet. They’re also planning for home delivery after some time at our new location.They’re open to partnering with Skip the Dishes, an option that wasn’t available for CBS.

Despite the challenges, the past two years in CBS has left Saqib feeling thankful. “We would like to thank people of NL, especially CBS, who welcomed us with open heart and appreciated us,” says Saqib. She says she’s very pleased with the response from the customers so far. “NL is our home now and we love being here and we love people of NL.”

Mogul Restaurant (430 Torbay Road) will re-open early 2019. Check their Facebook for updates.

This image above is actually from Barry C. Parsons famed food blog.