Something is cooking in Gungahlin and it smells (and tastes) delicious.
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El Jannah is opening its first Canberra store, bringing with it its special Lebanese charcoal chicken and garlic sauce - complete with secret ingredients.
Translated from the Arabic word "paradise", the El Jannah franchise is already a household favourite in Sydney and Melbourne and has now opened its latest store on Ernest Cavanagh Street.
Special Lebanese ingredients are what sets El Jannah chicken apart, according to chef Anthony Baradhy. And of course, in traditional chef fashion, Mr Baradhy could not reveal what their secret was.
The Canberra Times had an exclusive preview of the new store at Marketplace Gungahlin to find out just why El Jannah has already become a fan favourite in other parts of the country.
Behind the counter stands a large, charcoal grill manned by expert Rhys Frank-Lane. With experience in the busy Sydney stores, he's training the Canberra staff for the grand opening on Saturday.
They're expecting more than one thousand chickens to be sold during the grand opening and Mr Frank-Lane said they're ready for whatever comes their way on Saturday.
"Bring it on," Mr Frank-Lane said.
First started by Lebanese immigrants Andre and Carole Estephan in Sydney's western suburb of Granville, El Jannah has transported the taste of Lebanon across Australia.
He also didn't rule out a store on the other side of the lake, with more plans on the horizon for the fast-growing franchise.
"One of the first places we wanted to get into was Canberra and Gungahlin seemed like the best place for it," Mr Houldin said
"There's a good chance we will look for a number of sites in Canberra, and we really want to make sure this one is a successful one, to begin with."
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Gungahlin franchise owner Christian Candelori has moved to Canberra for the store, having previously operated Candelori's in Smithfield, Sydney.
"We generally serve over five thousand customers a week and for that you've got to have a strong culinary background and our franchisee has that experience," Mr Houldin said.
"They see Canberra as a great opportunity and they're hoping to expand here."
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