Preston Habibi Chicken’s Bowie Chan is proud of what the store has achieved. Photo: supplied.
A popular eatery founded by two Wagga siblings has made its mark in Melbourne, where a major newspaper has named it one of the city’s favourite chicken places.
Sister-and-brother duo Mariam and Farhan Rehman co-founded and launched Habibi Chicken in Wagga in September 2022. Just over two years later, they expanded into the Victorian capital, opening a second store in Preston.
Earlier this month, it was named one of four ”must-try” charcoal chicken shops by daily broadsheet The Age.
“After winning hearts in Wagga Wagga, Habibi brought its Lebanese charcoal chicken to Melbourne earlier this year,” food writer Quincy Malesovas said.
“Hot tip: Take home some Wagga-made sauces and seasonings. They’re part of Habibi’s mission to support regional communities with jobs, something echoed in the name – ‘my love’ in Arabic.”
This made co-founder Mariam proud.
“Our mission is to basically bring the regions to the big smoke — so the cities, and give that same hospitality and local produce and fresh taste to the big cities,” she told Region.
Alongside Habibi Chicken, three other places were chosen: Chook, the Fonda co-founder’s latest venture; Korean chicken’s lesser-known chargrilled counterpart Smoky Hen (known as tongdak gui); and Tawooq.
Inspired by Middle Eastern cuisine, Habibi Chicken is a Lebanese store with a “regional feel to it”.
The menu was designed by a Lebanese chef, who the siblings convinced to move from Sydney to Wagga. He has been there since.
“I think that shows that the regions are becoming the choice to live and settle, but there’s not enough representation of the regions in the city,” Mariam said.
“So we wanted to make sure that others saw the uniqueness of what the regions had to offer, and the best way to do it and to unite people is through food and chicken.
“Chicken is a staple item in Australia.”
Habibi is best known for its charcoal chicken.
Aside from the milk brand Riverina Fresh, Mariam can’t think of any other mainstream Riverina brand.
“There’s really no other regional brand that I know of, apart from Riverina Fresh, the milk, that’s made it on a metropolitan scale,” she said.
“A lot of people, even the people who drink [Riverina Fresh], don’t know what the Riverina is.”
She’s hoping that Habibi Chicken can change that and put the Riverina (and Wagga) on the map.
Born in Wagga, she has an emotional attachment to the place, even after a year of moving out of Wagga, and felt that the regions were quite dismissed and “not seen as something unique”.
“I moved because I got married,” she said. “I would have stayed in Wagga if I could.”
After a rocky start in Melbourne, where Habibi Chicken had to shut down three times due to construction issues, she hopes that she can continue to open more stores with her brother and their business partners.
Her brother, Farhan, moved to Melbourne for university and was the one who convinced Mariam to venture into Melbourne’s food scene.
“He was the one who actually pushed for Preston,” she said.
“He really quite resonated with that vibrant community, and it’s very eclectic, you know? You’ve got your bar pubs, but then you’ve also got some upscale studios there.
“And, yeah, we just thought it was a really nice place for us to represent the regions.”
Mariam hopes to see more of the Riverina and Wagga represented on a large metropolitan scale.
“Definitely don’t think small,” she said. “Don’t see living in the regions as a disadvantage.”
You can keep up-to-date with them via the Habibi Chicken website.
