To many Bangladeshis, “British cuisine” might sound like a contradiction in terms. But not to British-Bangladeshi Iqbal Wahhab.
Having already founded the Cinnamon club, a high-end Indian restaurant in London’s Westminster district, Iqbal now runs Roast, a restaurant that specialises in serving up quality British staples.
We caught up with Iqbal for a Q&A about both projects:
You founded your first restaurant, The Cinnamon Club, to change British attitudes towards South Asian food. How did that go?
IW: There was a lot of resistance at first to me saying we were going to introduce a new way of eating curry, people’s favourite food, but we stuck at it and now it’s the most successful Indian restaurant in the world.
Abroad, Bangali restaurants are often eclipsed by Indian ones. What are your thoughts on Bangali food in the west?
IW: There’s a big difference between Bangladeshi owned restaurants that serve Indian food (the majority) and Bangladeshi owned restaurants that serve Bangladeshi food, which there are hardly any. Maybe one day I’ll complete my culinary journey with a salute to my place of birth.
What appeals to you about British cuisine?
IW: What’s so special about British food is that it’s not pretentious. It’s honest, straight up food that we enjoy. A bit like why we enjoy curry so much.
Isn’t British food bland when compared to Bangali food?
IW: We serve 2,800 people every week at Roast and have yet to have anyone ask for green chilies. Even British Bangladeshis enjoy coming here. We all grow up with British food at school and in fish-and-chips shops. Maybe they just want a spice break!
Do people in Britain find it strange that someone born in Bangladesh, which has such a rich and distinct culinary heritage, has chosen to set up a British restaurant?
IW: Yes they do, but they’re terribly polite about it to my face. The critics prefer just to give snidey references, but my customers don’t care whether I’m from Brighton, Bosnia or Bangladesh.
They want to know whether they can get a decent steak and kidney pudding from us.
If you had to choose, what would be your favorite English dish?
IW: Shepherd’s pie. It was the first thing I ever made – aged 11. I had one just yesterday.
