Manchester, much more than just the Curry Mile
Take a look around Manchester and you will find a wide variety of Asian food restaurants serving many different market sectors. While enjoying the Curry Mile in Rusholme is still popular it is by no means the only way entrepreneurs are developing the Asian hospitality market, here are some great examples of what is happening and the views of the owners and managers of the businesses.
Dilli, Altrincham
Dilli has been in Altrincham for 2 years and offers a fine dining experience with Indian cuisine prepared in accordance with Ayurvedic principals. This means it not only tastes great but is healthy too. Dilli use no artificial colouring and no ghee and are keen to tackle the mis-conception of Indian food as being 'bad for you'.
Mr Ravi Bajaj, Dilli's Director, explained their aim is to offer people a much greater choice than the vindaloo or madras menus of the past. With people travelling further afield on their holidays and their general knowledge of different food types expanding, they expect more and Dilli provides it.
Favourites in the restaurant include Roast Duck and Lobster dishes as well as the more familiar offerings of Lamb or Chicken Karai and Lamb chops.
The ambience in the restaurant is different too; there is plenty of light so people can see their food; it has always been non-smoking and the decor is highly contemporary.
So what of the future? Mr Bajaj believes business will get more difficult and that the industry needs to tackle the shortage of skilled workers. He would like to see more government support for training initiatives so that more talent is 'home grown'. He also feels that together with music and sport, food is an excellent media for developing links within the community and creating a more tolerant society.
Sangam III, Heald Green
In Heald Green, Mr Bakol and his team have created a family dining experience. They want people to see their restaurant as a meeting place, a place to take your family and to take your time.
The restaurant itself is large and spacious, with seating for over 200. As with Dilli, a lot of effort had been put into the interior design which combines traditional touches with brilliant lighting effects.
With business becoming harder and competition greater, the location of Sangam III is deliberately out of town so that they can offer a large car park with no parking difficulties for guests when visiting.
Their menu has been expanded to include Thai food so the choice is wide and varied. All food is cooked with vegetable oil and not Ghee and they use no artificial colourings. Mr Bakol explained they now serve far more authentic dishes which are drier and not drowned in hot sauces.
Sangam III make a lot of effort to put something back into the community too. They offer local schools very low cost food for events and often invite kids into the kitchens to teach them some cookery basics.
Jai Kathmandu, Northenden
So having visited an Indian and a Kashmiri restaurant, we move on to the Nepali cuisine at Jai Kathmandu. Run by the three Shrestha brothers, this is a traditional family owned business. Their
clientele includes business people, couples and families with young children and is approximately 50% Asian origin and 50% English origin.
Despite being located close to several pubs and bars they are not looking to serve the post pub crowd and close at 11:30. In fact their heritage reaches the highest levels, Mr Shrestha having previously been a chef for the Nepalese Royal family
As with others we spoke with their chef is from the sub-continent, in this case Nepal and cooks in a style that is similar to Punjabi cuisine.
Nawaab, Levenshulme
By the far the largest restaurant on our trip was Nawaab's in Levenshulme. With its buffet concept, all the food is freshly cooked in front of the diners by the chefs. Guests help themselves to their meals and choose from a huge array of Punjabi and Kashmiri recipes. They can refill their plates as many times as they like
Nawaab's is open all day from 12:30 to 10:30 and unlike the others we visited, has a no alcohol policy. They have also exported their conept with two restaurants in Spain
Nawaab's were also the first venue on our tour to cater for large wedding parties with a huge private dining area which can hold several hundred guests at a time.
Mr Mehboob Hussain joined with others in raising concern over the level of available staff in the UK, as they too have to bring staff over from Pakistan in order to get the right level of trained personnel. Perhaps surprisingly he also expressed his support for strong legislation in areas such as hygiene. This makes it far more difficult for cowboys to operate and this is good for the whole Asian hospitality sector, he explained.
Akbar's, Manchester
And last but by no means least we finished off at one of the newest venues in Manchester, Akbar's in the city centre opposite the Science Museum.
Catering to the growing city centre population as well as visitors on a night out, Akbar's is one of a chain of restaurants being created across the UK by Shabir Hussain. He explained that he saw his latest restaurant as something totally new for Manchester. Catering for a more sophisticated English palate and the changing dining habits of the increasingly large number of young Asian professionals living in the city centre, he has brought together great food and great service.
Their menu is Punjabi in origin and also includes the more authentic dishes which are now much more in demand. Famous for its huge hanging Naan breads, Akbar's mixes the look and feel of a sophisticated bar with that of a vibrant modern restaurant.
Conclusion
So what do we conclude from our whistle stop tour? Certainly the vindaloo is dying, people are more knowledgeable and demanding. Restaurants are responding to this by developing their menus and in many cases returning to their roots by providing more traditional dishes rather than English variations on a Curry.
Rules and regulations are tough and getting tougher but most welcome this as it keeps standards up and allows those who really care to provide the highest quality food and service.
We desperately need better training for home grown talent and must challenge government to work with us to help create this.
And finally, you have to diversify to survive and prosper in a highly competitive market, whichever sector you want to target.