The Curry Life Team visited the newly opened FEAST in Whitechapel Road where we met the director, Siraj Salekin and also learned how to make the best orange juice in the world...
It’s two weeks since Feast opened and business looks brisk on an early Thursday evening. Inside the atmosphere is instantly warm and bright. The aroma of freshly made Indian sweets and savouries piled high in a glass counter greets us along with friendly smiles from serving staff. From the ‘shop’, area, named Mishti, a serving window opens on to the street reminiscent of Indian street- food diners, an impression which is accentuated by the bustle of Whitechapel market on the pavements outside.
I’m told that the name Mishti suggests ‘wherever people are happy’ and the ambiance in the restaurant is definitely one of bustling cheerfulness. Waiting staff wearing purple polo shirts embellished with the Mishti logo look animated and... yes... happy in their work. Light pine tables with red and black seated chairs compliment a red and mustard décor. An open kitchen lines the back wall with a separate brick-built section that houses a grill serving Pakistani cuisine. Feast is several things: traditional street cafe, suave Italian-influenced coffee bar, fine-dining restaurant; a venue for parties or corporate events - Feast is anything and everything you need, whenever or however the mood takes you.
The concept of a multi-purpose restaurant is precisely what the brains behind the venue wanted to achieve. Enter Feast’s director, Siraj Salekin, an exuberant father-of-five who is blessed with a theatrical flourish (“I should have been an actor,” he later jokes), and a face that shines with enthusiasm.
“Feast is three venues with three kinds of chef rolled into one,” Siraj explains. “We also aim to market to two different types of customer: the immigrant community for whom we have traditional fresh Bengali food and the young professionals who are used to coffee bars and continental-style fare. In other words, we decided to kill two birds with one stone.” he smiles. With a £1 billion investment in the Royal London Hospital, Siraj hopes that the accompanying business will help boost the market even more.
And Feast provides the perfect setting and food for all occasions. From Mishti, the dining area opens up into two distinct spaces. Customers can choose from a wide range of fare. For those who prefer Bengali food, there’s the à la carte menu, serving dishes like Karahi Chicken, Channa Gosht, authentic Biryanis cooked with meat on the bone, Lamb Chop Massala and Tilapia steak. During the day there is the Punjabi Grill and a daily all-you-can-eat buffet for £6.99. For the coffee shop clientele there’s a range of sandwiches, paninis, ciabattas, icecreams with cappuccinos, mocha, fresh smoothies and free Wi-fi. Then of course, there is the crowning glory of Mishti with mouth-watering treats that include succulent Gulabjamun, Rasmalai and Kalajamun and delicious Jalebi alongside savouries of Pakora, Channa, Chapati and Piazi – all produced daily by specially trained chefs.
It’s obvious that one of the reasons why Feast is a bit different from other restaurants in the area is Siraj himself. I say only ‘one’ of the reasons because Feast is in fact run by a management team of 14 people. All professionally educated, the committee meets once a week, with the directors meeting twice. “We’ve all grown up together, even going back to schooldays,” explains Siraj. “Some of us have difficulty investing our money because of Islamic beliefs about earning interest so this has become our latest challenge.”
Siraj first came to the UK when he was 10 in the footsteps of his father; a policeman in the British army who subsequently worked for British Rail in the UK. Initially wanting to be an architect, Siraj studied Civil Engineering at Greenwich University but later decided to switch to Social Sciences. Now, with a career as a Housing Manager, it has been a training which has well served his other role as restaurateur: “I like to get staff to work ‘out of the box’,” he says, “I have a passion for observing and learning and I like to do things that are out of the ordinary. I also specialise in crisis management,” he smiles.
But his passion for food and for cooking is self-evident. Siraj says it stems from the fact that his mother had five boys of which he was the youngest for a time (she later gave birth to two girls). “My mother didn’t have a girl so she used to teach me how to cook,” says Siraj. “She was the biggest influence on me. I used to watch her and I loved the way she worked. Now I release my stress by either cooking or gardening.”
Although Siraj tells us that he is taking the helm to prepare a meal for an impending visit by the Mayor of Tower Hamlets, he is more than happy to let his accomplished chefs take full control in the kitchen. In these he is blessed indeed with the skills of Head Chef, Monzurul Hassan-Shoban who was enticed from the well-known Bombay Spice in Peterborough to come to Feast.
“There I was cooking for a mainly white clientele,” explained Monzurul. “But I enjoy a challenge so I decided to come here to cook traditional Bengali food and Italian as well.”
Monzurul, who is a highly skilled chef with 12 years experience in the role, works to an exacting standard using only fresh ingredients and spices; even making his own yoghurts. One of his specialities is a Dry Meat Curry which we were more than happy to sample – it was delicious and unique. Other delights served to us by the charming head waiter, Bablu included Karahi Lamb, mouth meltingly marinated Chingri (King Prawns); perfectly crisp Pakora; Channa Ghosht; Tarka Dhal; succulent Chicken Tikka; tasty Sheekh Kebabs – I could go on. Oh, and we sampled Feast’s freshly squeezed orange juice and Siraj showed us a simple trick to make it the most perfect orange juice ever tasted. I’m afraid I promised not to divulge the secret!
Feast is open for bookings for Mendi Parties, Family Parties, Children’s Parties, Private Functions and Corporate Events with 130 seats capacity.
