Emdad Rahman
Six months after opening and thrilling diners from all over the country, Luton’s upmarket restaurant is proving all the doubters wrong
When a local businessman made a bold move to try and change the landscape of fine dining and bring the upmarket London vibe to Luton during the pandemic, many people advised him he was making a big mistake. They said Luton is not ready for it, and was recommended to go for fast food instead, particularly during tough economic times. So far, Abu Nasir and his business partner Khaled Ahmed, known locally as the ‘King of Curry Sauces’ have been proving the doubter wrong.
Businessman and football industry executive Abu Nasir who is known for his roles with the FA, Liverpool FC, The Premier League, and local grassroots football club Luton Sporting Club decided to take a calculated risk during the pandemic, in which he described as “growing frustrated with the lack of choice, quality food and service in the town”. He decided to partner up with his close friend Khaled Ahmed, who himself has over 30 years of experience in the curry industry and purchased a vacant unit in their local neighbourhood, with the aim of providing a different experience for diners with high quality service and fresh food with a different twist.
Tapas restaurant in Bushmead Luton, which opened only in June has been shortlisted for one of the most prestigious awards events in the hospitality calendar. The British Curry Awards, also known as the ‘Curry Oscars’ has selected Tapas as a finalist for best restaurant and newcomer award, amongst the 12,000 Indian restaurants in the country, after receiving recommendations from customers who have been dining at the slick venue from up down the country. The extravaganza is due to be held at the prestigious Battersea Evolution in London on the 29th of November. The high-profile event generates huge interest internationally and is attended by celebrities including the prime minister, politicians, actors, and footballers.
They bought the restaurant and completely stripped and refurbished the whole unit and bought in a specialist designer to work with them to bring an upmarket London feel to the restaurant with no expense spared. The kitchen has been equipped with up-to-date technology including high spec tandoor, grill, fryers, cookers, walk in fridge, rational combi ovens and designed to make it easy and convenient to help deliver their ambitious plans.
Since its launch the restaurant has also provided funding and supported several local and national community and charity initiatives, including sponsoring local league football teams, funded charity initiatives which includes fundraising for a disability charity, London marathon runners, Human Relief Foundation, Bedfordshire Bowling Club and Luton Foodbank amongst others.
Abu Nasir stated “We feel we have disrupted the curry industry and ensured others have ‘upped their offering’” which will only serve the best interests of the consumer”. “Tapas provides an exquisite dining experience for all our guests, offering an outstanding combination of both traditional and contemporary authentic Indian food and tapas. “Our distinctive menu consists of curries and small plates, along with a vast variety of grill and mezze which has been crafted by our team, who have spent years perfecting the art of culinary skills and recipes.
Each dish is exclusive and unique in its flavouring and is made with fresh local ingredients and produce. Our produce including vegetable, meat fish and poultry are ordered and cooked daily including all sauces which are uniquely made for each individual dish, so no dish tastes the same.
He stated; We are a destination venue for fine and affordable dining and our customers have been coming from all over the country including London, Liverpool, Birmingham and Bradford. It’s been a tough couple of years, and we’ve had to cancel our grand opening twice due to lockdown restrictions after lining up the likes of Liverpool stars Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and even James Bond Actor Daniel Craig for the grand opening. Instead, we’ve had to go for a soft opening and will be doing the formal launch in January with a star- studded line up. “We feel we have achieved a lot during a short space of time which has led other restaurants to observe and try to follow our example. We are trying to change the landscape of the curry industry in a positive way.”