Iqbal Wahab

Iqbal Wahab, OBE (Order of the British Empire) -

Founder of the Tandoori Magazine

Businessman of the Year 2008, The Drinks Business

Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration, University of East London

Voted Restaurant Personality of the Year by Menu Magazine

Voted one of the Top 10 Restaurateurs in Britain in an Independent on Sunday survey

Retailer of the Year, Pig and Poultry Marketing awards 2009

Director of the Month January 2010, The Director magazine

Entrepreneur of the Year, Muslim News Awards 2010

Chair of the Government’s Ethnic Minority Advisory Group set up to discuss ways to reduce ethnic minority unemployment levels and sits on a Task Force with six ministers to formulate policies to this end

Chair, The Mayor’s Fund for London Business Club

Visiting Professor, London Metropolitan University Business School

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And there is so much more to him!!!!

So, who is Iqbal Wahab?????

Iqbal Wahhab, OBE is a Bangladeshi-born British businessman. Wahhab was born in East Pakistan, (now Bangladesh) and arrived in the United Kingdom at the age of eight months. He was educated in London and is a graduate of the London School of Economics.

After working as a journalist in the national press for three years, in 1991 he set up his own PR firm which specialised in food, drink and restaurants and then in 1994 he launched Tandoori Magazine.

He sold out of the magazine to launch the multi award winning Cinnamon Club in 2001 – a restaurant aimed to change the way of viewing Indian dining. In 2003 he co-authored The Cinnamon Club Cookbook and in 2005 opened Roast.

From 2012, Wahhab became chair of the Department for Work and Pensions' Ethnic Minority Advisory Group (EMAG), set up to discuss ways to reduce ethnic minority unemployment levels and sat on a Task Force with six ministers to formulate policies to this end. In 2012, he was invited to Gordon Ramsay's Bad Boys Bakery lunch at Brixton Prison.

In 2018 he decided to leave Roast so he could focus on other projects.

“Iqbal is a restaurateur par excellence, combining a passion for food with an art for communication, fine attention to detail and sound commercial acumen.”

Mark Price, Managing Director, Waitrose

“National Treasure”

The Times

Iqbal Wahab has gone through tough times to stand where he is today. He should be an inspiration to every restaurateur here. Unfortunately, not many know about him in the country of his origin.

The Dhakaiyya Burger from Madchef

The Dhakaiya Burger on the menu mentions of a meat patty, fried paneer, cheese and mint chutney on the menu. The combination is quite intriguing to any gourmet or gourmand in Dhaka. 
The first impression you get from the menu is that this going to be an American cheesy burger with infusion of spicy and sour flavours of Dhaka. The local paneer in a burger if got right is a sheer treat.

The burger could be a treat to the eyes. Many could actually be totally satisfied with it. The dripping cheese over the patty under a thick fried crumbed paneer with mint chutney in between should be bound to get you tempted to dig in if not completely drooling. 

However, for a food writer and researcher like me, this burger is out of proportions. The key element that this burger is missing is 'Balance'! The paneer is too thick over the patty of that portion, overpowering the core of the burger. The taste shifts from the major protein in the burger to the complementary paneer which should be the condiment here and not the primary 'focus'. The mint chutney was also excessively used and it was more of a coriander chutney than mint, which does not complement a burger so well. This chutney is also too spicy to kill the burger and so needs to served with a light hand. The buns used are just right for this burger though!

The next point of argument could be the assembling. The chutney should complement the crumbed paneer and not the meaty patty. I would have preferred it smothered lightly on the paneer, than being generously dropped over the melting cheese on the patty. 

The concept is interesting but failed to be executed perfectly. The burger is yet filling and has good flavours, which need to be in balanced proportions.

Lunch at Peyala

Peyala is known well for its 'rastar cha', salad bowls and wraps, and customizing my wrap seemed like the most comforting thing to do before the bill showed up.

Overcooked chicken with raw vegetable and mushroom, pleasantly spicy tofu and balsamic vinaigrette, wrapped with thin flat grilled tortilla managed to just stay together. The bites were satisfying to a hungry stomach and I had to bite once on the right and once on the left to get the flavours from all of them. Capsicum gave the crunch while the salsa brought in the subtle acidity. Mushrooms helped to make it umami, and the spicy heat from the tofu covered for the boring chicken in the wrap. The vinaigrette could have complemented well had there been a more generous drizzle in a large fat wrap like that.

Six layered chocolate cake at PEYALA

Looks can be deceiving and this one was just hiding behind a very tempting impression.
In a nutshell, this cake did just enough to ruin the dining experience.
The cake had dry fudge. The frosting was too dense and sweet. The grease coated the tongue and palate leaving an obnoxious taste. This certainly was a horrible dessert to follow a good wrap.

Totally disappointed! Tk300 for this slice is just not worth it. In fact, I would not like to pay any money for this. I would not eat it as a complement either! 

Coupled with a six layered chocolate cake that comes for Tk300, and a small bottle of water, the meal cost me Tk800+.

What actually baffles me is the demand for 'rastar cha' or the roadside tea!
I find it hard to understand why would anyone ask for it at 6 times the price in that establishment? Peyala actually gives me the idea of a refined tea shop. Asking for 'rastar cha' and to be served like that is like asking for the rikshaw experience in your Mercedes Benz, at a price higher than the actual one.
The real experience of 'rastar cha' from the 'tong' cannot simply be replaced with the tea in an air conditioned room, just how real football game cannot be replaced with FIFA.

While sitting is comfortable and there is a good cold interior, getting up to get tissue papers every now and then could be annoying and the loud crowd makes it difficult to spend some quiet time. The music needs to get louder here.

Joël Robuchon-Did you know about him?

Do you know this guy? 

Oh yes you do! He is Anthony Bourdain!!! He was a celebrity chef, traveler and a food writer. The guy passed away this year and we have been lamenting since. A few public speakers who didn't know him had to pretend to on social media to keep their popularity intact. That's how much Anthony means!

Now, did you know about Joël Robuchon? 'Joël who?' are probably the words in your mind now.

This man is Joël Robuchon! This man passed away this year too. In fact, just a little less than a month ago, he died. 

So why this piece about him today? Who is he? Why does he matter?

Joël Robuchon was the most decorated French chef, who stayed true to his work and would not be wrong to be considered the flag bearer of the Post-nouvelle Cuisine. He was the very face of Michelin Stars, I dare say, having 32 of them, the most by any chef in the world ( of course many more than Gordon Ramsay's-twice to be exact!) The first year he received his first Michelin star, the following year, the second one and the year after, the third. Three years, three Stars, a feat never seen before in gastronomy! The only problem is, he didn't make it to the media as much as Anthony, Gordon, Jamie, Bobby or a few others did, though his legacy is far greater than their. He showed how to make healthy dishes exotic and vibrant.

It is about him today because, the world went in tears after Bourdain's death (which I have no complains about, and he did entertain the world for ages), but the most celebrated chef, and The Chef of The Century as recognized by Gault Millau, has had only a few to remember him. I haven't seen many offering condolences on the death of a Chef who was the epitome of creative cooking, making every ingredient show off on the plate. He dedicated his time to introducing or merging ideas in the kitchen and picked several techniques from other parts of the world to elevate his dishes. 
He mentored Gordon Ramsay in Paris, and Joel is also known to be the only person to ever throw a plate at Gordon.

Joël said: "I remember it was a dish of langoustine ravioli.
"He hadn’t made it properly. I told him so and Gordon reacted in a very arrogant manner."

You will certainly not be crucified for not knowing him. But if you knew him, you must be a passionate worker in the kitchen. If you don't, no harm done, but you missed knowing a legend! 

Secret Recipe Bangladesh

Been ages since I indulged in a chocolate cake that had densely rich chocolate with soft sponge. Ever since Belagio shut down, I missed their amazingly rich chocolate cake, that was chocolaty without being too sweet. The Chocolate Indulgence came very close to it. The sponge was slightly dry, because of the absence of sugar syrup, but the chocolate layers were just sublime. This is literally a chocolate indulgence. The thin layer of cheese is masked by the strength of milk chocolate though.

Cooking Oil! Which one is the healthiest for cooking?

Now not too long ago I saw a chef posting with a bottle of oil calling it to be healthiest oil on Facebook (No! Not the one in the photo here). He was probably saying that because he was getting paid for it. 

However, do these chefs really know if the oils they vouch for are really healthy? Do the chefs here in this part of the world particularly know how to pick an oil for the preparation? Are the commercial ads on healthy oils really giving the correct message? Well, the labels could be misleading and may not have clear suggestive guides either.

If you thought extra virgin olive oil is the only healthiest out there, you couldn’t have been more wrong!

As it appears, cooking oil should be picked based on its smoke point and the ratio of fatty acids.

Smoke point of oil is the temperature at which the oil burns and chemically breaks down in heat, releasing dangerous free radicals. What are free radicals? These are chemicals you do not want inside your body because they destroy cells and cause aging.

The smoke point of cooking oils varies widely. In general, the more refined oil, the higher its smoke point, because refining removes impurities and free fatty acids that can cause the oil to smoke. The smoke point of the oil, therefore, depends on the levels of free fatty acids in it. Free fatty acids are dangerous for the circulation and can lead to heart diseases and in some cases insulin resistance (diabetes) too. Free fatty acids are a bigger culprit than dietary cholesterol for heart diseases. The lower the content of free fatty acids, the higher is the smoke point of the oil. Oil with high very high smoke point is the best for cooking on high heat. The saying that extra virgin olive oil burns quickly is a myth and you can use it to cook on high heat produced by domestic stoves. Sunflower oil has even a higher smoke point and stability. 

Safflower oil: Smoke point: 450-500 degrees F. Use for searing, deep-frying, pan-frying, sautéeing, roasting, grilling, baking and salad dressings (mild flavour). An excellent source of vitamin E (one tablespoon supplies 30 per cent of a day’s requirement).

Sunflower oil: Smoke point: 400-450 degrees F (refined). Use for deep-frying, pan-frying, sautéing, roasting, grilling, baking and salad dressings (mild flavour). High in vitamin E, delivering 5.6 mg per tablespoon.

Extra virgin olive oil: Smoke point: 350-410 degrees F. Use for sautéeing and frying over medium-high heat, and salad dressings. A good source of vitamin E and antioxidants called polyphenols.

Coconut oil: Smoke point: 350 degrees F. Use for sautéeing and baking. It’s high in saturated fat (86 per cent). The saturated fat in coconut oil raises LDL (bad) blood cholesterol.

By Vesanto Melina, MS, RD www.nutrispeak.com

Standard Cooking Temperatures at homes:

Pan frying (sauté) on stove top heat: 120 °C (248 °F)

Deep frying: 160 - 180 °C (320 °F - 356 °F)

Oven baking: Average of 180 °C (356 °F)

However, it seems like smoke point alone cannot decide for all types of oils. Butter has high smoke point and stability too, but you cannot use them in salad dressings for a healthy diet.

For low temperature cooking, or adding to dishes and salad dressings, choose oils with a higher Omega-3 fatty acids since they promote healthy cells and decrease stroke and heart attack risk.  They are also known for their anti-inflammatory action.  Although you need Omega-6 fatty acids to maintain cell wall integrity and provide energy for the heart, too much Omega-6 fatty acids can increase inflammation in the body.  Also, cooking oils high in Omega 9 is a good way to go. Omega-9 fatty acids are considered to be "conditionally essential," which means that although your body produces them, they aren't produced in meaningful quantities. Consuming omega-9 fatty acids such as oleic acid lowers the risk of heart attacks, arteriosclerosis, and aids in cancer prevention.

So next time you are out there to get oil from the store, you could think about the points mentioned to pick the right oil for taste and health.

Paan Kulfi at The Great Kebab Factory

Amazing Paan Kulfi. It has the creamy cardamon character of a kulfi with a refreshing twist of betel leaf. A wonderful delight after a meal to cool things down inside in a tasty way. And the only place in Dhaka that serves this is The Great Kebab Factory.