One of my favourite chefs in Dhaka

One of my favourite chefs in Dhaka-Mr. Sayem Manna
I mentioned in one of my posts before about three chefs in Dhaka who have impressed me so far. This man is one of them.
Chef Sayem Manna was the second chef to impress me, and the first to do so with different dishes from the Italian cuisine. The first dish I tasted was Penne Meatball and that very dish seemed so perfect, I doubt even an Italian could get the flavours so right like that. It was that day that I knew this man had the talent I was looking for.
He is from Maulvi Bazar, went to IUB but completed his BBA in Australia. There must have been something in the Australian air that made him work on his passion. That passion was culinary arts. Sayem Manna did Commercial Cookery Level 3 at Australian Institute of Trade and worked at La Camera in Melbourne and Ceasar in Sydney as a proud Bangladeshi.
Chef Sayem has been in this field for the last 14 years and worked in Dhaka for the last 8 years or so. He was a chef at Westin for a short period of time before becoming the Head of the Faculty of Culinary Arts at Tommy Miah's Hospitality Management Institute. Now he is an Executive Chef at Gloria Jean's Coffees Bangladesh, but will be leaving soon for Australia.
The man was much inspired by his mentors Joel Brendan and Sam Xavier, and himself has been a good leader in his kitchen. The chefs he trained are now serving excellent food and many of them have moved to some of the popular restaurants in Dhaka.
What I find best in him is his "never compromise" attitude with food. He sticks to the basics and goes for no cheap substitutes. This ensures texture and authenticity in flavour in his Italian dishes. But that's not his real strength. His real strength has to be appreciation of flavours. He understands flavours well, and can grasp a quick idea about the kind of taste his customers would be demanding and comes up with something exceptional every time. The man can literally play with ingredients to create something new and exceptional.
His best moment in life came when the Vice Chairman of the Company he works at currently complemented him saying Chef Sayem would have been his personal chef, had he been the President. I must say I find no exaggeration in that!
Some of the best dishes I have tasted so far are Lamb Cutlet ( medium rare for me), Spaghetti Bolognese ( I find his version the best in the city), Grilled Chicken Sandwich and Penne Meatball, my all time favourite.
Two dishes I have not tasted yet, but heard people calling them amazing are Sea Bass with Hollandaise Sauce and Bell Pepper Rice with Chicken Coconut Curry.
I wish him to excel and make us proud in Australia. He is the type of chef I have been looking for, someone who has the knowledge and is original, not a copy chef.