Ansar Ahmed Ullah from the Swadhinata Trust and Mariam Sheikh Hakim, a London-bred communications specialist and freelance writer have teamed up to tell us all about Bangladeshi culture in London for our World in London series.

The 2001 National Census recorded that 153, 893 people of Bangladeshi origin reside in London, with approximately 65,500 living in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Tower Hamlets has a rich history of welcoming different immigrant populations – from the French Huguenots of the 1700s to the Jewish immigrants of the late 1800s. Now the area is largely occupied by the Bengali Community and is the best place to experience Bangladesh in London.

The very first Bengalis who came to the UK were seamen, and were often ship’s cooks in the early 1900s. Back then Bengal was still part of India, and later, following partition in 1947, the majority of Bengal became East Pakistan.

The success story of the so-called “Indian” is the 10,000-12,000 restaurants in the UK, which are almost all owned and run by Bangladeshis. This started with the setting up of cafes ashore, which spread out from the docks.

By the 1970s, East Pakistan gained independence and sovereignty as the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. After the independence of Bangladesh during the 1970s and 1980s, many more Bangladeshi families began settling in East London near Brick Lane as well as central London such as Camden – Drummond Street in particular. This led to an increase of cultural and religious activities in these areas, particularly in food, music, arts, literature, drama and now festivals in East London.

Today, Brick Lane – also known as Banglatown – has been dubbed the “Curry capital” of Europe, boasting more than 50 restaurants on just one street.

Since 1997, the Bangladeshi community in East London have been organising the Baishakhi Mela (Bengali New Year Festival) in Banglatown annually. The celebrations take place in Brick Lane, and adjoining streets, and include live music from two stages, Bengali food and a grand parade by children in costumes. The festival is often held in the second weekend of May and has now become an annual event for all Bangladeshis from the UK as well as Europe. Today the Baishakhi Mela held in London’s East End is the largest open air festival outside Bangladesh and West Bengal and the second biggest in London after Notting Hill Carnival.

At the Altab Ali Park at the very bottom of Brick Lane, there is even a replica version of the famous national Bangladeshi monument, the Shaheed Minar which commemorates Bangladeshi language martyrs.

So, in short if you want to experience Bangladesh in London, head to London’s Banglatown, as it’s the best place to start!

Note: We’ve used the term “Bengali” here to describe the language and culture from the Bengal region now spreading across West Bengal in India and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

Do you have any other top tips for experiencing Bangladeshi culture in London? Let us know in the comments below…

Next up in our World in London challenge: Kenya. After a lot of research, I found this restaurant in North Finchley, which offers Kenyan-Indian cusine. 

Raj Patel, 46, is Indian, born in Kenya. When he moved to London, he was inspired to open a restaurant serving the kind of food his mother cooked, an infusion of Kenyan and Indian cooking.

He’s now been running Safari Club for eight years. The 70-seater restaurant also has a side bar with a big screen for showing sporting events, and a large garden which is really popular in the summer months. I spoke to Raj about what makes the food at Safari Club different.

“The key to Kenyan cooking is the spices. The spices are what make the difference. We use an infusion of different flavours in our Kenyan-Indian cooking. Everything we make is freshly cooked: don’t come here expecting fast food or anything like that. If you order a dish, it’s going to take 20 minutes, because we cook each dish using fresh ingredients, fresh spices, fresh vegetables. And that’s true with the meat too. We don’t use frozen products here. And you can taste the difference.

“The most popular dish is the Nairobi Chicken. It has a real kick to it, but it’s not too hot. It’s not hot like a vindaloo, it’s a better flavour. Even people who’ve arrived saying they don’t like curry, but have then tried the Nairobi Chicken say they like it!

I learnt cookery from my mum. She’s the inspiration here, so you get proper home cooking Indian-Kenyan style. And while I do more front-of-house work now, I’ve trained all the chefs who work here, they’ve learnt from me. I’m guess I’m just passionate about cooking.”

Raj tells me Safari Club can be a lively place at the weekend, popular with families in the restaurant section and guys watching sport in the bar. I asked if they’ll be showing the Olympics on the big screen, and if so, which country will Raj be supporting?

“I’ll be watching India and Kenya, and England (Team GB) too! I’ve been living here most of my life so I’m hoping to celebrate with all three! It’s sometimes tricky when you have England playing India and so on, but hopefully all three will do well.”

If you’re looking for a taste of Kenya in London, Safari Club is at 975 High Road, North Finchley, London, N12

Do you know where else you can sample Kenyan culture in London? Let us know in the comments below.

Tucked away opposite the Old Truman Brewery in London E1 is Sheba Brick Lane.

On arriving in Brick Lane we were greeted by touts for a host of Indian restaurants all claiming to offer the best meal on the busy East End street. Sheba, however, needs no touts – it has a steady stream of customers literally queuing for the chance to eat at the well-loved establishment.
 
Founded in 1973, this family-run restaurant excels in delivering delicious, hearty Indian cuisine at a reasonable price. We arrived at 7pm to a full restaurant. Many diners seemed to be regular customers judging by their familiar rapport with the waiters, which we took to be a good sign. The bustling, buzzy atmosphere gave a sense of theatricality to the whole experience.
 
The extensive menu was rather overwhelming, with specialties from award-winning chef Gulab Miah, Sheba house specials, a huge selection of seafood as well as all the curry house classics. We eventually decided on kebab ke karishma (grilled meats) followed by the lamb lucklow (lamb shank) and special tandoori korai king prawn.

The main dishes were particularly outstanding. We’ll return to Sheba for the lamb lucknow alone, with its rich gravy of cardamon, tomato and saffron. In fact, the food was so good and portions so generous that we were compelled to take home what we couldn’t finish.
 
Our evening was rounded off perfectly with a stroll back to Liverpool Street station through the charming Spitalfields Market, happy in the knowledge that we would be able to enjoy our Sheba leftovers for lunch the next day.

Sheba is open seven days a week and booking is recommended at the weekend.

British-Pakistani blogger Mariam Sheikh, a London-bred communications specialist and food enthusiast joins our World in London challenge, to talk about the joys of savouring Pakistani cuisine in London.

Where can you find Pakistan in London? Well, with the Office for National Statistics stating there are around 180,000 Londoners of Pakistani descent, the answer to that question is “just about anywhere!”

Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest are where you can find the largest Pakistani communities in the city. Pockets in West and South London such as Tooting and Wembley are also home to thriving Pakistani communities.

Like other Londoners of South Asian decent, considerable numbers of Pakistanis have set up their own businesses, including grocery stores and newsagents, as well as myriad restaurants offering tantalising and mouth-watering Pakistani cuisine.

Pakistani cuisine is not all that different from Indian cuisine (it was once the same country after all) and restaurants in London have often marketed themselves along the lines of the traditional Indian curry house. But there are slight differences; Pakistani cuisine is likely to have lots of barbequed and grilled meat, with some – but less – sauce dishes than other South Asian restaurants and hardly any fruit or coconut used in curries.

Today there are many Pakistani restaurants that are gaining confidence to break the mould of the “curry house” image; some market their food specifically as Pakistani and most offer a modern, contemporary and affordable dining experience. Areas in London have developed where entire streets are full of South Asian restaurants, and many of the most popular ones offer Pakistani cuisine.

Some of my top Pakistani restaurant picks are:

• Lahore Karahi and Spice Village in Tooting
• Tayyabs in Whitechapel
• Bandu Khan in Aldgate
• Raavi kebab in Euston

Biriyani, masala fish, seekh kebab, tandoori lamb chops and falooda are all typical on a Pakistani menu and are sure to have your lips smacking at their appetising aroma. So next time you’re in these areas be sure to make your way down to the nearest Pakistani restaurant and savour the delectable flavours for yourself!

http://www.myspace.com/mariamsheikh

What’s your experience of Pakistani culture in London? Tell us in the comments below.