I have never written a book critique before but after finishing Ziaur’s book I felt compelled to share my opinions, especially since it fitted with the theme of my blog. I also feel that some people from our community may be interested in reading it themselves, as the book has local references.

I am not a frequent reader but I thoroughly enjoy books that are based on history, culture, and with tangible content that you can use in real life. This is because it not only teaches you about yourself but also gives insights into where you are from and offers things that can enrich your daily life – even if that’s just in the kitchen! And this is exactly what this book offers.

I was delighted to be able to pick up a copy of the book ‘Going for an Indian’ by the great Ziaur Choudhrey (Owner of a Montaz, Newmarket). I have been looking forward to reading it for some time, as it not only goes into detail about his personal journey but also contains a lot of local history on the Cambridgeshire Bangladeshi scene.

I was pleased to bump into him selling his new book at the Meridian Grand during The Catering Circle’s ‘Business Conference Gala Dinner’ the other week. This meant I was able to get it signed by him personally and also have a bit of a chat about the book before reading.

It has been a couple of years since my last visit to Montaz but it has made quite an impression on me, mostly by offering the best ox cheek I have ever had in my life. The Montaz brand has numerous restaurants across the area from St Ives, Bourne, Ely, and Brampton. Sadly, the Ely branch has closed down but the Newmarket branch still stands proud, offering some of the finest Bangladeshi cuisine for miles around. I highly recommend you visit, especially if you are looking to branch out from the usual British Bangladeshi fusion dishes into more traditional Bangladeshi fine dining.

The book focuses on Ziaur’s journey, starting from his grandfather emigrating over to the UK in the 60’s working in the Birmingham factories, to his experience growing up working with his father in the restaurant trade. This taught him the skills required to become the successful and entrepreneurial restaurant owner that he is today.

From here, the book offers fascinating insights into the other side of the popular British term ‘Going for an Indian’ which, before reading this book, I was blissfully unaware of. It includes the hard work involved behind the scenes, the anti social hours, and the challenges faced assimilating into British society, while still trying to keep hold of your cultural and personal identity.

I always knew that a lot of hard work went into running a restaurant but reading about some of the hardships, challenges, and failures which led to his inevitable success really opened up my eyes. It is a humbling story and I feel more people should read this book to fully appreciate what goes into running a project like this. I certainly think that it would result in significantly fewer rude customers!

The book is written in a very approachable and accessible way for all types of readers. Perfect for casual reading and it articulates itself as if Ziaur was speaking to you personally. For someone like myself who can struggle to slug through a novel, this made reading manageable and enjoyable. The photography is excellent and shows a wide range of pictures of Ziaur himself, to his family, busting images of his restaurant, and his roots back in Birmingham that help set the tone for the page you are reading.

One part in his story that jumped out to me particularly was the racism he faced from a young age. Especially from members of the National Front as a young man and the normalised casual racism from customers while he served them in his own restaurant during the 80’s.

A lot of my love for the Bangladeshi restaurant scene started with my father, who used to go out in Cambridge during the late 70’s and 80’s eating at many iconic Bangladesh restaurants, such as The Bombay and Bengal Tandoor Mahal. He used to tell me stories of witnessing some of the awful racist behaviour in these restaurants that almost makes you ashamed to be British.  Luckily, we have come a long way since then but reading Ziaur’s book really gives you an idea of how bad things were back then and what he has had to overcome.

Parts of the book go into the compromises that Ziaur (and I am sure many other restaurant owners) had to make when catering to the British market. The book tells a tale of how places outside of London and other cities struggled with traditional Bangladeshi cuisine, so an almost second menu would be required for the English pallet. These days people are more open to this sort of thing but to help encourage people to embrace his style of cooking, Ziaur has included a wide range of traditional Bangladesh recipes for readers to attempt and learn from. I must admit, a few have caught my eye and I may very well give them a try.

‘Going for an Indian’ is a fascinating dive into the other side of the great British pastime. It was great to learn a bit about Ziaur himself and it is always nice to read about restaurants that are close to your heart. I always enjoy reading practical books that you can use after you have finished reading, with the recipe pages being a particular interest to me (especially with their infamous ox cheek in the book!). I think anyone who likes ‘going for an Indian’ in Cambridgeshire will enjoy this book as you will likely learn a lot. The book itself is beautifully presented in hard back with gorgeous photography that makes it a proud sight on any book case.

For anyone interested in purchasing the book, you can find it here.