TRADITIONALLY, 12th anniversaries are celebrated with silk and linen, but award-winning curry chef Tipu Rahman put his own spin on the landmark for his Tamarind restaurant by staging a VIP party.
Thousands of people have visited Tamarind over the past 12 years to enjoy the superb food created by Tipu and his team – the menu is packed with healthy regional Asian food, reflecting the diversity of the cuisine of the region – and consumed some two million poppadoms in the process.
Many regular diners were invited to the anniversary event along with special guests David Laing, Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire; Nazmul Quaminem, the High Commissioner of Bangladesh; Cllr Christopher Malpas and Lynne Malpas, the Mayor and Mayoress of Northampton; Cllr Jim Harker, the leader of Northamptonshire County Council and Pasha Khandsakar, the President of Bangladesh Caterers Association, as well as member’s of Tipu’s immediate family.
Prior to the dinner being served, guests were shown a short video charting Tipu’s highly successful career since arriving in the UK from Bangladesh in 1995. Since opening Tamarind, Tipu’s culinary talents have seen him collect a number of awards, including International Chef of the Year and BCA Caterer of the Year. He has also prepared a banquet for the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and 700 guests as well as having an entry in the Guinness World Record book for the tallest poppadom tower. He used 1,275 poppadoms to create a 5ft 8in tower.
The Lord Lieutenant, the High Commissioner of Bangladesh, the Mayor of Northampton, County Council Chairman and BCA President all praised Tipu’s culinary talents and entrepreneurial skills and congratulated him on the success of Tamarind.
“Tamarind is Tipu and Tipu is Tamarind,” said David Laing. “It is a very, very special place for many people in Northampton.”
Nazmul Quamine added: Tipu and Tamarind perfectly represent the cooking and culture of Bangladesh here in Northampton.”
In a sop to 12th anniversary tradition, there was plenty of linen adorning the tables of the Wellingborough Road, Northampton restaurant, but it was the food that Tipu and his team had created for the anniversary dinner that guests were eager to sample.
The three-course menu featured a starter of sheek kebab roll, vegetable paneer samosa, shahi paneer kufta and malai tikka, followed by a main course of lamb shank, peri peri chicken, gosht kata masala and methi saag paneer accompanied by boiled rice, vegetable rice and garlic coriander naan, and rounded off with a traditional dessert.
Guests at the dinner helped raise £500 for the Northamptonshire Community Foundation with the Mayoress of Northampton winning the prize of a champagne meal for four at Tamarind.
“When I established Tamarind I wanted to give people a restaurant they’d enjoy time and time again,” said Tipu. “The support of my wife, three sons and daughter has helped me enjoy 12 very special years. I have created memories and gained friends that will last a lifetime.”
