Tongham’s first Indian takeaway has opened and it is going down a treat with villagers.
Tongham Curry House opened on Bank Holiday Monday (May 1) and residents flocked to get a taste of its Indian and Bangladeshi dishes, according to co-owner Muhammed Uddin.
“We were expecting a slow build-up, but on our opening day there was no space left inside the takeaway because it was so busy,” Mr Uddin said. “The next day was very busy too.
“One lady said she was so glad we had opened because she had been waiting for an Indian takeaway in Tongham for ages.”
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Mr Uddin knows how to establish a successful takeaway, having been in the trade for more than 30 years.
For the last 15 years, he has successfully run Vindaloo Indian Takeaway in Cove with his brother Askor Uddin.
“Normally, it takes about a month for a new takeaway to get settled in, so we were not expecting the reaction we got in Tongham,” he said.
“Our new business has been a hit from the start and we’re already getting good responses from customers, who say they like the food as well as the look of the takeaway.”
The idea of Tongham Curry House came about when the Uddin brothers were driving through the Tongham and saw the former Post Office lying empty in The Street.
“We had already been thinking of opening another business and this seemed to be an ideal place in a nice little village,” he said.
“We looked at what was in the area, did a lot of research and felt it was a good opportunity.”
Tongham Curry House offers a wide selection of traditional meat and vegetarian dishes prepared by chef Abul Kalam, who has 35 years’ experience.
Although it is early days, Mr Uddin said chicken dishes were already proving to be big sellers including tikka masala, tikka chili masala, korai and jalfrezi.
“It has taken more than a year to get Tongham Curry House up and running,” Mr Uddin said.
“My brother and I have worked very hard on it, but it is worth all the effort.
“I definitely think it will be a long-term success and, because people are so friendly around here, it will be lots of fun for us too.”
Tongham Curry House is open from 5pm-10.30pm Sunday to Thursday and 5pm-11pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
It offers a 10% discount on collection only orders.
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