Cutler’s Spice MEET THE CHEF
Name: Noim Ullah Age: 76 Role: Head chef Chic meets the face behind the food at Sheffield’s premier Bangladeshi restaurant, Cutler’s Spice. What inspired you to be a chef? My brother – he was a chef in London for many years – he taught me to cook. How did your career start? I always wanted to open my own restaurant. I started out as a kitchen porter in 1963 then worked my way up to sous chef and eventually head chef. Why did you bring your cooking to Sheffield? Cutler’s Spice is a family run restaurant – my son manages the restaurant and my wife and I manage the kitchen. We previously had a takeaway in Sheffield and restaurants in other cities but we wanted to concentrate on one business working together as a family. There was a gap in the market for an independent restaurant in Sheffield so we launched here three years ago
with all hands on deck to make the business a success. Why do you think Indian cooking is so popular in the UK? People love the combination of spices. It’s the spices that give Indian cooking flavour and depth. Do you have a personal favourite dish on the menu? Tikka Masala. It’s a customer favourite too. We try to constantly change the menu to introduce new innovative dishes but we always listen to customer feedback and keep the favourites on the menu. I designed the menu 30 years ago and a lot of the classic dishes still remain on today’s menu. What’s the most difficult dish to make? Chicken handi – this dish features a lot of varieties of whole spices – not powdered, so it’s challenging and time consuming. What’s your favourite spice to work with? It has to be coriander.
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Have you had any celebrity customers at Cutler’s Spice? Yes – we’ve had quite a few high profile names in the restaurant. ‘The Beast’ from ITV’s The Chase has dined here, as well as boxer Ricky Hatton and a number of football club managers. How would you describe Cutler’s Spice in three words? Luxurious, classy and atmospheric. How would you describe a typical day in the kitchen? Hectic. I work seven days a week from 11am until midnight most days. We can serve up to 130 diners in one night at the weekend. What’s your biggest achievement? I was awarded the Curry Life Magazine ‘Chef of the Year’ award in 2012 and my wife, Asharfun Nessa Begun, won the following year. This year we have been nominated for the ‘Spice Restaurant of the Year’ award. Words: Jessica Fogarty