Anwar Hussein

On local produce and London style in Kirkwall.

When you enter the Dil Se Restaurant on Kirkwall's Bridge Street it is obvious that a lot of work has gone into creating a light, stylish dining experience that is subtle and pleasurable to the senses.

The owner, Anwar Hussein, was born in Aberdeen and his parents are from Bangladesh. They moved to Orkney in 1992, and he has always been involved with the family business. He says, "Since childhood I worked in my parents' business. They had a restaurant. But after I left school, I studied for an HND in IT in Dundee to follow my own path. I wanted a change and to get as far away as possible from the Indian restaurant business.

"I tried to enroll on a web design course, but I found that there was no business factor. I came back to my parents in 2000 and went to Blairgowrie in 1998 to open my first restaurant. I opened other restaurants in 1999 and 2000. I later sold them in 2004 and launched the Oban restaurant in 2005."

Anwar's restaurant serves a combination of North Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine, and he has been trying to vary the menu. "I noticed that restaurants in Orkney were only catering for traditional cuisines. When I first opened up Dil Se Restaurant, the response was amazing," he says. "Generally I've had a really good response, but it was very hard to get the local people to understand what Indian cuisine was all about. People expect about 100 different dishes. But I cut about 70 per cent off the menu and created a very manageable menu. For example, if you have sea bass with spinach then you won’t have chicken with spinach. You need variety."

During the time Anwar lived in London, he learned about how important it was to market his restaurant properly and present his dishes well. "I moved to London in 2003 and worked as a data analyst for Siemens without a degree. I was successful in that field; I analyzed data, why are products selling, why they're not selling, and market research. It really shaped my mind into customer services and I was able to use this information for my own business. I was also able to afford to go to nice restaurants there.

"Mint leaf is the cream-of-the-crop restaurant in London; nothing can touch it right now. Indian restaurants are leading the way in cuisine technology in London. It's about analysing your dishes and presenting it properly. There has to be a balance. For example, a piece of pepper or cardamom could completely overpower a dish," says Anwar.

Anwar feels it's important to understand his customers' needs, and he has applied what he's learned in London to Dil Se Restaurant. He says, "The problem with this industry is that people are not in tune with their customers' needs. If a chef changes, the menu should change. The chefs are held back by not being able to prepare their specialty. Nine times out of 10 the owner doesn’t know how to cook the dishes. My tandoori dishes are the specialty at Dil Se Restaurant. We cook everything here fresh to order. I am very proud of that.

"I think about business all the time, such as where I can put my next restaurant. I have plans to have a wine bar in Orkney one day."

Related Links

• Dil Se Restaurant