The Gulshan Tandoori restaurant is located on Exmouth Market, nestled among many restaurants and cafes, directly across the street from another Indian restaurant called Cinnamon Tree. One night, my flatmates and I found ourselves craving Indian food and decided to try Gulshan, since we had already eaten at Cinnamon Tree the previous week. I had walked by Gulshan many times before, and it’s never been that busy, even when other restaurants on Exmouth were filled to capacity.
Standing outside of the restaurant, we were greeted by a kind looking Indian man with white hair, a beard, a crisp white shirt, and a small black cap. I would later learn that this man was Ahman, the owner of the restaurant. He appeared to be in his mid-fifties or early sixties and was of average height and build. He leaned over our shoulders as we read the menu. Then, he looked both ways and leaned in closer. He put his hand to the side of his mouth and whispered, “Half price for you, anything you want.” He seemed to think we were getting away with a crime by eating so cheaply. He might as well have said, “Please, eat anything you want. Just don’t hurt me.” I was happy to get such a good deal, but I also realized how hard it must be for Ahman to attract customers when there is a nearly identical restaurant across the street.
We sat down and he unfolded our menus and gave his recommendations. As he smiled at us, the wrinkles around his kind, dark eyes became more clearly defined. He was eager to please us, and I felt welcomed and appreciated as a customer. Our food arrived shortly after we ordered. I had vegetable samosas as an appetizer. They were filled with lots of herbs and spices, and the vegetables were very flavorful. For my main course, I ordered a chicken dish in a spicy curry sauce. The spice was intense, but was subdued by the yogurt sauce that was served on the side. Even though I don’t eat Indian food often, the chicken at Gulshan is the best Indian dish I’ve had so far. Ahman brought us two orders of rice, even though we only ordered one. He explained that the extra rice would be free of charge. He wanted to make sure we tried both the fried mushroom rice and the rice pilaf; the latter is plainer but just as delicious. Throughout our meal, Ahman kept checking in on us to make sure we had everything we needed. By the time our plates were cleared, we hadn’t left a single bite of food on the table.
When Ahman returned with our check, he asked us where we were from. We explained that we are Fordham students from New York, and he asked about our impressions of London. After telling him how much we loved it, he replied that he had opened the restaurant thirty years ago after moving to London from India. At that time, Indian restaurants were mostly contained to Baker Street, so it was a risky move to open up shop where he did. Ahman noted how Indian restaurants are now all over the place. He pointed across the street and told us that the owner of Cinnamon Tree had worked for him for fifteen years. The man left Gulshan to open his own restaurant, but failed to tell Ahman that he would be right across the street. To add insult to injury, Cinnamon Tree has almost the same menu as Gulshan. The man had learned how to cook from Ahman, and now he is his main competition. I was shocked at how casually this story had unfolded. The story was filled with betrayal and irony, curry and naan. Ahman didn’t seem too upset about it, but he did mention how hard it was to be in the restaurant business. I felt badly that someone he had once trusted had taken advantage of him, and now both restaurants suffer the consequences of being located so closely to each other.
Meeting Ahman taught me the importance of learning who I am supporting when I dine out. For thirty years, Ahman has not given up despite hard times and tough competition. I’m glad I was able to support his restaurant because I know he is passionate about what he does. It’s rare to stumble upon a restaurant with a friendly owner who is more than happy to have you there and willing to talk to you instead of staying cooped up in the back room. I wonder how many other restaurants are like Gulshan, and if their owners have struggled as much as Ahman. Even if there are, I doubt I’ll find one with such an amazing chicken curry.
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