Chef Aktar Islam confirms opening date for Oudh 1722

Chef Aktar Islam’s debut London restaurant Oudh 1722 will open in London’s Borough on 1 May.

The British-born Bangladeshi chef behind the two-Michelin-starred Opheem in Birmingham will showcase Awadhi cuisine, a royal culinary tradition originating from Lucknow in northern India, at the upcoming 80-cover restaurant.

Oudh 1722 is spread across three floors of a listed Victorian building and seeks to introduce the UK to the flavours of Lucknow, which was recognised by UNESCO as a Creative City of Gastronomy late last year.

Dishes will include shorba, a warm broth traditionally served to welcome guests, naashta snacks such as nargisi kofta (soft golden egg yolk and spiced venison) and kakori kebab of finely minced lamb shoulder with chilli and rose.

In addition, the menu will spotlight dum cooking, which is the slow, dough-sealed technique common to the region, through dishes such as Eaan-e-dum pukht, smoked Wiltshire lamb shoulder baked in a lamb-fat crust; Mutanjan dum biryani of oxtail and aged basmati; and Zameen doz machli, whole turbot slow-cooked in spiced ghee with brown shrimp and saalan.

Meanwhile, curries influenced by Hindu, Mughal, Persian and Arab cultures, such as tandoori poussin and Aylesbury duck, and Lucknowi-inspired desserts Awadhi Nimish and Shahi Tukda (bread pudding) will also take centre-stage.

News of the restaurant opening was first announced in January, with Islam stating at the time: “Awadhi cuisine represents a rich culinary tradition I have always deeply respected, yet one rarely seen in its authentic form here in the UK.

“With Oudh 1722, the intention is to bring the flavours of Awadh to London, drawing on the techniques, generosity and sense of hospitality that defined the Nawabi courts of Lucknow.”

Islam received the Chef Award at the 2024 Cateys.