'You have to put your heart and soul into your food': Tullamore chef behind 'Cafe India'
Though a native of Pakistan, Abdul Hafeez has fully adapted to Irish life and culture in the almost three decades he has been based here
Though a native of Pakistan, Abdul Hafeez has fully adapted to Irish life and culture in the almost three decades he has been based here.
Head chef and proprietor of Café India in Tullamore, Abdul has lived in the Offaly county town for 26 years.
Café India was a pioneer of Indian dining and takeaway food in Tullamore, being the first Indian restaurant to open in the town in the late 1990s.
Since then it has established a top reputation and built up a regular cohort of customers, many of whom have been dining at Café India since it first commenced trading.
But Abdul's journey to becoming a chef and ultimately proprietor of the Indian eatery was an unusual one.
He originally moved to Ireland to study computing at the then Athlone Regional Institute of Technology with a view to securing employment in the information technology sector.
Prior to that he had spent six months working with his cousin in the UK who is the owner and head chef of a restaurant in Peckham in London.
"He was my teacher and mentor and ultimately I decided the restaurant trade, rather than computing, was my path in life," outlined Abdul.
"I didn't want to slave over computers for the rest of my days."
After finishing his studies in Athlone, the Pakistan native returned to the UK, secured a diploma in cooking, and worked in the kitchen of his cousin's restaurant where he learned many skills that remain invaluable to him today.
After a time he returned to Ireland and based himself in Tullamore and fate intervened "over a cup of coffee".
"I was in the Gaslamp restaurant in Patrick's Court speaking to the owner, Niall Condra, who said he intended to close the business. I asked him to sell the premises to me and he said yes. Then Kenny Kok, who owned Café India, at that stage located on Church St, also agreed to sell the business and I relocated the restaurant to Patrick's Court."
"We took over the name and business but changed the menu and remained at Patrick's Court for 18 years before moving again to Harbour St, in the premises which had traded as the Acorn restaurant."
Abdul is very grateful for the solid support he received from his family in Pakistan and the UK, particularly when he first took the helm at the restaurant.
"My cousin (in the UK) has been my favourite person for a long time and I have always been close to him. I developed his aptitude for food and his belief that a kitchen and restaurant should be a bit of fun, a happy environment."
Abdul said the lesson he learned early was that a love of food has to come from the heart. "You have to put your heart and soul into your food and never serve anything you wouldn't eat yourself."
Asked what he believed made a good chef a great chef, Abdul reiterated the importance of having a love for food.
"If you're doing it just for the wages you'll still do your job but it won't be the same. A happy chef makes a happy diner."
And he stressed a chef must be willing do all the tasks in the kitchen, from emptying the dishwasher to creating delicious food.
Abdul added that a greatly under rated ingredient in cooking is butter, which he is a passionate advocate of. "Butter has been a staple food for thousands of years. The latest research shows that cooking with butter or animal fat is actually better for you." And he reckons that an over rated ingredient is seed oils.
His favourite dishes are Lahore specials which originate from the area he originally hails from. "They're definitely the most popular dishes here at Café India; they're one of our house specialities."
The Indian restaurant and takeaway also serves a wide range of Balti, Madras, Jalfrezi, Bhuna and Korma dishes.
"I recommend to diners to try the tasty 'Café India Tandoori Cocktail', which is a selection of cocktail size kebabs and tikkas, another house speciality," outlined Abdul.
Since taking the reins at Café India has noted diners tastes have changed. "People, including our regular customers, are tending to opt for hotter dishes than in the past".
As well as being Tullamore's first Indian restaurant, Café India also introduced the budget €10 lunch specials, served each day from 12 noon to 3pm.
Abdul is bullish about the future and is confident Café India will continue to thrive and remain a favourite with diners of all ages.
Café India can be contacted at 057 9352496 [email protected]