Chef shortlisted for national curry awards takes over well-known Sunderland takeaway

Iqbal Hussain’s new shop, Rasoi in Hylton Road, operated as Curry Express for decades before more recently trading as Ruchi.

Hussain has taken over the site, renaming it Rasoi, and is aiming to stamp it on the map for its quality of food and speed of delivery.

The chef and businessman’s previous ventures have been named among the top six in the country at the British Curry Awards, as well as being short-listed in the Asian Curry Awards.

And he’s hoping to repeat that success at his new venture, which will be undergoing a renovation to update the site.

Food has already started flying out of the kitchen in the first four weeks of trading.

Hussain said: “There’s a lot of takeaways in this area, but to be runner up in national awards shows I must be doing something right. I grew up in Sunderland and opening a business here felt right.

“We’ve been running for the past four weeks and the reviews have been great, people say we’re a bit different and we already have regulars. People who order curries regularly know the difference in quality.

“I’ve had great success at other businesses and I 100% intend on entering Rasoi into awards too.”

Speaking about what attracted him to the site, he said: “Hylton Road is close to three bridges so it’s perfectly situated for deliveries. I really pride myself on the speed of deliveries, so having access to a wide area was important, from Ryhope to East Boldon.

"This site was really well known as Curry Express and I think it was one of the first Indian takeaways in the area.”

As well as the classic Indian dishes, Rasoi also serves more unusual dishes such as a pistachio curry and a dedicated vegetarian selection.

Hussain will also be extending the menu to include a vegan section, as well as a healthy eating section in which dishes are calorie counted and made with no oil or ghee.

:: Rasoi Indian Kitchen in Hylton Road is open Wednesday to Monday from 5.30pm to 11pm.

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