Fifty nine Cotmandene Crescent has come a long way since it traded as a toy shop in the sixties; and so has the present owner of this property, Luthfur Rahman, better known to his customers as Ray.

Born in Sylhet, a region of Bangladesh, Ray moved to London with his family as a young teenager in the early 1980’s. Moving from one part of the country to another at that young age can be daunting, but to move between two vastly contrasting continents can only be viewed as a massive upheaval. As Ray explained, “Although I could speak English moving here was still a culture shock.” And the biggest shock was the English weather. The sun he had been used to was more often than not hidden by grey, rain filled clouds; and the English summer had to be supplemented with a woolly jumper. “But,” he added, “You adapt.” And adapt he certainly did.

From a bewildered teenager in a foreign land, he developed into a promising young business man when he started his first Indian restaurant with a friend in South East London. The business grew alongside the English palate’s increasing desire for curried dishes. Eventually the family business was added to his portfolio when his parents sold up and retired back to Bangladesh. In fact, although known as Indian restaurants, Ray informed me that over 60% of them in the UK are owned and run by Bengali’s.

Not one to sit on his laurels he sought another opportunity to spread his particular flavour of India. So when 14 years ago his brother, who lived in North Kent, told him about a vacant retail property in Cotmandene, Ray was quick to check it out. Previously a Chinese restaurant and before that an Italian bistro, Ray immediately realised its potential and put an offer in. Soon St. Paul’s Cray had its own authentic Indian restaurant. Though it might be the first here, it has a long way to go to beat London’s first Indian restaurant which was opened in 1810 by Sake Dean Mahomed.

Despite his success does he miss much from his homeland? Unsurprisingly he said, “The heat and the sun,” and quickly added, “And my parents and family of course.” Yet he has settled very well into the British way of life, and his commitment to the Cray’s led him to moving his family from Camberwell into the area. Originally from a rural part of Sylhet, he now enjoys the rural aspects of the Cray‘s that London didn‘t offer taking his family for visits to the local countryside whenever work allows. Looking back over the last 27 years Ray has come a long way since first touching down on these shores. It hasn‘t always been easy, and one of the low points has been this latest recession, which Ray admitted has been a difficult climate to operate in. But customers have continued to order takeaways or frequent his restaurant, some travelling quite long distances to eat there.

So if you want to experience the heat of Sylhet in the colder climes of St Paul’s Cray, visit the Flavour of India at 59 Cotmandene Crescent where Ray and his staff will offer you a warm Bengali welcome.