TANGENTSBy Ihtisham Kabir
Taste of Home <i>in Bangkok </i>
Iftekhar and Mamoon at Jasmine Restaurant. Photo: Ihtisham Kabir
I admire Bangladeshi entrepreneurs doing business abroad. It takes courage and persistence to succeed in a foreign land. So, finding myself in the neighbourhood recently, I drop by “Jasmine Bangladeshi Cuisine,” a Bangladeshi-owned restaurant in Bangkok. Jasmine's founders are Iftekhar Ahmed Khan, a Dhaka-based restaurant entrepreneur (of El Toro fame) and Talukder Siraj Mian (Mamoon), a Bangkok-based businessman of Bangladeshi origin. Between them, they have several decades of restaurant experience. Jasmine is eight years old. It is located close to the Bangkok Hospital, halfway between the Amari apartments and the hospital entrance. Entering, I am greeted by a sparkling clean interior, simple but tastefully decorated, that can seat 48 people. I request the menu and get a 22-page booklet featuring hundreds of dishes. In addition to Bangladeshis, Jasmine caters to Middle-Eastern and South Asian visitors, particularly patients at various Bangkok hospitals. The menu has Bangladeshi, Indian, Arabic, Mediterranean and Thai food. Everything is halal and the restaurant serves no alcohol. I ask Mamoon and Iftekhar why they started this restaurant. “We saw many Bangladeshis coming here for treatment and craving home food, especially daal-bhat, and decided to serve them,” they said. Indeed, Bangladeshi specials include several types of fish, including Koi, Pabda and Hilsa. A typical Bengali meal costs 150-200 Baht (1 Baht = 2.5 Taka.) Also popular are kababs, lassi and several variations of biriyani. Jasmine offers boneless versions of all their dishes for a higher price. From the menu, I order Tandoori chicken, garlic nan and daal. The chicken is flavourful and succulent. The nan is light, fluffy, and delightfully chewy. The daal is thick and hearty. I also ask for a cup of tea. It comes steaming in a large mug, rich and flavourful. Chatting with the entrepreneurs, it becomes obvious that running such a business is intense, hard work. The restaurant is open daily from 8:30am to 11pm. They have also opened a convenience store next door called Jasmine Halal Mart. When I walk in for a look, I get to meet Mrs. Jathatthaya Mian, Mamoon's Thai wife, who looks after it. “What advice would you have for Bangladeshi entrepreneurs wanting to do business in Bangkok?” I ask them. “Doing business in Bangkok is difficult. Thai law requires that you have a local partner. It is important to find a trustworthy partner. Remember all official documents are in Thai, so you will rely on your partner to fill them out properly,” says Iftekhar. “Finding a good spot in Bangkok takes persistence,” adds Mamoon. Did they have any unusual experience here? “A young man called me one night asking for help. He had brought his elderly uncle for treatment at the hospital. The uncle was desperate for some Bangla-style patient food. I ended up making a pishpash of soft rice with vegetables and his uncle loved it,” says Mamoon. But Jasmine's food is not just for patients. Anyone can enjoy it. They are at 11/2-3 Soonvijai Soi 3, Bangkok.
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