The Shahin Wins 2018 South East Restaurant of the Year Award

Published on: 14 Feb, 2019
Updated on: 15 Feb, 2019

By Hugh Coakley

The Shahin has won the 2018 South East Restaurant of the Year award from the Bangladesh Caterers Association.

Owner of The Shahin, Yasmeen Deedar, holds the 2018 South East Restaurant of the Year award and trophy from the Bangladesh Caterers Association.

“It is a very prestigious award,” said Yasmeen Deedar, adding: “The Bangladesh Caterers Association represents over 12,000 restaurants in the UK.”

The tandoori restaurant, The Shahin has been open on Woodbridge Hill, GU2 9AA, for 33 years and has been run by Yasmeen Deedar for 28 of those years.

Mr Deedar said: “I feel overwhelmed and privileged to have won the recognition of my fellow restaurant owners.” And after all those years, he is still very passionate about his “authentic Bangladesh and Indian food”.

However, Mr Deedar was not only proud of the award, but also of his “cooks and gifted chefs who are the main arm of our restaurant”. The restaurant employs 12 people and many have been with him for 10 years or more.

He came to the UK when only 15 years old and became part-owner of the restaurant at the tender age of 18!

Since then, he has not only run the business and doubled the size of the restaurant but he has also taken a law degree.

If that was not enough, he then showed The Guildford Dragon NEWS that he was an accomplished chef as well.

In probably less time than it takes to boil an egg, Yasmeen Deedar and his cooks produced three superb dishes at The Shahin.

With a quick-fire cooking demonstration in The Shahin’s kitchen, he conjured up three delicious dishes; one chicken and two vegetarian.

Flashing from pan to pan, he used the tiniest amounts of an amazing range of various herbs and spices. Mr Deedar not only showed the skill and efficiency of cooking at The Shahin but also how they so successfully achieve the subtlety of flavours.

Yasmeen Deedar with cooks Raju, Jahed and Nadim in the kitchen at The Shahin. Mohamed Taj Uddin, the head chef, who has worked at The Shahin for 11 years, wasn’t cooking that evening.

Mr Deedar said that there had been a trend towards takeaways in the last 10 years. “The restaurant side is still the most important though,” he said.

To keep prices down, The Shahin has sensibly tried to avoid the fees from the online takeaway apps by setting up its own online ordering service. You can find it by clicking here.

The Guildford Dragon NEWS had a very positive and welcoming impression of The Shahin. That was confirmed by a customer, totally unprompted, when he greeted Mr Deedar with: “Thanks for the meal. Definitely, the best restaurant in Guildford.”

That is praise indeed.

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