Amin Ali’s achievements were celebrated at the Curry Life Awards 2025
The Red Fort and its owner Amin Ali need little introduction. The iconic Indian restaurant, dubbed ‘London’s favourite curry house’ by local media, opened in London’s Dean Street in Soho in 1983. It rapidly became an institution in the capital, and was a favourite haunt for politicians, dignitaries, celebrities and entrepreneurs, and those members of the public fortunate enough to secure a booking and indulge in the restaurant’s critically-acclaimed dishes.
Amin was recently honoured with the Curry Legend Award at the Curry Life Awards 2025 for his contribution to the industry and his visionary influence. Talk to others in the sector and they will tell you that Amin’s approach is all about consistency, innovation and determination.
He achieved many ‘firsts’ in his glittering career. As well as The Red Fort, Amin also started Soho Spice in the 1990s, a restaurant that pioneered contemporary Indian cuisine and he co-founded Busaba Thai, a chain of Thai restaurants, along with fellow restaurateur Alan Yau. He is also widely recognised for taking the lead in finding, recruiting and training chefs from India and giving them the opportunity to work in the UK. Amin also set the standard for pairing fine wines with spicy cuisine, hiring sommeliers for The Red Fort and he also launched a food festival showcasing regional cuisine from the Indian subcontinent.
Visionary outlook
Amin also has a deserved reputation as a shrewd observer of the many obstacles facing the UK curry industry. Speaking to Curry Life magazine back in 2008, he outlined how while many Bangladeshi restaurants have greatly improved their style and service, most have stagnated. He noted that Bangladeshi restaurants had greatly improved in terms of decor and design, but cautioned that they still had to perform better. At the time he said: “The three key areas are food, service and value for money. The cooking must be first rate, the service must be nothing less than excellent, the hygiene flawless and presentation superb. I think we need to examine ourselves more critically, never be complacent and relentlessly strive for perfection. I honestly believe we have a brighter future if we play our cards right.”
It’s a view that is very pertinent today, underlining Amin’s intuitive, forward-thinking and visionary outlook, and his perceptiveness regarding the challenges facing UK curry houses. Speaking to Curry Life earlier this year, Amin said: “The whole restaurant scene has to change. The Red Fort revolutionised the industry but there are other challenges now. We can colour the walls and put in a wooden floor but the main heart of a restaurant is its kitchen – that needs to be the number one focus.”
An enviable reputation
With Amin being one of the most respected businessmen in the industry, it’s no surprise that many business deals and a fair few top secret conversations took place at The Red Fort.
The roll call of visitors to the restaurant reads like a veritable Who’s Who, with guests over the years ranging from leading politicians, to innovators, to actors and sports personalities – Steve Jobs dined there in 1984, around the time the first Apple Macintosh was released. Amin himself is no stranger to politics, having befriended many Labour politicians and having been an activist on behalf of the Bengali community in Camden in the late 1970s. His many close friends over the years have included Frank Dobson, the former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Ed and David Milliband (Amin helped with their fundraising campaigns for the Labour Party leadership back in 2010) and Keith Vaz, former Minister of State. Public Relations consultant Sarah Brown, the wife of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, once handled the publicity for The Red Fort.
Food sensation
The Red Fort’s food was as much a talking point as the people who dined there. The restaurant’s style of cooking had its roots in the imperial kitchens of the Mughal empire. It also had an eclectic wine menu with 300 international wines, with a sommelier offering diners guidance to perfectly pair the different wines with Indian dishes.
With traditional tandoor ovens, charcoal grilled, Lucknow and Hyderabadi kabab and barbecue, homemade chutneys and freshly baked bread, The Red Fort’s cuisine was exciting and groundbreaking.
From the moment it opened its doors, it’s fair to say that The Red Fort provided the benchmark for a new type of more refined Indian food, establishing Indian fine-dining cuisine and breaking the mould.
Inspiring the next generation
While The Red Fort no longer graces the streets of Soho, having closed its doors for good in 2018 after 35 years, Amin’s achievements continue to be celebrated. He is known for shaping the British curry scene and being one of the greatest restaurateurs of his generation, helping to redefine Indian cuisine and being an inspiration to many.
Amin’s health has sadly deteriorated over the years but he remains as invested in the industry now as when he first started out. One of the things he is most proud of in his career is having had the opportunity to train hundreds of chefs who came to the UK from India and Thailand, who worked at The Red Fort, Soho Spice and Busaba. Keith Vaz perhaps sums up Amin the best. He said: “Amin Ali is the real ambassador of Bangladesh, the real High Commissioner of Bangladesh.”
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